Anthony Johnson Medical Issues Blamed for Missing Weight at UFC 142
Anthony Johnson appeared to be on pace to make weight for UFC 142′s co-main event against Vitor Belfort before experiencing medical issues related to the weight cut that doctors treated with fluids, ballooning ”Rumble” to 11 pounds overweight for what was to be his middleweight debut.
Johnson’s manager, Glenn Robinson, told MMAWeekly about the problems Johnson faced after waking up Friday at 191.5, just 5.5 pounds over his 186 pound target.
“It was medical reasons, it wasn’t for lack of effort,” Robinson said. “The UFC was extremely supportive and said health comes first.”
Johnson must weigh no more than 205 pounds on Saturday for the fight to go on. Belfort will also collect 20% of Johnson’s purse for agreeing to a catchweight.
Stop back to MMAFrenzy.com tomorrow (Saturday) night for complete UFC 142 coverage and live UFC 142 results.
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I don’t get it.
If “…health comes first”, then shouldn’t the fight be cancelled? If you’re too sick to cut weight, then I’d guess that you’re too sick to get hit repeatedly in the face and body.
I believe this to be a bad precedent by the UFC, admitting to medical concerns but going on with the fight. Good thing for Zuffa that it’s in Brazil and no US athletic commission is involved (that I know of).
If it was so serious that he couldn’t come within 11lbs of his goal, then he has no.business fighting tomorrow. Either he has medical issues and shouldn’t fight, or if he is healthy enough to fight then he should be expected to be within reach of the 186 limit. There has to be some responsibility &/or accountability.
JOHNSON HAS PISSED ME OFF!!!
1ST OVER WEIGHT THEN PATHETIC EXCUSES!!
HOPE HE GETS KO’D AND CUT FROM UFC AND NEVER ALLOWED IN ANY SPORT AGAIN AND GETS REALLY HURT THIS FIGHT…TO ACTUALLY GIVE HIM MEDICAL ISSUES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hope he gets really hurt? ur a peice of yu know what for saying that
If you catch a flu or cold during a weight cut, that can be considered a medical reason to stop cutting or put the weight that you have cut back on.
So you guys would rather see the co-main event get scrapped the day before the fight?
You have to look at it from another point of view, even if he did weigh in at 185 today, he would bulk that up to over 210-220 by fight time. He walks around at 225. This to an extent benefits Vitor. He gets to fight a ‘lighter’ A.J as he will weigh 205 by fight time, and he gets 20% of A.J’s purse. Also note the fact that A.J got sick and it interrupted his weight cut/training.
My opinion is this. I think Rumble ****ed by not making weight, if he walked around at 200 and not 225 than this “illness” might not have had as big of a impact. BUT I would never want to see a co-main event scrapped the night before because of a weight. Ive been looking forward to this for weeks
Shouldn’t you wait to find out what the medical condition is before making judgements?
It was for medical reasons and issues NOT medical concerns – there is a big difference.
You think the guys’ happy to be giving up 20% of his pay … for what amounts to 6 months of work? That’s a steep (albeit justified) price
No, you should do a little more research before you post. He screwed up. He was cutting weight looking to take off an additional 5lbs today when he began to have negative effects of the the cut. A doctor recommended pushing fluids and as a result he ended up at 197. It was a matter of poor planning and an unprofessional way of conducting his business.
are you a doctor? I’m not, but I know that when you lose mass amounts of fluids and what not you cannot fully recover. I’m sure the doctor prevented rumble from pushing his body to the limit to prevent him from not even being able to fight. this is probably due to an illness.
If rumble attempted to cut the extra 5 lbs his body probably would not be able to function the following night. So the doctor said no in order for him to be able to recover the fluids and thus making him able to fight. Like jason said, he will be under the 205 limit which ultimately is a better situation for belfort seeing they will weigh about the same come fight time.
You think the UFC would come up with some BS story??
but hey your the doctor here…
@T3chn3tnium – Do you even read the posts before you make snide remarks or just jump on something without taking the time to comprehend what someone is saying? The point is not that the doctor stepped in – that is unquestionably the right decision. The point is that all reports allude to the “medical condition” being an avoidable reaction to the immense weight loss in such a short period of time and not “probably due to an illness” as your enlightened suggestion purports.
The fact is that Rumble did not handle the weight cut like a pro. Whether it was a matter of allowing himself to get too heavy during training or not starting the cut early enough the bottom line is that his lack of discipline/planning/professionalism (take your pick) is the reason that he had to attempt such a profound cut in a short amount of time.
Also, what are you talking about when you imply that I suggested the UFC was coming up with a story? My reaction is very similar to that of Dana White’s… or did you not see the interview with John Anik, his post on Twitter, or the statement he has since released? Oh wait, I forgot, you are just “that guy” who tries to attack on a message board without actually doing his own research. I guess I don’t have to be a doctor to diagnose you as having your head up your a$$.
Dude cutting any amount of weight over like 10 pounds when ur already in great condition from training is not healthy on the body ,when these fighters show up at weigh ins they look like totally unhealthy individuals and ur saying he went about his business wrong it’s a miracle more fighters don’t get sick during weight cuts these outta shape couch potatoes dropping fat they r finely tuned athletes depleting there bodies of essential fluids and nutrients so don’t be so ignorant
@Matt, if he was able to make 170 for so many fights, then he certainly has the ability to make 185. You are absolutely right about the difficulty of cutting that much weight and that is precisely the point here..:. he never should have allowed himself to be in a position where he had to lose so much weight during the cut!!! If he had kept more control and not let himself be at over 200lbs a week ago, then he wouldn’t have had to put himself through hell, have his body start to shut down, or be in a state which required a doctor to order fluids. Why is that so hard to understand? If you keep yourself at a lower weight through diet during training then we wouldn’t have as much to cut towards the end. He assumed it would be much easier at 185 since he was able to do it for 170 so many times; it wasn’t, and that is why he is in this predicament. If you can’t get that then you are the ignorant one. Stop making excuses about it being so difficult to cut that much weight – he never should have been in a position where he had to cut that much.
regardless of whether or not he has cut larger ammounts of weight in the past you never know when ur body will fail u, im not making excuses for him but ignorant fans take it for granite that fighters regularly cut and make weight for these fights, Chad Mendes was recently being interviewed on an espn show and said when he cuts weight he feels like he is “gonna die” his words not mine and he wasnt just joking
@kevsmitt years of cutting weight catches up to you eventually. that’s why Daniel Cormier fights at HWT and not his college weight of 184/197 or his olympic weight of 211. Johnson may have made 170 for years but eventually your kidneys give you their two weeks notice, along with liver issues, and other digestive issues.
While I don’t doubt he was cutting the wrong way, at some point your body can tell you no more.
I had to bulk up to heavyweight in college because I was so unhealthy trying to make 197 I had to have someone drive me around because I felt too dizzy and had blurred vision. So no one was shocked when my weight certification said the lowest I could weigh was 205 that year and the next year it was 225.
kevin I could sit here and tell you why your wrong in so many ways and thus make you look like a fool, but you don’t need my help with that…
where did I suggest to you that you implied UFC was coming up with BS stories? I was asking you a question. I suggest you control your blood pressure before you go on rants.
the greater concern is keeping the fight alive. no one said johnson couldn’t make the weight. the doctor’s professional opinion was that if he attempted to cut more weight he couldn’t fight. can’t have it both ways…
to bad there isnt a way to impose a weight cap, like you cant cut from more then 205 or 210 to make 185 etc. but if they did there would all ways be someone finding a way around it i guess. i still think weigh-ins should be the night of the fight
this aint the first time with this guy either.
If the UFC can accept the explanation, who are we to say otherwise. Something tells me there’s even more information “behind the scenes” if you would, things we are not privy to…just my opinion..