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.
Julz
Guest
Wow what a shame. Look at his size, doesn't look like a middleweight at all.
Jason Andrews
Roar Pro
just plain unprofessional from Romero, thought he would of known better and been better prepared for this, after this fight he will hopefully move up to the light-heavyweight division.