BREAKING: Amanda Nunes hospitalized, Shevchenko fight canceled

[Combat Talk Radio]

UPDATE: Nunes said it's sinusitis which she's battled before. Affects breathing and oxygen intake (I speak from experience). Don't know if it's legit, but I know quite a few fighters have fought through much worse. Just sayin

pic.twitter.com/kJci0LOnXU

— Amanda Nunes (@Amanda_Leoa) July 9, 2017

Dana thinks it's BS:

https://sports.yahoo.com/st-pierre-s...081342652.html

When pressed further on the issue, he said: "You can't make anybody fight.

"It's not like she's like: 'I absolutely refuse to fight.' She said: 'I don't feel right, I don't feel good.'

"I think that it was 90 per cent mental and maybe 10 per cent physical."

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireSto...event-48524191

Bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes was scratched from her title defense against Valentina Shevchenko after being hospitalized Saturday a few hours before UFC 213.

The UFC vaguely cited an "illness" as the reason for Nunes' hospitalization in its statement. Shevchenko believes Nunes' condition resulted from a drastic weight cut.
...
Shevchenko expressed her displeasure over the loss of a big paycheck and a long-awaited title shot in a post on her social media accounts.

"During the last three months of training, I did everything to be in my best shape for this fight," Shevchenko wrote. "Nunes couldn't cut weight correctly and was hospitalized. She wanted to cut weight and recover rapidly to have the advantage. The end result, everything went wrong. Even though she was medically cleared to fight, she backed out. ... I did my part and am very upset that I can't fight for the title today on this great event."

What say ye, Eff Pandas? Nunes ducking the fight like Shevchenko says, or legit illness?

[Eff Pandas]

I don't buy the "he scared" (or she scared in this case) angle a lot of boxing fans have, but I wouldn't be shocked if this "sickness" is because of a hard weight cut.

MMA & combat sports in general needs to start taking this weight stuff more seriously as this sorta thing happens more & more. Think this is the 3rd main event fight this year that has been called off the day off (although only 2 because of weight, Meathead had kidney stones). I'm a big fan of the new California commission rules & I'd like to see those adopted for the time being.

Ultimately I think you kill weight cutting entirely by using tools & technology we currently have & measure dehydration & other things to determine a "healthy weight range" one can fight at upon being given a license to compete in combat sports. So no one would be walking around at 170 & fighting at 145. Thats f#cking INSANE, but no one says that outloud for some reason cuz "thats how its always been". If you weight 170 on a random Tuesday 3 months before a fight you should be fighting at 170 on that Saturday fight night 3 months later. Sh^t is simple as f#ck in that regard if people just used some common sense. And when that happens we don't have this sorta dumb fight cancelations.

[Combat Talk Radio]

I don't buy the "he scared" (or she scared in this case) angle a lot of boxing fans have, but I wouldn't be shocked if this "sickness" is because of a hard weight cut.

MMA & combat sports in general needs to start taking this weight stuff more seriously as this sorta thing happens more & more. Think this is the 3rd main event fight this year that has been called off the day off (although only 2 because of weight, Meathead had kidney stones). I'm a big fan of the new California commission rules & I'd like to see those adopted for the time being.

Ultimately I think you kill weight cutting entirely by using tools & technology we currently have & measure dehydration & other things to determine a "healthy weight range" one can fight at upon being given a license to compete in combat sports. So no one would be walking around at 170 & fighting at 145. Thats f#cking INSANE, but no one says that outloud for some reason cuz "thats how its always been". If you weight 170 on a random Tuesday 3 months before a fight you should be fighting at 170 on that Saturday fight night 3 months later. Sh^t is simple as f#ck in that regard if people just used some common sense. And when that happens we don't have this sorta dumb fight cancelations.

While I conceptually don't disagree, reality is if we have peeps fighting at their walking weights you end up with fights like Slice/Dada.

What I would like to see, is weight ranges for the class rather than fixed weights. Get rid of "junior" and "Light". Make "welterweight" 140-147 and be done with it. You don't make weight, you forfeit and aren't allowed to compete at that weight class.

I know in some fighters' cases they would get an advantage, and that might not be a bad thing. Healthier guys/gals walking in there and performing at their peak.

[Eff Pandas]

While I conceptually don't disagree, reality is if we have peeps fighting at their walking weights you end up with fights like Slice/Dada.

I don't buy that at all. Dada is barely a combat sports athlete at all & if didn't have some mainstream attention via backyard fighting you'd never have heard of him. And Kimo, from the exact same background, worked hard at it for years to get to the lower level, skill wise, he reached. They aren't representative of the sport or weight issues at all.

What I would like to see, is weight ranges for the class rather than fixed weights. Get rid of "junior" and "Light". Make "welterweight" 140-147 and be done with it. You don't make weight, you forfeit and aren't allowed to compete at that weight class.

I've never been a guy opposing less divisions, but I do think cutting weight is the bigger problem.

Anyone thinking losing a bunch of weight & gaining all or most of it back within a day or two of punching some other guy in the head & being punched in the head is some healthy or normal practice & maybe more importantly should be an accepted practice is f#cking nuts.

Its such a dumb thing that seems to keep happening & never being improved all that much cuz "thats how its always been done". The more I think about it the more wrong & stupid the whole concept is to me.

But I do understand making the changes to be able to insure healthy weight ranges become the norm isn't an easy process. Or one accepted by many people currently, but common sense & innovation of things that aren't working to their maximum capabilities suggest thats where things will end up to me.

Maybe its 5 years from now, maybe its 25 years from now, but weight cutting isn't a practice that will last THAT much further into the future unless logic somehow ends up being ignored completely which I don't see happening with CA & ONE (which does walking around weight already) already making some positive changes towards the road I'm suggesting.

I know in some fighters' cases they would get an advantage, and that might not be a bad thing. Healthier guys/gals walking in there and performing at their peak.

Look there are always going to be advantages & disadvantages to be gained or lost. Thats how things work in a competitive environment. This weight stuff is ruining events, running bodies minus the getting hit in the head part & ultimately helps lead to more injuries, life changing & life ending, imo. The problems with weight cutting far outweigh the upside gained by being the "bigger" 155lb or whatever weight fighter.

[Combat Talk Radio]

I don't buy that at all. Dada is barely a combat sports athlete at all & if didn't have some mainstream attention via backyard fighting you'd never have heard of him. And Kimo, from the exact same background, worked hard at it for years to get to the lower level, skill wise, he reached. They aren't representative of the sport or weight issues at all.

You realize guys like Broner are absolutely fat as wreck when they aren't purposely trying to cut, right? That's my point - there has to be SOME sort of weight restrictions or guys will just show up in the basics of fighting shape because it's comfortable for them. I still remember that last fight when Broner refused to try and make weight when he very well could have and just drank Gatorate.

I've never been a guy opposing less divisions, but I do think cutting weight is the bigger problem.

Anyone thinking losing a bunch of weight & gaining all or most of it back within a day or two of punching some other guy in the head & being punched in the head is some healthy or normal practice & maybe more importantly should be an accepted practice is f#cking nuts.

Its such a dumb thing that seems to keep happening & never being improved all that much cuz "thats how its always been done". The more I think about it the more wrong & stupid the whole concept is to me.

But I do understand making the changes to be able to insure healthy weight ranges become the norm isn't an easy process. Or one accepted by many people currently, but common sense & innovation of things that aren't working to their maximum capabilities suggest thats where things will end up to me.

Maybe its 5 years from now, maybe its 25 years from now, but weight cutting isn't a practice that will last THAT much further into the future unless logic somehow ends up being ignored completely which I don't see happening with CA & ONE (which does walking around weight already) already making some positive changes towards the road I'm suggesting.

Weight cuts will continue to happen, or we'll just end up with catchweights that are just as bad. Which is why I say ranges at least alleviate the problem - if one fighter is more comfortable at 140 (Crawford) and one is more comfortable at 144 (Broner) let them fight for a welterweight title if the money makes sense. Rather than forcing Crawford up or forcing Broner down, which is the point you're making.

[Eff Pandas]

You realize guys like Broner are absolutely fat as wreck when they aren't purposely trying to cut, right? That's my point - there has to be SOME sort of weight restrictions or guys will just show up in the basics of fighting shape because it's comfortable for them. I still remember that last fight when Broner refused to try and make weight when he very well could have and just drank Gatorate.

Sure there are a ton of obese boxers, thats why I use the term I used here in my first post "healthy weight range". I thought about this & talked about this here numerous times. And I think if you are obese or have just gotten bigger with age, as sometimes happen as fighters age, you should need to petition for competing at a higher healthy weight range & you can add checks & balances there that either make you fit to fight at a higher weight or unfit to fight at a higher weight.

That all cleared up if a guy does get completely out of shape between fights & has to fat camp it during training more than a legit weight cut to get that weight edge like Broner & others idk how that there is a way to hinder that. That said I don't think Broner represents the norm either so he's an exception more then the rule. There are always going to be exceptions that doesn't fit into the rules of the majority of us.

Weight cuts will continue to happen, or we'll just end up with catchweights that are just as bad. Which is why I say ranges at least alleviate the problem - if one fighter is more comfortable at 140 (Crawford) and one is more comfortable at 144 (Broner) let them fight for a welterweight title if the money makes sense. Rather than forcing Crawford up or forcing Broner down, which is the point you're making.

For the time being weight cuts will happen I don't disagree with you there, but I believe we are closer to the end of weight cuts as combat sports enters a period of more safety measures + with this consistent problem of cutting weight that damages fighters & events neither of which is good for the sport.

But how you bring up the catchweight thing with Crawford vs Broner is how I see it more of less. Like for example I could see a guy deemed at a healthy fighting weight at 144-151 & him being matched up with a guy deemed at a healthy fighting weight at 138-145 & them being able to fight for the welterweight title as long as both guys are within their healthy weight ranged + within the welterweight limits.

[Combat Talk Radio]

Update provided from Amanda on Twitter

[Anthony342]

Does Nunes have allergies? Because a lot of times sinus infections happen to people who suffer from allergies. I know, because I have allergies and still get congested either in extreme cold or when it's really hot and humid, like this time of year and pollen counts are high, even though I get allergy shots, it only seems to gradually be improving for me. I could see it effecting breathing, but not to the point of not being able to compete, unless you're having to take a lot of antihistamines to clear out the sinuses. I wonder if she's tried using steam or one of those neti pots or nasal sprays to at least drip out some of the congestion the day of, to open up the airway. I've never heard of a fight being cancelled because of it before though, that's a serious problem if true, might have to see a specialist to get that treated or sometimes reconstructive surgery on the nose can help, if it's misshapen.

[Eff Pandas]

Idk if the problem was that big a deal or not to not fight, but she's for sure going for PR control with the hospitalization. I mean did she legit need to be hospitalized for a sinus build up? Cmon on, I mean they doing outpatient sh^t with heart attack victims these days. You just give her some benedryl & send her ass home.

[TX_BOXNG]

Either way i feel she should be stripped based of the info we have

She even did the weigh in show