UFC Vegas 81 is down a fight following Friday morning’s official weigh-in in advance of the event, though weight apparently has nothing to do with it.
Edgar Chairez and Daniel Lacerda had been set to face off at a 130lb catchweight on the main card. Both men weighed in successfully well in advance of Friday’s 11AM PT deadline, with Chairez hitting 129.5 and Lacerda 130 pounds.
However, just before face-offs, promotion officials announced that the fight was off, citing a non-weight cutting related medical issue on the part of Lacerda. No other details were provided, but the fight will not move forward with the rest of the bouts planned for Saturday’s event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The fight was a rematch of a recent showdown between the pair that was overturned to a No Contest due to a premature stoppage by the ref, who had believed Lacerda unconscious while he was defending a choke.
UFC Vegas 81 is headlined by a featherweight match-up between Sodiq Yusuff and Edson Barboza. The card now moves forward with the following match-ups following Friday’s weigh-in:
Main Card
Featherweight: Sodiq Yusuff (145.5) vs. Edson Barboza (146)
Women’s Flyweight: Jennifer Maia (125) vs. Viviane Araújo
Bantamweight: Jonathan Martinez (136) vs. Adrian Yanez (135.5)
Middleweight: Michel Pereira (186) vs. Andre Petroski (186)
Catchweight (130lb): Edgar Cháirez (129.5) vs. Daniel Lacerda (130)
Bantamweight: Cameron Saaiman (135.5) vs. Christian Rodriguez (140)*
Preliminary Card
Featherweight: Darren Elkins (146) vs. T.J. Brown (146)
Women’s Bantamweight: Tainara Lisboa (133.5) vs. Ravena Oliveira (133)
Lightweight: Terrance McKinney (155.5) vs. Brendan Marotte (155.5)
Women’s Bantamweight: Irina Alekseeva (135) vs. Melissa Dixon (135.5)
Bantamweight: Chris Gutiérrez (136) vs. Alateng Heili (136)
Women’s Strawweight: Ashley Yoder (115.5) vs. Emily Ducote (115.5)
* Rodriguez misses weight by four pounds
