NEW YORK – MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting from Friday’s official UFC 281 fighter weigh-ins, where two fighters missed their marks.
In the main event, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) takes on challenger and former kickboxing opponent Alex Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC). Adesanya was among the initial burst of fighters to weigh in, but Pereira needed until the final minutes of the two-hour window. With five minutes left, Pereira made weight inside the weigh-in box UFC fighters use to strip down for some extra help on the scale.
Women’s strawweight chcamp Carla Esparza (19-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and former titleholder Zhang Weili (22-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC), who meet in the co-feature made weight without issue. In addition, Michael Chandler (23-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC), and Dustin Poirier (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC) successfully hit their marks ahead of a key lightweight fight.
