UFC lightweight Alexander Hernandez has revealed he briefly suffered from erectile dysfunction due to a gruelling weight cut.
The Great Ape returned to the featherweight division for the first time in close to a decade last December for his UFC 282 showdown with Billy Quarantillo.
REUTERSAlexander Hernandez returned to the featherweight division last December[/caption]
GettyHernandez ended up suffering from erection problems[/caption]
Hernandez, who was a big lightweight, made the weight but looked gaunt in comparison to his previous weigh-in ten months earlier.
But it came at a cost for his physical and mental well-being, as well as his sex life.
Ahead of his return at UFC Vegas 69, Hernandez said: “I’ve got some of the best nutritionists in the world, Perfecting Athletes is the group I go with.
“It’s not like I wasn’t eating it was just small man. It was rough, it was the roughest.
“It wasn’t like I was moaning every day, I was locked in, but my d*** didn’t even work in the morning.
“I was Gender X, just moving through for three months. Just a straightforward path.”
The gruelling cut down back down to 145lbs will live long in the memory of Hernandez.
He said: “Doing that for enough time probably weighs on the brain a little bit. It was tough, everything was low.
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“Everything was depleted. I felt strong though. I felt fast, I felt faster than I’ve ever felt.
“The conditioning was fantastic, but I just needed to keep the mental game right.
“I just needed to remember why I was doing all this pain and struggling for.”
He added: “After my last fight, I was telling my manager and coach that I don’t want to do another 14-week camp.
“It’s never become more evident to me that [my losses] aren’t a physical issue, it’s a mental issue.
“I’m really enthusiastic and I’m angry at myself as I want to get redemption. The weight cut is now simple.”
Hernandez will look to snap a two-fight losing streak against UFC veteran Jim Miller early on Sunday morning.