UFC on ESPN 24 Weigh-in Results: Rodriguez vs. Waterson Set; 2 Fights Nixed

Main event official!

@KarateHottieMMA is officially in at 125 lbs for #UFCVegas26. pic.twitter.com/1XDKwR2flM

— UFC (@ufc) May 7, 2021

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In what should be a formality, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s weigh-ins for its upcoming card were anything but.

The UFC on ESPN 24 headlining bout between Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson is now official after the weigh-ins took place this morning. Neither main eventer had trouble making weight for the short-notice bout since they both normally compete at strawweight, but the same could not be said for the rest of the card.

A flyweight contest between Ryan Benoit and Zarrukh Adashev was called off after Benoit was ruled ineligible by doctors. Benoit was unable to stand still on his initial weigh-in try, then minutes later came in at 129 pounds, three pounds over the flyweight limit. Diego Ferreira also badly missed the lightweight limit by 4.5 pounds, putting his fight against Gregor Gillespie in jeopardy. Ferreira has been fined 30 percent of his purse, and for now the fight will carry on at a catchweight. Finally, the heavyweight tilt pitting Ben Rothwell and Philipe Lins is also off due to a Lins illness, according to Rothwell and confirmed by the UFC.

Headlining her first UFC card is Rodriguez (13-1-2). The Brazilian fighter is coming off an impressive TKO victory over Amanda Ribas, and she sports wins over both Tecia Torres and Jessica Aguilar as well. Prior to smashing Ribas, the 34-year-old lost a split decision to former strawweight queen Carla Esparza and went to a majority draw against Cynthia Calvillo. Rodriguez stepped on the scale at 125.5 pounds.

Meanwhile, this is the fourth main event for Waterson (18-8), who has found herself accustomed to being in the spotlight. “The Karate Hottie” is coming off of a five-round split-decision win over Angela Hill, and will look to keep her momentum going. Waterson also has a recent split decision defeat to Esparza, and came up short in a one-sided battle with former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Ever the professional, Waterson had no issue making the specially contracted limit, and officially weighed 125 pounds on the dot.

The UFC on ESPN 24 main card will air simultaneously on ESPN and ESPN+ starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Fans will be able to catch the prelim fights at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

UFC on ESPN 24 Weigh-in Results:

Marina Rodriguez (125.5) vs. Michelle Waterson (125)
Donald Cerrone (170) vs. Alex Morono (170.5)
Neil Magny (170.5) vs. Geoff Neal (171)
Maurice Greene (237) vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (264.5)
Diego Ferreira (160.5)* vs. Gregor Gillespie (156)
Amanda Ribas (115.5) vs. Angela Hill (116)
Ben Rothwell (264.5) vs. Philipe Lins (N/A)**
Phil Hawes (186) vs. Kyle Daukaus (186)
Ludovit Klein (146) vs. Michael Trizano (146)
Ryan Benoit (129)*** vs. Zarrukh Adashev (125.5)
Tafon Nchukwi (186) vs. Jun Yong Park (186)
Christian Aguilera (170.5) vs. Carlston Lindsay Harris (170.5)

* Ferreira missed weight by 4.5 pounds and has been fined 30 percent of his purse.
** Lins fell ill before weigh-ins and the fight has been canceled.
*** Benoit missed weight by three pounds and the fight has been canceled.