The UFC Has Just Fired A Fighter For Missing Weight, In New First

In a new first, the promotion has terminated a UFC fighters contract after he failed to make weight for his UFC debut. Pietro Menga is the latest casualty. Fight fan for years have called for more strict penalties for fighters missing weight, and the UFC's stance on this newcomer is about as stern as you can get. Ahead of this month's UFC on Fox 26 event, former UFC title challenger Tim Elliot caused a major stir by refusing to fight his overweight opponent. If you recall, Elliot made his contracted weight and requested the UFC pay him his full fight purse for it. Well, the fighter he was supposed to face, Pietro Menga, unable to come to terms with Elliot, didn't even make it to the scales, as he knew there was no point to even weighing in over the limit, for an opponent who had turned down a catchweight shift in their contract. Now, according to Ariel Helwani, that fighter has been released by the UFC, before ever making his UFC debut. Ariel reports, "In a bit of a stunner, @ItalianoMMA tells me he’s been released from the UFC. Missed weight after taking the short notice fight against Tim Elliott in Winnipeg. “Gutted but this setback won’t stop me from achieving my dream and lighting up that division,” he said. Surprising move. Yes, he missed weight and didn’t fight, but it was super short notice and he’s a big-time prospect in a division that could big-time prospects and personalities. Historically, mulligans are given in these cases but alas..." https://twitter.com/arielhelwani/status/946866108824297472 https://twitter.com/arielhelwani/status/946867043684323328 For more MMA News click here.