Whittaker vs. Brunson Official, but One Fighter Misses Weight at UFC Melbourne Weigh-ins | MMAWeekly.com

UFC Fight Night 101: Whittaker vs. Brunson is now official following Friday’s weigh-in event in Melbourne.

Unlike most recent UFC events, the Whittaker vs. Brunson card combined the official weigh-in with the ceremonial festivities into a single event. 

UFC Fight Night 101 was originally slated to feature Luke Rockhold vs. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Rockhold recently fell out of the fight due to an injury, thus Robert Whittaker vs. Derek Brunson was elevated to main event status.

After both fighters made weight on Friday, their headlining bout became official for the event at the Rod Laver Arena, which takes place on Saturday in North America, but is Sunday local time in Australia.

Though Rockhold vs. Souza held bigger implications, possibly determining the next middleweight title challenger, Whittaker vs. Brunson is a pivotal bout as well.

Whittaker is currently ranked No. 7 in the 185-pound division, while Brunson is ranked No. 8. Each is also in the midst of a five-fight winning streak, so the winner is immediately vaulted into title talk.

Both fighters were relaxed stepping out of their staredown.

Whittaker said, “I honestly believe come Sunday (Saturday in the U.S.) you’re going to see the best Robert Whittaker you’ve ever seen.”

Brunson even saw fit to crack a joke with the Australian fans, saying, “You guys kind of let me down, I didn’t see any kangaroos, but hey, I’m here ready to fight, let’s go.”

The only fighter on the card having an issue on the scale was Yao Zhikui, who was one pound over the 126-pound limit for his flyweight bout with Jenel Lausa. He was given two hours to try and lose the extra weight.

UFC Fight Night 101: Whittaker vs. Brunson Weigh-in Results

Main Card (on FS1)
Robert Whittaker (185) vs. Derek Brunson (186)
Jake Matthews (155) vs. Andrew Holbrook (154)
Kyle Noke (170) vs. Omari Akhmedov (171)
Yusuke Kasuya (156) vs. Alex Volkanovski (154)
Khalil Rountree (206) vs. Tyson Pedro (205)
Seo Hee Ham (115) vs. Danielle Taylor (115)

Prelims (on FS1)
Daniel Kelly (186) vs. Chris Camozzi (186)
Damien Brown (154) vs. Jon Tuck (156)
Rich Walsh (171) vs. Jonathan Meunier (171)
Ben Nguyen (126) vs. Geane Herrera (125)

Prelims (on UFC Fight Pass)
Dan Hooker (146) vs. Jason Knight (145)
Marlon Vera (144) vs. Ning Guangyou (146)
Yao Zhikui (127) vs. Jenel Lausa (125)*

*Zhikui was given two hours to lose one pound.

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