Saturday’s UFC main event for the vacant flyweight title in Norfolk, VA, has undergone a change the day before the fight.
Due to missing the 125 pound limit by 2.5 pounds, Deiveson Figueiredo is ineligible to win the title and was also fined 30% of his purse. That means only Joseph Benavidez, who made weight, can take the championship with a victory.
The Brazilian was given an hour to cut the weight, but declined to do so. MMA Fighting noted that while this is his first time missing weight in the UFC, he has made 125 pounds just once in seven fights, using the extra pound allowance for non-title fights the other six times.
The title will officially be vacated by Henry Cejudo Saturday once the fight starts. Cejudo is also the UFC bantamweight champion and will defend against Jose Aldo later this year after a year of inactivity due to injuries. He defeated Demetrious Johnson for the flyweight belt in August 2018, defending it against TJ Dillashaw last January, before besting Marlon Moraes in March for the vacant bantamweight title.
This will be Benavidez’s third attempt at winning the flyweight title.