UFC Belem’s headliner was almost in doubt, as Eryk Anders came in heavy for his first attempt at the 185lb limit.
UFC Belem headliner Eryk Anders came in heavy on his first attempt to make 185lbs this morning. The former standout collegiate football player weighed 187.9lbs, endangering his scheduled middleweight bout with Brazilian icon Lyoto Machida.
Thanks to a decision from the Brazilian athletic commission (CABMMA), however, Anders was granted an extra hour to shed the 1.9lbs needed to bring his weight within acceptable boundaries for the fight.
According to MMA Fighting, the extra time was signed off on by Machida’s team, partly because issues around hot water supply at the fighter hotel had seemingly caused problems with a number of other fighters’ weight-cuts.
Both Pedro Munhoz and Michel Prazeres missed weight. Neither was given extra time to lose weight and both will be fined 20 percent of their show money and/or win money (if their fights go ahead). At this time, it appears Prazeres vs. Green will happen, whereas Munhoz vs. Dodson is still being discussed.
Munhoz came in four pounds over the 136lb limit for his bantamweight fight with John Dodson. Prazeres weighed 161lbs, five pounds over the lightweight limit for his fight with Desmond Green.
This is the third time Prazeres has missed weight in four UFC bouts. Guilherme Cruz of MMAFighting reports that CABMMA will force Prazeres to move up in weight class in order to be licensed to fight again in Brazil. Munhoz will be monitored and tested by CABMMA to determine whether he will also be forced to move divisions.
According to CABMMA Green and Dodson will receive the entirety of the fines levied against Prazeres and Munhoz.
You can watch the early weigh-ins below, courtesy of MMA Fighting:
UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Anders takes place on Saturday night. The main card is on FS1, beginning at 10pm ET.