Stephen Thompson will not be fighting at UFC 291 and has issued a statement explaining his decision to not proceed after his scheduled opponent Michel Pereira missed weight.
Friday morning, Pereira (28-11 MMA, 6-2 UFC) tipped the scale at 174 pounds for the welterweight bout against Thompson (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC), who successfully weighed in at 170.5 pounds. Immediately rumors began flying around that negotiations to keep the fight together could go on until later in the evening. Unfortunately, just minutes before ceremonial weigh-ins, the promotion announced the fight was off.
