Fighter pulled out of Samourai MMA 9 main event bout after suffering heart attack due to kidney failure

Hungarian fighter Robert Seres was pulled out of his lightweight championship main event at Samourai MMA 9 against Kyle Prepolec due to a heart attack caused by kidney failure.

On Feb. 2, Seres was scheduled to face Prepolec in Quebec, Canada. However, the fighter couldn't rehydrate after the weigh-ins owing to kidney failure and started vomiting, resulting in an elevated heart rate. He was quickly rushed to the hospital.

In a statement released on Instagram, 'Maximus' shared insights into the unfortunate health complication that got him hospitalized. He is currently undergoing recovery and is expected to be released from medical care in a day.

Catch Robert Seres' statement following the Samourai MMA 9 weigh-ins below:

Excruciating weight cuts have always been a subject of contention by many in the MMA community. Most fighters often go through extensive dehydration cycles to tip the scales during the weigh-ins.

Even in the UFC, fighters showing up at the weigh-ins in dangerously dehydrated conditions is a regular sight. For context, lightweight legend Khabib Nurmagomedov has often been visibly drained during his weigh-ins.

While 'The Eagle' walks around at 187 pounds, he fought at 155 pounds, necessitating drastic weight cuts.

Furthermore, at UFC Fight Night 155, former women's bantamweight contender Aspen Ladd was visibly trembling on the scales, and it seemed as if she'd fall unconscious at any moment.

While most of the MMA landscape turns a blind eye to such blatantly unsafe weight-cutting practices, ONE Championship stands apart from the rest, having implemented strict rehydration protocols apart from the regular weight-ins to ensure the excessive weight is being dropped safely.

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Samourai MMA 9-like weight-cutting debacles in the UFC

Perhaps one of the most dangerous Samourai MMA-like weight-cutting scenarios happened at UFC on ESPN weight-ins when Julija Stoliarenko was pulled from her fight against Julia Alvila after the former fainted twice before being escorted off the arena on a stretcher.

Watch the weigh-ins below:

Another such incident unfolded in the UFC in 2017 when Japanese fighter Mizuto Hirota was scheduled to fight fellow featherweight Charles Rosa at UFC Fight Night 117.

However, Mizuto tipped the scale four pounds over the weight limit at 150 pounds. The fighter looked spent on the scale and, sure enough, suffered a brief stupor and almost fell back before being assisted by staff.

Watch Mizuto Hirota almost going unconscious below: