Tonight’s UFC Fight Night 125 co-main event between John Dodson and Pedro Munhoz has been cancelled on short notice.
At yesterday’s early weigh-ins Munhoz struggled to make weight and eventually came in at four pounds over the bantamweight limit, at which point Dodson was asked whether he was willing to accept a catchweight fight and he refused.
““Originally, they told me he was three pounds [over] and I gave him the benefit of the doubt and said, oh, he’s 139? They said he’s more like 140-point-something,” Dodson said of his decision. “I’m guessing he’s in the ballpark figure around 141.
“He’s not bantamweight now, he’s a featherweight, first. Second, I made all the sacrifices and did my job to make weight and he chose not to.”
Dodson went on to explain that part of his decision to turn down the fight was based upon what happened the last time he agreed to compete against an overweight opponent.
“I did that with [John] Lineker. Lineker came in over weight and I was being a good company man, I’m just going to go ahead and fight him, do what I have to do, and just be excited about being the main event,” Dodson explained. “Lineker came over heavy. I clearly outstruck the man, but I came away with a loss, and I got screwed, so I wasn’t rolling the dice on that for a second time.”
Dodson was also mindful of the fact that this is the last fight of his current UFC deal, and so he didn’t want to risk damaging his negotiating power by potentially coming away with a loss.
The UFC have since confirmed that despite opting not to take the fight, Dodson will still receive a percentage of his purse and also his $10,000 sponsorship money from Reebok.
