UFC Belem Loses Co-Main Event At Last Minute

Weight cutting has cost the UFC yet another high-ranking bout.

After bantamweight Pedro Munhoz was among two fighters who missed weight at today’s early weigh-ins for his co-main event bout versus John Dodson at tomorrow’s (Sat., February 3, 2018) UFC Fight Night 125 from Arena Guilherme Paraense in Belém, Brazil, news came from the UFC that the bout has been canceled.

Dodson reportedly refused to fight Munhoz due to a four-pound weight discrepancy.

A women’s flyweight fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Priscila Cachoeira has been promoted to the co-headliner spot.

According to MMA Fighting, the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA) said Munhoz would be fined 20 percent of his show money, which would go to Dodson.

Word also came that several fighters in Belem had problems cutting weight due to problems at the hotel where fighters were staying, with many unable to use hot water to aid in cutting weight. Lightweight Michel Prazeres missed weight by an astonishing six pounds for his bout versus Desmond Green and has been forced to move up to 170 pounds.

Main event fighter Eryk Anders also initially missed weight for his middleweight headliner against former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, coming in at 187.9 pounds before being examined by doctors present and given an extra hour to cut the weight, which he did and was cleared to fight tomorrow night.