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.
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.
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.