Junior Tafa Misses Weight at UFC Vegas 118 on Short Notice
At UFC Vegas 118 weigh-ins held Friday in Las Vegas, Australian light heavyweight Junior Tafa was the only fighter to miss weight. Tafa stepped on the scale at 206.5 pounds, half a pound over the light heavyweight limit for his bout against Iwo Baraniewski. Even after a second attempt without his clothes and inside a box, Tafa still failed to make weight. Notably, Tafa accepted the Baraniewski fight on just over two weeks' notice as a replacement fighter after Billy Elekana withdrew for undisclosed reasons. This marks Tafa's second fight in 35 days following his knockout victory at UFC Perth in May. The remaining main card fighters, including headliners Belal Muhammad and Gabriel Bonfim, both successfully made their respective weights. Tafa will face financial penalties and the bout may proceed at a catchweight with adjusted purse terms pending UFC decision.
Key facts
- Junior Tafa missed weight by 0.5 pounds, weighing 206.5 instead of 206 pounds at UFC Vegas 118
- Tafa accepted the fight on little over two weeks notice as replacement for Billy Elekana
- This is Tafa's second fight in 35 days following UFC Perth knockout in May
- Tafa failed to make weight on second attempt despite stripping down completely
- All other fighters on the card successfully made their contracted weight classes
- Tafa will be fined a percentage of his purse as penalty for missing weight
Limits of this briefing
Sources uniformly cover this as a factual sports event with no partisan political dimensions. While the weight miss is documented, the exact terms of Tafa's purse penalty and whether the bout will proceed as catchweight remained pending official UFC decision at time of reporting.
Sources
- Yahoo Sports: UFC Vegas 118 weigh-in results: Short-notice fighter misses weight Centre
- MMA Weekly: UFC Vegas 118 weigh-in results: One fighter misses weight Centre
- Yardbarker: UFC Vegas 118 weigh-in results: One fighter misses weight Centre
- Sherdog: UFC Vegas 118 'Muhammad vs. Bonfim' play-by-play, results & round scoring Centre
- Bloody Elbow: Belal Muhammad has added confidence for UFC Vegas 118 return after working with monster in the gym Centre