UFC star passes out after weighing in for fight on Paddy Pimblett undercard

UFC bantamweight Cameron Smotherman passed out after weighing in for his fight on the undercard of Paddy Pimblett's title fight against Justin Gaethje.

Smotherman was due to take on Ricky Turcios in Las Vegas on Saturday night but his fight on the UFC 324 card has now been cancelled. The 28-year-old was treated by doctors after falling face first on to the stage but was soon conscious and responsive before he was helped backstage by members of his team and taken to hospital.

Smotherman appeared on the Dana White Contender Series show in 2023, losing his bout. But he made his UFC debut the following year, recording a decision win over Jake Hadley - only to lose his next two bouts, both on points. And ahead of his clash with Turcious, Smotherman said: "In the fights that I’ve lost, it’s not that I was getting my ass whooped from pillar to post from bell to bell or anything like that. Like the worst thing that happened to me is just that I’m getting stalled out.

The way to beat me is to not fight me. And so I’m just kind of going back and focusing on those little details.

• Paddy Pimblett responds to fans worried about viral video before UFC fight

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'I’ve never lost a fight and just felt like, ‘That guy was just better’. It just feels like I didn’t fight. I feel like it’d be almost easier to accept just getting beat up – knowing I just wasn’t good enough.

I’m still grateful – that makes me at least feel like, okay, they don’t put all the blame on me that these fights, like getting booed is so embarrassing. That’s a nightmare for me. I want to be entertaining and I want to put on a show."

After the incident, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA), took to social media to express concern. "Drastic weight cuts continue to risk fighters acutely and may chronically contributing to renal disease, etc," it wrote. "The last thing you do when someone passes out is sit them up then carry them out.

Even if you have a physician nearby, you call an ambulance!"

Smotherman's fight was due to be the first of the night, kicking off the new Paramount+ era for the UFC after the promotion signed a $7.7billion deal with the broadcaster last year. In the main event, Pimblett will attempt to become the interim lightweight champion when he takes on Gaethje. The winner will earn a shot at full champion Ilia Topuria later this year.