<ul class="summary-list"><li>American fighter <keyword id="9575514" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ryan-benoit">Ryan Benoit</keyword> failed to make weight Friday for a <keyword id="992778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UFC">UFC</keyword> flyweight match Saturday.</li><li>The fighter could not walk unassisted to the scales, and his body quivered as he was so dehydrated.</li><li>Benoit was taken to hospital and discharged the same day. His fight was canceled.</li></ul>An American struggled to stand when making weight for a fight, was checked by doctors, and almost collapsed in shocking scenes Friday at the <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UFC</a> 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:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Amy Kaplan (@PhotoAmy33) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1390702442690478080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2021</a></blockquote>And see him miss weight here:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Amy Kaplan (@PhotoAmy33) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1390703868023959553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2021</a></blockquote>Benoit was then taken to hospital, <a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/mma/story/_/id/31405760/ryan-benoit-fails-weigh-pulled-ufc-fight-night-card-dehydration-concerns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN reported</a>. 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:<ul><li>Marina Rodriguez vs. Michelle Waterson - women's flyweight</li><li>Donald Cerrone vs. Alex Morono - welterweight</li><li>Neil Magny vs. Geoff Neal - welterweight</li><li>Amanda Ribas vs. Angela Hill - women's strawweight</li><li>Phil Hawes vs. Kyle Daukaus - middleweight</li></ul>

An American struggled to stand when making weight for a UFC fight, was checked by doctors, and almost collapsed

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Three fighters who are competing on the <keyword id="992778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UFC">UFC</keyword>'s "<keyword id="9060271" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fight-island">Fight Island</keyword>" this week told Insider they're unfazed about fighting in the middle of a global pandemic.</li><li>The <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> forced <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">sports</keyword> to shut down in the middle of March, but the UFC was the first major organization to return when it restarted operations mid-May.</li><li>The second of four "Fight Island" events takes place Wednesday, with a stacked card including a bout that one analyst says could be the fight of the year.</li><li><keyword id="9581216" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="dan-ige">Dan Ige</keyword>, who fights <keyword id="9197019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="calvin-kattar">Calvin Kattar</keyword> in that bout, has already fought once during the pandemic, and said that experience was "eerie," but ultimately fine.</li><li>Kattar, who also fought in mid-May, commended the UFC president <keyword id="1358348" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Dana-White">Dana White</keyword> for having balls big enough to bring mixed martial arts events back safely.</li><li>Wednesday's event will be the UFC's 10th of the pandemic era.</li></ul>FIGHT ISLAND — Two athletes competing against each other in an upcoming UFC main event said they've had no concerns about training, traveling, and fighting during the global health crisis.The UFC continually improves its coronavirus protocols so it can hold combat sports events safely, the featherweight rivals Calvin Kattar and Dan Ige told Insider ahead of their <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/fight-island" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Fight Island"</a> match in Abu Dhabi Wednesday.The world's major sports leagues and organizations shut down from mid-March, but the UFC tried to restart operations one month later. This was not without criticism at the time.The UFC intended to hold <a href="https://www.insider.com/ufc-cancels-controversial-ufc-249-event-because-of-covid-19-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UFC 249, a big, pay-per-view show, on Native American land at the Tachi Palace</a> so it could circumvent governmental restrictions on distancing and lockdowns in April.But a phone call from the "powers that be" at Disney, which owns the UFC's broadcast partner ESPN, nixed the MMA fight firm's plans. It was later reported that the California governor <a href="https://www.insider.com/restarting-ufc-during-a-pandemic-is-expensive-dana-white-says-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gavin Newsom requested Disney's intervention</a>.The UFC then proceeded with three behind-closed doors event at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville from mid-May, as Florida deemed sports an essential business.<blockquote class="pullquote">It takes balls, and Dana's got big ones to do what he did.</blockquote>Though the fights themselves were high on quality, particularly <a href="https://www.insider.com/justin-gaethje-tortured-tony-ferguson-5-rounds-at-ufc-249-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Justin Gaethje's devastating fifth round stoppage win over Tony Ferguson</a>, the UFC was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/12/sports/coronavirus-ufc.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rebuked by the New York Times</a>.The paper said that the enforcement of its own safety procedures was "spotty," as there "were interviews in the Octagon, a lack of social distancing, and missing masks."Kattar and Ige fought separate matches during the UFC's residency in Jacksonville, and though it was described as an unusual experience to fight behind-closed doors, neither felt like they were ever doing anything wrong.Ige, who out-pointed Edson Barboza on May 16, told us: "I supported it. I thought the UFC did everything right [with] the right steps, the right protocols, and they gave us an opportunity because that's how we make money and that's how we put food on our tables."<a href="https://www.insider.com/watch-calvin-kattar-brutal-elbow-ko-win-over-jeremy-stephens-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kattar destroyed Jeremy Stephens with a brutal knockout from elbow strikes</a>, and praised UFC president Dana White for holding the events at that time."Through those types of setbacks when nobody wants to do anything, that's sometimes where the biggest opportunities are," he told us."We had the whole world watching," Kattar said. "There was no sports. And now here we are, NBA is a little bit behind the 8-ball, and everyone else is behind the 8-ball, because they didn't hit the ground running."I understand where the mindset was, but it takes balls and Dana's got big ones to do what he did, and it's paying dividends now."Ige described the experience as a "weird, eerie feeling." He said: "Especially walking out with nobody in the arena. But once I got in there it was the same — seeing the Octagon closing shut, same thing. It was weird, different."<h2>Preparations to compete on "Fight Island" are easier than before</h2><div type="image" title="Calvin Kattar and Dan Ige, Fight Island" height="1000" width="2000" msid="76985182" hostid="261"></div>At the time of writing, there are <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">13,323,530 confirmed cases of COVID-19</a> which has led to 578,628 deaths worldwide. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51235105" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The BBC also reports</a> of new, major, outbreaks in India, Latin America, and many states in the US.But this has not perturbed fighters from traveling from the States, and fighting on "Fight Island" — the UFC's new residency of events in a quarantined area of Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.Insider asked the 30-year-old striker <keyword id="9575514" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ryan-benoit">Ryan Benoit</keyword> — who fights Tim Elliot in the co-main event Wednesday — what the reaction of his friends and family was like when he told them he'd be competing during a pandemic. "They weren't too worried about catching the virus," he said."I'm good about sanitizing my hands, I haven't got a cough, I felt good about it. My dad was in the navy for 24 years, in the Middle East a lot, and so he was excited for me coming over here."There have been notable changes in how athletes can compete now. Before he beat Barboza in Jacksonville, Ige said his training was severely limited because his gym wasn't even open.All Ige could do to get ready for his fight in May was strength and conditioning exercises in his home gym, go for a run outside, and punch his heavy bag."After that, everything started opening back up in Vegas so I was fortunate enough to go out there and have a regular training camp" Ige said.<blockquote class="pullquote">I have respect for what Dana White was able to pull off because I know it wasn't easy.</blockquote>Kattar told us that the five shows the UFC held at Apex, a facility it owns in Las Vegas, were "run real smoothly" from the end of May through June.He said: "There was no in-cage interviews, commentating was pushed back from the cage-side, and little things like that. I thought he [White] did a great job. Then it's controlling the variables."And now here we are in Abu Dhabi, and I think the government helped out big time. This is the best [the UFC] has done, to date."Kattar said another major difference between the pandemic shows in Abu Dhabi and the ones in Jacksonville or Las Vegas, is down to the features of "Fight Island."After he came out of a mandatory 48-hour quarantine following two negative tests for the coronavirus, Kattar said he took two race cars for a spin around the Yas Marina Circuit, <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2270347-abu-dhabi-grand-prix-2014-10-key-facts-about-yas-marina-circuit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a $1.3 billion</a> Formula 1 Grand Prix track."One was a drifter, and one was for speed," Kattar said. He then "jumped on a jet-ski for a little bit.""How cool is 'Fight Island' if you're just looking at the damned hotel all day, you know? So getting out there a little bit, but now … it's all business."As for what the UFC and its president Dana White is doing, holding its 10th show in the pandemic era with the 'UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige' "Fight Island" event Wednesday, Kattar said he's grateful for the opportunity."I have respect for what Dana White was able to pull off because I know it wasn't easy."Read more:<a href="https://www.insider.com/davey-grant-won-by-knockout-so-ufc-gave-50k-bonus-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The UFC gave a Brit a $50,000 bonus after he overcame a fractured jaw and broken nose to KO his opponent</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/jiri-prochazka-a-debut-ufc-fighter-wants-the-ufc-title-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A fighter scored a highlight-reel KO on his UFC debut and is now already targeting the title</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/kamaru-usman-welcomes-a-crazy-fight-with-georges-st-pierre-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kamaru Usman would welcome a 'crazy fight' with Georges St. Pierre after he dominated Jorge Masvidal on 'Fight Island'</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/ufc-ref-facing-backlash-after-jose-aldo-took-unnecessary-beating-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An MMA referee is facing backlash after letting a UFC veteran take a prolonged, hard-to-watch, completely unnecessary beating</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/kamaru-usman-defeated-jorge-masvidal-in-a-one-sided-performance-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kamaru Usman dominated Jorge Masvidal using foot stomps, grappling against the fence, and smothering on the mat</a>

UFC stars say MMA's new normal is 'eerie,' but they're unfazed about fighting in the middle of a pandemic

<ul class="summary-list"><li>An American called Tim Elliott managed to secure a pay-rise and a new fight deal from the <keyword id="992778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UFC">UFC</keyword>, even after he had lost three bouts in a row.</li><li>Elliott has an upcoming flyweight match against <keyword id="9575514" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ryan-benoit">Ryan Benoit</keyword> in the second of the UFC's four "<keyword id="9060271" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fight-island">Fight Island</keyword>" events on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.</li><li>Wednesday's fight is the co-main event for the UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Ige card.</li><li>"Things are looking up!" Elliott laughed. "All you've got to do to get a co-main is three losses in a row."</li></ul>FIGHT ISLAND — Tim Elliott has lost three UFC fights in a row but still managed to get a bonus check, a pay-rise, and a new deal for four more fights with the world's leading mixed martial arts firm.The first of those four fights takes place against Ryan Benoit this Wednesday <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/fight-island" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on "Fight Island,"</a> a quarantined area on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi being used by the UFC to hold international events during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.At a media event attended by Insider Monday, Elliot said the hat-trick of defeats was "rough," not because of the losses themselves, but because of the nature of the defeats.He was submitted with a guillotine choke by Deiveson Figueiredo in October 2019, and regretted not being able to perform that night.In January 2020, he was out-pointed by Askar Askarov but said he cannot remember anything from the first round onward. "In my mind, I was knocked out in the first round. I have no recollection of ever talking to my corner between rounds, the second, or the third," Elliott said.But the worst of the three was the most recent, a submission loss via arm triangle in the second round against Brandon Royval in May, Elliot said."I've had some rough goes in this sport, not just with losses but with injuries."<h2>But he has a new lease of life in the Octagon</h2>Regardless, Elliott has not found opportunities lacking with the UFC. He said he has even been rewarded."Man, right now I feel like it's my time," he said. "It's the best I've ever felt and I couldn't be more excited."I just got a raise, a new contract after three losses in a row. I got a call and I was thinking, 'Okay, I'm getting fired … this is my manager calling.' But no, I got a raise, and four more fights. I'm rejuvenated now."Elliott is in the co-main event for the second of the UFC's "Fight Island" bouts, a UFC Fight Night event inside the Flash Forum, a behind-closed-doors venue only open to UFC staff, athletes, broadcast crew, and media."Things are looking up!" Elliott laughed. "All you got to do to get a co-main is three losses in a row."My goals have gone up and down in this sport," Elliott said, moving on from title aspirations to wanting to provide cash for his family."It used to be to get the [UFC] title but when that didn't happen, it was just to make as much money for my family."I want to show [my team and my family] that the [training] didn't go to waste. Now's the time. I'm laser-focused now and ready to go."Wednesday's Fight Night event is headlined by the five-round featherweight match between Calvin Kattar and Dan Ige.Read more:<a href="https://www.insider.com/ufc-boss-dana-white-signed-mounir-lazzez-because-of-his-highlight-reel-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A friend of a fighter sent Dana White his highlight-reel of knockouts, and, impressed, the UFC boss signed him in an instant</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/davey-grant-won-by-knockout-so-ufc-gave-50k-bonus-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The UFC gave a Brit a $50,000 bonus after he overcame a fractured jaw and broken nose to KO his opponent</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/jiri-prochazka-a-debut-ufc-fighter-wants-the-ufc-title-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A fighter scored a highlight-reel KO on his UFC debut and is now already targeting the title</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/kamaru-usman-welcomes-a-crazy-fight-with-georges-st-pierre-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kamaru Usman would welcome a 'crazy fight' with Georges St. Pierre after he dominated Jorge Masvidal on 'Fight Island'</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/ufc-ref-facing-backlash-after-jose-aldo-took-unnecessary-beating-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An MMA referee is facing backlash after letting a UFC veteran take a prolonged, hard-to-watch, completely unnecessary beating</a>

An American UFC star lost 3 fights in a row but still got a bonus check, a pay-rise, and co-main event status on 'Fight Island'

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5cb5b2d5aefeef2cdd68a2e6-2000/2019-04-15t225507z1555173044rc1542c3f250rtrmadp3france-notredame.jpg" border="0" alt="Notre Dame fire" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Benoit Tessier" data-mce-caption="Firefighters douse flames from the burning Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France April 15, 2019.">REUTERS/Benoit TessierFirefighters douse flames from the burning Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France April 15, 2019.</img></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>As flames engulfed Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris on Monday night, far-right activists spread rumours and conspiracy theories about the cause of the fire.</li><li>Many sought to link the fire with Muslims, despite officials declaring arson highly improbable.&#xa0;</li><li>Twitter has faced widespread criticism over the spread of white nationalist propaganda on its platform.&#xa0;</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories</a>.</li></ul>As a huge fire took hold of Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral on Monday evening, alt-right figures were in no time spreading rumours and disinformation on social media linking the blaze to Muslims and hinting at a sinister cover up.&#xa0;&#xa0;French officials on Monday night were quick to say that arson was unlikely to be the cause of the blaze as it engulfed the roof of the 12th century cathedral, but far-right activists and propagandists were already all over social media channels pushing conspiracies.&#xa0;Conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec compared the blaze to 9/11, despite no link having made to terrorism by French officials, while alt-right activist Faith Goldy falsely claimed that three days previously "a Muslim jihadis [sic] in Paris was arrested for planning a terrorist attack at Notre-Dame Cathedral. "Today, Notre Dame is in flames. Probably just a coincidence," she continued.Goldy linked to a report on a woman being jailed three weeks previously for planning an attack at the church in 2016, with hundreds of other accounts spreading the tweet and linking to reports on the plot, without noting that reports were years old.&#xa0;Paul Joseph Watson, of the InfoWars website, tweeted that one worker was "claiming that the blaze was deliberately set," linking to a report he wrote he said was based on a tweet by Time columnist and Fox News contributor Christopher J. Hale, which Hale later deleted, describing it as an "unsubstantiated rumor."Watson provided no other evidence for the claim.&#xa0;&#xa0;"IMO, it's either massive carelessness - or arson," tweeted alt-right activist Stefan Molyneux, who groundlessly alluded to a cover up, subsequently remarking: "Notre-Dame is going to go down the memory hole. Unless something leaks, nothing will be explained."As the rumours and speculation took hold and spread, media organisations and populist politicians helped to broadcast them to an even wider audience. Russian state funded broadcaster RT - which has frequently provided a platform for the far right -&#xa0; published a story headlined "Notre-Dame fire hits after several cases of vandalism against French Catholic churches."Separately, right-wing populist website Breitbart published a tweet by French far-right activist Damien Rieu, in which he claimed that Muslims had used laughter emojis in comments on a Facebook report on the blaze. The tweet was also promoted by Watson.&#xa0;Alice Weidel, parliamentary leader of the far-right German AfD party, citing no evidence, <a href="https://twitter.com/Alice_Weidel/status/1118052375825137664">linked the blaze to "discrimination against Christians,"</a> tweeting "during Holy Week Notre-Dame burns. March: second largest church Saint-Sulpice burns. February: 47 attacks in France.""The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe speaks of a significant increase [in attacks against Christians]," she added, linking to a report on recent desecration of churches in France.&#xa0;Twitter is under pressure from lawmakers in Europe and the US to halt the spread of disinformation and hate speech on its platform, and critics last night called on the site to act as disinformation spread.CNN executive Matt Dornic said that Twitter had initially refused to take action against an account spreading a fake CNN story linking the fire to terrorism, claiming it was a parody.&#xa0;&#xa0;"The team is reviewing reports and if they are in violation suspending them per the Twitter Rules," a Twitter spokesperson told Business Insider."Our focus continues to be detecting and removing coordinated attempts to manipulate the conversation at speed and scale."<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">InfoWars' Paul Joseph Watson is currently amplifying known French far-right influencer and troll Damien Rieu. Rieu tweeted a sourceless video claiming that French Muslims on Facebook are posting smiley faces on a video of the Notre Dame fire. <a href="https://t.co/nwDIuuYW9a">pic.twitter.com/nwDIuuYW9a</a>- Ryan Broderick (@broderick) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1117867466506379264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">15 April 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Get this: <a href="https://twitter.com/Twitter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Twitter</a> says they won't take action against this account bc it's bio says "parody" so the account has 48 hours to comply with the parody policy. Can someone please explain to Twitter how their platform works?! <a href="https://t.co/OkwK8qpM4t">https://t.co/OkwK8qpM4t</a>- Matt Dornic (@mdornic) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1117888787206422528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">15 April 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coffee-drinking-too-much-caffeine-body-drink-2019-4">What happens to your body when you drink too much coffee</a></h3> <div> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/Id6rQRAt-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script> </div> </div>

You Searched For "ryan benoit" and got 4 results

An American struggled to stand when making weight for a UFC fight, was checked by doctors, and almost collapsed

Alan Dawson

UFC stars say MMA's new normal is 'eerie,' but they're unfazed about fighting in the middle of a pandemic

Alan Dawson

An American UFC star lost 3 fights in a row but still got a bonus check, a pay-rise, and co-main event status on 'Fight Island'

Alan Dawson

As Notre-Dame burned, alt-right figures launched a campaign on social media falsely blaming Muslims for the blaze

Tom Porter,Tom Porter