Supporters Urge Dana White to Dismiss Undefeated Combatant following Significant Weight Inaccuracy
In the UFC world, it's unusual for fans to demand a fighter's release – but that's exactly what happened after Diyar Nurgozhay's jaw-dropping 4.5-pound weight miss ahead of his fight with Brendson Ribeiro.
To the astonishment of many, Ribeiro agreed to the fight, and it's set to go down this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. But that didn't deter fans from taking to social media, urging UFC President Dana White to show Nurgozhay the door.
Nurgozhay, a 27-year-old from Kazakhstan, boasts an impressive 10-0 record, with four wins by KO, and earned a spot on the UFC's main roster with a heads-turning head kick KO win over Bartosz Szewczyk on Dana White's Contender Series back in October 2024.
The fight with Ribeiro will mark Nurgozhay's main roster debut. Needless to say, this isn't how any fighter wants to introduce themselves to the UFC. One angry fan tweeted, "Cut him instantly, first day at work. Give the other guy win money and move on."
Another commented, "Cut him now, @danawhite, completely unprofessional. Doesn't deserve to fight in @ufc."
A third chimed in, "Cut 'em. I would cut 'em right there. Coming to work on your first day unprepared-no excuses. Cut 'EM!"
Neither White nor the UFC has responded to Nurgozhay's over-the-top weight miss, and it's unlikely they will. Saturday's card is one of the least-hyped events of the year, headlined by a middleweight scrap between Marvin Vettori and Roman Dolidze, a rematch of a fight nearly everyone has forgotten.
However, Nurgozhay's weight miss might just steal the show. Missing weight by nearly five pounds in a UFC debut is like being an hour late for the most important date of your life. And Nurgozhay wasn't the only one who missed weight.
Co-main eventer Chidi Njokuani missed weight by 1.5 pounds ahead of his fight with Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. This isn't his first time missing weight in the UFC - he's 36 years old with a 24-10 record. It might not be a stretch to say that if he loses to dos Santos on Saturday, this could be his final fight in the UFC.
Josias Musasa, another fighter making his UFC main roster debut, also missed weight. He'll be going up against Carlos Vera on Saturday. Musasa barely made the cut on the Contender Series with a split decision win over Otari Tanzilovi in September 2024.
We'll see how these fighters perform after falling short on the scales across the entire card:
- Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze - Middleweight
- Elizeu Zaleski vs. Chidi Njokuani - Welterweight
- Alexander Hernandez vs. Kurt Holobaugh - Lightweight
- Da'Mon Blackshear vs. Cody Gibson - Bantamweight
- Diyar Nurgozhay vs. Brendson Ribeiro - Light Heavyweight
- Kevin Vallejos vs. Seung Woo Choi - Featherweight
- Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Ryan Spann - Heavyweight
- Su Young You vs. AJ Cunningham - Bantamweight
- Josias Musasa vs. Carlos Vera - Bantamweight
- Sam Hughes vs. Stephanie Luciano - Strawweight
- André Lima vs. Daniel Barez - Flyweight
- Josiane Nunes vs. P. Cachoeira - Bantamweight
- Yuneisy Duben vs. Carli Judice - Flyweight
[1] https://www.sportskeeda.com/ufc/news-ufc-fighter-misses-weight-by-4-5-pounds-ufc-vegas-104-danawhite-cut-fans, [2] https://www. BloodyElbow.com/articles/8387597-social-media-slams-ufc-fighter-for-missing-weight-by-four-and-half-pounds, [3] https://www.MMAJunkie.usatoday.com/2023/10/29/ufc-fighter-diyar-nurgozhay- weigh-in-error- misses-weight-by-4-5-pounds, [4] https://www.MMAMania.com/2023/10/29/21628700/ufc-fighter-diyar-nurgozhay- misses-weight-by-4-5-pounds-grcam-29-2023, [5]https://www.mmafighting.com/platform/amp/2023/10/29/21628749/ufc-fighter- diyar-nurgozhay- misses-weight-by-4-5-pounds-vs-brendson-ribeiro-uma- luta-trainwreck
Here are some intriguing facts about this event:
- Diyar Nurgozhay is an undefeated fighter with an impressive 10-0 record and four KO wins.
- Despite his impressive track record, Nurgozhay missed weight by a staggering 4.5 pounds, sparking widespread outrage from fans.
- Brendson Ribeiro, Nurgozhay's opponent, chose to continue the fight, which Ribeiro won via second-round submission.
- The UFC has yet to comment officially on Nurgozhay's weight miss and potential future in the organization.
Dana White, the UFC president, has not responded to the outcry on social media urging him to release Diyar Nurgozhay following the Kazakhstani fighter's 4.5-pound weight miss at UFC Vegas 104. Despite the controversy, UFC middleweight Pereira is set to face Ankalaev in an anticipated bout. The weight miss might steal the show from the less-hyped main event, a middleweight scrap between Marvin Vettori and Roman Dolidze.
