Renato Moicano may have accepted a title fight at UFC 311 on just 24 hours’ notice, but he actually ended up weighing more than lightweight champion Islam Makhachev by the time they set foot in the octagon to go to battle.
On Tuesday, the California State Athletic Commission shared the fight night weights from the athletes competing at UFC 311 with MMA Fighting. In an effort to curb extreme weight cutting, the California commission tracks how much weight fighters are gaining between weigh-ins and fight night with athletes being flagged if they gain more than 10 percent of their body weight, which could lead to a suggestion to potentially consider a change in divisions.
A total of 15 fighters competing at UFC 311 broke that 10 percent threshold.
Moicano hit the scale on Friday at 155 pounds to make championship weight but then he gained a whopping 26.8 pounds by fight night to weigh 181.8 pounds. While Makhachev wasn’t too far behind, he actually weighed less after making 155 pounds on Friday and then weighing 178 pounds on Saturday.
The co-main event fighters also saw significant increases with reigning bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili actually coming in one pound under championship weight at 134 pounds but then gaining 22.8 pounds to weigh 156.8 pounds on fight night.
Challenger Umar Nurmagomedov hit the scale at exactly 135 pounds and he gained 21.8 pounds to weigh 156.8 pounds as well at UFC 311.
Perhaps the biggest disparity in weight by fight night came in the middleweight bout that opened the main card as Reinier de Ridder hit the scale at 184.5 pounds on Friday and then gained 27.5 pounds by Saturday.
The former ONE champion weighed 212 pounds on fight night while Kevin Holland was only 190.4 pounds after he gained just 6.9 pounds after weigh-ins.
There were a total of five fighters who gained back 17 percent of their body weight, which was the most gained on the entire card.
Here are the full fight night weights for UFC 311 along with the percentage of weighed gained back after weigh-ins for all athletes:
Islam Makhachev: 154.5 to 178 pounds (23.5 pounds), 17%
Renato Moicano: 155 to 181.8 pounds (26.8 pounds), 17%
Merab Dvalishvili: 134 to 156.8 pounds (22.8 pounds), 17%
Umar Nurmagomedov: 135 to 156.8 pounds (21.8 pounds), 16%
Jiri Prochazka: 204.5 to 208.2 pounds (3.7 pounds), 2%
Jamahal Hill: 205.5 to 221.8 pounds (16.3 pounds), 8%
Reinier de Ridder: 184.5 to 212 pounds (27.5 pounds), 15%
Kevin Holland: 183.5 to 190.4 pounds (6.9 pounds), 4%
Raoni Barcelos: 135.5 to 158.2 pounds (22.7 pounds), 17%
Payton Talbott: 135.5 to 158.2 pounds (22.7 pounds), 17%
Jailton Almeida: 235 to 232.2 pounds (-2.8 pounds), -1%
Serghei Spivac: 233 to 234.2 pounds (1.2 pounds), 1%
Bogdan Guskov: 205.5 to 214.4 pounds (8.9 pounds), 4%
Billy Elekana: 200 to 202.4 pounds (2.4 pounds), 1%
Grant Dawson: 156 to 179.4 pounds (23.4 pounds), 15%
Diego Ferreira: 156 to 173.2 pounds (17.2 pounds), 11%
Azamat Bekoev: 185.5 to 203.2 pounds (17.7 pounds), 10%
Zachary Reese: 185.5 to 201 pounds (15.5 pounds), 8%
Ailin Perez: 135 to 152.2 pounds (17.2 pounds), 13%