Physiological and perceptual responses to a five-week pre-event taper in professional mixed martial arts athletes

BACKGROUNDː The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in markers of endocrine, immune and mood status among Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes during different stages of fight preparation camps. METHODSː Six professional MMA athletes were observed across the final five weeks (W4 – W0); including the final seven days (D6 – D0) of fight camp, and were tested for salivary immunoglobin-A (sIgA), salivary cortisol (SC), creatine kinase (CK), urine osmolality (UO), body mass (BM), training load (TL), reported fluid intake and profile of mood state (POMS) scores. RESULTSː Magnitude-based decisions revealed large, very likely decreases in sIgA concentrations in W1 relative to all previous weeks, and large, very likely reductions in CK concentrations within W0 in relation to W2 and W4. POMS scores were reduced in W0 and W1 compared to W4 (moderate, very likely), despite a reduction in training load in W0 relative to all previous weeks (large, very likely). In W0, reported fluid intake decreased as UO increased at D1 and D2, in comparison to all previous days (large, very likely). Elevated POMS and SC (moderate to large, very likely) were also observed at D1, in comparison to D2 to D6. While 8% of BM was lost over the 5-week period, 5% was lost within the final 4 days. CONCLUSIONSː Across a 5-week fight camp, mood states are negatively affected, alongside increased markers of muscle damage and immune status, which can be partially offset with a pre-event taper. Owing to the weight cutting practices of these professional MMA athletes, ~ 5% of BM is lost in the final 4 days, which coincides with poorer mood states and increased stress-hormone responses in the final few days of the fight camp. Coaches should consider the implications of taper length and RWL strategies in the recovery process of MMA athletes.