(And just six months later, a baby boy superman punched his way to freedom. via Noxii)
(*sigh*)
In perhaps the most bizarre entry in the I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant canon since the show’s inception, Brazilian fighter Kinberly (not a typo) Novaes recently competed, and won, a strawweight title fight in Brazil while 12 weeks pregnant.
How did this happen? Well, it all started when Novaes signed her bout agreement for RFA 29: USA vs. Brazil against Jocelyn Jones Lybarger. Less than a week out from the event, Novaes was having a particularly tough time cutting weight, we she had initially passed off as an intestinal issue. When her troubles persisted and she was finally forced to consult a doctor, however, she found out that she was in fact six months pregnant. Primeiro Round broke this insane story over the weekend (via MMAFighting):
“I’m a little stubborn, I don’t like to go to the doctor,” Novaes said with a laugh. “I’ve been feeling sick for a while, colic, headaches and cramps. I was feeling tired recently, couldn’t even run, and it was really tough for me to cut weight. I was cutting weight for my RFA debut, but couldn’t lose weight. I did a stricter diet four weeks before the fight, and I actually gained 2.2 pounds in six days. I was desperate. I realized my belly was hard, so I thought I had some intestine issue. I took laxative and other things, but a guy that does massages for me told me to go to the doctor.”
“I finally decided to go to the hospital, and the doctor immediately asked me if I was pregnant,” she continued. “I insisted I was not, that I had an intestine issue, but he asked for a blood test. One hour later, he told us I was pregnant. I cried a lot, ran out of the hospital, but I realized that was good news. I thought I was sick, but I had a baby instead.”
After pulling out of her upcoming RFA bout and doing a little math, Novaes soon realized that she had in fact been pregnant when she defeated Renata Baldan on May 17 to win the Noxii 115-pound title. And because Noxii is not regulated by the Brazilian MMA Athletic Comission for whatever reason, Novaes was not screened for pregnancy in her pre-fight medicals, which Noxii promoter Bruno Barros told MMAFighting was his mistake.
That was my first event. I didn’t ask for the exam. That’s the truth. I didn’t even think about the possibility of a woman fighting while pregnant, going through a camp and dehydrating and everything.
Barros stated that he additionally asked for HIV and hepatitis tests from all the fighters who competed at that event, but allowed those who didn’t return results to compete anyway. So there’s a bit of a learning curve going on here, you could say.
This damn sport, you guys. When we aren’t using black market Thai sex pills as a cover-up for steroid use, we’re letting pregnant women throw down. Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “a straight shot to the babymaker,” doesn’t it?
The post Strawweight Kinberly Novaes Reveals She Recently Won a Title While (Unknowingly) 12 Weeks Pregnant appeared first on Cagepotato.