American UFC fighter Cameron Smotherman suffered a frightening collapse at the UFC 324 weigh-ins in Las Vegas on Friday, faceplanting onto the stage moments after successfully registering his weight.
The 28-year-old bantamweight, known by his nickname ‘The Baby-Faced Killer’, had just stepped off the scale at 135.5 pounds ahead of his scheduled bout against Ricky Turcios when his legs buckled beneath him.
Smotherman stumbled forward before crashing face-first into the floor, leaving the arena in stunned silence.
The alarming incident was broadcast live on the UFC’s Morning Weigh-In Show, with one presenter remarking: “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen that.”
Cameron Smotherman hit the deck just moments after registering his weight
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Medical personnel immediately rushed to the stricken fighter’s side as he lay motionless on the stage floor.
Smotherman appeared unresponsive for several moments before regaining consciousness, according to witnesses at the T-Mobile Arena.
Footage circulating on social media showed the American sitting up briefly before lying back down, remaining on the floor for some time as medics attended to him.
Once stable, the fighter was unable to walk unaided and had to be physically carried from the stage by his team members.
He was subsequently transported to hospital for further examination, though no updates on his condition have been released.
Cameron Smotherman fainted 24 hours before his fight against Ricky Turcios, which has now been scrapped
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The UFC swiftly confirmed that Smotherman’s contest against fellow American Turcios had been scrapped from the card, with no indication whether the bout might be rescheduled at a later date.
The organisation has not issued any public statement regarding the incident.
The collapse has reignited discussion about the perils of weight cutting, a gruelling practice where fighters severely dehydrate themselves to meet division limits.
Speculation suggests Smotherman’s body may have simply given out under the physical strain of making the 135.5-pound bantamweight threshold.
The cancellation represents a significant setback for the fighter, who entered the week with a professional record of 12 victories and six defeats.
Despite the disturbing scenes, UFC 324 proceeds as planned today at the T-Mobile Arena.
Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett tops the bill in his bid for the interim lightweight championship against veteran American Justin Gaethje.
The card also features several former titleholders, including Sean O’Malley, who faces China’s Song Yadong as the third-ranked bantamweight seeks to strengthen his case for another championship opportunity.
This was hard to watch. Cameron Smotherman couldn’t even stand and had to be carried off the stage by his team and UFC staff. Weight cutting in MMA is getting dangerously out of control. pic.twitter.com/19JU9ZuvvX
— Prof Net (@ProfNet_) January 23, 2026
Former strawweight queen Rose Namajunas and ex-flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo are also scheduled to compete on what remains a stacked evening of action.
Smotherman had been due to appear on the preliminary portion of the event.
