After a 26-year-old Brazilian MMA fighter died hours before he was set to weigh in for Shooto Brazil 43, the event’s organizers have moved to cancel the event, according to MMA Junkie.
Andre Pederneiras, Shooto’s president and a veteran trainer/manager, announced the news on Facebook early Friday.
Leandro “Feijao” Souza (5-5), who trains at the mighty Nova Uniao gym, was set to fight Gabriel Brasil (1-1) at the event in Rio de Janeiro and was still trying to cut the remaining two pounds for the flyweight bout before he died.
One of his teammates, Andre Santos, told MMA Fighting that his death did have something to do with the weight cut.
“I wasn’t with him during this process because I have a fight scheduled in Russia, so he spent the night at Nova Uniao’s gym,” said Santos. “His sister called me saying that he had passed out so I went to the hospital, but he was already dead when I got there.”
However, according to Pederneiras, the reason for the athlete’s passing at the emergency unit in Botafogo is still unknown. In a Facebook message, on his live sport, he wished the fighter’s family his condolences and said the event was being cancelled as a “sign of mourning.”
This is the kind of treatment he’d get if he played football.
Souza trained alongside UFC champions Jose Aldo and Renan Barao at the Nova Uniao gym.
MMA fighters are known to shed as much as 20 pounds within five days in preparation for a weigh-in, mainly achieved by getting rid of excess water.
The goal for competitors is to weigh in at the top of their weight bracket and return to their normal weight before the match.
Showing up to a fight up to 30 pounds heavier than an opponent is widely considered a ‘game-changing’ move.
However, weight-cutting has proven fatal for a number of competitors who have died from kidney failure.
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