UFC Fighter Jose Aldo Fails Weight Cut at UFC 315, Contest Preserved thanks to Last-Minute Match Adjustment
New and Improved Version
UFC legend and former featherweight kingpin, Jose Aldo, might be bidding goodbye to the 135-pound division. The UFC Hall of Famer found himself missing weight by a landslide prior to his fight with Aiemann Zahabi at UFC 315 in Montreal.
However, with the stakes high and Aldo unable to trim any more weight safely, a compromise was reached between Aldo, the UFC, and Zahabi to square off at featherweight with a 145-pound limit. Originally, Aldo and Zahabi were slated to fight at bantamweight, but weight-cut problems forced the UFC to either reschedule or cancel the bout.
Here's a peek at the official weigh-in results and revised card for Saturday's pay-per-view:
UFC 315 Weigh-In Results
Location: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, CanadaDate: May 10, 2025
Main Card (ESPN+ PPV, 10 p.m. ET)
- Welterweight Title Bout: Belal Muhammad (170 lbs) vs. Jack Della Maddalena (170 lbs)
- Women's Flyweight Title Bout: Valentina Shevchenko (124 lbs) vs. Manon Fiorot (125 lbs)
- Featherweight Bout: José Aldo (143 lbs)Originally scheduled as a bantamweight bout. Changed to featherweight due to Aldo's weight cut issues. vs. Aiemann Zahabi (142 lbs)
- Women's Flyweight Bout: Alexa Grasso (126 lbs) vs. Natália Silva (126 lbs)
- Lightweight Bout: Benoît Saint Denis (156 lbs) vs. Kyle Prepolec (156 lbs)
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
- Welterweight Bout: Mike Malott (171 lbs) vs. Charles Radtke (171 lbs)
- Women's Flyweight Bout: Jessica Andrade (126 lbs) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (124 lbs)
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Modestas Bukauskas (203 lbs) vs. Ion Cuțelaba (205 lbs)
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Navajo Stirling (205 lbs) vs. Ivan Erslan (205 lbs)
Early Preliminary Card (ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET)
- Middleweight Bout: Marc-André Barriault (185 lbs) vs. Bruno Silva (187 lbs)On the middleweight limit. Frees Silva for 20% of his purse.
- Featherweight Bout: Daniel Santos (146 lbs)*Made weight after initial misstep. vs. Jeong Yeong Lee (146 lbs)
- Bantamweight Bout: Brad Katona (136 lbs) vs. Bekzat Almakhan (136 lbs)
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Bruno Silva weighed in one pound above the middleweight limit. The bout continues, but Silva forfeits 20% of his earnings.
Daniel Santos initially failed to meet weight requirements, but later successfully made weight.
Ian Machado Garry served as the backup fighter for the main event, weighing in at 168 pounds.
Sources:
- Sherdog
- ESPN
- MMA Fighting
Fun Fact: According to The Uncrowned's Ariel Helwani, the UFC adjusted Aldo-Zahabi to featherweight because Aldo couldn't manage the bantamweight cut. Aldo's health reportedly looked questionable when he stepped onto the scale.
This weekend's matchup stands as a significant one for Aldo. The Brazilian still covets a spot as a bantamweight contender, but if he cannot make the weight, he may need to explore other avenues.
While the Saturday fight will be at featherweight, it's challenging to imagine the legend finding success in that weight class again.
Zahabi, on the other hand, had a good reason to take the fight at featherweight. This contest is in his home country, and he'll have plenty of crowd support. He also gets the opportunity to defeat a legend (even if it's a compromised one).
Additionally, the UFC tends to favor fighters who bend and keep fights happening. Zahabi could have stepped back, but there might have been concerns about how it would appear if he cost the promotion a big fight on the main card of a pay-per-view.
Now, Zahabi is expected to win, but the excitement revolves around the condition Aldo will be in for what potentially could be a defining fight in the twilight of his career.
- Jose Aldo's weight miss during the UFC 315 weigh-in urges questions about his future in the 135-pound division, as he struggled to make the bantamweight limit.
- Aiemann Zahabi, who already agreed to fight Jose Aldo at featherweight due to Aldo's weight cut issues, is encouraged by the compromise as it presents him an opportunity to defeat a legend in his home country.
- The sports world eagerly awaits the UFC 315 fight card, as it features a featherweight bout between Jose Aldo and Aiemann Zahabi, a major event that was supposed to be cancelled due to Aldo's weight issues.
