Jose Aldo`s return to the featherweight division was not initially planned. The former UFC and WEC champion was slated to compete against Aimeann Zahabi in a bantamweight (135 lb) contest on the UFC 315 main card scheduled for Saturday.
However, just before Friday`s official weigh-ins commenced, it was announced that the fight between Aldo and Zahabi would now take place at a catchweight of 145 pounds, effectively moving it to the featherweight limit.
According to sources familiar with the situation, the adjustment was necessary due to complications on Aldo`s side. By Thursday evening, reports indicated that Aldo was still nine pounds over the non-title bantamweight limit (136 lbs) and had been medically advised against further weight cutting.
Following this, new contractual terms were negotiated, with Zahabi reportedly receiving a portion of Aldo`s purse as compensation. Despite the last-minute change in weight class, the bout is still set to proceed as part of the event.
The two top fights on the card were made official without any issues. Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and challenger Jack Della Maddalena both successfully hit the 170-pound mark for Saturday`s main event. Similarly, Flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko weighed in slightly under the limit at 124 pounds for her co-main event title defense against Manon Fiorot, who weighed 125 pounds.
Aldo wasn`t the only fighter who encountered difficulties on the scale. Featherweight Daniel Marcos initially weighed over the 145-pound limit on his first attempt but successfully made weight during a subsequent try.
Middleweight Bruno Silva, known as “Blindado,” was less fortunate. He was the last fighter to weigh in within the designated two-hour window and came in at 187 pounds, one pound above the middleweight non-title limit. Despite efforts to make weight, including using the privacy shield, Silva`s weight did not change.
The UFC later confirmed that Silva`s fight against Marc-Andre Barriault would proceed as a catchweight bout, with Silva forfeiting 20 percent of his purse as a penalty for missing weight.
Here are the official UFC 315 weigh-in results:
Main Card
- Belal Muhammad (170) vs. Jack Della Maddalena (170)
- Backup fighter: Ian Machado Garry (168)
- Valentina Shevchenko (124) vs. Manon Fiorot (125)
- Jose Aldo (143) vs. Aiemann Zahabi (142) — (Fight moved to featherweight/catchweight)
- Alexa Grasso (126) vs. Natalia Silva (126)
- Benoit Saint Denis (156) vs. Kyle Prepolec (156)
Prelims
- Mike Malott (171) vs. Charles Radtke (171)
- Jessica Andrade (126) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (124)
- Modestas Bukauskas (203) vs. Ion Cutelaba (205)
- Navajo Stirling (205) vs. Ivan Erslan (205)
Early Prelims
- Marc-Andre Barriault (185) vs. Bruno Silva (187)*
- Daniel Santos (146) vs. Jeong Yeong Lee (146) (Santos initially 147)
- Brad Katona (136) vs. Bekzat Almakhan (136)
*Bruno Silva missed weight. His bout with Marc-Andre Barriault will proceed at a catchweight with Silva forfeiting 20 percent of his purse as penalty, per UFC.
