Friday morning, Whitmire stepped on the scale 1.5-pounds over the strawweight limit. She accepted a 20 percent fine, and went about the post-weigh-in routine of recovering and attending the ceremonial weigh-ins. As the hours passed, Whitmire still wasn’t feeling right. In the end, she pulled out of the fight, an experience she deemed “a fighter’s worst nightmare.” Because of the chaotic days leading up to the fight though, Whitmire could compartmentalize everything relatively easily.
“It wasn’t like I was eating Cheetos and donuts weeks before the fight where I’m like, ‘Oh Emily, you idiot. You didn’t do the work, you fat ass,’” Whitmire said. “I was really in bad shape. I was able to move on from it fairly quickly just because I know how f***** up I was. I know I would never want to fight somebody that was feeling like I was feeling. You would’ve been fighting a 40 percent Emily. I don’t want to fight somebody that’s not at their somewhat best. I wasn’t good.“
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Not long afterward, the coronavirus pandemic swept the country, and Whitmire, like the rest of the world, found herself with a whole lot of time on her hands. Instead of dwelling on the chaotic fight week and lost opportunity, she dusted off a sewing machine she bought a couple of years ago and dedicated her surplus of free time to learning a new hobby. She put her new skills to practical work, too, sewing more than 200 masks.
Soon enough, Whitmire and Viana rescheduled their fight for August 29, and Whitmire is particularly excited to “shut everyone up” about her mishap on the scale, make weight, and have an entertaining bout with Viana. Whitmire describes Viana as more of a “ground fighter,” but when pressed about what Whitmire feels is her own strength, she ponders the question for a moment before admitting she would rather just prove her skill-level with her performance.
