UFC 291 loses main card fight: Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira off
Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira is off Saturday’s UFC 291 card at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
Before Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins, UFC commentator Megan Olivi announced the bout was canceled. Hours prior, Pereira (28-11 MMA, 6-2 UFC) missed the welterweight limit by three pounds, as he tipped the scale at 174 pounds. This came minutes after Thompson (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) made weight at 170.5 pounds.
It is unclear if an agreement could not be reached due to the miss or if there was medical or commission intervention that ultimately caused the bout to be called off.
UFC 291 marks the second time Pereira has missed the welterweight limit in the UFC. He has not competed since May 2022. On the flip side, Thompson has never missed weight. He has not competed since December.
With the change, the UFC 291 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje – for “BMF” title
Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green
Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland
PRELIMINARY CARD (ABC/ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
Gabriel Bonfim vs. Trevin Giles
Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Roman Kopylov vs. Claudio Ribeiro
Darrius Flowers vs. Jake Matthews
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET)
Vinicius Salvador vs. CJ Vergara
Uros Medic vs. Matthew Semelsberger
Priscila Cachoeira vs. Miranda Maverick
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.