Piccolotti defeated Georgi Karakhanyan via unanimous decision at Bellator 274 in a featured lightweight clash at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., this past Saturday. Later, Piccolotti posted a video on social media — that has since been deleted — of himself crawling out of a portable sauna and vomiting on a towel. Piccolotti added in the post that he continued to throw up “20-plus times throughout the night.”
As a result of that post, ABC president Mike Mazzulli revealed that Piccolotti has been suspended from four to six months and must receive clearance from a nephrologist, a doctor who treats conditions involving the kidneys, before he can return to active competition.
“I reviewed the video and determined the process was unnecessarily dangerous,” Mazzulli told MMAjunkie. “We’re always concerned for fighter safety and weight cutting. Hopefully this will be a learning experience (for Piccolotti). Fortunately, he didn’t die.”
Piccolotti’s cornermen were also suspended from four to six months by the Mohegan Department of Athletic Regulation, according to the report. The fighter’s victory, however, will stand.