Uriah Hall details scary weight cut that left him hospitalized - ‘I never felt so thirsty in my life’

Uriah Hall left the mixed martial arts (MMA) world in limbo earlier this year when he collapsed at the weigh ins for UFC Fight Night 124 in St. Louis, Missouri.

“Prime Time” was gearing up to step on the scale to make his middleweight scrap with Vitor Belfort official, but his body simply gave up. Hall reportedly feinted backstage and suffered what seemed to be a seizure, resulting in his hospitalization.

The incident sparked much controversy as UFC president Dana White verbally leveled Hall for “not taking his training serious,” adding that “Prime Time” needs to stay out of nightclubs the week before a fight.

Whether that’s true or not, Hall’s weight-cutting troubles at UFC St. Louis were real and severe. The 33-year-old contender recently sat down with ESPN to detail the harrowing ordeal:

“I was walking to the elevator and boom, just like that, I collapsed. I was in the elevator holding on to my best friend – apparently I bit him, to hold on to him. I passed out again … woke up and there were EMTs, a guy was trying to get a needle in me, and I remember swinging. I wasn’t in control of my body.

“I woke up in the hospital and was screaming for water. ‘Give me water! Give me water!’ They said, ‘We can’t give you water yet,’ for whatever reason. I grabbed my sister and said, ‘Tell them to please give me a sip of water.’ I never felt so thirsty in my life. They finally gave me a sip, and I passed out.”

While Hall cut his way down to 185.6 pounds, his body ultimately failed him. Hall described himself as having “acute kidney failure” paired with a “mini seizure.” Pretty scary stuff, especially for a fighter who has successfully cut weight so many times before.

“I’ve cut weight over 20 times,” Hall said. “I’m used to it. That one margin of error, that’s what cost me. I neglected a health issue. I didn’t pay attention to my body. My will took over – I would say my ego took over. There’s a time you need to listen to your body.”

Luckily, despite his recent health struggles and public spat with White, Hall is going to get another opportunity to prove he can successfully make weight and compete inside of the Octagon.

The talented 185-pound striker is scheduled to fight undefeated Brazilian contender Paulo Costa at UFC 226 this July. If everything goes as planned for “Prime Time,” he’ll bounce back against one of the toughest fighters in the division and recapture any momentum he lost just four months ago.