UFC 315 Weigh-in Results: Jose Aldo’s Weight Issues Force Fight Change

Former UFC and WEC champion Jose Aldo is making an unexpected return to the featherweight division. While the original plan was for him to compete at bantamweight, difficulties with his weight cut necessitated a change for his bout at Saturday’s UFC 315 event.

Aldo was scheduled to meet Aiemann Zahabi in a bantamweight fight on the main card. However, officials announced just before Friday’s official weigh-ins that the fight would now take place at a catchweight limit of 145 pounds, aligning it with the featherweight division.

Sources familiar with the situation reported that the adjustment was made due to Aldo’s struggles on his side of the weight cut. By Thursday evening, Aldo was reportedly still nine pounds over the 136-pound bantamweight limit for a non-title fight and had been advised by a doctor that he could not continue cutting weight.

Following this required change in weight class, reports indicate that Aiemann Zahabi successfully renegotiated his fight purse, though the specific amount was not disclosed.

The top two title fights for the event were made official without any issues. Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and challenger Jack Della Maddalena both successfully weighed in at 170 pounds for the main event. In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko came in slightly under the 125-pound limit at 124 pounds for her flyweight title defense against Manon Fiorot, who weighed 125 pounds.

Jose Aldo wasn`t the only fighter who encountered difficulties on the scale. Featherweight Daniel Santos initially weighed in above the 145-pound limit on his first attempt. However, he returned later and successfully made the weight after weighing in behind a screen.

Middleweight Bruno Silva was less fortunate. Known as “Blindado,” he was the last fighter to weigh in during the official two-hour window and came in at 187 pounds, one pound over the 186-pound limit for non-title middleweight bouts. Despite repeated attempts to weigh in behind the screen, Silva`s weight did not change.

The UFC later confirmed that Silva’s bout against Marc-Andre Barriault would proceed as a catchweight fight. As a penalty for missing weight, Silva will forfeit 20 percent of his fight purse.

UFC 315 Official Weigh-in Results:

*Note: Bruno Silva missed weight. His fight with Marc-Andre Barriault is now a catchweight bout, with Silva forfeiting 20 percent of his purse as a penalty.