Inside The MMA

Matthew Stanmyer: At 11 o'clock on a Thursday night in August, the thermostat inside George Sullivan's apartment is cranked to 90 degrees.

This might as well be hell.

Over the next 20 hours, Sullivan, a professional mixed martial arts fighter from Brick, must lose 13 pounds. If he fails to shed the weight — 7 percent of his 184 pounds — he will jeopardize a full payday for his fight two nights later in Atlantic City.

Sullivan steps into his small, white-tiled bathroom and slathers his muscular body with Albolene makeup remover. The cleanser opens pores and makes it easier for sweat to flow. Next, he puts on a rubber sauna suit to raise his body temperature and draws a hot bath he will fill with 8 pounds of Epsom salts and 10 pints of isopropyl rubbing alcohol to draw moisture from his body.

"This smells," Sullivan says. "It makes you light-headed. You're miserable. Plus, the alcohol is burning every cut."

Sullivan strips and eases into the scalding water.

"Ahh!" he howls. "It burns!"

(thanks, Jackie)