‘Russian Ronda’ explains weight miss, reveals harrowing allergic reaction - ‘I turned completely red’ | UFC Vegas 72

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — Irina Alekseeva had behind-the-scenes problems before her Octagon debut.

Alekseeva was victorious at UFC Vegas 72 last night (Sat., April 29, 2023) inside UFC Apex, submitting Stephanie Egger with a knee bar in little more than two minutes (watch highlights). It was only the fourth knee bar in UFC women’s history.

While Alekseeva’s win was very impressive, a black cloud was hovering over it because “Russian Ronda” missed weight by four pounds. During her post-fight interview with mixed martial arts (MMA) media, Alekseeva apologized for the scale fail.

“I feel great, and even though I did not make the weight, I want to apologize for that, of course,” Alekseeva said through a translator. “But, it was much more important for me to keep the fight. This was something that me and my team decided together.

“If I were to make the weight, most likely, I would be so depleted that there was zero chance that I would be able to fight, and I would have to cancel the fight [which would] let down both the UFC and my opponent,” she continued. “So, it was more important for me to maybe come in a little overweight, but at the same time, make sure that the fight happens. Make sure that the fans get what they want.”

The 32-year-old Russian fighter revealed that when she was rehydrating, she had an allergic reaction that caused her many problems.

“Yesterday after the weigh cut was done, after we weighed in, whatever the recovering things that the UFC gives out, [gave me] an allergic reaction,” she explained. “I was sick. I kept on throwing up. My face turned completely red. I didn’t know what was happening. I went back to the UFC PI, and they were monitoring me to make sure that I was fine all the way through the late evening.

“I still was not feeling well,” she concluded. “I still was feeling nauseous. So, whatever it was, I definitely was not feeling well. And only today, earlier in the morning, I started feeling like myself again.”

Alekseeva is now riding a two-fight win streak.

For complete UFC Vegas 72 results, coverage and highlights click HERE.