WEIGHT DILEMMA DRAINS FIGHTER
MIXED martial arts champion John Wayne Parr has opened up about the struggles of being caught between weight divisions as he faces the prospect of having to trim down to 70kg.
Parr, who chalked up his 99th career win last month, is hoping to celebrate his milestone victory in a title fight for Bellator, for which he has one bout remaining on his three-event contract.
But unlike his previous two fights for the MMA company where he has competed at a catchweight of 74kg, this time he will need to fit into either the 70kg or 77kg division.
“I’m too big for 70 and I’m too small for the 77 so I’m in the middle,” the Gold Coastbased Parr said.
Still awaiting details of his next fight, he is most likely to squeeze into the lighter of the two brackets, which will be no easy feat.
“It’s tough. It’s so draining,” Parr said of shedding several kilograms.
“There’s so many times I have laid on the bed thinking every time you stand up you get little black dots and you have to really psych yourself up just to get up and go from here to the front door; it’s that taxing on the body with no energy.”
But those battles won’t stop the 41-year-old from pushing forward with his illustrious career.
Parr said he has got a kick out of inspiring people around the world with his positivity.
“I’ve been inundated by people that are in their mid-30s and they’re saying if you’re 41 and you’re still out there doing it, there’s no excuses now,” he said.
“Even people that were down and out, and addicted to drugs, they watch my social media and they feel inspired to become better people.”