Ismael Bonfim recalls extreme UFC weight cut that went wrong

Ismael Bonfim had a rough weight cut and missed the mark in his last outing.| 📷: Getty/UFC

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Ismael Bonfim learned a lesson the hard way in his last fight.

Bonfim took on Chris Padilla in a lightweight bout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship this past November. “Marreta” looked visibly weak and worn out as he weighed in at 161 pounds, missing the non-title lightweight limit by five pounds. The Brazilian was then picked apart by Padilla en route to a second-round stoppage loss.

Bonfim recently recalled the weight-cut fiasco ahead of his last bout and has made the necessary changes to avoid missing weight again.

Ismael Bonfim details failed weight cut before Chris Padilla UFC loss

Bonfim revealed that he had relied heavily on dehydration, leaving 22 pounds to cut on fight week. He decided to stop cutting weight after his neck started cramping on the day of the weigh-in.
“I relied too much on dehydration,” Bonfim told MMA Fighting. “I got to fight week still needing to lose 22 pounds. I would stay in the sauna for 30 seconds, and my body would already start cramping. I was getting cramps I’d never felt in my life, like cramps in my neck. That’s when we decided to stop the weight cut.”

He is now scheduled to face Axel Sola at UFC Abu Dhabi. Making weight shouldn’t be an issue for Bonfim as he has started managing his weight seriously since his last Octagon outing. The 30-year-old believes moving up a weight class would have ended his career and he’s made sure to keep his out-of-camp weight low going forward.

“We finally got serious,” Bonfim added. “We make a lot of mistakes because things are too easy nowadays, but enough is enough. Moving up to welterweight would’ve been crazy. I’m already small for lightweight. Going up to 170 would’ve been the end of my career. That’s where it would’ve ended. I’m a lightweight, and from now on I’m going to do things the right way. I’m not going to let my weight go above 176 [pounds].”

Bonfim (20-6) will look to rebound from a two-fight slump when he faces Sola, who is eager to bounce back from his lone career loss against Mason Jones this past March.

This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com

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