Lättviktaren Michael Chiesa berättade igår för ESPN:s Ariel Helwani att han trodde att han skulle dö under bantningen inför sitt möte mot Anthony Pettis på UFC 226 i helgen.
Chiesa (14-4) har tillhört lättviktsdivisionen under hela sin karriär och UFC 226 var första gången han missat vikten.
I can’t emphasize this enough, I seriously thought I was going to die. Going through the first part of my weight cut, on Thursday, I really thought I was going to kill myself and I’m not exaggerating in the slightest.
Chiesa har haft problem med en fotskada och menar att det hade en stor inverkan på bantningen.
Ultimately my body had nothing to give. When you can’t do road work for a week-and-a-half, that’s really hard on your weight cut. I came into fight week at 175 pounds, and usually I come into fight week at 169, 168 pounds. It was just too much for my body to handle.
We cut weight for eight hours. We cut for four hours on Thursday night and I was up at 5 a.m. cutting weight on the day of weigh-ins [Friday] and my body had nothing more to give. I’m not exaggerating: I thought I was going to die. In the middle of the night before the Friday weigh-ins, I woke up and started having a panic attack. I broke down and started crying and was like, ’I think I’m going to die.’
I’ve never felt like this. I made 155 my whole career without a hitch and it never feels good, but it’s never like this, never in my life.
Det har varit snack om att instifta en ny viktklass mellan lättvikten och weltervikten. Weltervikten skulle i sådana fall flyttas upp till 175 pounds och den nya viktklassen ligga på 165. Nu ansluter sig Chiesa till de som förespråkar en ny viktklass.
I was already in talks with people around me. Win or lose, after this fight, I think I want to go up. A lot of people are trying to steer me to 170 pounds. I’m a big guy; people don’t realize that. There’s only one guy at 170 that’s bigger than me, and that’s Darren Till. I’m not a small guy. I can get up to 205 pounds and be athletic and be in shape.
If [the 165-pound weight class] happens, it happens. If it does, I welcome it with open arms. I’m a big advocate for it. If they add 165 pounds, it would be heaven sent. It would be a blessing to a lot of us guys.
Under intervjun berättade Chiesa även att han kommer att stämma Conor McGregor för bussincidenten i samband med UFC 223. Chiesa var en av de som blev skadade av dollyn som McGregor kastade igenom bussrutan. Chiesa fick köras till sjukhus och matchen mot Pettis blev inställd, för att sedan bli ombokad till UFC 226
The wheels are in motion. I’m doing what’s been advised to me, and yes, there is a legal battle against McGregor.
