UFC 246: Alexa Grasso's bout with Claudia Gadelha canceled, Brian Kelleher-Ode Osbourne moved to main card
Strawweight fighter Alexa Grasso attends the UFC 246 Ultimate Media Day on January 16, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Credit: Getty Images/Steve Marcus
LAS VEGAS — Strawweight contender Cláudia Gadelha's bout with Alexa Grasso on the pay-per-view portion of the UFC 246 card has been canceled after Grasso badly missed weight.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission made the decision Friday morning after Grasso weighed in at 121 1/2 pounds, missing the strawweight allowance by 5 1/2 pounds.
The bout has been replaced on the pay-per-view card by bantamweight veteran Brian Kelleher's bout with Jamaica's Ode Osbourne. Kelleher (19-10) and Osbourne (7-2) had been previously scheduled for the second fight of the entire show.
Because Gadelha made weight at 115 1/2 pounds, the weight difference between the competitors was too big to allow the fight to go on with a financial penalty for Grasso (11-3). Strawweight fighters must be only 3 pounds apart at the weigh-in to allow such a consideration, according to the commission.
"I worked so hard for this and I was so excited to put in a show for you all tomorrow," Gadelha wrote on her Instagram page. "We will run it back!"
Gadelha (17-4), who was slightly favored over Grasso by oddsmakers, fought for the strawweight title in 2016. The Brazilian veteran has won four of her six bouts since, including a victory over Randa Markos last July in Las Vegas in her most recent action.
Grasso also missed weight for a bout against Markos in August 2017. She has lost two of her last three fights, including a decision loss to Carla Esparza last September in her native Mexico.
Gadelha and Grasso were scheduled for the second fight on the five-bout main card at T-Mobile Arena.
UFC 246 is topped by Conor McGregor's return to the cage against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in a welterweight bout. Both headliners easily made the 170-pound limit, and no other fighters missed weight.
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