UFC Fighter Ariane da Silva's Brain Tumor Made Weight Cut Impossible, Now Promotion May Cut Her After Third Consecutive Loss
UFC fighters routinely push their bodies to dangerous extremes just to step on the scale—starving for weeks, sweating out water in saunas until they faint, and enduring kidney-straining dehydration protocols. The sport's weight-cutting culture forces athletes to gamble with their health, often walking the line between competition and hospitalization in pursuit of a size advantage.
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These practices persist despite medical emergencies. Behind every weigh-in, there's often an untold story of suffering that does not get the spotlight as much as the knockout finishes and the trash talk.
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UFC flyweight Ariane da Silva's shocking six-pound weight miss ahead of her UFC 316 bout against Wang Cong was caused by complications from a benign pituitary tumor, her coach and husband Renato da Silva revealed during an interview with MMA Fighting.
The Brazilian fighter, who tipped the scales at 132 pounds—well above the 126-pound non-title limit—underwent a dangerous weight cut attempt while managing hormonal imbalances triggered by the tumor.
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Blood tests during her camp showed elevated prolactin and cortisol levels, leading to the discovery of the tumor, which disrupted her body's ability to shed weight safely.
The situation worsened when da Silva's team enlisted a new nutritionist, whose strategy to retain water until the final days of the weight cut, backfired catastrophically.
Renato described harrowing symptoms during the final push, including double vision, slurred speech, and loss of motor control—clear signs her body was shutting down.
He emphasized that UFC medical staff intervened to halt the cut after deeming it life-threatening, saying, 'She wasn't walking right, blinking too slow, and couldn't focus.'
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Her coach's decision to allow her to continue to fight despite these issues was baffling and was met with criticism by some people online.
SportingNews journalist Val Dewar shared the interview on X (formerly Twitter), and expressed his opinion that 'Fighting with a tumor in your f— brain, even a benign one, seems like a bad Idea. Like, [a] really, really bad idea.'
Her opponent Wang Cong was gracious enough to agree to a catchweight bout despite the weight disparity and accepted 30% of da Silva's purse.
Wang also expressed sympathy on social media towards da Silva and her struggle trying to make weight, saying, 'After she came out, I went over to see her situation. Fortunately, there is no big problem, because it's not easy for every athlete.'
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Da Silva ultimately lost a unanimous decision to Cong, extending her skid to three fights and putting her in the crosshairs of being cut from the promotion.
The incident casts a spotlight on MMA's weight-cutting crisis, where fighters often gamble with extreme measures to hit weight targets before a fight. Da Silva's case is uniquely alarming due to the tumor's role, raising questions about whether she should have been cleared to fight at all.
The UFC has yet to address if da Silva will receive medical suspension or specialized support moving forward.
Related: UFC Champion Alexander Volkanovski Suffers Medical Scare During Fight 'I could not see'
Related: UFC Coach Reveals He Nearly Pulled Out 'Half-Dead' Champion from Title Defense Due to Severe Medical Issues
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
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