PFL fighter reportedly in coma for over a month from failed weight cut, company employees asked to keep news under wrap
A PFL fighter has reportedly been in a coma for more than a month because of weight-cut-induced medical issues. It's been reported that PFL and its employees were instructed to refrain from speaking about it.
The PFL acquired Bellator MMA in 2023, operating Bellator separately apart from occasional PFL-Bellator cross-promotional cards. The Bellator Champions Series 5 event, at the OVO Arena Wembley in London, England, on Sept. 14, 2024, featured multiple fights across different weight classes.
It was to feature a women's featherweight bout between Brazil's Daiane Silva (3-0 MMA) and England's Eman Almudhaf (4-0 MMA), which was ultimately canceled. Silva, a 29-year-old going by the moniker 'Leidy Dai,' notably competed in the Nacao Cyborg MMA organization founded by MMA legend and fellow Brazilian fighter, Cris Cyborg.
Silva last secured the women's lightweight championship with a first-round TKO victory against Mirela Vargas at Iron Man MMA 26 in Nov. 2023.
Addressing the same, the "@WMMARankings" X handle has tweeted a social media update reportedly posted by Nacao Cyborg, which claimed that Daiane Silva fell into a coma after a bad weight cut.
Nacao Cyborg's statement was the first public acknowledgment of the supposed situation. A screenshot of the statement suggested that Team Cyborg was coming publicly extending support for Silva who suffered weight cut-induced health complications ahead of the PFL/Bellator event and has been hospitalized in a serious condition in London.
The Team Cyborg statement further implied they'll delve deep into the matter to identify and hold the people responsible for the incident accountable and unravel additional information in the ensuing weeks.
Check out the screenshots of the thread's other tweets below:
MMA journalist Drake Riggs also addressed the incident. In response to a tweet that speculated about why the supposed situation was kept under wraps, Riggs seemed to suggest that the PFL and its employees were directed against publicly addressing it:
"Can confirm she was in a coma and is still there, although her current status is unknown. Everything has been eerily quiet as I've been tracking this story since it happened... It's been kept under wraps because PFL and employees have been explicitly told not to talk about it."
Daiane Silva's condition reportedly improving after PFL/Bellator mishap
Presently, Bellator MMA has nine weight classes: bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight for men. The eighth and ninth are the flyweight and featherweight divisions for women.
Per Tapology, Daiane Silva's three professional MMA bouts were contested in the lightweight (155-pound) division. Neither PFL nor Bellator has issued an official statement concerning Silva yet.
Nevertheless, MMA Junkie has reported that a person who wished to remain anonymous stated that Silva experienced signs of extreme physical stress because of dehydration and lost consciousness during the weight cut. She was induced in a coma and treated. Apparently, Silva's condition has gradually shown increasing levels of consciousness.
Furthermore, Silva's manager, Davis MMA Management's Alex Davis, asserted she had an accident during the weight-cutting process, was hospitalized in "very delicate condition" and placed in the ICU and "has been steadily improving."
Davis thanked Bellator for their support, adding that PFL/Bellator was paying Silva's complete fight purse and flew a family member from Brazil to be with her. Meanwhile, Cris Cyborg wished Daiane Silva a safe recovery.