The bouts continue to fall like flies off the UFC 319 lineup.
After consecutive events at the Apex in Las Vegas, the UFC is back on the road to stage an event in Chicago for the first time since pre-pandemic.
And the promotion has headed to the ‘Windy City’ with one of the year’s best fights in tow, as Khamzat Chimaev challenges Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title in the curtain closer at UFC 319.
The anticipation is high for Saturday’s main event, but the undercard to Du Plessis vs. Chimaev has been somewhat demolished in recent days…
Bryan Battle’s second straight weight miss costs him and his opponent their UFC 319 fight
The first three days of UFC 319 fight week were relatively drama-free. The most eyebrow-raising moment was a run-in between Du Plessis and Chimaev, but even that was nothing but respectful. The same, however, cannot be said for recent days.
Alongside a raucous UFC 319 press conference, the August 16 lineup has taken hit after hit. Following King Green’s pull-out from his showdown with fellow lightweight veteran Diego Ferreira, one of the two TUF finals set for the card was postponed to Noche UFC in September.
And things did not calm down Friday when the fighters took to the scales to weigh in. Things went off without a hitch on the main card, but the prelims took further damage when Bryan Battle came in four pounds over the limit for his middleweight fight against Nursulton Ruziboev.
While it was initially reported that the bout would go ahead as a catchweight contest, with ‘The Butcher’ being fined 30 percent of his purse, the UFC announced its cancellation soon after.
Bryan Battle previously missed weight as a 170-pounder
Friday’s weight miss has raised serious questions about Battle’s future in the UFC.
Battle, who won the middleweight tournament in season 29 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2021, had begun to make a splash down division after reeling off wins over Kevin Jousset and Randy Brown. But a weight miss for his victory over the latter marked his second indiscretion on the scales in the space of five fights.
That unsurprisingly pushed the 30-year-old back up to 185 pounds, but he is evidently not having any more luck in the heavier class when it comes to keeping his weight down.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for ‘The Butcher’, but it is safe to say this is an issue that must be fixed if he is to reach his potential on MMA’s biggest stage.
