Weight cutting strikes again, as Gilbert Burns vs. Olivier Aubin-Mercier is off UFC Orlando.
The featured UFC Fight Pass preliminary fight from this weekend’s UFC Orlando is off the card. A highly anticipated lightweight battle, the bout was expected to feature Brazil’s Gilbert Burns taking on Canada’s Olivier Aubin-Mercier. Flo Combat was first to report that the fight was scratched; UFC officials subsequently confirmed the news. In a statement on their official website, the promotion stated that the decision was made due to Burns’ weight upon arrival in Orlando.
Burns (13-2) has never missed weight in his career. However, per the UFC, “the UFC medical team determined that it would be unsafe for Burns to cut additional weight necessary to meet the 156-pound limit.” No disclosure as to Burns’ current weight, or how much weight would have been acceptable to cut at that point, was made. A decorated submission specialist with eight subs as a pro, Burns was coming off a knockout win of Jason Saggo last September. Burns was a gold medalist at both the World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup and the World Jiu-jitsu Championship in years past.
Olivier Aubin-Mercier (10-2), meanwhile, is stuck helpless in this situation. He was heading into UFC Orlando on a three fight win streak, and looking to potentially break into the top fifteen of the lightweight division with a win. Instead, he no longer has an opponent for the card. This late in the game, it is not expected that the UFC will be able to find one for him.
UFC on FOX 28 goes down Saturday, February 24 in Orlando, FL. Josh Emmett takes on Jeremy Stephens in the evening’s main event.
