The three fighters who missed weight for tonight’s card were Isabella De Padua, Tracy Cortez and Vanessa Melo. In the case of Melo and Cortez, who came in 0.5 pounds overweight each, an error was made with the scale by the CABMMA and both actually made weight for the event.
A statement was issued by the CABMMA on the matter, which was obtained by MMA Junkie:
“CABMMA reviewed the incident between the athletes Vanessa Melo and Tracy Cortez. Both were checked by the commission with 20 minutes left to the ending time of the official weigh-ins. Scale used by the commission was 0.7lbs above the official scale, which indicated that the athletes could not lose any more weight in the remaining time. Athletes were then withdrawn from the cutting process.
“CABMMA physicians evaluated the athletes and considered both in well conditions but were not given the extra hour, which per guideline is only for main event and title bouts.
“Considering the fact that (i) fighters were checked in a scale which was not calibrated as the official one; (ii) commission was misguided by the wrong weight and conducted their guideline on an incorrect data; and (iii) since the difference between the scales was off by 0.7lbs and both athletes made the exact weight on the official scale, CABMMA will consider their official weight as 136lbs.
“In that sense, the athletes will not suffer any fine (or) penalty, and have their records maintained. To CABMMA’s understanding, weight classes are designed for safety and fairness, not a strict rule that prevents these goals.”
UFC Fight Night Sao Paulo takes place tonight from the Ibirapueroa Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil with Jan Blachowicz and Ronaldo Souza headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which streams live on ESPN+.
