UFC 281 weigh-ins result: Two fighters miss weight, Israel Adesanya tweets at Alex Pereira to make weight as 'Poatan' uses the box last-minute
The UFC 281 main event is official as both Alex Pereira and middleweight champion Israel Adesanya have made the 185lb weight limit.
There were a few tense moments as it looked like Alex Pereira was struggling to make weight, which led to Adesanya tweeting out a message directed to his challenger:
“Please make weight.”
Please make weight.
‘Poatan’ did eventually make weight, but it’s important to note that he needed use the box around the scale as a last resort. His official weight was 184.6lbs, so the fight will move forward as planned. This is a sigh of relief for UFC management because of the way that the bout was promoted.
ALEX PEREIRA HITS WEIGHT 🙌
Absolute drama but Poatan hits weight right at the depth…main event OFFICIAL 🔥
#UFC281 | Saturday | BT Sport 2 https://t.co/oBsjr1LeDB
If the challenger were to have missed weight, it was revealed that he would have received an additional two-hours to make the 185lb limit. Fortunately, the UFC were able to avoid the late drama and fans can now look forward to the main event between the former kickboxing foes.
Other fighters on the card weren’t as lucky. Ryan Spann weighed in at 206.6lbs, which is 0.6lbs above the light heavyweight limit for non-title fights. Meanwhile, Michael Trizano weighed in at 147.6lbs, which is 1.6lbs above the featherweight limit for non-title fights.
As a result, Spann and Trizano will be penalized and required to forfeit 20% of their fight purse, and their respective bouts will now be contested as catchweights.
Will Alex Pereira’s performance be impacted with the weight-cut?
Alex Pereira - OFFICIAL WEIGHT: 184.6 lbs
#UFC281 #UFC #MMA https://t.co/r1KXS51WQ0
Based on the late drama and how long it took for Alex Pereira to weigh-in, it’s clear that he cut a lot of weight to make 185lbs.
There have been past examples of fighters that have shown no effect following tough weight cuts such as Khabib Nurmagomedov, Daniel Cormier, and Charles Oliveira. However, there have been cases where cutting too much weight could expose lead to the fighter being knocked out much easier, which was the case when former bantamweight champions T.J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt moved down to flyweight.
One has to assume that it could have an effect on his performance against ‘Izzy’, who is looking to avenge a loss from his kickboxing career and remain the UFC middleweight champion. The main event is expected to be a standup battle, so it will be interesting to see if Pereira can win his third bout against Adesanya.