The UTMA organization is offering an unfiltered glimpse into the life of a fighter. Arguably the most grueling part of fight week is the weigh-in procedure and successfully hitting the weight limit. This time, we get a raw, up-close look at Deividas Jemeljanovas’ final hours before the weigh-ins and his recovery leading up to the UTMA 18 tournament.
For D. Jemeljanovas, his appearance at UTMA 18 marked the fourth fight of his professional career.
Scheduled to face Latvian fighter Raimonds Aukštikalnis, Jemeljanovas arrived in Kaunas alongside the rest of the UTMA roster. On April 16th, the final and most taxing stage of preparation began: the weight cut.
The entire process – from the medical weigh-ins to the post-scale recovery – was captured firsthand by Jemeljanovas himself and his coach, Ąžuolas Zubė. This footage has now been released as the first episode of “24 Hours Until The Fight” on the UTMA YouTube channel.
Just the night before the official weigh-ins, Jemeljanovas weighed 83.8 kg. However, by the time he stepped on the scale the following morning, he recorded a weight of 80.6 kg—meaning he dropped 3.2 kg in less than 12 hours.
The entire process was meticulously documented: morning training in a specialized sweat suit, the sauna, sweating under blankets, and finally, the hard-earned result.
Of course, the task of recovery after making weight is just as critical. Mistakes made during this phase can easily cost a fighter the victory on fight day.
“I want porridge – oats with honey and sunflower seeds. But I’d also really love some pancakes, really,” said D. Jemeljanovas.
His coach, Ą. Zubė was quick to remind him of past lessons: “Remember last time? A few mistakes were made.”
“We learned. Now it’s over, and we move forward,” Jemeljanovas replied.
You can find all this exclusive content and more on the UTMA YouTube channel.
