What made Julia Stoliarenko pass out at UFC Vegas 22 weigh-ins?

Julija Stoliarenko made headlines after she fainted during the weigh-in for her fight against Julia Avila at UFC Vegas 22 this Saturday.

The UFC decided to cancel her women's bantamweight contest right after the incident. The episode launched a discussion among the combat sports community on the dangers of extreme weight cutting.

The topic has been a long-running point of concern among fighters, fans, and analysts. While some propose new rules for the weigh cut process, others suggest the creation of more divisions.

Full Julija Stoliarenko weigh-in video, courtesy of @mmajunkie. Extremely scary. I’ve asked why she was allowed to weigh in again after fainting the first time. pic.twitter.com/dAWEE8DcM8

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 19, 2021

However, in this case in particular, what really happened to Stoliarenko?

According to Tyler Melee Milton, one of the most respected nutritionists working with mixed martial artists, there is no need to be worried.

"So, I've been getting boned up with questions about what happened with Julija [Stoliarenko] today at weigh-ins. If you saw that, she got on the scales, she fainted. It's a very scary thing, but it's most likely nothing really concerning, and she didn't appear to hit her head or anything, but what it typically is... what it most likely is, and I'm sure what they'll end up saying, is that it was a vasovagal syncope," Milton explained on a video posted to his Twitter account.

Milton, who has over 200 clients in the UFC, including names like Daniel Cormier and Max Holloway, reassured that it is a common thing to happen even outside of the fighting world.

"When this happens, the blood pressure slows down, the blood flow to the brain is actually reduced, and it signals a temporary shutdown. It causes the person to faint. And, you know, that's what you saw happen. It actually happens a lot. During weight cuts, even sometimes when they're not bad, you'll see a fighter get up very quickly, and it happens," Milton detailed.

Getting a lot of questions about what happened with Julija Stoliarenko today at weigh ins. Here’s my explanation. pic.twitter.com/AL3vxwIWm0

— Tyler Melee Minton (@TheMeleeWay) March 19, 2021

Khabib Nurmagomedov passed out during his weight cut for UFC 254

UFC 242 Khabib v Poirier

Khabib Nurmagomedov had a hard time making weight for what would be his last UFC fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in 2020.

In addition to the demanding weight cut process, Khabib still had to deal with a broken toe and a case of mumps during that training camp.

"We had the worst luck ever for this camp. It's incredible how bad it was," said Nurmagomedov's coach Javier Mendez. "But at the end of the day, every camp has problems, and we had our share in this one, but he was ready mentally and physically to go. Not a hundred percent physically, but he was ready; he was as ready as you can be."

Khabib won the fight to defend his lightweight belt for the fourth time in his career. 'The Eagle' would announce his retirement right after the result.