UFC women’s strawweight contender Claudia Gadelha has released a statement after her fight against Alexa Grasso was scratched from UFC 246.
At the official UFC 246 weigh-ins on Friday, Gadelha made weight as she stepped onto the scales at 115.5lbs. However, Grasso badly missed weight at 121.5lbs. Due to a weight discrepancy over 3lbs for a women’s strawweight fight, the Nevada State Athletic Commission scratched the fight from the card.
After hearing the disappointing news that she will not be fighting Grasso at UFC 246, Gadelha released a statement to her fans on her social media.
Check out Gadelha’s statement courtesy of her Instagram.
“I worked so hard for this and I was so excited to put in a show for you all tomorrow but unfortunately my fight isn’t gonna happen because my opponent missed weight by 5.5 pounds. I still wanted the fight because I am a bad b*tch but Nevada Commission athlete didn’t aloud the fight to happen. A big thanks for my coaches, teammates, family and whole team for the amazing camp!! We will run it back!!”
The fact the fight was canceled is obviously disappointing news for both fighters, as each woman was trying to remain relevant as a title contender in the women’s strawweight division. Gadelha was coming off of a decision win over Randa Markos in her last fight at UFC 239, while Grasso most recently dropped a decision to Carla Esparza at UFC Mexico City. A win here would have set both women up for a big 2020.
The UFC could possibly re-book this contest, but there’s also the chance the promotion could opt to cut Grasso as she has now missed weight twice inside the Octagon. Hopefully, Gadelha is paid her show money at the very least, though there’s an argument to be made she should get paid her win bonus as well. Grasso, meanwhile, is unlikely to get any sort of compensation after her weight miss.
Are you hopeful the UFC will re-book Claudia Gadelha vs. Alexa Grasso for a future card?