- American fighter
Ryan Benoit failed to make weight Friday for aUFC flyweight match Saturday. - The fighter could not walk unassisted to the scales, and his body quivered as he was so dehydrated.
- Benoit was taken to hospital and discharged the same day. His fight was canceled.
An American struggled to stand when making weight for a fight, was checked by doctors, and almost collapsed in shocking scenes Friday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Weigh-in ceremonies take place a day before fight nights, and it is common for athletes to drop a lot of water weight on fight week as they attempt to weigh-in at a limit they do not normally walk around at.
Regardless, it is disturbing to see the effects this can have when fighters like Ryan Benoit turn up to the scales, unable to stand unassisted, appearing to suffer from extreme dehydration.
Twenty-four athletes were scheduled to take part in Friday's weigh-in ceremony, ahead of a UFC Fight Night event Saturday at the same behind-closed-doors venue.
Benoit's flyweight bout against Zarrukh Adashev was canceled because of "weight-management issues," according to a UFC statement.
Benoit had to be chaperoned before and after his first attempt to make weight, with his weakened body quivering.
The UFC analyst and commentator Jon Anik said medical professionals were checking on him.
He was then given a second chance to make weight but registered 129-pounds on the scales - three pounds over the flyweight limit.
See Benoit's first attempt at weighing-in here:
-Amy Kaplan (@PhotoAmy33) May 7, 2021
And see him miss weight here:
-Amy Kaplan (@PhotoAmy33) May 7, 2021
Benoit was then taken to hospital, ESPN reported. He was discharged Friday.
Benoit's bout with Adashev was not the only one to get pulled from the card, as heavyweight fighters Ben Rothwell and Philipe Lins will also not get to fight. Lins was not medically cleared to compete, according to ESPN.
That leaves 20 athletes on Saturday's show, competing in 10 fights.
This is a selection of bouts remaining on the Fight Night event:
- Marina Rodriguez vs. Michelle Waterson - women's flyweight
- Donald Cerrone vs. Alex Morono - welterweight
- Neil Magny vs. Geoff Neal - welterweight
- Amanda Ribas vs. Angela Hill - women's strawweight
- Phil Hawes vs. Kyle Daukaus - middleweight