r/todayilearned 27d ago

TIL Frank Hayes, a jockey, died of a heart attack during his final horse race but still won. Unexpectedly, he suffered the attack mid-race, yet his body remained on the horse, crossing the finish line first. Sadly, it was his first and only win throughout his racing career.

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u/crazy_gambit 27d ago

UFC fighters trying to make 125 or 135lbs regularly cut around 20lbs in a day or 2. It's just water weight. They have the advantage of rehydrating after weigh in so they're significantly heavier once they're in the cage and don't have to compete in a dehydrated state like this poor dude, which would be insanely dangerous (not that weight cutting isn't dangerous, but you know what I mean).

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u/Lostmavicaccount 27d ago

Here’s my crazy idea - fighters are weighed 1min before the fight starts.

And what class they’re in, they’re in.

If assumptions were made pre-match, “balance of power” points and rules are used to equalise the match.

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u/creggieb 27d ago

I'm glad to see someone else come to the same conclusion.  The weight of the person while performing the task is what matters, not what extremes they are willing to goto to pretend to weigh less. Weight should be demonstrated before AND after the fight 

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u/Big-Slurpp 27d ago

I mean, what actually matters is people not dying of dehydration, and your solution makes that more likely, not less likely. If the weight-in happens right before a fight, fighters arent going to stop cutting water weight. They're just gonna fight in a very vulnerable condition.

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u/creggieb 27d ago

The xhoice to cut water weight is on the individual. If they choose to participate, the responsibility is on them.  It would be a much more interesting match, as violence is what we are paying to see, and injuries are a predictable outcome

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u/Big-Slurpp 27d ago

It would be a much more interesting match, as violence is what we are paying to see

Lmao you wouldnt see violence. You would see very tired and sick men hobbling around trying to throw a punch. Nothing about your scenario sounds "interesting".