You might remember a video we recently did where a PhD physiologist claimed he not only knew how to get around hydration tests like those utilized in ONE Championship, but also that he had actively helped ONE Championship fighters trick the tests in the past. Clive being involved in how can people trick the steps when you sweat, you sweat out fluid and electrolytes. As you sweat out fluid and electrolytes, your blood becomes more concentrated, so a greater amount of electrolytes per unit of blood.
The Science Behind Hydration Tests
Now, the thing is, if when you rehydrate, if you rehydrate with distilled water to make it even less things inside it, you put the fluid back in, but not the electrolytes. So then the concentration of your blood really plummets, and the kidneys actually think you’re over-hydrated, and they start emptying urine out. It will then filter out more clear urine, and you’ll pass the test. Well, while most of those who watch that video understood this concept, a few doubted the reality of his claims.
The Experiment
Considering no fighter who fights for the promotion would be interested in getting potentially fired for showing us exactly how they trick a hydration test, Dr. Barley chose to take this responsibility upon himself. Yes, that’s right, he’s going to do a weight cut himself and demonstrate exactly how to fool a hydration test.
The Reasons Behind the Experiment
In order to do this, though, it was very important to stress his reasons why he wants to show you how to trick the test in the first place. Hi, I’m Dr. Barley, I’m a lecturer at university, and this is my PhD. But the reason we’re here today is there’s been a lot of conversation around hydration testing, in particular, how the hydration testing might be used for weight cutting in combat sports.
The Reality of Hydration Testing
Now, one of the things I’ve been public about is the fact that these tests are relatively easy to trick. And the reason I do this is not because I want to encourage people to cheat – that’s not the goal, even slightly. But the point is that a large amount of people are already doing this. It’s not something that I invented; I don’t come up with this. This has been done for a long time. This is done in the college wrestling system, not before I showed up on the scene. What is Hospital Indemnity Insurance?
The Risks of Hydration Testing
But ultimately, the tricks I’m about to do do pose a serious risk to people’s health, as it involves messing around with your electrolyte balances. So we point this out so that we can understand that these are not a viable solution. And ultimately, it’s probably in the best interest of fighter safety to remove these tests entirely and try other methods to manage weight cutting.
The Weight Cut
Alright, let’s do it. I agree, so the key takeaway is he fills hydration test hose fighter safety issues got it. Now, on to the methods, we’re going to start with perhaps my favorite standalone clip ever. Alright, time to get some pee. A few moments later, up we got it. It’s like luminous yellow.
The Refractometer
So his next step is to use the refractometer. You might remember this instrument from the last video. This refractometer is something similar to what ONE Championship uses to test urine. Anything above the number 1.025 is considered dehydrated by ONE Championship standards. So what Dr. Barley will do is shake up the urinal mice, um, and then place a small sample of it into the refractometer and look through it.
The Initial Test
Okay, so urine’s there. Slowly closes it, looks through. 1.015. I’m pretty sure you guys will be able to see it. 1.015. So relatively hydrated. And as expected, before the weight cut, the test shows him as being hydrated and well under that limit.
The Weight Cut Begins
So let’s move on to the more grueling part. So we’re just about to start. So I only took my weight, 85.8. So what I’m going to do is, we’ll work out what’s five percent. So Oliver has to get down to 81.54. So that is 4.4, 4.3. For my fellow American friends, 85.5 kilos is about 190 pounds, and he’s going to be cutting about 10 pounds worth of weight, which is 5% of his total body weight.
The Weight Cut Process
Theoretically, totally unable to pass a hydration test, but this is where the trick comes in. You might remember that there were two methods that he proposed for tricking hydration tests. One was to drink essentially pure or distilled water before a weight cut, so that his bladder fills up with water, so that all that pure water means his urine will look more hydrated when it’s time for the test. And two, the other option is to cut just a little bit too much, so you would drink a bit of pure water after the weight cut, and this would allegedly fool the test as well.
The Weight Cut Continues
In this case, he’s going to try a bit of both. He’ll drink some water before and after, so that the 10 pounds of water weight lost, and obviously being severely dehydrated, will go unnoticed by the test. He’s decided to do both here as a bit of overkill, just so he could be as sure as a fighter would be before a fight. What I’m going to do is, I’m going to drink before, start a liter. So I’ve already paid, as you would have seen, but I did the urine test. I’m going to drink now a liter of water. I’m going to take that in a single go.
The Sauna Session
What that will do, I’m gonna try, I’ll get it, I’ll get it before I go in one take. Welcome. Wow, as you can drink like fish can’t they? Anyhow, into the sauna next, right here. They’re showing us the exact conditions of the sauna, 39.8 degrees Celsius, is about 104 degrees Fahrenheit, so yeah, really hot, and the humidity is set to about 90, so it’s going to be real thick and sticky in there. And he’ll be in the sauna for three hours to cut the 10 pounds.
The Weight Loss Progress
Here, his assistant will explain a bit more. So Oliver’s gonna sit in that for three hours. We’re probably gonna take him out after 30 minutes and give him a five-minute rest, and then we put him in for five more sessions. And yeah. So we lost 1.1 kilos in the first 30 minutes. Feel good, actually. Yeah, not too bad.
The Final Sessions
Just finished session two, one out. Not too bad now. The way it gets way worse. So he’s going to take a five-minute break. We’re going to get his weight, and then for round three. Ali’s just coming out here now from session three. Ali, feeling it. But the man struggles on in the name of science. Look, it’s an important thing to demonstrate. Put my body on the line for science. How much I love combat sports.
The Final Steps
After the sauna, Dr. Barley drank 400 mL of water to ensure his urine was clear. So what I’m going to do is, just to make sure there’s a little bit of water turnover at the end, make sure the urine is nice and clear. And after all that, here’s the critical moment: does he pass the test? Ali’s just coming out here now from the last session. So the last 30 minutes, three hours in, three hours maybe. Let’s look at that. This is the after one. It actually looks a bit clearer than it was before.
The Final Test
See what the USG does. Moment of Truth. Oh, that’s so much clearer. Look at that. 1.013. Oh, all right. Let’s have a look. Yeah, well, I got more hydrated according to this urine test after three hours in 40 degrees and 80 humidity. Yeah, okay, sure. Can’t be trait.
The Conclusion
So yeah, just to make this absolutely clear, he cut 10 pounds of water weight, and according to the test, was more hydrated than he was for his initial test before he cut any water. Wow, it’s honestly hard to listen to him here because you can just hear it in his voice, the extreme dehydration.
The Final Thoughts
…but it’s not going to make fighters safer. If anything, it gets more dangerous. The chance of someone not many people died during weight cuts, they are bad, but somebody’s more likely to die from a weight cut if they’re trying to trick a urine test at the same time. So people are already doing this, we absolutely, it needs, as a matter of urgency, all urine testing needs to be removed from weight category sports. Absolutely.
The Final Message
And guys, before I go, I want to give a quick shout out to Dr. Barley. I’ve got his links in the description. He’s done an incredible job, and it’s a really selfless thing here by going through and doing this himself. Thanks, guys, and we’ll see you on the next video.
The Importance of Fighter Safety
It’s essential to emphasize that Dr. Barley’s experiment demonstrates the ease with which hydration tests can be tricked. However, it also highlights the serious health risks associated with manipulating fluid levels. As Dr. Barley said, “People are already doing this… We absolutely need to remove urine testing from weight category sports.” This is a crucial message that needs to be heard, and it’s essential to prioritize fighter safety above all else.
The Need for Change
The experiment and Dr. Barley’s message serve as a call to action for the combat sports community. It’s time to reevaluate the use of hydration tests and consider alternative methods that prioritize fighter safety and well-being. By working together, we can create a safer and more responsible environment for fighters to compete in.
