Making weight with less than two weeks to prepare proved to be a bridge too far for Vanessa Melo.
The debuting fighter tipped the scales at 140 pounds at Friday’s UFC Mexico City weigh-ins, four pounds over the limit (including a one-pound allowance) for her bantamweight bout with Irene Aldana on Saturday. Melo is stepping in on just 10 days’ notice for Marion Reneau, who withdrew from the card for undisclosed reasons.
Aldana has agreed to accept the bout at a catchweight and Melo will be fined 30 percent of her purse, according to a report by MMA Junkie.