Featherweight fighter Diane Silva remains hospitalized after an improper cut in weight caused her to become seriously ill ahead of her upcoming Bellator Champion Series bout in London, scheduled for September 14th.
Silva was scheduled to face Eman Almudaf at the event, but was hospitalized due to severe dehydration from being cut to the featherweight limit of 146 pounds. Reports said Silva was in a coma for several weeks after suffering kidney failure. Recently, she has shown positive signs of consciousness while in the hospital.
“Diane was gaining weight for her Bellator debut when she suffered a dehydration accident,” Silva’s manager Alex Davis said in a statement to MMAFighting.com. “She immediately sought medical attention and was taken to the hospital in critical condition and admitted to the intensive care unit. Although her condition was serious, she has been steadily improving since then and we My hope is that she makes a full recovery. Myself, her team, her doctors, the doctors at the hospital, and Bellator have been working closely to support her in whatever she needs to help her recover. We ask everyone to please pray for her full recovery.”
Davis also revealed to MMAjunkie.com that Bellator/PFL paid for Silva’s fight in full and flew his family from Brazil to be by Silva’s side.
Silva, 29, had never fought at 145 pounds before taking the fight against Almudaf on short notice. Her career record is 3-0, with all of those wins coming at 155 pounds.
Meanwhile, Cris Cyborg addressed the situation during the media scrum following her win over Larissa Pacheco at PFL Battle of the Giants.
“It’s really sad,” Cyborg said. “”[She] There were some tough cuts. I know that when you get seriously injured, it’s your trainer and the coaches around you who are responsible for you. I think we need to cut it safely and agree with the event, and I know we did, but the corner didn’t follow the rules. It’s really sad. I hope she recovers quickly. We know she is in a bad situation, but we are praying for her and helping her get home soon. ”
