Yahoo Sports Matt Brown Missed Weight, but He Can Still Earn Bonuses and a Shot at a UFC Championship
Yes, Matt Brown missed weight for his UFC on FOX 12 No. 1 contender’s fight with Robbie Lawler. He weighed in a full 1.5 pounds over the limit.
Yet, he won’t miss his opportunity to win a title shot.
Brown will not be fined, he will still be eligible to win a shot at UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks, and he can even win post-fight bonuses.
Preliminary card fighter Juliana Lima also missed weight, at one pound over the 116-pound limit for her 115-pound strawweight fight. Like Brown, she will not be assessed any penalties.
The reason Brown and Lima won’t suffer any penalties, according to UFC officials, is because there was a massive amount of confusion at Friday’s weigh-in.
SEE ALSO: UFC on FOX 12 Weigh-in Video
Usually, a fighter that misses weight on the initial attempt is given two hours to try and come into compliance with the contracted weight. That didn’t happen for either fighter on Friday.
Brown was told by a California State Athletic Commission official that he was not going to be allowed a second attempt, according to the UFC. Lima, who was already cutting weight, was also halted from her efforts, and weighed 116.5 pounds on a second attempt, although she had not been given the full two hours typically allotted.
SEE ALSO: UFC on FOX 12 Weigh-in Photos
After discussing the matter, UFC president Dana White and commission officials agreed that there was a miscommunication between the commission and the fighters, so there would be no penalties assessed.
When a fighter misses weight on his second attempt, the commission typically assesses a 20-percent penalty from the fighter’s show money. Half of that penalty is awarded to the fighter’s opponent, the other half to the commission. That penalty was not assessed to Brown or Lima.
A UFC fighter missing weight also typically negates his eligibility for the customary $50,000 Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night bonuses. That will not be the case for either fighter. They are both still eligible for the bonuses.
The biggest question mark was Brown’s contender status. If he had missed weight outright on his second attempt, he likely would not be eligible to win a shot at the belt. White, however, said that because of the miscommunication, if Brown defeats Lawler in the UFC on FOX 12 main event, he will get a shot at Hendricks.
