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A UFC fighter fainted twice as she tried to make weight for her upcoming bout at UFC Vegas 22. According to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, UFC women’s bantamweight contender Julija Stoliarenko, 27, from Lithuania, passed out on the scale and was subsequently transported away from the scene on a stretcher.
You can watch that wild moment below.
UFC fighter Julija Stoliarenko fainted on the scale moments ago during the weigh-ins. She was transported on a stretcher afterwards. No official word yet on her condition.
In a later post, Helwani called the situation “extremely scary” and the famed MMA journalist shared a full video of the incident courtesy of MMA Junkie.
You can watch that full video below.
Full Julija Stoliarenko weigh-in video, courtesy of @mmajunkie. Extremely scary.
I’ve asked why she was allowed to weigh in again after fainting the first time.
Weight cutting is common in combat sports, and there are various opinions among people in the community about how dangerous cutting can be for athletes.
In some of the most extreme cases, fighters have claimed to cut as much as 25 pounds in a single week.
The specifics of Stoliarenko’s situation are unknown at this time. The fighter fainted twice trying to get her weight on the official scale, but it’s unclear if she had attempted an extreme cut or if there were other factors at play.
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UFC Fighter Cartwheels Into Room Right After Scary Scene
Moments after Stoliarenko fainted for the second time during her attempt to make weight, UFC middleweight star Kevin Holland cartwheeled into the room, perhaps unaware of what had just happened to his fellow UFC competitor.
You can watch that surreal moment below.
Holland is scheduled to fight Derek Brunson in the main event of UFC Vegas 22.
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Stoliarenko’s Fight Cancelled
MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck reported that Stoliarenko’s scheduled bout against Julia Avila has been officially taken off the upcoming UFC Fight Night card scheduled for March 20.
Julia Avila vs. Julija Stoliarenko is officially off tomorrow night’s card, per sources.
That move by the UFC makes a ton of sense.
After all, Stoliarenko had fainted twice as she stepped on the scale for her fight vs. Avila, and now she’s likely in need of medical care and rest.
More About Stoliarenko
Overall, Stoliarenko is 9-4-2 in MMA with 8 submissions.
The former Invicta FC bantamweight champion had won five fights in a row before losing her UFC debut last year to Yana Kunitskaya by decision.
Stoliarenko’s fighting style in the cage is based in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Lethwei. While jiu-jitsu is one of the most common disciplines in MMA, Lethwei is a less known but increasingly popular striking art that originated from Myanmar.
Lethwei is also known as Burmese Boxing.
Opponent Reacts to Fight Cancelation
Stoliarenko’s scheduled opponent, Avila, posted her thoughts and feelings about the fight being canceled via social media.
Avila posted, “Unfortunately, my fight has been cancelled. My opponent fainted twice on the scales. I hope nothing but a speedy recovery for @julija.stoliarenko and prayers for her. Maybe we can meet up at a future date. But I will not be performing tomorrow night. As always, thank you to #pandaNation for the support. I love you all. May all the Julia’s in the world be unified and be healthy. @ufc @tkocombatsports”.
Avila is 8-2 overall in MMA and 2-1 in the UFC.
The 32-year-old American was coming off a decision loss to Sijara Eubanks last year, and now she’ll have to wait for another chance to get back into the win column.
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