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MMA

07th Apr 2017

The perfectly good explanation why Daniel Cormier was allowed to weigh-in twice

High drama

Patrick McCarry

Now, all we need to know is how the hell Daniel Cormier was able to drop 1.2 pounds in less than three minutes.

There was high, hectic drama in Buffalo, earlier today, when UFC light heavyweight champion appeared to be out of UFC 210.

Cormier arrived with less than 10 minutes to go for the weigh-in and stripped down behind a towel before stepping on the scales. Naked as the day he was born, Cormier weighed in at 206.2 pounds. There is a 0.5lb allowance but Cormier was short of that.

Somehow, and we don’t know how yet, Cormier was able to leave the room and return less than three minutes later. He stepped up again and was 205lbs on the button.

How was ‘DC’ allowed weigh-in, miss weight and then weigh in again?

Handily, The New York State Athletic Commission put up executive director Tony Giardina to explain the whole affair. The NYASC, it seems, allows championship fighters a second chance to weigh-in. These are not UFC rules but they are superseded by the host commission. Giardina said:

“The policy of the athletic commission, in championship bouts, is to allow fighters to get on the scale a second time if they don’t make weight the first time.

“He is allowed, according to commission policy, two hours to get back on scale. He came back a short time after and he weighed in at exactly 205. So, according to the commission policy, it’s a legal weigh-in.”

If Cormier had not been defending, or fighting for, a belt, his only option would be to drop every stitch of clothing and go again.

Considering Cormier was already naked as a jaybird, he is fortunate that he was able to leave the room. What he did in those couple of minutes, we’d love to know.

However, if you look at how lightly Cormier was holding the towel second time around, that probably explains it.