UFC 269 said goodbye to the 125-pound showdown between Matt Schnell and Alex Perez after “Danger” was pulled from the “Oliveira vs. Poirier” lineup at the early (and official) weigh ins. Promotion officials told the MMA media that “medical issues” were the culprit, despite the fact that Schnell successfully made the flyweight limit.
Opponent Alex Perez weighed in at 126.25, slightly above the non-title limit of 126, but he may have simply stopped cutting weight once officials told him Schnell was no longer fit to compete. In addition, it remains to be seen if the promotion opts to rebook their 125-pound contest or send them into battle against other combatants.
“Right after I made weight I took a seat behind the curtains to gather myself. I started drinking my fluids and then got bombarded by NSAC medical professionals,” Schnell told MMA Island. “After they checked my vitals, they were deemed normal. Then a NSAC doctor puts his fingers to my neck says my heart rate is too high and he cancels my fight. Now note I just cut weight. So it’s likely my heart rate was high. If they came back ten minutes later they would have seen I was perfectly fine. My heart is broken. I worked hard for this. I’m a professional. I held up my end of the bargain.”
Elsewhere on the card, Brazilian bruiser Priscila Cachoeira blew up the scale at 129 pounds, three pounds too many, and will forfeit 30-percent of her purse to opponent Gillian Robertson. The Canadian “Savage” was on the mark at 125 pounds for tomorrow night’s affair, slated for the opening bout of the ESPN+ “Prelims” card.
For the rest of the UFC 269 weigh-in results click here.
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For more news and notes on UFC 269 be sure to visit our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated, revised, and finalized UFC 269 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.