WATCH: 'First Johns who can take a punch' - Cooper amusingly becomes Tim Tszyu's punching bag
Cooper Johns hadn't done fitness in twelve months - but was put to the test against one of Australia's best fighters!
UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker’s bout against Yoel Romero has been reduced to non-title status after the challenger twice failed to make the weight.
For Whittaker, the wait for his first title defence has started all over again.
Romero was the last of the 26 fighters on the card to hit the scales in Chicago, where the UFC 225 event will take place on Saturday (Sunday AEST).
Cuban Romero, who failed to make the limit for his last fight in Perth in February, initially came in just under half a kilogram heavy and had two hours to lose the excess weight.
He came back almost two hours later, but tipped the scales 90 grams over the limit and while he had a few minutes left to shed the surplus, opted not to weigh in again.
“It’s pretty disappointing, from a professionalism scale it takes a bit of the edge of the fight,” Whittaker’s manger Titus Day told AAP.
“It’s great in one sense, that Rob can’t lose the belt but obviously we wanted to fight for the title.”
Sydneysider Whittaker was one of the first fighters to weigh in, coming in right on the limit, with the Australian smiling and bouncing around.
Romero will have to hand over a percentage of his purse to Whittaker.
Explosive Sydney heavyweight Tai Tuivasa weighed in almost five and a half kilos heavier than former world champion Andrei Arlovski.
Australian Megan Anderson and her featherweight opponent – former bantamweight world champion Holly Holm – each logged the same weight.
Let’s get ready to rumble! Pick a fighter and place your bets with PlayUp for great odds. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Cooper Johns hadn't done fitness in twelve months - but was put to the test against one of Australia's best fighters!
Tim Tszyu has the chance to emulate his legendary father as a unified world boxing champion after the stakes were dramatically raised for his…
Australia's Alexander Volkanovski has lost his UFC featherweight title to Ilia Topuria, with the Spaniard scoring a stunning second round knockout in the main…
Jason Moloney has survived an enthralling 12-round world title defence against Saul Sanchez in Canada, opening the door to a blockbuster unification fight in…
Conor McGregor says he's returning to the UFC for a fight against Michael Chandler on June 29 in Las Vegas, calling it the "greatest…
Here is a review of our boxers who made a splash in the world rankings over the past year.