LAS VEGAS (AP) — Bantamweight fighter Cameron Smotherman collapsed Friday afternoon immediately after weighing in and his bout with Ricky Turcios at UFC 324 was canceled.
Smotherman made his way to the stage seemingly without any complications. But as he stepped onto the scale and successfully made weight at 135.5 pounds for Saturday's event, his eyes appeared heavy, slowly blinking twice. He stepped off to his left, wobbling toward the stairs and falling face-first onto the stage in a scary moment.
Smotherman hit his head and chin on the stage.
After briefly sitting up with assistance, Smotherman laid back down on his left side before being rolled onto his back as doctors rushed to his aid for medical treatment.
Once again, roughly three minutes after collapsing, Smotherman was assisted to a seated position for another minute before being brought to his feet, where he appeared to go unconscious as he was carried off the stage by UFC personnel.
A UFC spokesperson said Smotherman was transported from T-Mobile Arena to a hospital for precautionary evaluations and is being discharged.
Smotherman was to face Turcios in a preliminary bout. UFC 324 will be the first to air on Paramount+, the new exclusive streaming partner for the organization after seven successful years with ESPN.
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