Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was forced to cancel two upcoming fights for its UFC Vegas 33 mixed martial arts (MMA) event on Sat. night (July 31, 2021) from inside the promotion’s APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.
That’s on top of the two bouts it already scratched earlier in the week.
Former UFC flyweight champion Nicco Montano, who was stripped of the 125-pound strap after failing to make weight for her very first title defense, bumped up to the bantamweight division after missing more than two years of action.
Unfortunately, the TUF 26 veteran was unable to make her mark, coming in at 143 pounds — nearly eight pounds heavier than opponent Wu Yanan. That was enough for the state athletic commission to call the fight, the second bout to get canceled at today’s weigh ins.
Also departing UFC Vegas 33 are Trevin Jones and Ronnie Lawrence. “Five Star” tipped the scale at 135 pounds, as contracted, but the opposing camp was unable to bring “The Heat” to the weigh-in stage after Lawrence was ruled medically unfit to compete.
Dana White’s “Contender Series” standout Philip Rowe also missed weight today after coming in heavy at 173 pounds, but a 20-percent fine (payable to welterweight opponent Orion Cosce) will keep “The Fresh Prince” in tomorrow night’s lineup.
Let’s hope UFC can keep it together for the next 24 hours.
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