Jose Aldo finds himself competing at featherweight once again, a departure from the initial plan for his next bout.
The esteemed former UFC and WEC champion was originally slated to face Aiemann Zahabi in a bantamweight contest scheduled for the main card of UFC 315 on Saturday. However, moments before the official weigh-ins concluded on Friday, officials made an announcement: the Aldo vs. Zahabi fight would instead proceed at the featherweight limit of 145 pounds.
Sources with knowledge of the situation indicated that the adjustment was necessitated by issues on Aldo`s side regarding his weight cut. Reports suggested that by Thursday evening, Aldo remained nine pounds over the 136-pound limit for a non-title bantamweight bout and was advised by a doctor to cease further weight reduction.
Following this, negotiations took place to modify the fight agreement. Aiemann Zahabi is reported to be receiving a percentage of Aldo`s fight purse as compensation, though the exact amount was not disclosed. Despite the weight miss and renegotiation, the bout remains a part of the planned event.
The top two contests of the event were confirmed without complications. Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and his challenger Jack Della Maddalena both successfully weighed in at 170 pounds for their main event clash. In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko came in slightly under the 125-pound limit at 124 pounds for her flyweight title defense against Manon Fiorot, who registered 125 pounds.
Aldo wasn`t the sole fighter facing challenges with the scale. Featherweight Daniel Marcos initially weighed in above the 145-pound threshold but managed to successfully hit the required mark on a second attempt after utilizing the privacy curtain.
Middleweight Bruno Silva encountered more significant issues. He was the last fighter to weigh in during the official two-hour window and came in at 187 pounds, exceeding the non-title middleweight limit by one pound. Despite multiple attempts aided by the curtain, Silva`s weight did not change.
The UFC later confirmed that Bruno Silva`s bout against Marc-Andre Barriault will move forward as a catchweight contest. As a penalty for missing weight, Silva will forfeit 20 percent of his fight purse.
Full UFC 315 Official Weigh-in Results
Main Card (ESPN+ PPV)
- Belal Muhammad (170) vs. Jack Della Maddalena (170)
- Backup fighter: Ian Machado Garry (168)
- Valentina Shevchenko (124) vs. Manon Fiorot (125)
- Jose Aldo (143) vs. Aiemann Zahabi (142) — fight moved to featherweight
- Alexa Grasso (126) vs. Natalia Silva (126)
- Benoit Saint Denis (156) vs. Kyle Prepolec (156)
Prelims (ESPN/ESPN+/Disney+)
- Mike Malott (171) vs. Charles Radtke (171)
- Jessica Andrade (126) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (124)
- Modestas Bukauskas (203) vs. Ion Cutelaba (205)
- Navajo Stirling (205) vs. Ivan Erslan (205)
Early Prelims (ESPN+/Disney+)
- Marc-Andre Barriault (185) vs. Bruno Silva (187)*
- Daniel Santos (147 on first attempt, 146 on second try) vs. Jeong Yeong Lee (146)
- Brad Katona (136) vs. Bekzat Almakhan (136)
*Silva missed weight. His bout with Marc-Andre Barriault will proceed at a catchweight with Silva forfeiting 20 percent of his purse as penalty, per UFC.
