5 of the scariest UFC weight cut stories

Khabib Nurmagomedov makes weight for his UFC 254 bout [Photo via @espnmma on Twitter]
Khabib Nurmagomedov makes weight for his UFC 254 bout [Photo via @espnmma on Twitter]

#2. UFC middleweight contender Darren Till

UFC middleweight contender Darren Till
UFC middleweight contender Darren Till

To say that Darren Till is huge for his UFC weight division is an understatement. According to Till's coaches and teammates, 'The Gorilla' walks around at 210 pounds outside of the cage.

That's a large out-of-camp weight for a middleweight fighter who needs to come down to 185 pounds. As bad as that sounds, though, Till was cutting even more weight at the beginning of his UFC tenure as he used to compete in the welterweight division (170 pounds).

Till's weight-cutting woes were as apparent as ever when he fought Stephen Thompson at UFC Fight Night 130. Till missed the mark by 3.5 pounds but it wasn't due to a lack of effort. Footage of a miserable Till going through grueling exercises leaked ahead of the fight.

The weight cut was apparently so bad that Till lost his vision temporarily due to depletion. Nonetheless, the fight went ahead and Till managed to secure a unanimous decision victory over Thompson.


#1. Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw

Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw
Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw

After defending his bantamweight title against rival Cody Garbrandt, T.J. Dillashaw set his sights on a second title. But for that to happen, Dillashaw had to pull off a daring cut to the flyweight division to fight then-champion Henry Cejudo.

Experts and fans alike doubted Dillashaw's ability to make the 125-pound limit in the flyweight division as he was already shredded for bantamweight in the first place. However, Dillashaw was intent on becoming a champ-champ by hook or by crook.

At the weigh-ins, Dillashaw looked malnourished and depleted, resembling a man who had been stranded on a desert island for several months. Nonetheless, the cut was successful and the fight was on.

But it didn't take long for Cejudo to expose that Dillashaw does not belong in the flyweight division. 'The Messenger' made quick work of the 135-pound champ, putting him away via TKO in the first round.

While it seemed like Dillashaw was at the lowest point of his career, things took a turn for the worse. It was later revealed that Dillashaw tested positive for the banned substance EPO, which netted him a two-year suspension from active competition.

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