French MMA fighter William Gomis, whose fight against Brazilian Jean Silva was canceled on Friday for medical reasons, spoke this Saturday, May 4, about his weight loss which went wrong before the official weigh-in. The Frenchman explained that he “ saw death “, a declaration which once again calls into question the practice of ” cutting ”, extremely common in the world of MMA.
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William Gomis should have stepped into the cage against Brazilian Jean Silva at UFC 301, scheduled for the night of May 4 to 5 in Rio de Janeiro. Scheduled in the featherweight category (-66kg), the confrontation was finally canceled at the last minute following a worrying scene that occurred during the weigh-in of the fighters, Friday May 3.
The 26-year-old French fighter appeared very weakened, staring into space and even staggering to get off the scale, helped by the UFC officials present. With a displayed weight of 64.9 kg, more than a kilo below the set limit, reactions were quick to emerge on social networks.
This Saturday, May 4, the Frenchman first wanted to reassure his supporters through a video posted on Instagram: “ As you can see, it looks much better. Thank you for all the messages I receive, it’s amazing “. He then gave explanations about his condition the day before, caused by his “ cutting », the intense weight loss phase that fighters inflict on themselves before a fight. “ I had a big problem during my cutting which was only two kilos. I’ve already done a lot more, two kilos isn’t much. But I had a stomach ache, (…) and it went wrong “, he said, explaining that he drank tap water in Brazil.
William Gomis arrives completely below the required weight and VERY TIRED 😨…
Hoping that he is well and that his fight tomorrow goes well… #UFC301 pic.twitter.com/oz83dsWkHc
— CULTURE MMA (@CultureMMA_) May 3, 2024
The practice of “ cutting » increasingly criticized
“ After my cutting, I was at weight, and then I threw up four times in a row. I had no more water in my body but I was throwing up impossible puddles. “, he continued. “ I was stubborn, determined, ready to fight but it was completely stupid because it was becoming dangerous for my health. I refused to let my manager call the doctors, but luckily he did it anyway. I think he probably saved my life because I’ll tell you the truth, I’ve seen death. I’m super happy to be alive and to have made it out. »
THE ” weight cutting “, an increasingly controversial process in the world of MMA, is practiced by the vast majority of fighters in the discipline. This consists of losing several kilos in the hours preceding the official weigh-in of the fight to correspond to the weight requirements of your category. The fighters thus inflict intense sweating sessions on themselves, alternating hot baths and wearing electric blankets to lose several kilos of water.
After going on the scale and the fight confirmed, the fighters begin a rehydration phase in order to regain the lost kilos in a few hours, get back above the official weight limit and thus benefit from an advantage over their opponent in the cage. This very taxing practice for the body regularly leads to scenes similar to that experienced by the Frenchman, pushing more and more followers of the discipline to ask for its regulation by MMA organizations.