One provisional fighter was so far off weight on Friday’s official weigh-in for UFC Vegas 19 that he would have been a big split.
Rafael Alves weighed 157.5 pounds for a featherweight (yes, featherweight) with Patrick Sabatini planning Saturday’s preliminary card at UFC APEX in Las Vegas. That’s 11.5 pounds more than the 145-pound limit.
Sabatini successfully weighed 145.5 pounds. He takes the Alves fight on short notice as a replacement for Mike Trizano (ankle injury).
The match has been officially canceled.
Earlier this week, Alves told MMA Fighting that he planned to return to UFC Vegas 19 in the lightweight division.
Alves issued a statement on Instagram shortly after the end of the official weigh-in.
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@rafaeltheturn, Instagram
“Guys, I got sick during my weight loss and my fight was canceled,” Alves wrote. “I’m sorry, but my health is above all.”
MMA Fighting added Alves for further comment.
Weight is also missing from bantamweight Ketlen Vieira and bantamweight Drako Rodriguez and featherweight Jared Gordon. Vieira comes in at 138, two pounds over the limit for her fellow main match with Yana Kunitskaya, while Rodriguez is 4.5 pounds over the limit and Gordon four pounds.
Kunitskaya successfully weighed £ 135.5, as did Rodriguez and Gordon’s rivals Aiemann Zahabi (136) and Danny Chavez (145).
The meeting between Vieira and Kunitskaya will take place at a slalom, with Vieira forfeiting 20% of her wallet to Kunitskaya. Rodriguez and Gordon’s fights will also continue as catch weights, with both fighters 30 percent of their opponents.
See the UFC Vegas 19 weigh-in results here.