LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting live from Monday’s official Dana White’s Contender Series 36 fighter weigh-ins, where all 10 fighters hit their marks for Tuesday’s card.
Dana White’s Contender Series cards see prospects fighting for the opportunity to sign a UFC deal, with UFC president Dana White on hand to make the decisions.
In the featured bout, a pair of Dana White’s Contender Series return to the show, with South African flyweight JP Buys (8-2) following up on a 2017 appearance to face Jacob Silva (6-3), who suffered a decision loss in his DWCS debut in August.
In terms of weigh-ins, the most interesting matchup takes place at heavyweight, where Diaz brothers protege Nick Maximov (5-0), who normally competes at light heavyweight, moves up a division to take on Mexico’s Oscar Cota (11-2). The two fighters weighed in on opposite ends of the heavyweight division, with Maximov at 209 pounds and Cota at 263.5, resulting in a rarely seen 54.5 pound weight difference between the two competitors.
The early weigh-ins took place at the UFC host hotel in Las Vegas. The UFC Apex hosts Tuesday’s card, which streams on ESPN+. Due to scheduling conflicts, the ceremony did not feature faceoffs between the fighters.
The full Dana White’s Contender Series 36 weigh-in results included:
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
- JP Buys (125.5) vs. Jacob Silva (125)
- Oscar Cota (263.5) vs. Nick Maximov (209)
- Gloria de Paula (115.5) vs. Pauline Macias (115)
- Sherrard Blackledge (155) vs. Tucker Lutz (155.5)
- Chelsea Hackett (126) vs. Victoria Leonardo (125)