Ten months after setting weigh-in retirement ultimatum, Ray Borg off mark for UFC on ESPN+ 25

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Ray Borg drew a line in the sand 10 months ago when it came to missing weight in his MMA career. On Friday, he crossed that line.

Borg (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) missed the flyweight limit by two pounds for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 25 matchup with Rogerio Bontorin (16-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), breaking an ultimatum the former title challenger set for himself regarding never missing weight again for one of his fights. It’s the fourth time in his UFC career he’s come in over the mark.

In April 2019, Borg took to his social media and vowed that he would never come in above his contracted weight again, or retire from competition if he did.

“I also want it to go on record that if I ever miss weight again or miss a fight due to anything other than a serious injury I will leave the sport of MMA forever,” Borg wrote at the time. “I’m coming back better than ever.”

During Thursday’s media day, Borg told MMA Junkie that making weight was not a concern. He described a change in his dietary approach that allowed him to get back down to flyweight after spending his past two fights in the bantamweight division.

Borg was among the last to step on the scale for Friday’s UFC on ESPN+ 25 official weigh-in and was even granted an extra hour after coming in at 128 pounds on his first attempt. He took that hour but did not lose any poundage, coming in at 128 again on his second attempt.

In the aftermath of Borg’s miss, Bontorin accepted a catchweight fight and 30 percent fine from Borg’s purse.

Now it remains to be seen if UFC on ESPN+ 25, which takes place at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M., and streams on ESPN+, will be the final fight of Borg’s career.