The UFC featherweight champion Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski has a warning for lightweight Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett. Volkanovski knows a thing or two about massive weight cuts, as the reigning king of the 135-pound division once weighed over two hundred pounds. Volkanovski discussed Paddy’s drastic weight gains and cuts, which see the Liverpudlian star routinely pack on fifty pounds or more before losing all of it ahead of a fight, as a legitimate health concern.
“I know the science and I don’t just know that, I used to do that. Back in the days when I would go and people see me win the PXC world title at featherweight, I’d go back to Thailand not even two weeks later and people are looking at me like, ‘How do you look like that? You were just here. What? It doesn’t make sense.’
Volkanovski Warns Pimblett About Extreme Weight Cuts
I used to weigh in at 65.8 [kilograms], 145 [pounds], and within the week … so next weekend, 86 kilograms. That’s over 185 [pounds], and you used to see that, well over — that’s almost 190. I used to go from 145 to 190 [pounds] in one week. It’s not healthy. It’s terrible for you. It blows my mind how his head just balloons like that. It’s quite funny.”
Volkanovski continued, acknowledging that Pimblett has gone on record telling those who “fat shame” him to “kiss his ass”, but described feeling “like sh*t” when he was in the midst of a similar cut.
“Look, honestly, I hear about people fat shaming him and all that type of stuff, yeah, some people would be. But I think there’s a lot of people that probably care for his health as well, because it ain’t healthy. I know because I’ve been in the same position.
You definitely feel like crap. I remember because I would even have a couple of days, because I would eat so silly straight afterwards, because I’ve been over here, I would fluctuate so much, I would fluctuate a lot quicker too. I would hold a lot more water because I was always doing this.
Two days after a fight, I’d be on a plane and all the water — because you know all the water goes to your ankles in that — I mean, I couldn’t even put my shoes on. My legs would [swell up]. It’s very dangerous. That’s actually dangerous too, so I need to wear the big socks and that’s not good enough because I stretched them f****** right out. I used to be pretty crazy with it, but it’s not healthy, man.
Not only do you feel s***, obviously you look s*** and it’s a little bit embarrassing hearing that too. This ain’t a shot at Paddy Pimblett, this is me talking about my experience.”
Is Volkanovski right about Paddy the Baddy’s weight gain? Let us know in the comments.
