‘I was shocked’ – Cameron Smotherman’s on-stage collapse was a blessing in disguise and a warning the UFC can’t ignore

Cameron Smotherman sent shockwaves through the MMA world when he collapsed making weight before UFC 324.

Smotherman was set to face Ricky Turcios at UFC 324, but fell on stage at the event’s weigh-ins after making the bantamweight limit of 136lbs.

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The American’s bout was subsequently pulled from the Las Vegas card and conversations about the extreme dangers of weight cutting have since grown stronger.

talkSPORT’s Spencer Oliver knows all too well about the risks of quickly losing weight, having fallen into an induced coma for two weeks after collapsing in his final professional boxing contest.

Oliver, a former European title holder, was struggling to make weight at super-bantamweight and met Sergey Devakov at Royal Albert Hall in 1998.

It was supposed to be a routine defence for the Englishman, who had worked his way up to the top two positions in the rankings at 122lbs and was eyeing a world title shot.

However, Oliver collapsed in the tenth round of the fight due to a blood clot on the right side of his brain and never fought again.

Thankfully, ‘The Omen’ made a full recovery, but others in the past haven’t, while some — Gerald McLennan and Michael Watson to name a few — have suffered serious injuries and been left with permanent brain damage.

So when Smotherman fell face-first in a terrifying moment that highlighted the risks some fighters face when cutting weight, Oliver felt compelled to speak up.

Spencer Oliver explains risks of weight cutting

“You’ve got thousands of blood vessels in and around the brain,” Oliver said on talkSPORT’s Fight Night, explaining why weight cuts can be so dangerous.

“The brain loses the cushioning that it’s already in because you’re so dry and those blood vessels lose that elasticity and they become like bits of straw.

“One of them can snap and the fight like mine did in the first round. You get a heavy bleed and then the blood clots…

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“That is the dangers of it and I think that [Smotherman] was a massive worry with what I saw — I was shocked.”

Fighters all have their own way of doing things when it comes to cutting weight.

Arnold Allen told talkSPORT.com ahead of his defeat to Jean Silva at UFC 324 that he super hydrates during fight week before massively dehydrating, describing the weight cutting process as ‘pretty s***.’

MMA fighters tend to cut more weight than boxers due to the different disciplines involved.

Some fans have argued that more weight classes should be introduced, while others believe rehydration clauses would fix the issue.

Regardless of what the solution is, Oliver says the UFC need to look closer at what fighters are doing to cut weight.

Oliver: UFC must monitor weight cuts more carefully

Getty/talKSPORT Fight Night

“Fighters say, is it more dangerous just dropping the weight right at the last minute?” Oliver added.

“Or is it more dangerous being dehydrated all the time because you want to keep down the weight, like I was?

“I boxed at 8 stone, 10 pounds, never went above 9 stone 7 pounds, because you know it would be too hard to get back down again.

“I was literally so tight that I was effectively always dehydrated, and then obviously what happened to me happened to me.

“So you go, what is the answer to this? And I think bringing in those weight checks is a good thing because you can keep an eye on fighters for sure.

“I don’t really know if that is the answer or not, but in UFC I think there should be more monitoring over the weights.

“Because it was clearly evident to see this kid drop weight very quickly and that’s why it’s put him in the position he’s in.

“And thankfully, I can’t believe I’m even saying this, he collapsed on the stage rather than behind the stage.

“I’ll tell you what would have happened if he collapsed behind the stage: there’s that conversation.

“I just collapsed. You’re my trainer and that conversation, ‘I still want to fight because I need the money, I’ve got to have this…’

“You might say, ‘Well you know what, let’s go you’ll be alright, we’ll get some water in you’.

“But I’ll tell you what doesn’t happen in those 24 hours — you can’t rehydrate the body enough.

Upcoming UFC schedule

UFC 325 – February 1, Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, Australia

• Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs Diego Lopes 2 – for UFC Featherweight Championship
• Dan Hooker vs Benoit Saint Denis – Lightweight
• Rafael Fiziev vs Mauricio Ruffy – Lightweight
• Tai Tuivasa vs Tallison Teixeira – Heavyweight
• Quillan Salkilld vs Jamie Mullarkey – Lightweight

UFC Fight Night 266 – February 7, UFC Apex, Las Vegas

• Mario Bautista vs Vinicius Oliveira – Bantamweight
• Amir Albazi vs Kyoji Horiguchi – Flyweight
• Michal Oleksiejczuk vs Marc-Andre Barriault – Middleweight
• Ryan Spann vs Rizvan Kuniev – Heavyweight
• Uran Satybaldiev vs Julius Walker – Light Heavyweight

UFC Fight Night 268 – February 21, Toyota Center, Houston

• Sean Strickland vs Anthony Hernandez – Middleweight
• Ode’ Osbourne vs Alibi Idiris – Flyweight
• Juliana Miller vs. Carli Judice – Women’s Flyweight
• Michel Pereira vs. Zachary Reese – Middleweight

UFC Fight Night 269 – February 28, Arena CDMX. Mexico City

• Brandon Moreno vs Asu Almabayev – Flyweight
• Edgar Chairez vs Felipe Bunes – Flyweight
• Imanol Rodriguez vs Kevin Borjas – Flyweight
• Jose Medina vs Ryan Gandra – Middleweight

UFC 326 – March 7, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

• Max Holloway (c) vs Charles Oliveira 2 – Lightweight
• Renato Moicano vs Brian Ortega – Lightweight
• Caio Borralho vs Reinier de Ridder – Middleweight
• Gregory Rodrigues vs Brunno Ferreira – Middleweight
• Cody Garbrandt vs Xiao Long – Bantamweight

“It doesn’t matter if you drank 50 litres of water, what happens is the blood vessels in and around the brain, that lose that elasticity and become like bits of straw, they can’t rehydrate in time.

“So they still stay like bits of straw even though you think you’ve rehydrated your body — and that’s the dangers of it, and that’s what the fighters and the trainers still don’t recognise.

“That was my worry there that God forbid he made it another three steps and got off the stage.

“We could have seen him in the [Octagon] and that could have been a disaster.”

UFC 324 witnessed Justin Gaethje defeat Paddy Pimblett to win the interim lightweight title in the main event.

And there’s a quick turnaround for fans, as UFC 325 — the next numbered card in the promotion’s hectic schedule — takes place this weekend in Sydney, Australia.