Merab Dvalishvili says he gained 19lb (1st 5lb) in just five hours after weighing in for his bantamweight title fight against Petr Yan at UFC 333 on Saturday. The Georgian weighed 135lb (9st 9lb), the same as Russian champion Yan, before the pair's co-main event in Abu Dhabi. Dvalishvili later uploaded a video to Instagram showing the 35-year-old stepping on scales at 154lb (11st 0lb).
"I've been drinking water and in only five hours I gain back 19 pounds, that's what we do, let's go," he said. "Now I'm back drinking and recovering. Now I'm going to start eating. Eat food first, then tomorrow you guys already know who I'm going to eat."
Fighters typically cut weight by shedding water before a bout, then rehydrate to regain weight, a process that can provide a physical advantage inside the octagon. The UFC has taken steps to make weight cuts safer, including banning IV drips and building the Performance Institute, which provides guidance from health experts. Fighters are recommended to lose no more than 8% of their body weight during fight week and to stay within 10% of their weight class on fight night.
Dvalishvili is aiming to win back the title he lost to two-time champion Yan last December. In the main event, champion Alexander Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev both made weight before their featherweight world title contest. Volkanovski is looking to earn a record ninth win in UFC featherweight title fights, while Evloev is undefeated in 20 bouts. On the undercard, British flyweight Lone'er Kavanagh takes on Uzbekistan's Ramazan Temirov, aiming to bounce back from defeat by American Brandon Royval in July.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing