Gilbert Burns was not allowed to cut additional weight as Florida Commission deemed it would be unsafe for his own health.
Lightweights Gilbert Burns and Olivier Aubin-Mercier are officially out of this weekend’s UFC on Fox 28, as FloCombat first reported. The decision, as MMA Junkie later confirmed, was made by the Florida Commission after deeming it would be unsafe for Burns’ own health to cut any additional weight necessary to reach the lightweight division’s limit of 156 pounds.
In an official statement, the UFC declared the following.
“Upon his arrival, the UFC medical team determined that it would be unsafe for Burns to cut additional weight necessary to meet the 156-pound limit. The card will proceed as scheduled with twelve fights.”
Most recently, Burns (13-2) knocked out Jason Saggo in September 2017, bouncing back from an unanimous decision loss to Michel Prazeres. He had never missed weight in seven previous UFC bouts.
Meanwhile, Aubin-Mercier rides a three-fight winning streak with wins over Thibault Gouti, Drew Dober and Tony Martin.
UFC on Fox 28 will take place in Orlando, Florida, on February 24. The card will be headlined by featherweights Jeremy Stephens and Josh Emmett.