Goiti Yamauchi weighed in at 157.8 pounds for a lightweight fight vs. Daron Cruickshank at Bellator 237 on December 28, 2019, in Japan. Yamauchi won in Round 1 via Rear Naked choke. There is no commission in Japan. However, there is a world-class commission running events at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.

At the Bellator 254 weigh-ins on Wednesday, Yamauchi missed weight for the second time in a row, this time missing the contracted non-title lightweight limit of 156 by 6.8 pounds. Opponent Nate Andrews intelligently declined to take the fight, and left with his show money. Yamauchi leaves with nothing. Further, Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation head Mike Mazzulli runs one of the tightest ships in the business, and Yamauchi will be required to move up a division, unless a doctor approves otherwise.

In a statement to Guilherme Cruz for MMA Fighting, Yamauchi detailed the failed weight cut, and said he’s moving up a division.

I was fine and confident for the cut, and lighter than the last time I fought. Everything was going well even with the difficulties of the pandemic. I had less than 2.5kg [5.5 pounds] to cut today — I had 5kg [11 pounds] to cut last time because I couldn’t exercise.

I woke up at 5 a.m. to start cutting weight at 6 [a .m.], leaving me with three hours until the weigh-ins, and that would be pretty easy. I started using that portable sauna inside a hot bathroom and stayed there. 30 minutes went by, and I wasn’t sweating. We thought it was weird. I asked my coach for more time for me to begin sweating, and nothing happened. A long time passed until we realized the sauna wasn’t working, so we got desperate.

We went downstairs to find a treadmill — there was nobody on that floor since the day before, only us, and we thought it was odd. The Bellator guy got us a sauna at around 7, 8 a.m., but, until we got that to heat up, there was not enough time anymore. We knew we wouldn’t make weight.

We were caught surprised by many thing, I don’t blame Bellator for any of this. We were unlucky to have some setbacks, we will don’t know why that happened, but I’m sure it was for the better. We know we gave our best no matter what happened. Everything went wrong today when it should have been all right.

One of the most difficult things was not having a bathtub and a real sauna. The tools they gave us — with the best intentions — didn’t help us this time. But, like I said, I still don’t know why that happened, but it was a big lesson learned.

I won’t be allowed to fight at 155 anymore, so I’ll go to 170. Regardless of what happens, I know it will be for the better for me. I might come back one day [to 155], but unfortunately it won’t be possible [now] with everything that happened.