The weigh-ins for tomorrow night’s massive UFC pay-per-view event were as drama-free as the preceding fight week.
Just one fighter missed weight ahead of UFC 302 in Newark, as both Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier tipped the scales early in order to confirm their lightweight title main event. Both men wore shades as they came in right on the 155lb limit.
For the co-main event, Sean Strickland was also at the scales quickly as he made the middleweight limit. But his opponent Paulo Costa made the commission wait a bit as he showed up last to the scales before coming in on the button at 185lb.
- Who is Sean Strickland? Get to know the controversial former UFC Middleweight champion
UFC 302 fighter misses weight by 4lb and is fined 30 per cent of purse
Aside from some brief drama surrounding Joselyne Edwards‘ needing the curtain for her fight with Ailin Perez, it was a relatively uneventful weigh-in in Newark. However, one bout was almost pulled from the card as Andre Lima missed the flyweight limit of 126lb by 4lb.
Fighters not competing for a title are given a single pound discrepancy from their usual weight limits in MMA. However, ahead ofhis fight with Mitch Raposo, Lima tipped the scales a massive 4lb above even that discretionary limit.
While 4lb may not seem like a lot of weight to the average person, at flyweight it accounts for 3 per cent of the entire body weight of the fighter’s opponent. The bout will continue with Lima agreeing to a 30 per cent fine from his fight purse.
Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier make weight after heated press conference face-off
Following an intense face-off at yesterday’s final press conference, Poirier and Makhachev both tipped the scales early and on weight at the 155lb lightweight limit. They both opted to wear sunglasses, which carefully hid whatever draining there may be visible around their eyes.
There were concerns about Makhachev’s health from social media circles heading into the fight, but he insists that he is not dealing with any illnesses or injuries ahead of the fight. Fans had accused him of fighting with staph infection, but he addressed the rumours at last night’s press conference.
“Don’t worry guys,” he told fans yesterday. “I had a [very good] training camp. Nothing is bothering me, and I’ll be 100 per cent on Saturday night.”
Paulo Costa is last to the scales as he weighs in for UFC 302 co-main event
After infamously missing weight in 2021 against Marvin Vettori and demanding that their bout be moved up a division, there have been concerns about Costa’s ability to make the 185lb middleweight limit safely.
However, he hasn’t had an issue since, and came in on championship weight for his bout with Strickland this afternoon. His rival arrived on the scales early and easily made the 185lb limit without needing the extra pound that comes from not fighting for a belt.
But Costa made media and commission officials wait until the last weigh-in of the day before arriving with his entourage. After weighing in successfully, he continued to advertise his ‘secret juice’, holding up a chain bearing the mysterious beverage’s name.