MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting live from Friday’s official UFC 291 fighter weigh-ins, where two fighters missed their marks on the scale.
In the main event, former interim lightweight champions Dustin Poirier (29-7 MMA, 21-6 UFC) and Justin Gaethje (24-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) meet for the “BMF” title. They were the first two fighters to come to the scale. Gaethje was 156 pounds without issue; Poirier was 155.
In the co-feature, former light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz (29-9-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) takes on ex-middleweight champ Alex Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC), who is moving up from 185 pounds. Blachowicz was 205 on the nose; Pereira was 205.5.
Two fighters missed weight. Vinicius Salvador (14-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was 128.5 pounds for his flyweight bout against CJ Vergara (11-4-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and was fined 20 percent of his show purse. And Michel Pereira (28-11 MMA, 6-2 UFC) was 174 pounds for his welterweight bout against former title challenger Stephen Thompson (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC). If the matchup is approved at a catchweight, Pereira will be fined a percentage of his purse.
The early weigh-ins took place at the UFC host hotel in Salt Lake City and preceded the ceremonial weigh-ins for the fans, which take place at 7 p.m. ET at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The same venue hosts Saturday’s event, which has a main card on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.
The full UFC 291 weigh-in results included:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
- Dustin Poirier (155) vs. Justin Gaethje (156)
- Jan Blachowicz (205) vs. Alex Pereira (205.5)
- Michel Pereira (174)* vs. Stephen Thompson (170.5)
- Tony Ferguson (155) vs. Bobby Green (155.5)
- Michael Chiesa (170) vs. Kevin Holland (169.5)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ABC/ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
- Gabriel Bonfim (170) vs. Trevin Giles (170)
- Derrick Lewis (263.5) vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (262)
- Roman Kopylov (185) vs. Claudio Ribeiro (185.5)
- Darrius Flowers (170.5) vs. Jake Matthews (170)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET)
- Vinicius Salvador (128.5)** vs. CJ Vergara (125.5)
- Uros Medic (170.5) vs. Matthew Semelsberger (169.5)
- Priscila Cachoeira (125) vs. Miranda Maverick (125.5)
*Michel Pereira missed the welterweight limit. If the fight is approved at a catchweight, he is expected to be fined a percentage of his purse.
**Salvador missed the flyweight limit and was fined 20 percent of his show purse.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.
