UFC Weigh In Results: Is Rafael Alves' weight miss the biggest in UFC history?
Yes. Rafael Alves’ weight miss is the biggest in UFC history. The Featherweight bout between Alves and Patrick Sabatini that was set to take place at the UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis event (February 20th, 2021) has now been canceled.
Rafael Alves missed weight in the Featherweight division and also crossed the lightweight limit
Rafael Alves was set to face Patrick Sabatini in a bout that was to be contested in the UFC Featherweight division i.e. 145-pound division.
The maximum permissible weight for a fighter to be considered a featherweight is 146 pounds. When it comes to title bouts in the division, the limit is 145 pounds. However, non-title fights give the competitors more leeway by having the mark at 146.
In simple terms, Rafael Alves was obligated to weigh in at 146 pounds or less for his non-title Featherweight bout against Patrick Sabatini for the UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis event. Patrick Sabatini successfully made the Featherweight limit, weighing in at 145.5 pounds.
On the contrary, Rafael Alves weighed 157.5 lbs. This is 11.5 pounds heavier than the Featherweight limit for non-title bouts. In fact, Alves even crossed the weight limit for the next division, Lightweight, by being 1.5 pounds more than the non-title bout limit of 156.
Rafael Alves broke the previous record for the biggest weight miss in UFC history
As reported by ESPN MMA's Ariel Helwani, Rafael Alves now holds the record for the biggest weight miss in UFC history.
The record was previously held by Anthony Johnson who weighed in at 197 pounds for his Middleweight bout against Vitor Belfort at UFC 142 in January 2012.
The middleweight limit for title bouts is 185 pounds, whereas non-title bouts permit fighters to tip the scales at a maximum weight of 186.
Anthony Johnson missed weight by 11 pounds as he tipped the scales at 197. Johnson did, however, go on to compete at the event, as the bout was given permission to be contested at catchweight. Regardless, he ended up losing the fight to Vitor Belfort via first-round submission.
Rafael Alves has now broken Anthony Johnson’s record by 0.5 pounds. Alves will not be competing against Patrick Sabatini, as the matchup has been scrapped off the UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis fight card.