Aiemann Zahabi was on the verge of completing his weight cut for a bantamweight clash at UFC 315 before news broke that his scheduled opponent, Jose Aldo, could not make the 135-pound limit. The fight was subsequently moved up to the featherweight division.
During the official weigh-ins, it was confirmed that the bout would take place at 145 pounds. Multiple sources indicated that the decision came after UFC doctors advised Aldo to cease cutting weight on Thursday night, when he was reportedly nine pounds over the bantamweight mark. Despite looking visibly drained on the scale, the legendary fighter is still set to compete.
Speaking with SportsNet, UFC`s Canadian broadcast partner, Zahabi shared his perspective on the sudden change. He stated he was less than a pound away from the bantamweight limit himself when he heard the news, weighing 136.8 pounds. His team received notification via calls and texts that Aldo was at 145 pounds and would not be able to make weight. Commission regulations in Montreal would not permit the fight to proceed at bantamweight with such a significant weight difference (a five-pound variance was not allowed), making a 135-pound contest impossible.
Zahabi also posted a video on Friday morning, showing his scale reading just under 137 pounds, further illustrating how close he was to making the original weight class.
Given the circumstances – the fight being potentially cancelled and the mandatory move to featherweight – standard weight-miss penalties did not apply. This unusual situation required Zahabi`s team to renegotiate the terms of his contract for the bout.
Zahabi explained the necessity of renegotiation: “So then we got to think, we got to renegotiate… [because] we could say no. The fight’s off. Because of the five-pound difference, the fight’s off basically.”
He recounted the advice given to him, referencing fellow fighter Xavier Alaoui: “`What would X do?` [My brother] said, ‘He would renegotiate and take the fight.’ So we renegotiated with Sean Shelby, and they gave me an offer that I accepted, and the fight’s on.”
