UFC 288 is set to take place this weekend, and the official weigh-ins have begun ahead of Saturday night’s card.
Whilst most fighters have made weight thus far, a weight-cutting complication has led to Rafael Estevam vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov being canceled.
According to BJPenn.com, Estevam suffered issues with making the 126-pound limit, and the news publication tweeted the following:
“Announced on the official weigh-in show: Estevam vs. Zhumagulov is canceled due to Estevam weight cutting complications”
See the tweet below:
Estevam was set to make his UFC debut this weekend but will have to wait until another opportunity arises. The 26-year-old was signed by the promotion after winning his bout on the Dana White Contender Series with a finish in the second round in September 2022.
Estevam will count himself unlucky, as he was set to make his UFC debut in April against Carlos Candelario, who suffered an injury that forced him to withdraw from the bout.
UFC 288 will feature twelve bouts throughout the evening and is headlined by a bantamweight showdown between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo. Joseph Holmes is currently the only other fighter to have missed weight, weighing in at 189 pounds. He will forfeit 30% of his fight purse to his opponent, Claudio Ribeiro.
UFC 288 main event is official, as Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo both make weight
The UFC 288 main event between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo is set to go ahead after the bantamweight champion weighed in moments ago. Both men have officially made weight, with ‘Triple C’ coming in at 135 pounds, while Sterling weighed in at 134 pounds.
The ‘Funk Master’ has a notoriously tough time making the bantamweight championship limit of 135 pounds, and fans may be surprised that he weighed in an entire pound under the limit.
The co-main event between Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad is set to determine the next welterweight title contender. ‘Durinho’ came in at 171 pounds, while his opponent clearly has UFC gold on his mind as ‘Remember The Name’ weighed in at 170 pounds.
Both Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo have the chance to make history at UFC 288.
With a victory this weekend, the ‘Funk Master’ will become the first bantamweight champion in modern MMA history to defend the title three times. While a win for Cejudo would mean that he becomes the first fighter over the age of 35 to win a UFC title between the 125 and 155-pound weight divisions.
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