A UFC fighter collapsed two times as she was weighing in for an upcoming fight. Julija Stoliarenko, a competitor in the UFC women’s bantamweight division, stepped on the scales in Las Vegas on Friday afternoon as she was attempting to make 135 pounds for her fight with Julia Avila at UFC Fight Night. When she stepped on the scale the first time, Stoliarenko began wobbling and then stepped off before falling backward. She then got back on the scale and made weight at 135.5 pounds before she appearing to collapse for the second time, according to CBS Sports.
Stoliarenko was able to sit up and drink water before she left on a stretcher. UFC then announced the fight has been canceled. When Avila learned about what happened with Stoliarenko, she went to Twitter and sent her well wishes. She wrote, “Speedy recovery fellow Julia. Your health comes first, hopefully we see each other at another date. Prayers sister.”
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Julija Stoliarenko just fainted on the scale #UFCVegas22 pic.twitter.com/3PjNMUGxFf
— The Schmo (@TheSchmo312) March 19, 2021
Fans went to Twitter to share their thoughts on the incident. “Some fighters will argue this should never happen if you cut correctly, but that fact is that MANY fighters have zero idea how to do it properly,” one Twitter user wrote. “One of my friends(Jeff Reese) passed away to due weight cutting issues and he cut weight his wrestling career.”
Julija Stoliarenko collapses twice at #UFCVegas22 weigh-in, matchup with Julia Avila shelved
Former Invicta FC bantamweight champion, Stoliarenko collapsed twice at today’s weigh-in — with her matchup against Avila canceled as a result. 👊 #UFC #MMA https://t.co/AUvJw8feYw pic.twitter.com/BJeA3k4zIS
— Ross Markey (@Ross_Markey) March 19, 2021
“Ban weight cutting,” another fan wrote. “The first UFC I bet on featured a 616-pound man in an eight-man tournament with people smaller than me. I watched the NFL when Doug Flutie weighed 181 pounds and see no reason to discuss Cam Newton as someone in a distinct division. No scales on the streets.”
Stoliarenko, 27, competed in her first UFC bout in August, losing to Yana Kunitskaya at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik. In March 2020, Stoliarenko defeated Lisa Verzosa to win the Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship. In her mixed martial arts career, Stoliarenko has tallied a 9-4-2 record.
