UFC 288 Bout Canceled Over ‘Weight Management Issues’

Consider the bag officially fumbled.

Rafael Estevam was expected to make his Octagon debut as part of the UFC 288 event on ESPN+ tomorrow night (Sat., May 6, 2023) at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Instead, “Macapa” will be forced to watch from the sidelines after “weight management issues” canceled his flyweight matchup against Kazakhstanian bruiser Zhalgas Zhumagulov.

Zhumagulov (14-8) successfully made weight and will likely be paid his “show” purse.

This is a bad look for the undefeated Estevam (11-0), who earned a shot at the big time with his technical knockout victory over Joao Elias as part of Dana White’s “Contender Series” last fall. No word yet on whether or not the promotion will rebook this fight for an upcoming card or simply send both fighters on their separate ways.

Get complete UFC 288 weigh ins results and video RIGHT HERE.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 288 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 288: “Sterling vs. Cejudo” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 288 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.