ONE Fight Night 24 gets main event shakeup after weigh-ins drama sees six fighters fail checks
For the second straight ONE Championship event on Prime Video, only one man will be able to win an interim MMA title in the main event. That's after Gustavo Balart failed to pass hydration or make weight.
The Cuban challenger badly failed multiple hydration attempts during Thursday's three-hour official window at the host Best Western Wanda Hotel in Bangkok.
Former champ Jarred Brooks – who surrendered his strawweight MMA belt via disqualification in March after accidentally spiking Joshua Pacio on his head in Qatar – is still eligible to become interim champion, should he accept a catchweight.
It is not a given, though, that Balart will even be able to compete.
'El Gladiador' returned after the end of the window and finally passed hydration but was 6.75 pounds overweight, leaving the fight in jeopardy with Balart too far over the acceptable limit (105 per cent of his opponent's weight).
It is the first time in his MMA career that 37-year-old former Olympic wrestler Balart has missed weight.
The American 'Monkey God' Brooks, 31, had no problems of his own. But five other fighters on Saturday's ONE Fight Night 24 card also failed to pass hydration or make weight, leaving several other bouts up in the air.
ONE Fight Night 24 sees drama on the scale, but no issues with co-main event
Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon managed to pass hydration late on after a couple of failed attempts, but he was still 0.7 pounds heavy. His opponent, Craig Coakley, failed hydration too, however, which should make a catchweight easier to agree.
Aliff Sor Dechapan had no problems this time, having missed weight last month. but Zakaria El Jamari failed three hydration attempts – despite their Muay Thai bout being a 128-pound catchweight already.
Debutant Dmitrii Kovtun of Russia was also left needing to pass hydration after the end of the window before he could negotiate a catchweight with Ferrari Fairtex, who passed for their bantamweight Muay Thai bout.
A highly anticipated rematch at flyweight between Nakrob Fairtex and Dedduanglek Wankhongohm MBK was also left in doubt. Nakrob came in with minutes to spare to pass hydration at the third attempt and then make weight, but his fellow Thai could not get past the first hurdle.
Nabil Anane also left it late, coming in for the first time with just 20 minutes to go, but made his bantamweight Muay Thai bout against former challenger Felipe Lobo official.
The rest of the card, thankfully, held together – including the co-main event for the atomweight submission grappling title.
Champion Danielle Kelly of the United States, and Brazilian challenger Mayssa Bastos both passed their checks with ease.