Will Brooks upset with 'unprofessional' Alex Oliveira after big miss at weigh-ins: 'This is your job'

PORTLAND, Ore. – Will Brooks was still cutting weight in the sauna when he received news UFC Fight Night 96 opponent Alex Oliveira had missed weight by a fairly hefty five and a half pounds for their lightweight bout scheduled for Saturday.

At today’s official UFC Fight Night 96 weigh-in, Oliveira (14-3-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) hit the scale at 161.5 pounds, way off the mark from the 156-pound lightweight limit. It was the largest miss of any UFC fighter who has failed to make weight this year, and naturally Brooks (18-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) wasn’t happy about it (via Twitter).

“I’m in the sauna right now,” Brooks said. “I just saw Alex Oliveira missed weight by five and a half pounds. Come on, man. That’s unprofessional. I take this serious, bro. I’m not in the business of not doing my job. My wife and my daughter can’t afford for me to miss weight, for the commission to take 20 percent of my paycheck. This is a profession. This is your job.”

UFC Fight Night 96 takes place Saturday at Moda Center in Portland, Ore. Brooks vs. Oliveira co-headlines the FS1-televised main card following prelims on FS2 and UFC Fight Pass.

Oliveira’s inability to make weight will cost him a 20 percent fine of his show money, which goes to Brooks, and makes the Brazilian ineligible for fight-night bonuses. It also could result in a permanent move to the welterweight division, where Oliveira had competed in four of his previous five UFC fights before deciding to move back down to lightweight for the UFC Fight Night 96 bout.

Brooks, No. 10 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, now will face the challenge of fighting a substantially larger opponent in what is his second UFC appearance. The former Bellator champion made a successful UFC debut at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale in April when he outpointed octagon veteran Ross Pearson to a unanimous decision.

Brooks had the option of canceling the fight due to his opponent missing weight, but came in on target at 156 pounds and agreed to a catchweight fight. Now he may be ready to take out some aggression on Oliveira on Saturday night.

“Be a professional, make weight,” Brooks said. “This is my problem with guys now. I get that it’s entertainment, but this is also a profession. This is serious business. I sacrificed a lot to get here. But I’m still in the sauna and he’s five and a half pounds over. I’m like point-8 over right now, but I want to make sure that I’m on point. That upsets me. That angers me. That pisses me off.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 96, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.