Kay Hansen poses on the scale during the UFC weigh-in at UFC APEX on November 13, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
UFC women’s strawweight fighter Kay Hansen releases statement following her weigh-in debacle at UFC 273
Kay Hansen had a rough weight cut leading up to her bout against Piera Rodriguez. She weighed in at 118.5 lbs., almost 2.5 pounds over the limit (over a one-pound allowance for non-title fights).
In all of her previous 12 bouts Hansen has never missed weight, and this was the first instance of her missing the mark. She also spoke to MMA Fighting in November last year about her struggles with an eating disorder that threatened to thwart her career. It was her series of collision with problems regarding mental health that helped her overcome this disorder.
Following the incident, she issued a statement apologizing to the UFC, her opponent and also herteam. She posted a note on Twitter that said, ‘
I have had over 14 professional fights (98% being at 115lbs) and have always made weight fairly easy. I don’t walk heavy, I diet year round and live a very disciplined lifestyle. I have no excuses but I’m not sure what went wrong. I’m extremely disappointed and I wanna apologize to my team, opponent, the UFC.
With that being said I’m still grateful and excited to go out and perform at UFC 273. Going to put this behind me and address it later, and focus on my performance tomorrow night. Love y’all’
The bout will be held at a catchweight against Piera Rodriguez with Hansen forfeiting 20 percent of her purse as penalty.
The UFC announced on Thursday that apart from the regular Performance and Fight of the Night bonuses, UFC 273 pay-per-view (PPV) event will introduce the Fan Bonus of the Night.
In association with Crypto.com the company has announced a special fan bonus that will be paid through bitcoin. The winner of this bonus in particular will be decided via live fan votes. Fans will be able to vote for three of their favorite fighters during all UFC pay-per-view events.
As per MMA reporter Aaron Bronsteter, the fighter who earns the most fan votes will earn $30,000. The second-place fighter will receive $20,000, and the third-place fighter will take home $10,000 in bitcoins.
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