MMA is a sport that unfortunately is reliant upon a terrible practice, known as weight cutting. Fighters will dehydrate themselves down to uncomfortable and unhealthy weights in order to try and get down to a weight class that is far away from their walk-around weight.
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However, there are some fighters that will actually attempt to get down to those weight classes and fail completely. Whether it is because of the implications of the weight class miss, or the amount of the weight that is missed, there have been some weight cut failures in MMA that are worse than others.
10 Melvin Guillard (4 Pounds)
When Melvin Guillard was released from the UFC in 2014, he decided to head on over to the World Series of Fighting. Guillard quickly won his first bout, and despite missing weight by one pound for the bout, earned a title shot against Justin Gaethje for his lightweight strap.
Guillard missed weight badly for the fight, showcasing what would go on to be a theme in the latter half of his career. After missing weight by four pounds, Guillard went on to lose a split decision to Gaethje the following day and was released from WSOF.
9 Rampage Jackson (5 Pounds)
Rampage Jackson's return to Japan for UFC 144 was a big one. Matched up against light-heavyweight contender Ryan Bader at the event, Rampage not only lost the fight, but he also lost to the scale.
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Jackson on weigh-in day weighed in at 211 pounds, five pounds over the light heavyweight limit. Bader went on to easily defeat Jackson the following day via decision.
8 John Lineker (4 Pounds)
John Lineker's weight issues are well documented, eventually getting him kicked from the UFC after multiple failed weight cuts. However, his UFC 183 attempt for his fight with Ian McCall may potentially be his worst infraction when considering all of the factors.
Heading into the bout Lineker had already missed weight two times at flyweight, but he decided to make the attempt once more, only to miss by a whopping four pounds for the fight against McCall. The fight went ahead but Lineker was forced to give up 30% of his purse and was forced up to bantamweight afterward.
7 Anthony Johnson (vs Rich Clementi, 6 pounds)
Anthony Johnson's weight-cutting issues are as well documented as his punching power. Johnson's second UFC fight saw him take on Rich Clementi at UFC 76, and before fighting Clementi he lost to the scale badly.
Johnson missed weight by six pounds, and one day after losing to the scale he lost to Clementi. Johnson's weight cut had to have played a role as he lost via a lopsided second-round submission.
6 Mackenzie Dern (7 Pounds)
Mackenzie Dern's rise to contendership over the last few years has led many to forget her early weight-cutting failures to begin her career. Dern officially missed weight for two of her first five fights before being signed to the UFC, however, none were as bad as her miss at UFC 224.
Dern's fight for Amanda Cooper was not cancelled due to her weight miss, but she officially missed weight by seven pounds for the bout. On the bright side, she went on to win via submission the next day.
5 Charles Oliveira (9 Pounds)
Charles Oliveira's career resurgence as the lightweight champion has led many to forget why he was there in the first place. Oliveira missed multiple times at featherweight and was forced up to lightweight as a result, but the worst miss was the one that forced her up.
Oliveira missed weight by nine pounds for his fight against Ricardo Lamas in November 2016. The week went from bad to worse for Oliveira, as he lost via second-round submission.
4 Kelvin Gastelum (9 Pounds)
Kelvin Gastelum's showdown with Tyron Woodley at UFC 183 was meant to be a fight between two title contenders that could potentially have the winner get a title shot next. In the end, a lot of the stakes for the bout got derailed the day of the weigh-ins, as Gastelum missed weight horrendously.
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Gastelum missed weight by nine pounds and was forced to give up 30% of his purse as a result, in addition to losing the bout to Woodley the next day. However, in an absolutely boss move, Woodley declined the extra money, saying that Gastelum losing the fight was punishment enough.
3 Anthony Johnson (vs Vitor Belfort, 11 Pounds)
Anthony Johnson was actually released as a result of his horrendous weight miss. After missing weight multiple times at welterweight, he was forced up to middleweight, and his first bout was set for a brawl with Vitor Belfort at UFC 142.
Johnson missed weight by a staggering 11 pounds for the middleweight bout, and after getting submitted by Belfort was promptly released from the UFC.
2 Mayhem Miller (24 pounds)
Jason "Mayhem" Miller's MMA comeback at Venator FC was set to be his first bout in four years. Miller was set for a middleweight bout against Luke Barnatt, however, he ended up missing weight by a staggering 24 pounds. Instead, he was matched up with Mattia Schiavolin to fight at light-heavyweight.
Technically because he weighed in at 207 pounds, he missed weight for the light-heavyweight bout as well. He also went on to lose the fight to Schiavolin the next day via submission.
1 Aaron Cobb (54 pounds)
Former UFC and Bellator veteran Gerald Harris was set for a welterweight bout with Aaron Cobb at Legacy Fighting Championships in December 2016. However, the welterweight bout was turned into a heavyweight bout, as Cobb weighed in at 224 pounds.
The bout was turned into a heavyweight catchweight bout on a day's notice, as Harris had to stop his weight cut, eat loads of food and likely weigh in with stones in his pocket to weigh in at 208 pounds. Harris went on to knock out Cobb in the first round with a vicious slam.
