UFC Vegas 84: Manel Kape vs. Matheus Nicolau cancelled after Kape weight miss
The UFC Vegas 84 co-main event between Manel Kape and Matheus Nicolau has been cancelled after Kape’s weight miss, officials from the UFC and Nevada Athletic Commission confirmed to MMA Fighting on Friday.
Kape was 3.5 pounds over the limit for a non-title flyweight fight, which is 126 pounds. The UFC official said it’s unclear at the moment whether the bout will be rescheduled to a later date.
Initially, MMA Fighting reported the bout would proceed as a catchweight fight with Kape forfeiting 25 percent of his purse to Nicolau. But instead, the bout has been cancelled.
Kape and Nicolau was a rematch from a March 2021 meeting at UFC Vegas 21, and Nicolau defeated Kape via split decision. Kape has now missed weight twice at the scale for a flyweight bout, coming in three pounds over the flyweight limit for a bout with Ode Osbourne in August 2021.
A lightweight bout between Jim Miller and Gabriel Benitez could be moved up to the co-main event spot to UFC Vegas 84’s headliner, a light heavyweight title rematch between Johnny Walker and Magomed Ankalaev. The event takes place at UFC APEX in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN+.