The official weigh-ins for UFC on ESPN+ 22 are in the books, and three of the four women on Saturday’s card missed their marks.
In the main event, Jan Blachowicz (24-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC) takes on longtime middleweight standout Ronaldo Souza (26-7 MMA, 9-4 UFC), who moves up to light heavyweight for the first time.
Souza weighed in first and was 205 pounds on the nose. Blachowicz weighed in shortly after and was 205, as well. Blachowicz is as much as a 2-1 favorite in the fight at some sports books.
In the co-feature, Paul Craig (12-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) meets former 205-pound champion Mauricio Rua (26-11 MMA, 10-9 UFC). Craig was 205 when he stepped on the scale. “Shogun” Rua weighed in about 55 minutes into the two-hour window and was 206.
Isabella de Padua (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) stepped up on just hours’ notice to take on Ariane Lipski (11-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) when Veronica Macedo was forced to withdraw. But de Padua came in at 130.5 pounds for the women’s flyweight bout. Lipski was on point at 125.5. UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard told reporters at the weigh-ins that no decision had been made yet if the fight will take place at a catchweight.
In the first fight on the prelims, promotional newcomer Tracy Cortez (6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) takes on Vanessa Melo (10-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC). Both fighters weighed in with only about 10 minutes left in the window. Cortez was first and was 136.5 pounds with the use of the hoop. Melo weighed in immediately after and was 136.5, as well. Maynard told reporters the fight will go on, and neither fighter will be fined since their weight misses effectively canceled out.
The early weigh-ins took place at the UFC host hotel in Sao Paulo. UFC on ESPN+ 22 takes place Saturday at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo. The card streams on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 22 weigh-in results included:
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
- Jan Blachowicz (205) vs. Ronaldo Souza (205)
- Paul Craig (205) vs. Mauricio Rua (206)
- Jared Gordon (156) vs. Charles Oliveira (155)
- Antonio Arroyo (185) vs. Andre Muniz (186)
- Markus Perez (186) vs. Wellington Turman (186)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)
- James Krause (170.5) vs. Sergio Moraes (171)
- Eduardo Garagorri (145.5) vs. Ricardo Ramos (146)
- Bobby Green (156) vs. Francisco Trinaldo (155)
- Warlley Alves (171) vs. Randy Brown (171)
- Renan Barao (146) vs. Douglas de Andrade (145)
- Isabella de Padua (130.5)* vs. Ariane Lipski (125.5)
- Tracy Cortez (136.5) vs. Vanessa Melo (136.5)**
*De Padua missed the women’s flyweight limit. She accepted the bout just hours before the weigh-ins as a replacement for Veronica Macedo.
**Both Cortez and Melo missed the women’s bantamweight limit. They will not be fined percentages of their purses and the fight will go on.