The official weigh-ins for UFC Vegas 112 brought a wave of pre-fight drama on Friday, as three athletes on the 12-fight card failed to make their respective weight limits. Despite the scale trouble near the bottom and middle of the card, the high-stakes main event between middleweight contenders Brandon Allen and Christian Leroy Duncan remained intact, with both headliners successfully hitting their targets ahead of Saturday night’s showdown.
Headlining the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming event is a crucial five-round middleweight clash that carries significant divisional implications. Neither main event participant had any trouble with the scale. Brandon Allen stepped on the scale and weighed in right on the limit at 186 pounds, ensuring his high-profile assignment would proceed as planned. Across the room, his opponent, Christian Leroy Duncan, weighed in at a pristine 185 pounds, comfortably under the non-title middleweight limit and ready for the first main event opportunity of his promotional career.
While the headliners set a professional example, the rest of the roster experienced some turbulence on the scales. Three fighters across the undercard missed weight by varying degrees, ranging from a minor 1-pound margin to a massive 7.5-pound discrepancy. As per standard athletic commission and UFC protocols, all three fighters who missed their marks will forfeit a percentage of their individual fight purses to their respective opponents, allowing the bouts to move forward as catchweight or modified contests.
The first scale infraction involved strawweight fighter Ketlen Souza, who came in a single pound over the limit, registering at 117 pounds for her scheduled bout against Lupita Godinez, who successfully made weight at 115.5 pounds. Souza will be penalized 20 percent of her purse for the miss.
A larger discrepancy occurred further down the card in the light heavyweight division. Brendson Ribeiro hit the scale at 208.5 pounds, missing the light heavyweight limit by 2.5 pounds for his matchup against Felipe Franco, who came in cleanly at 205 pounds. Like Souza, Ribeiro will also forfeit 20 percent of his purse as a penalty for the infraction.
The most severe weight miss of the session belonged to Ismael Bonfim, who missed the lightweight limit by an eye-opening 7.5 pounds. Bonfim weighed in at 163.5 pounds for what was supposed to be a standard 155-pound lightweight fight against Francisco Prado, who weighed in successfully at the divisional limit of 155 pounds. Due to the substantial nature of the miss, Bonfim will face a heavier financial penalty, surrendering 25 percent of his purse to Prado.
Despite the administrative hiccups at the scales, the 12-fight card moves forward with an exciting lineup of compelling matchups, anchored by two surging middleweights looking to stake their claim in the upper echelon of the division.
Brandon Allen enters this latest assignment carrying a stellar reputation and considerable momentum. Holding a professional record of 27-7, "All In" comes into the cage on an impressive three-fight win streak. The 30-year-old middleweight contender has established himself as a formidable force in the division, securing recent decision victories over high-level competition like Edmen Shahbazyan and Marvin Vettori, alongside a stoppage win over Reinier de Ridder. Having weighed in cleanly at 186 pounds, Allen will look to use this main event platform to prove that he is hitting the absolute peak of his athletic prime and driving toward a potential championship opportunity.
On the other side of the Octagon, Christian Leroy Duncan enters the biggest moment of his professional career riding a five-fight win streak. The English standout holds a 15-2 record and earned the defining victory of his tenure earlier this year by defeating veteran contender Jared Cannonier via a hard-fought decision. Now, stepping into his first-ever UFC main event at 31 years of age, Duncan faces an even more dangerous challenge in Allen. Having weighed in at 185 pounds, Duncan aims to replicate his previous success against elite competition and cement his status as a premier threat at 185 pounds.
UFC Vegas 112 is scheduled to stream live on Paramount+, with early action beginning at 5 p.m. ET and 2 p.m. PT. The main card is slated to kick off at 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT, bringing a full night of mixed martial arts action to fans around the globe.
The complete official card and weigh-in results for the event feature Brendan Allen at 186 pounds against Christian Leroy Duncan at 185 pounds in the main event. In other featured bouts, Matheus Camilo weighed 156 pounds to face Jai Herbert, who came in at 155 pounds. Lupita Godinez weighed 115.5 pounds against Ketlen Souza, who weighed in at 117 pounds and will be fined 20 percent of her purse for missing the strawweight mark by one pound.
In the featherweight division, Andre Fili weighed 145.5 pounds for his bout against Kai Kamaka III, who registered at 146 pounds. The bantamweight division features Malcolm Wellmaker and Otari Tanzilovi, who both successfully weighed in at 136 pounds. In the light heavyweight division, Gerald Meerschaert and Julius Walker both came in at 205.5 pounds.
Francisco Prado hit the 155-pound lightweight limit, while Ismael Bonfim weighed in at 163.5 pounds, resulting in a 7.5-pound weight miss that carries a 25 percent purse penalty. Welterweight action features Niko Price at 170.5 pounds squaring off against Leon Shahbazyan, who weighed 171 pounds.
Felipe Franco weighed 205 pounds for his light heavyweight contest against Brendson Ribeiro, who weighed 208.5 pounds, resulting in a 2.5-pound overage and a 20 percent purse fine. In heavyweight action, Allen Frye weighed 246 pounds against R.J. Harris, who tipped the scale at 261 pounds. Women’s bantamweight competitors Alice Pereira and Darya Zheleznyakova both successfully made weight at 136 pounds. Finally, the women’s flyweight matchup features Ernesta Kareckaite and Melissa Gatto, with both fighters hitting the scale at the exact limit of 126 pounds.
