Uriah Hall: Doctor Said I Probably Would've Died If I Made Weight

Uriah Hall: Doctor Said I Probably Would've Died If I Made Weight

UFC middleweight Uriah Hall details his near-death experience that forced him out of his UFC St. Louis bout vs. Vitor Belfort.

Jan 18, 2018 by Hunter Homistek
Uriah Hall: Doctor Said I Probably Would've Died If I Made Weight

UFC middleweight Uriah Hall fell out of his scheduled bout against Vitor Belfort at UFC St. Louis on Jan. 15 at the last second, failing to make it to the scale for weigh-ins. 

According to reports from MMAFighting's Ariel Helwani and a tweet from fellow UFC St. Louis competitor Paige VanZant, Hall's reasoning was legitimate. 


UFC President Dana White, however, was less understanding. He told MMAJunkie.com Hall "doesn't take his training serious" and seemed to indicate Hall got what he deserved, so to speak.

Speaking via social media in a video captured by YouTube user Fancy Combat, Hall took some time to address the mishap himself. 

"I know there's a lot of miscommunication of what's going on," Hall said. "People think I punked out. I definitely want to apologize to Vitor and his camp. I know it sucks to go through all that and then not fight. I've been there, man, but for the record, I did make weight, I just failed to make it to the scale, which sucked. 

"I never had a problem cutting weight, and what happened was I ignored some issues that happened prior. As a fighter, we don't have sick days. I know some of you have sick days. I don't have a sick day. So for me, it was just to show up, and I showed up, but my body just was not showing up with it.

"I don't have to really get into details," he continued. "It was a harder cut than normal because the injuries that I had didn't allow me to really cut the weight properly. As much as I neglected my safety and my health, which was the dumbest thing to do -- I will never do that again, your health is important."  

Then, Hall turned his attention to White's comments. 

"As far as clearing up the air with, I heard I was partying in LA, what else was I doing? I wasn't taking my training seriously and I wasn't following procedure, there you go," Hall said. "You mean to tell me my entire career, all of a sudden I'm going to party in LA — it's too funny man, oh my god, but that's what happens when you don't come out, like, a lot of speculations. 

"I was in the hospital, of course. It was probably the most dramatic experience I've ever had. I mean, I was in and out of it. I was conscious, but I was unconscious. I knew what was happening but I was fighting over it. I was punching. I think I had a mini-seizure and at the same time a slight heart attack. My kidneys were just not good." 

Hall then reiterated the fact that an injury through his camp was the culprit for the mishap. 

"Like I said, it was an injury that I ignored and it just caught up to me," he said. "My body was just not responsive to it. I definitely wanted to clear the air. I'm getting better, following doctor's orders, getting checked up.

"Man, I was so ready to freakin' throw down, but you know what? Shit happens. The doctor even said, even if I made weight, I probably would've died the next day because my body wasn't having it... I did it for the fans, I did it to get paid, I did it to make sure I showed up, but at the end of the day, man, your life is not worth it."