Last February 19th, heavyweight fighter Dhafir Harris, more popularly known as ‘Dada 5000’, fought fellow street brawler Kimbo Slice at the co-main event of Bellator 149.
Harris was stopped via third round TKO, but it was later revealed that he had suffered two heart attacks and renal failure during the fight. It was only until March when he was released from the hospital and sent back home.
Many believe that it was Harris’ lack of proper conditioning that led to the severity of his situation. Analyst Joe Rogan even poked fun at the fighter’s supposed diet saying it was comprised of ‘fried chicken, cheeseburgers and orange soda’, in which he had taken a ton of flak for.
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Early this month, Harris released an official statement on Instagram stating his side of the story, but immediately took it down. On Wednesday, he appeared on the Dan LeBatard show (transcription via MMA Fighting), where he admitted that he did not properly prepare for the fight.
“I probably pushed myself. Instead of taking a couple months, I probably double-timed it,” Harris said. “So I wouldn’t say (I cut weight) poorly. I think that my body was not used to that, because I’m not a full-time fighter. So I don’t fight regularly. I’m a promoter, I’m a matchmaker, I do a lot of things inside my organization with BYB and inside the backyard.”
“I’m a part-time dude, so I fight like every couple years. So at the end of the day, I think that my body having so much time being off, and to push it from zero to 60, that could be something to focus on.”