Missing weight is arguably one of the biggest setbacks a UFC fighter can face, and venting frustration over it is understandable — even when it’s another fighter who comes in heavy.
The MMA powerhouse is set to make its return to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, this Saturday with a Fight Night card headlined by a middleweight rematch between Marvin Vettori and Roman Dolidze. Ahead of the event, the official weigh-ins took place on Friday, where two fighters failed to make weight.
UFC debutant Diyar Nurgozhay, set to face Brendson Ribeiro in a light heavyweight clash, badly missed weight, coming in at a staggering 210.5 pounds, 4.5 pounds over the 206-pound limit. For coming in overweight, Nurgozhay was forced to forfeit 25% of his purse to his opponent, but the fight will move forward as planned.
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As if the backlash from fans on social media wasn’t enough, the undefeated Kazakh prospect found himself under fire from fellow UFC newcomer Julius Walker, who took a shot at him on X.
In his post, "Juice Box" didn’t hold back, calling out Nurgozhay for missing weight. He drew a sharp comparison to his own situation, claiming he had to cut nearly 32 pounds in just nine days for his short-notice fight against Alonzo Menifield at UFC Seattle last month.
"I cut from 237 to 205 in 9 days for Alonzo. Was never an option in my head to miss weight. UFC provides all the resources to make it an easy process. Almost pisses me off to see a guy miss weight like that on a full camp," Walker wrote on X.
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Nurgozhay secured his UFC contract with a second-round knockout victory over Bartosz Szewczyk at Dana White's Contender Series last October. The 27-year-old holds a flawless 10-0 record with six of those wins coming by way of knockout.