UFC on ESPN 55 winner David Onama apologizes for weight miss: 'My body gave up on me'

David Onama says the commission stopped him from a last-second attempt to make weight at UFC on ESPN 55.

LAS VEGAS – David Onama says the commission stopped him from a last-second attempt to make weight at UFC on ESPN 55.

Onama (12-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) missed weight by 2.5 pounds for his featherweight bout against Jonathan Pearce (14-6 MMA, 5-3 UFC) Saturday at the UFC Apex. Onama defeated Pearce by unanimous decision.

Onama explained that after missing the 146-pound non-title featherweight limit, he wanted to utilize the extra permitted hour, but the commission intervened.

“Friday morning, my body just gave up on me,” Onama told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC on ESPN 55. “I had two more pounds to cut, and I just couldn’t cut no more. I couldn’t stop sweating. My body was hurting me. I’ve never had that issue before. In my whole career, I’ve never missed weight and that’s my first time ever missing in the UFC.

“I was mad at myself because I never had that issue. I honestly thought I was going to make weight. I had an hour left and the commission told me, ‘You can’t cut anymore.’ It’s not like I quit cutting weight. I had an hour left and I was going to keep cutting weight, but they said I can’t make that weight in an hour.”

Onama apologized to Pearce, and vowed that he won’t have an issue on the scale again. The 29-year-old has now won four of his past five.

“To my opponent, I’m sorry,” Onama said. “My body gave up on me. It’s part of the game. Sometimes you might have a good weight cut, sometimes you might not. It’s never happened before and I apologize for that happening. It will never happen again.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 55.