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Michael Chiesa says he told girlfriend during weight cut that he was afraid he would die

Michael Chiesa already has a big weight cut if everything is going right. But there was nothing right about Chiesa’s UFC 226 fight week.

Eleven days before he was supposed to fight Anthony Pettis on July 7, Chiesa fractured his foot during a sparring session. At the time, Chiesa said he considered pulling out of the fight. Not because he was worried about what might happen in the Octagon; he was concerned about not being able to cut weight properly.

The Washington native’s consternation proved to be correct. Chiesa ended up missing the lightweight mark by 1-1/2 pounds on weigh-day and getting fined 30 percent of his purse.