Botched Weight Cut Cancels UFC 246 PPV Fight

Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images

We’re just one day out from the UFC 246 mixed martial arts (MMA) event and the promotion has been forced to cancel yet another fight scheduled for this Sat. night (Jan. 18, 2020) in Las Vegas, this time …

UFC 246 McGregor v Cowboy: Ultimate Media Day

Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images

We’re just one day out from the UFC 246 mixed martial arts (MMA) event and the promotion has been forced to cancel yet another fight scheduled for this Sat. night (Jan. 18, 2020) in Las Vegas, this time on the pay-per-view (PPV) main card.

Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has prevented up-and-coming strawweight Alexa Grasso from competing against veteran bruiser Claudia Gadelha, thanks to a botched weight cut that left her a whopping 5.5 pounds over the contracted limit.

Get complete UFC 246 weigh-in results and video here.

The allowance between strawweights under Nevada rules is just three pounds, according to ESPN, and with Grasso tipping the scale at 121.5 she was nearly the double the limit (not including the one pound allowance for non-title fights).

“I worked so hard for this and I was so excited to put on a show for you all tomorrow but unfortunately my fight isn’t gonna happen because my opponent missed weight by 5.5 pounds,” Gadelha wrote on social media. “I still wanted the fight because I am a bad bitch but Nevada Commission athlete didn’t allow the fight to happen.”

Gadelha is likely to be rebooked for an upcoming card (perhaps this March in Brazil) and will be awarded her “show” purse for making weight, despite not getting the opportunity to compete. I doubt that’s any consolation for a gamer like “Claudinha.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 246 fight card this weekend RIGHT HERE, starting with the Fight Pass/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

To check out the latest and greatest “McGregor vs. Cerrone” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the entire UFC 246 fight card and PPV line up click here.