British UFC fighter Melissa Mullins was in “tears of joy” as she took to the scales on Friday, solely for her opponent to fail to make weight.
Mullins, born in Oxford however preventing out of Coventry, was due to face Luana Carolina in the opening bout of UFC London on Saturday, however that contest was cancelled on Friday morning.
Mullins had efficiently weighed at 136lb, as one of the primary fighters on the dimensions, however the 34-year-old was in tears as she did so.
After a short interval of hypothesis as to what in specific had made her so emotional, the reply appeared to come in the shape of Carolina’s weigh-in – though Mullins later dismissed the concept her feelings had been tied to her opponent’s weight.
The Brazilian, 32, was 8lb over the 136lb bantamweight restrict, coming in at 144lb. She weighed in behind a curtain, seemingly in minimal or no clothes, as fighters typically do whereas struggling to make weight.
Once her weight was learn aloud by UFC commentator John Gooden, it was introduced that Carolina could be slicing no extra weight. Later in the morning, Gooden stated: “Due to regulatory reasons, the fight has been cancelled.”
Just one yr in the past, Carolina’s deliberate combat with Montana De La Rosa was cancelled for the identical purpose, because the Brazilian struggled to make weight for a flyweight bout.
UFC London is due to happen at the O2 Arena as ordinary, and Mullins’s combat with Carolina was due to be the Briton’s fifth in the promotion.
She wrote on Instagram: “I made weight and it was definitely a harder cut than I expected! My opponent missed weight by 8lbs officially, and although we agreed to take the fight, the commission used by the UFC are not happy, [they] have pulled the fight from the card!!
“All my hard work wasted and the opportunity to fight on my home turf stolen from me! To preform [sic] on the very best platform taken in moments!! Guys make some noise please and help me get back out fighting on a card asap!”
In an Instagram story, Mullins added: “I did not know Luana was going to miss weight until after [I had stepped on] the scales! I had tears of joy in making weight.. Becuase [sic] it was a lot harder compared to last time.”
Mullins is 2-2 in the UFC up to now, together with her report in the promotion studying win, loss, win, loss since her debut in 2023. Her most-recent outing was a call defeat by Darya Zheleznyakova in June. Mullins’s total report in blended martial arts is 7-2.
In spite of Mullins’s absence from Saturday’s occasion, the UFC London card is full of British names. Manchester’s Lerone Murphy will headline against Movsar Evloev, with the combat widely seen as a title eliminator at featherweight. However, Murphy stated he had been given no assurances by the UFC.
Both Murphy and his Russian opponent made weight on Friday, with Murphy tipping the scales at 145lb and Evloev at 146lb.
In the co-main event, Liverpool’s Luke Riley – a teammate of UFC star Paddy Pimblett – will tackle US featherweight Michael Aswell Jr. Riley and Aswell Jr each made weight on Friday.
