Hall says he 'probably would've died' if he'd made weight for UFC St. Louis
Uriah Hall's latest weight cut could have cost him his life.
After being hospitalized for suffering a seizure on his way to the scale for UFC Fight Night 124 and seeing his middleweight bout with Vitor Belfort get scrapped this past weekend, the 33-year-old took to Instagram Live on Thursday to shed light on the health scare.
Hall maintained that he'd made the middleweight mark, but said he suffered a heart attack in addition to the seizure. Once hospitalized, he was told by a physician that even if he'd made it to the scale, he might not have made it to the cage on fight night.
"I was in the hospital, of course, and it was probably the most dramatic experience I’ve ever had," Hall said, via Fancy Combat. "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.
"I was so ready to freaking throw down, but you know what? (Expletive) happens. The doctor even said, even if I had made weight, I probably would’ve died the next day because my body wasn’t having it. Like I said, I’m never going to ignore my health again. 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."
The Jamaica native had never missed weight as a pro, and claimed a lingering injury made his latest cut tougher than usual.
"It was an injury that I ignored and it just caught up to me," Hall 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."
Hall's coach, Clayton Hires, told MMA Fighting's Marc Raimondi on Wednesday that a move up to light heavyweight might now be in the cards, although Hall still aims to give Belfort "a proper retirement fight." The Brazilian appears to have moved on, however, recently angling for a rematch with Michael Bisping on the UFC's March trip to London.
Last week's mishap spawned some pointed commentary from UFC president Dana White, who openly questioned Hall's commitment to his career. The fighter predictably scoffed at the speculation, but did hold himself accountable for not clearing the air sooner.
"As far as clearing up the air with (White), I heard I was partying in L.A. What else was I doing? I wasn’t taking my training seriously, and I wasn’t following procedure, there you go," Hall said with a laugh. "You mean to tell me my entire career, all of a sudden I’m going to party in L.A.? It’s too funny man. Oh my God. But that’s what happens when you don’t come out - a lot of speculation."
- With h/t to MMAjunkie