Andre Ewell will move up to featherweight for his next fight, after spending basically all of his career at bantamweight.
Ewell (17-8) returns to the octagon for the eighth time this weekend at UFC Vegas 45. However, he will do so at a new weight class. Charles Jourdain welcomes him to the featherweight division in a fight that should be fireworks from start to finish.
Through the ups and downs of the monstrous weight cut, Andre Ewell was always a professional and never once missed weight. The move to 145 was much needed change for Ewell, who had a tough time making the weight at bantamweight. “Mr. Highlight” would cut 30lbs for those bouts.
Ewell talked about the process of cutting weight in an exclusive interview with Cageside Press recently.
“I was cutting close to 30 pounds just to get to 135. It was hectic, and I know a lot of people have different ways to cut, but the way I had to do it was the only way I was going to make it,” Ewell told us.
Ewell had an awful weight-cutting experience earlier in his career. He called it a burrito bath, a tub full of hot water layered with towels. “I basically gave up on life that night; I was like, ah shit, this is how I’m going to die,” Ewell laughed.
“After that, I told them I’m not going to do water loading, and I’m not going to do the bath. I’m just going to basically do it the wrestler’s route. Mine was shedding and tapering, getting my weight low as the days go by.”
Ewell has done it this way for 13 fights now, but the weight cut has become much more demanding as he gets older.
“I was used to it, but that was when my body was young, but now I’m getting older. Now that the older age is kicking in, 145 is perfect. I don’t have to cut so much weight. That 30 pounds has become 15-20. I usually sit around 154 pounds when I’m in fight shape.”
“And to top it off I don’t have to throw up. I was throwing up to make weight and anything else I could possibly do to make 135.”
Ewell has no regrets about not moving up sooner, but said that the weight cut definitely impacted his past performances. With the huge weight cut, he described it as a “chess match” because he could be explosive, but his energy would drain, and with him being an impact fighter, that crushes him.
Ewell sees his featherweight debut as a new UFC debut — and is going to live up to his “Mr. Highlight” nickname, even though he doesn’t like it.
Watch the rest of our interview with Andre Ewell above. Ewell fights Charles Jourdain this Saturday at UFC Vegas 45 on ESPN+.
