-
Brett Okamoto
The UFC 319 pay-per-view event has lost three fights in two days due to various reasons.
Arguably the most shocking loss occurred Friday, when Bryan Battle (12-2) missed the middleweight limit by 4 pounds. Battle’s scheduled bout against Nursulton Ruziboev (36-9-2) was ultimately scrapped due to the weight miss. This was the second time in a row Battle has missed weight for a UFC appearance, although the last one took place at welterweight in December. Despite moving up an entire weight class for Saturday’s event, Battle still missed by a significant amount.
Battle, 30, has performed well inside the Octagon, as he’s 7-1 in the UFC.
UFC 319 also lost a welterweight finale bout from “The Ultimate Fighter.” Rodrigo Sezinando-Daniil Donchenko will no longer fight for the TUF finale because of an injury to Sezinando. The bout will be rescheduled at a later date. A fan-favorite lightweight contest between Diego Ferreira and King Green was also scrapped this week. Green revealed via social media he’d been forced off the card due to injury.
Fortunately for the UFC, the high-profile main event middleweight title fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev has remained intact. Both fighters made weight Friday, including Chimaev coming in at 183 pounds, 2 pounds below the limit. The UFC even had middleweight contender Caio Borralho make weight as a backup, although it appears for now his services will not be required.