Ismael Bonfim recalls extreme UFC weight cut that went wrong

Ismael Bonfim had a rough weight cut and missed the mark inhis last outing.| 📷: Getty/UFCIsmaelBonfim learned a lesson the hard way in his last fight.Bonfim took on ChrisPadilla in a lightweight bout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship this past November. "Marreta"looked visibly weak and worn out as he weighed in at 161 pounds,missing the non-title lightweight limit by five pounds. TheBrazilian was then picked apart by Padilla en route to asecond-round stoppage loss.Bonfim recently recalled the weight-cut fiasco ahead of his lastbout and has made the necessary changes to avoid missing weightagain.

Ismael Bonfim details failed weight cut before Chris PadillaUFC loss

Bonfim revealed that he had relied heavily on dehydration, leaving22 pounds to cut on fight week. He decided to stop cutting weightafter his neck started cramping on the day of the weigh-in."I relied too much on dehydration," Bonfim told MMA Fighting. "Igot to fight week still needing to lose 22 pounds. I would stay inthe sauna for 30 seconds, and my body would already start cramping.I was getting cramps I'd never felt in my life, like cramps in myneck. That's when we decided to stop the weight cut."He is now scheduled to face Axel Sola atUFC Abu Dhabi. Making weight shouldn't be an issue for Bonfimas he has started managing his weight seriously since his lastOctagon outing. The 30-year-old believes moving up a weight classwould have ended his career and he's made sure to keep hisout-of-camp weight low going forward."We finally got serious," Bonfim added. "We make a lot of mistakesbecause things are too easy nowadays, but enough is enough. Movingup to welterweight would've been crazy. I'm already small forlightweight. Going up to 170 would've been the end of my career.That's where it would've ended. I'm a lightweight, and from now onI'm going to do things the right way. I'm not going to let myweight go above 176 [pounds]."Bonfim (20-6) will look to rebound from a two-fight slump when hefaces Sola, who is eager to bounce back from his lone career lossagainst Mason Jonesthis past March.