MMA fighter Julija Stoliarenko fainted twice Friday during weigh-ins before her upcoming UFC Vegas fight against Julia Avila.
After getting up on stage 15 minutes into the official weighing period, Stoliarenko fell backward off the scale, MMA Junkie reported. When the MMA fighter got up to continue, she weighed in at 135.5 pounds before fainting backward off the scale again. The fighter was then carried out for medical attention on a stretcher. It was announced later that the fight was canceled. (RELATED: Stephen A. Smith Says He Doesn’t Want To See ‘Women Fighting In The Octagon)
It is so far unclear why Stoliarenko fainted, but some outlets and fans have speculated it could be linked to weight-cutting.
Many MMA fighters have criticized the weight-cutting protocols, where fighters lose dramatic amounts of weight in a short amount of time. Techniques for this process include dehydrating oneself for about a week, according to Bleacher Report. UFC fighter Jim Miller suffered kidney stones and a kidney infection from weight-cutting.
“I was peeing blood,” Miller told Bleacher Report. “And my kidneys hurt.”
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. pic.twitter.com/dAWEE8DcM8
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 19, 2021
Avila, the opponent in Saturday’s fight, confirmed the match had been canceled on her Instagram page.
“Unfortunately, my flight has been cancelled,” Avila wrote. “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 … May all the Julia’s in the world be unified and be healthy,” she wrote.