Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series will proceed with four
bouts after Lucas Rocha
came in heavy for a proposed flyweight clash against Davi
Costa.
Rocha tipped the scales at 131 pounds, and as a result his fight
with Costa was canceled. Costa made weight without issue, checking
in at 125 pounds on Monday.
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The Contender Series takes place on Tuesday night at the UFC Apex
in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
The evening’s featured bout is a light heavyweight pairing pitting
Rodolfo
Bellato (205) against Murtaza
Talha Ali (203.5).
After falling to Vitor
Petrino on the Contender Series in September 2022, Bellator has
rebounded to earned back-to-back victories under the Legacy
Fighting Alliance banner. Most recently, he claimed the promotion’s
205-pound belt with a decision win over Acacio
dos Santos at LFA 159 on May 27.
Ali will take a 6-0 mark into his matchup with Bellato. The Bahrain
native is coming off a 2-0 campaign in 2022 in which he finished
both of his opponents via first-round submission.
Contender Series Weigh-in Results:
Rodolfo
Bellato (205) vs. Murtaza
Talha Ali (203.5)
Eduardo
Torres (135) vs. Victor Hugo
Silva (135.5)
Jose
Medina (205) vs. Magomed
Gadzhiyasulov (205)
Mauricio
Ruffy (170) vs. Raimond
Magomedaliev (170.5)
Lucas
Rocha (131)* vs. Davi Costa
(125)
*Rocha missed weight by five pounds and his flyweight clash
against Costa has been canceled