Updates to
#UFCSP: https://t.co/CfeeUQxFo4— UFC News (@UFCNews)
November 3, 2023
The scales proved a greater threat than expected for
UFC Fight Night 231 on Friday morning.
Ahead of the UFC Sao Paulo event on Nov. 4, in the promotion’s
return to the Brazilian city for the first time since late 2019,
four fighters initially missed weight. A rarity in combat
sports, both Ismael
Bonfim (159.5) and Vinc Pichel
(157) came in heavy for their lightweight match. While Pichel
returned to hit his proper marks at 155.5 pounds, Bonfim declined
to continue cutting weight, and the fight has been canceled.
Additionally, Victor
Hugo Silva clocked in at 138.5 pounds ahead of his bantamweight
battle with Daniel
Marcos (136), and the organization announced it
scrubbed that bout from the lineup as well.
Eduarda
Moura exceeded the strawweight cap by 3.5 pounds prior to her
matchup with Montserrat
Ruiz (114), and Moura has received a 30% fine as the fight is
still currently on the books. Bonfim was hoping to compete on the
same card as brother Gabriel
Bonfim, as the two fought on the same UFC 283 billing in
January. Instead, the elder brother will need to wait some time to
return to a lineup, rather than attempting to get back in the win
column on Saturday. His prospective foe Pichel was planning to make
his first appearance of 2023, in an effort to continue his streak
of exactly one UFC fight per year dating back to 2019.
Fresh off his contract-winning kneebar of Eduardo
Torres Cant in October on Dana White’s Contender Series, Hugo showed the
one-month turnaround may not have been enough time to reach weight
properly. On the other side of the equation, Marcos was aiming to
push his professional record to 16-0 with another win on Saturday.
The promotion has not yet announced if these canceled matches will
be rebooked at a later date or if they will receive different
opponents.