Check out which UFC events saw the most issues on the scale before fight night.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Making weight is part of the job of a mixed martial artist.
Throughout the sport’s history, many fighters have experienced weigh-in day blunders on the scale. Whether they attempted to cut too much, mismanaged their weight loss goal, or experienced a medical issue, there are a number of reasons that may cause fighters to step on the scale above their contracted weights.
Many events see all competitors make weight without issue, but a fighter or two coming in heavy isn’t uncommon. However, there are rare instances that see three or more tip the scale too heavy, causing dramatic moments the day before the fights. Four is the high mark, which has occurred on four occasions.
Scroll below to see which UFC events, in chronological order, saw three or more misses.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submission from November 2019.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from November 2019: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Submission of the Month” award for November.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
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The Nominees
Joshua Pacio def. Rene Catalan at ONE Championship 102
[autotag]Joshua Pacio[/autotag] (18-3) earned his first ONE Championship flyweight title defense when he halted streaking challenger Rene Catalan (6-3) in the second round due to a slick choke.
Pacio finished Catalan with an arm-triangle choke midway through the second round. Before that, the champion displayed dominance in wearing Catalan down with strikes and grappling until he found the opening to finish the fight by submission.
David Zawada def. Abubakar Nurmagomedov at UFC on ESPN+ 21
Despite entering his matchup against [autotag]David Zawada[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) as a sizable favorite according to the oddsmakers, Abubakar Nurmagomedov (15-3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was submitted in the opening round.
The cousin of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Abubakar, was surprised with Zawada’s submission skills in the welterweight bout. The underdog locked in a tight triangle choke from bottom position that caused Nurmagomedov to tap out and spoiling his anticipated octagon debut.
Karl Roberson def. Roman Kopylov at UFC on ESPN+ 21
A nasty eye poke couldn’t stop [autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) from achieving victory against highly touted Russian prospect Roman Kopylov (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in their middleweight bout.
Despite taking a nasty poke from Kopylov in the fight, Roberson managed to finish the fight with a rear-naked choke. He overcame adversity and managed to wear down the previously unbeaten Kopylov until he took the back and locked in the choke deep enough to force the tap.
[autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) showed once again that he’s a future talent to watch in the welterweight division when he became the first man to submit Warlley Alves (13-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC).
The odds indicated an evenly matched fight coming in, and for much of the more than six minutes of action, it was. Brown proved to be more the more dangerous of the pair, though, locking in a triangle choke from bottom in the second. Alves tried to struggle, but he had to tap out in front of the fans in his native Brazil.
Ricardo Ramos def. Eduardo Garagorri at UFC on ESPN+ 22
[autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) was successful in his move up to the featherweight division, defeating previously unbeaten opponent Eduardo Garagorri (13-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) inside the first round.
Ramos’ finishing ability clearly translated up from bantamweight, because he managed to quickly take Garagorri’s back from a standing position and work toward a rear-naked choke. Garagorri did his best to resist Ramos’ advances, but eventually they fell to the ground, the choke was sunk in deep and the fight was over.
With his back against the wall and his UFC career likely hanging in the balance, Zawada rose the occasion in a big way against Nurmagomedov.
After dropping consecutive fights in 2018 to begin his octagon tenure, Zawada took nearly a year away from competition before coming back at UFC on ESPN+ 21 in Moscow.
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He got no easy draw of opponent for his comeback in Nurmagomedov, either, but used the platform to make the most of the moment.
Zawada strangled Nurmagomedov into submission with a textbook triangle choke, putting himself back in the win column for the first time in 19 months and getting his hand raised under the UFC banner for the first time.
Jared Gordon suffered a broken orbital bone in his UFC on ESPN+ 22 loss to Charles Oliveira and needs surgery.
[autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag] didn’t leave UFC on ESPN+ 22 unscathed.
The lightweight fighter suffered a broken left orbital bone in his knockout loss to [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] a week ago in Sao Paulo. Gordon (15-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) announced the news of his injury on his social media.
Gordon will have to undergo surgery Monday. It will be his second orbital bone procedure. He had an orbital repair in 2015 on the opposite side. Gordon, a New York native, is 31 and trains at Roufusport in Milwaukee.
A post shared by Jared Gordon (@jaredflashgordon) on
Found out last night that I will be having orbital floor replacement on my left eye. I had that done on my right eye in 2015. This will be the second plate to go in my face. Surgery is Monday morning. Just another chapter… more will be revealed
MMA Junkie’s John Morgan, Gorgeous George and Goze unpack the latest MMA news and notes in Episode 3 of “Spinning Back Clique.”
Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. In this week’s episode, John Morgan, Gorgeous George and Goze touch on the biggest storylines around the world of MMA and take a quick look back at a lackluster UFC on ESPN+ 22 show.
Show rundown:
[autotag]Ben Askren[/autotag] announced his retirement from MMA on Monday after an eventful UFC stint in which he went 1-2 with the promotion. What does this mean for the former undefeated Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight champion’s legacy? Is there more to judge than just his win-loss record inside the octagon?
[autotag]Nick Diaz [/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag]: Buying or selling? And should Diaz even return to the cage after such a long absence?
UFC Sao Paulo was, well … it was not the most memorable evening in MMA history. [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] won. [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] and [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] fought to a split draw. It’s no surprise there wasn’t a “Fight of the Night” bonus handed out. But, hey, at least there was [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] scoring another finish. What was the biggest takeaway from the card?
Bellator star [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] returns this week to headline Bellator Europe 6 in London, and he’s facing … a newcomer. What is Bellator doing here? Will it let “Venom” face real competition or not?
For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 3 of “Spinning Back Clique” in the video above.
MMA Junkie’s “Gorgeous” George and John Morgan walk you through all the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings changes.
It wasn’t the most eventful weekend in MMA history, but nonetheless, UFC on ESPN+ 22 and Bellator 234 are in the books, and there were some items of note:
[autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] earned a victory over [autotag]Ronaldo Souza [/autotag] in the UFC light heavyweight main event in Sao Paulo. What does that mean for his spot in line hoping to meet champion Jon Jones?
What do you do with “Jacare” after his unsuccessful light heavyweight debut? (Spoiler alert: Continue ranking him at middleweight).
Over at Bellator 234, [autotag]Sergei Kharitonov[/autotag], who was an honorable mention at heavyweight, was upset by [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag].
What does this all mean for our weekly USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings? Let MMA Junkie’s “Gorgeous” George Garcia and John Morgan walk you through the changes in the video above.
On Tuesday morning, UFC welterweight [autotag]James Krause[/autotag] brought the “ewww” factor to the MMA world.
Krause (27-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) defeated Sergio Moraes (14-6-1 MMA, 8-5-1 UFC) by third-round TKO on Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 22 in Sao Paulo. After the fight, Krause posted a video of his injured foot being mended in the locker room.
Gross.
The placement of the stitches is gruesome and unusual, at least to an outsider. The hemline placement? In between the toes – in an imaginably sensitive area.
On the ESPN+ post-fight show, Krause referenced the procedure and, somewhat understandably, cringed when talking about it. Before he thinks about returning to the cage, Krause said he’ll have to let his webbing heal.
“When I go home, I’m not going to go train for myself,” Krause said. “Because I need to take time off to heal up. I got stitches in the web of my toe. Yeah, which was terrible. So obviously, I’m going to take time to let that heal.”
Want to get grossed out? Check out the video of Krause getting his foot stitched up in the video below. VIEWER BEWARE.
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
Result: Ariane Lipski def. Isabella de Padua via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27) Updated records: Lipski (12-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC), de Padua (5-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) Key stat: Although de Padua landed a pair of takedowns, Lipski nearly doubled up on her in the striking department at 175-90 overall.
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Lipski on the fight’s key moment
“That was not even a submission (that she had on me). I train jiu-jitsu and participate in jiu-jitsu tournaments. That was an inverted triangle, and I was just trying to get out. She was not locking me in. There is no submission in that position.”
Lipski on the challenges of a short-notice opponent
“They booed me, but no one knows what’s going on behind the scenes. I made weight – I did my part. I trained for four months. My opponent changed four times during my camp. I accepted this fight with one day’s notice. I could have not accepted, but I agreed because I prepared so much for that day. I did my best. I know I won every round, but I also know that I can’t please everyone.”
Lipski on getting her first UFC win
“I’m so thrilled that I got the win at home – it’s a dream I’ve had since I started in the UFC. Last year was not my best moment as an athlete, but today I knew I would come out with the win anyway.”
Result: Wellington Turman def. Markus Perez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Updated records: Turman (16-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC), Perez (11-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) Key stat: The striking battle was nearly even – Turman led 59-56 overall. But Turman landed the fight’s only two takedowns.
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Turman on the fight’s key moment
“Markus is a crazy guy. We teased each other a lot during the fight, but I had already said I would tease him the same way he teased me. It was a tough fight, but I was better.”
Turman on fighting in the UFC
“I’m very happy. It’s my dream to be part of this. I’m very young. I still have a lot to evolve.”
Turman on what he wants next
“I am always training, always on the go. Every time the UFC needs me to save a fight, I will be available.”
Result: Tracy Cortez def. Vanessa Melo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Updated records: Cortez (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Melo (10-7 MMA, 0-2 UFC) Key stat: Cortez landed a pair of takedowns and outstruck Melo 155-76.
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Cortez on the fight’s key moment
“It was a hectic week, but I have the right coaches to keep my mind at ease and nothing affected me. I just stayed focused on the fight.”
Cortez on her reception in Brazil
“About the fans, I knew the crowd was not going to like me at first. But Brazil is amazing. The fact that they can just cheer someone on like they did is mind-blowing. I pray that when I fight in my hometown, they cheer for me like that.”
UFC on ESPN+ 22 winners and losers react on social media outlets such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Since the early days when the sport was anything but a mainstream endeavor, the MMA industry has thrived and survived through various websites, forums, and – perhaps most important – social-media platforms.
Fighters interact with fans, each other and many more through the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, which helps outsiders get a deeper look into the minds of the athletes.
Following Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 22 in Sao Paulo, several of the winning and losing fighters, along with their coaches, training partners or family members, took to social media to react to the event or share a message with supporters.
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
