M. Chiesa (photo) should go to the welterweight division or the new 74kg category, if confirmed by Ultimate. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook UFC
During the weigh-in on Friday (06), Michael chiesa was 680g above the weight limit for the lightweight category (up to 70,8kg) for the duel against Anthony Pettis at UFC 226 and was fined 30% of the amount received as a purse. In an interview with journalist Ariel Helwani on ESPN this week, the American explained how difficult it was to cut weight for the event and thought he would die.
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“I can't emphasize this enough, Ariel (Helwani, host): I seriously thought I was going to die,” he recalled. “During the first part of my weight cut on Thursday, I really thought I was going to kill myself and I'm not exaggerating, to say the least,” Chiesa explained.
The American fighter said that on the eve of the weigh-in he spent eight hours cutting weight to reach his goal. “We cut for four hours on Thursday night and I was up at 5am on weigh-in day (Friday) and my body had nothing left to give. I'm not exaggerating; I thought I was going to die. In the middle of the night before the Friday weigh-in, I woke up and started having a panic attack. I stopped and started crying and thinking 'I think I'm going to die'”, he narrated.
Even during weighing, Michael chiesa admitted that he would change category due to difficulty in losing weight. He intends to move up to welterweight (77kg) or go to the 74kg division, if his creation in the Ultimate Fighting Championship is confirmed.
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