'You shouldn't be allowed to touch your opponent at weigh-ins' - Cub Swanson leads UFC fighters' criticism of Jeremy Stephens
Jeremy Stephens shoved Dakkar Klose during the UFC Vegas 24 face-offs. The hard push that nearly sent Klose off the stage resulted in him sustaining an injury that also forced him to withdraw from his fight against Stephens.
When Klose revealed it was indeed the push from Stephens that caused his injury, several UFC fighters showered criticism on 'Lil Heathen', including Cub Swanson. The 37-year-old featherweight said fighters should not engage in a physical altercation with their opponents during weigh-ins.
"You shouldn’t be allowed to touch your opponent at weigh ins. End of story," Swanson wrote on Twitter.
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling also took to Twitter to show his support for Klose. 'Funk Master' said the severe impact to the head on top of a backbreaking weight cut routine could be extremely dangerous for the fighters.
UFC women's strawweight prospect Kay Hansen wasn't impressed by Jeremy Stephens' actions either.
Drakkar Klose suffered a concussion due to the push by Jeremy Stephens
According to ESPN's Ariel Helwani, Jeremy Stephens' push during the face-offs led Drakkar Klose to suffer a concussion. He noted that Klose also endured a cervical neck sprain, and that there was no evidence of him sustaining the injury specifically due to dehydration.
"He suffered a cervical sprain of the neck and a concussion as a result of the push. No sign of dehydration or anything that could come from a bad weight cut," Helwani wrote.
Stephens and Klose were expected to compete in a lightweight bout in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 24. Lil Heathen was returning to the lightweight division after more than eight years, having last fought in the 155-pound weight class in 2012.
Meanwhile, Klose has been a natural lightweight throughout his professional MMA career. The 33-year-old has been in 14 fights, all of them being lightweight bouts.