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UFC on FOX 28 Bout Canceled Over Weight Cutting Issue

UFC on FOX 28 Bout Canceled Over Weight Cutting Issue

Saturday's UFC on FOX 28 showdown between Gilbert Burns and Olivier Aubin-Mercier has been canceled.

Burns vs. Aubin-Mercier was expected to be the featured bout on the UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims in Orlando, but concerns about Burns' weight forced UFC officials to cancel the bout. The UFC announced the cancellation on Wednesday following an initial report by FloCombat.

“Upon his arrival, the UFC medical team determined that it would be unsafe for Burns to cut additional weight necessary to meet the 156-pound limit. The card will proceed as scheduled with twelve fights,” read the UFC's statement.

In 2016, the UFC began a process of more closely monitoring a fighter's weight during fight week, trying to mitigate some of the more dangerous weight cuts that have sent several fighters to the hospital over the years.

Beginning with UFC 200, all fighters are required to weigh-in and be within 8 percent of their target weight when they check-in upon arrival for their fight. That usually occurs on the Tuesday for most fighters that are fighting on a Saturday event.

If the fighter is over the 8-percent mark of their target weight, then the UFC would, at minimum, follow that fighters weight cut throughout fight week, including monitoring the fighters vitals. The fighter can also be removed from the bout if it is considered to be too risky if the fighter is allowed to continue cutting weight, which is apparently what happened in Burns' case.

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UFC on FOX 28 will move forward with a 12-bout fight card, pending Friday's weigh-in, with Top 10 ranked featherweights Josh Emmett and Jeremy Stephens topping the bill.