UFC 251 weigh-in results and videos: Championship tripleheader set for Fight Island

After five shows in Sin City, the UFC took up residence on Fight Island on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, to open things up for more of its international roster to compete. The first of four events there, UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal, is now officially set following Friday’s weigh-in.

Stacked from top to bottom, UFC 251 features three championship fights. All three title bouts were made official within the first hour of the two-hour weigh-in window. 

Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman was an early fighter to the scale, weighing 170 pounds for his headlining title defense. Jorge Masvidal waited until about an hour into the proceedings to appear, also weighing 170 pounds.

Masvidal replaces No. 1 contender Gilbert Burns, who was removed from the bout when he tested positive for COVID-19 prior to flying to Abu Dhabi.

The UFC 251 co-main event features Alexander Volkanovski making the first defense of his featherweight championship. He’ll do so in an immediate rematch with the man he took the belt from, Max Holloway. Both men were spot-on at 145 pounds.

Fighting for the bantamweight title vacated by the now-retired Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan and Jose Aldo wasted no time making their ways to the scale. Neither man had any issues with the scale, each of them weighing 135 pounds.

Though most of the weigh-in went off without a hitch. Two fighters missed the mark.

Raulian Pavia weighed in early at 129 pounds for his flyweight bout with Zhalgas Zhumagulov, who weighed 126 pounds. Pavia was officially three pounds above the limit for the bout.

Vanessa Melo was the final fighter to the scale, weighing a full five pounds over the limit for her bantamweight bout opposite Karol Rosa. While Rosa was on the mark at 136 pounds, Melo weighed in at 141 pounds, putting the bout into jeopardy.

There was no announcement at the time of publication as to whether or not Pavia vs. Zhumagulov and Rosa vs. Melo would take place on Saturday. UFC officials typically try to negotiate an agreement with the overweight fighter forfeiting a portion of his or her fight purse to the opponent.

UFC 251 Weigh-in Update

Per the UFC:

• Raulian Paiva missed weight and will be fined 20 percent of his purse
• Vanessa Melo missed weight and will be fine 30 percent of her purse

The UFC was the first major sport back in action with UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje on May 9 in Jacksonville, Fla. They kicked things off with a series of three events over an eight-day span before moving home to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal is the first of four events that will take place in Abu Dhabi over 15 days. All of the cards feature a plethora of global talent, many of whom are fighters that weren’t able to access events in the United States.

UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal takes place on Saturday, July 21, at the Flash Forum on Fight Island.

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UFC 251: Usman vs Masvidal weigh-in results

Main Card (10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View)

• Kamaru Usman (170) (c) vs. Jorge Masvidal (170)*
• Alexander Volkanovski (145) (c) vs Max Holloway (145)**
• Petr Yan (135) vs. José Aldo (135)***
• Jéssica Andrade (115) vs. Rose Namajunas (116)
• Amanda Ribas (126) vs. Paige VanZant (126)

Preliminary Card (6 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+)

• Volkan Oezdemir (205.5) vs. Jiri Prochazka (205)
• Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (171) vs. Muslim Salikhov (171)
• Makwan Amirkhani (146) vs. Danny Henry (146)
• Leonardo Santos (156) vs. Roman Bogatov (155.5)
• Marcin Tybura (252) vs. Maxim Grishin (223)
• Raulian Paiva (129)**** vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov (126)
• Karol Rosa (136) vs. Vanessa Melo (141)*****
• Martin Day (136) vs. Davey Grant (136)

*For the  UFC welterweight championship
**For the  UFC featherweight championship
***For the  vacant UFC bantamweight championship
****Raulian Paiva was three pounds over for his flyweight bout
*****Vanessa Melo was five pounds over for her bantamweight bout

UFC 251 weigh-in: Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal

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UFC 251 weigh-in: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway

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UFC 251 weigh-in: Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo

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UFC 251 weigh-in: Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas

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UFC 251 weigh-in: Amanda Ribas vs. Paige VanZant

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