Daiane Silva remains hospitalized in England five weeks after suffering kidney failure due to dehydration from a botched weight cut for her Bellator debut, with her condition improving steadily though she is still sedated.
Daiane Silva remains in the hospital, five weeks on, after a disastrous weight cut before her Bellator London fight against Eman Almudhaf on Sept. 14. MMA Fighting has confirmed this unfortunate news.
Cris Cyborg’s Curitiba-based MMA promotion, Nação Cyborg, shared on social media that Silva is hospitalized in England. That post vanished quickly, but Silva’s manager, Alex Davis, confirmed her status to MMA Fighting.
Bellator officials? Silent. No comment despite multiple inquiries.
A friend of Silva’s flew from Brazil to be by her side in the hospital. This friend updates Bellator officials daily about her recovery progress. Silva fell ill while dehydrating; she was hospitalized and placed in an induced coma due to kidney failure. Currently sedated, it’s uncertain what long-term effects might linger once she’s discharged.
“Daiane made weight for her Bellator debut but suffered an accident due to dehydration,” Davis explained. “She was seen by a doctor immediately and rushed to intensive care in serious condition. Thankfully, she’s improving steadily. Our hope is for a full recovery.” He added that everyone involved is working tirelessly to support her recovery and asked for thoughts and prayers.
Cris Cyborg briefly addressed the situation during her post-fight media scrum in Saudi Arabia. “Really sad,” Cyborg remarked. “Leidy Dai had a tough cut. Responsibility lies with trainers and coaches. The corner didn’t follow the rules. We pray for her swift recovery.”
Silva began her MMA journey with Nação Cyborg in October 2021, winning a split decision over Carolina Kerr at 155 pounds. She followed this with two first-round finishes of Mirela Vargas in 2023. Agreeing to face Almudhaf on short notice at featherweight—a weight she’d never made professionally—was risky.
Days before the fight, Silva spoke with MMA Fighting about the anticipated struggle to make featherweight. She joked about jinxing it if she revealed her weight at the time of the offer.
“It will hurt,” Silva laughed when discussing the weight cut challenge. “I took this fight on 14 days’ notice but train hard four times a day at CM System. I’m big, tall, with high muscle mass—it’s complicated, but this is war.” She remained optimistic about making weight safely.