UFC on ESPN 24: Diego Ferreira misses weight by 4.5 pounds, but Gregor Gillespie accepts fight

Diego Ferreira missed weight by a good margin ahead of UFC on ESPN 24, but his fight with Gregor Gillespie will go on.

Ferreira (17-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) came in 4.5 pounds over the lightweight limit at Friday’s official weigh-ins, tipping the scale at 160.5 for a non-title matchup contracted for no higher than 156.

Gillespie (13-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who weighed 156 on the nose, was given the choice to cancel the fight, but he opted to accept.

For the second time in his 12-fight UFC tenure, Diego Ferreira missed weight. He came in 4.5 pounds over the lightweight limit.

He’ll forfeit 30 percent of his purse to opponent Gregor Gillespie, but the fight is ON!#UFCVegas26 | Full story: https://t.co/HWboj4aRdv pic.twitter.com/8W8110cQ1A

— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) May 7, 2021

As a result, Ferreira will forfeit 30 percent of his purse to Gillespie, per an agreement with UFC brass and the Nevada Athletic Commission (NSAC).

The mishap marks the second time in Ferreira’s career that he’s entered a fight overweight. He missed by one pound for a February 2019 clash with Rustam Khabilov but went on to win the fight.

The full UFC on ESPN 24 weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET)

• Marina Rodriguez (125.5) vs. Michelle Waterson (125)
• Donald Cerrone (170) vs. Alex Morono (170.5)
• Neil Magny (170.5) vs. Geoff Neal (171)
• Maurice Greene (237) vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (264.5)
• Diego Ferreira (160.5)* vs. Gregor Gillespie (156)
• Angela Hill (116) vs. Amanda Ribas (115.5)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)

• Philipe Lins ()^ vs. Ben Rothwell (264.5)
• Kyle Daukaus (186) vs. Phil Hawes (186)
• Ludovit Klein (146) vs. Mike Trizano (146)
• Zarrukh Adashev (125.5) vs. Ryan Benoit (129)#
• Tafon Nchukwi (186) vs. Jun Yong Park (186)
• Christian Aguilera (170.5) vs. Carlston Harris (170.5)

* Ferreira was fined 30 percent of his purse, but the bout will go on as scheduled
^ Lins was not medically cleared to compete
# Benoit was ruled out due to weight management issues