Chidi Njokuani has lost back-to-back fights with the scale.
The would-be welterweight came in at 171.5 pounds for his bout with Jake Matthews at UFC Nashville, half a pound over the limit for a non-title bout in the 170-pound division. Matthews successfully weighted in at 170.5 pounds.
It is not yet known if the bout will proceed at a catchweight and, if so, what percentage of Njokuani’s purse will be forfeited as penalty.
Njokuani is currently on a three-fight win streak, but this is the second straight fight for which he has missed weight. This past March, Njokuani was 1.25 pounds over the limit for a bout against Elizeu Zaleski. He went on to defeat Zaleski via second-round knockout.
The 36-year-old Njokuani has a history of missing weight that dates back to his days on the regional scene and frequently booked catchweight bouts during his run with Bellator from 2015-2019.
Other than Njokuani, all fighters scheduled to compete Saturday at Bridgestone Arena successfully made weight, including heavyweight headliners Derrick Lewis and Tallison Teixeira.
Lewis tipped the scales at a relatively svelte 261 pounds, while the undefeated Teixeira registered at 259 pounds.
Co-main event welterweights Stephen Thompson (170.5) and Gabriel Bonfim (171) were also on point.
See UFC Nashville weigh-in results below.
Main Card (ESPN, ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET)
Derrick Lewis (261) vs. Tallison Teixeira (259)
Stephen Thompson (170.5) vs. Gabriel Bonfim (171)
Calvin Kattar (146) vs. Steve Garcia (146)
Nate Landwehr (146) vs. Morgan Charriere (146)
Vitor Petrino (249) vs. Austen Lane (245)
Junior Tafa (206) vs. Tuco Tokkos (206)
Preliminary Card (ESPN, ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET)
Chris Curtis (170.5) vs. Max Griffin (170.25)
Jake Matthews (170.5) vs. Chidi Njokuani (171.5)*
Lauren Murphy (126) vs. Eduarda Moura (126)
Kennedy Nzechukwu (238) vs. Valter Walker (244.5)
Mike Davis (155.25) vs. Mitch Ramirez (156)
Fatima Kline (115.5) vs. Melissa Martinez (116)
*missed weight
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