At Friday’s weigh-ins for UFC 216, would-be lightweight interim title challenger Kevin Lee hit the scales at 156 pounds, one pound over the limit for his championship bout opposite Tony Ferguson on Saturday.
“The Motown Phenom” was the last fighter to weigh in, arriving at the very last second of the two-hour window and calling for a towel to cover him up as he stripped down to get on the scale. He looked confident that he had made championship weight, but it was announced that he had failed to make 155 on the dot.
Immediately afterward, Nevada Athletic Commission executive director Bob Bennett, citing commission rules, said that Lee would be allowed an extra hour to shed the remaining pound with clearance from a physician, which he received moments later.
Lee now has until 3:15 p.m. ET to successfully make 155 pounds or risk losing his chance to compete for the UFC interim title opposite Ferguson in Saturday’s main event.
If Lee cannot make 155, the bout would still likely go on, but only Ferguson would be able to win the UFC interim belt.
Update: Kevin Lee has weighed in at 154.5 pounds.
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