Kevin Lee Misses Weight For UFC Atlantic City
Kevin Lee missed weight in his first attempt on Friday morning (April 20, 2018) for his scheduled bout at UFC Atlantic City.
Lee weighed in at 157 pounds with only three minutes to spare in the two-hour window. The top contender is slated to fight Edson Barboza in the main event of this show.
Brett Okamoto has confirmed that as a result of Lee missing weight, the two sides have agreed to fight at catchweight and Lee will forfeit 20% of his purse.
Confirmed with Edson Barboza’s manager, they’ve agreed to remain in the main event. Kevin Lee to forfeit 20% of purse. @MMAjunkieJohn first reported.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) April 20, 2018
Okamoto also noted on Twitter that Lee checked his weight on Monday before leaving for New York and told him that he’s expected to check in three pounds lighter than usual this week. Obviously, that didn’t happen.
Confirmed with Kevin Lee's side as well, he's accepted the 20 percent fine and wants to stay in the fight. Barboza already accepted. Main event still on.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) April 20, 2018
This isn’t the first time that Lee has recently missed weight. If you recall, at the UFC 216 PPV (pay-per-view) event in Las Vegas, Nevada in October of 2016, Lee initially missed weight for his interim lightweight title bout against Tony Ferguson, which served as the main event of the show.
Lee came in one pound over the 155-pound limit and had to cut the last pound and had one hour to do it. He was able to do so despite him battling a staph infection.
After the situation, Lee went on record by admitting that the entire process was among his worst ever and “damn near killed” him.
UFC Atlantic City is set to take place on Saturday, April 21, 2018, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey
The main card will air on FOX Sports 1 at 10 p.m. ET while the preliminary card will be split broadcasted on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, at 6:30 p.m. ET.