CUTTING WEIGHT - JUNBUGGED!

Submitted by June:

Any fighter will tell you it's not fun. Some handle it better than others, but for the most part it's pretty much unanimous that CUTTING WEIGHT is perhaps the most miserable part of getting ready for a fight. Losing 10-15 (and sometimes 20) pounds in one day is definitely on the list of "Not Fun Things To Do" ...right up there with getting a root canal or going to the DMV or listening to Nickleback.

Anyways, today I went grocery shopping with a few of the fighters that are gonna be on tonight's Ultimate Fighter Finale on Spike TV. Let me tell you, the weight-cutting/re-hydrating essentials aren't anything exciting, certainly nothing to write home about...I mean it's DIET food. :( Sorry pakajunkers! No Ramen, Manapua or Taco photos to be posted here! We're talking bananas, coconut water, Pedialyte. Stuff like that. As we filled the shopping cart with these items, I asked the guys what they were looking forward to eating the most once their fights were over. Which led into ONE conversation that ultimately led into THIS conversation.

Here are some interesting foods that I found out my fighter friends ate growing up.


Tim from Louisiana - Potted Meat:
This stuff comes in a tin can like Spam, and it's kind of like Spam, except mixed with ground up Vienna sausages and it's the consistency of refried beans. Apparently it costs 70 cents a can in the South. He says it tastes quite good on crackers; I'll have to take my friend's word on that one. It looks exactly what it sounds like - Potted Meat!

Ryan from Oregon - Toaster Leavin's:

You take your toaster and shake out all the crumbs from previous toast and/or toasted food, pour it into a bowl. Add milk (or water, if times are hard) Viola! It's almost like cereal. Except not even close. Sometimes it could take about 6 months to get a good-sized bowl of Toaster Leavin's built up at the bottom of your toaster. **This delectable food has also been a confirmed favorite of another fighter friend of mine, except he calls it "Toaster Sprinklins' ". He's from Portland. Must be a Northwest thing.

Paul from the UK - Brawn:

Also known as head cheese. This is certainly not cheese at all, but rather a "meat jelly" made from the head of a cow or a pig. Depending on the recipe, Brawn may include not only the flesh of the animal's head, but also the brains, ears, and eyes, too. I thought Paul was messing with me when he told me this, but I looked it up and it actually is rather common in England. My friends from across the pond....I salute you. If you can eat this and enjoy it, then good for you! :) I told Paul that when I was in London & Birmingham I hated most of the food there (except for the curry!!). He agreed with me. He told me that anything in the states---whether it's Kraft mac & cheese or a McRib---tastes better than what he ate growing up in England. He said this to me with an accent that sounds like the Geico Gecko commercial and I dug it. I love the Geico Gecko!

Ed - Shit on a Shingle:

A favorite amongst our great nation's armed forces, apparently. I've definitely heard some military dudes talking about the good ol' "S.O.S. breakfast" There are many variations of Shit on a Shingle. Some recipes call for rehydrated slivers of dried beef on bread. Ed's personal favorite recipe calls for canned tuna and cream of mushroom soup poured over toast. So fancy! I think it really just sounds like a beta version of biscuits and gravy, but I can't knock it till I try it, right?

Please support our UFC fighters! I'm glad these guys make enough money now so that they don't have to eat Potted Meat or Toaster Sprinklin's again... and oh, and by the way and not one of them believed me about the lemon-lime tree!