Women’s UFC warrior Paige VanZant recently made the transition from the strawweight division to the heavier flyweight class. With that in mind, “12 Gauge” has now come forward to reveal that the brutal weight cut required to make weight as a strawweight caused the fighter to gain an eating disorder.
Normally weighing 135 pounds, VanZant had a hefty task on her hands when cutting weight for the 115 pound division. Consequently, the fighter would go on to move up to the 125 pound class in hopes of improving the experience of her tasking weight cut.
Speaking to BBC, VanZant offered some insight into the tribulations of weight cutting.
“I was having different issues with myself and my body.”
“I was giving myself an eating disorder to make the weight.”
VanZant then explained that she has since moved up to the flyweight division.
“I recently went up to the flyweight division which is 10 lbs (4.5kg) heavier, which is a huge difference.”
“I was at a fight where a fellow UFC fighter, Uriah Hall, was cutting weight and he pushed himself just to the brink of death. He had kidney failure and started seizing in the hallway right in front of me.
“It’s because of that I’m like ‘I cant do this anymore.'”
“It’s our decision to cut weight, it’s our decision to fight at those lower weight classes.”
“In my last fight I broke my arm pretty bad and had to go and have a titanium plate and seven screws put in my forearm.
“I have broken my nose in one of my fights and got cut open pretty bad. It’s just something you accept as a part of it.
“The biggest concern for me is just getting the injury healed as soon as possible, so I can start training again.”
