UFC 291 loses main card bout: Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira canceled
A highly anticipated welterweight barnburner between Stephen Thompson and Michel Pereira will no longer take place at UFC 291. The promotion confirmed the news after the Brazilian failed to make weight at the official weigh-ins.
While the non-title welterweight bout weight limit is 171 pounds, Pereira weighed in at 174 pounds, three pounds overweight. This is the second time he has failed to make weight. Meanwhile, ‘Wonderboy’ successfully came in at 170.5 pounds.
While many speculated that the UFC would attempt to go forward with the fight and try to negotiate a deal between both camps, the cancelation was announced just a few minutes before ceremonial weigh-ins. Soon after, Stephen Thompson confirmed that he refused to fight at catchweight, and the bout was ultimately pulled from the fight card.
He issued a statement on Instagram explaining why he chose not to fight Michel Pereira. He wrote:
“Unfortunately, my fight with Michel Pereira will no longer be going forward. First off, I’m sorry to all the fans who were looking forward to my fight… Fighters who miss weight face far too few consequences and are often allowed to fight with a significant competitive advantage.”
Stephen Thompson was coming off a fourth-round TKO win over Kevin Holland last December. Meanwhile, Michel Pereira was looking to extend his five-fight winning streak.
UFC reveals Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira replacement bout
After it was confirmed that the Stephen Thompson-Michel Pereira bout stood canceled, the promotion hinted at a replacement fight. It seems that the UFC made the decision to replace the scrapped bout with a heavyweight matchup.
MMA journalist Aaron Bronsteter recently took to Twitter to point out that the official UFC website has been updated to show the Derrick Lewis vs. Rogerio De Lima fight taking place in the scrapped welterweight bout’s spot. The two heavyweights will reportedly fight just before the co-main event instead of the preliminary card.
Replying to a fan comment asking which fight would replace the canceled bout, he quote-tweeted:
“UFC.com has it as Lewis vs. De Lima.”
‘The Black Beast’ will be looking to stop a dismal three-fight losing slide. Lewis suffered three consecutive finishes against Tai Tuivasa, Sergei Pavlovich, and Sergey Spivak. Meanwhile, Rogerio De Lima is coming off a two-fight win streak. He last defeated Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC Vegas 72 in April.
