Justin Tafa Misses Weight: What Happened and How Can We Prevent This?
Justin Tafa weighing in at 267 pounds. He is the first person in the UFC to miss the heavyweight limit.
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To be honest, this comes as a shock to many fight fans heading into the card. While we had a brief stint with Greg Hardy, who has shown a rather lazy or slacker attitude towards the sport, Justin Tafa was one of the few people nobody expected this kind of behavior from. During his weigh-ins today, Justin Tafa ended up weighing 267 pounds. The worst part about it, though? He didn’t attempt a second reading.
This is disappointing, considering the words exchanged by Tafa days before this occurrence.
This doesn’t bold well for Tafa, either, as he isn’t exactly in the UFC’s best limelight. In his last 5 fights, Tafa has ended up with 2 victories and 3 defeats. Just imagine if he were to lose this bout as well, to a similarly padded opponent, who was able to make the weight.
Who does this bode well for, however? Why, none other than his opponent, Harry Hunsucker. Though not top-level, Harry is a scrappy fighter. Should he win this fight, it would boost his career. If he loses, the chances of him getting cut diminish. With either outcome, however, Harry will still find himself a few dollars richer, especially with Tafa’s purse deduction.
The question is though: How do we stop this from becoming a regularly occurring thing?
For most, heavyweight seemed like a division where it was almost IMPOSSIBLE to miss weight. I mean, it’s a division spanning over 40-50 pounds. However, it seems that the fifty pounds were just too little for Tafa to work with.
I think the punishment fighters receive is far too lenient for something of this caliber.
Sure, fans are familiar with the idea of cutting weight, and how many fighters do not truly walk around with what they show up at the scales as.
However, this is a contract most fighters HAPPILY agree upon. They spend many months, and plenty of their hard-earned cash to prepare to drop down to the scales for the agreed weight. To show up overweight for any reason, other than sickness such as COVID, seems inexcusable.
The worst part about it is that some fighters proudly flaunt their inability to follow these agreements. Look at how Stephens and Costa reacted for a little bit of what I mean.
In my opinion, it’s no longer enough. Taking a simple 20% is no longer enough to keep fighters from making these mistakes.
I wouldn’t mind seeing jobs being lost for blatant behavior like this. However, a familiar idea has been lurking around the MMA scene for quite a while. One that I wholeheartedly agree with.
Deduct more of their pay. Fighters already have a tough enough time making ends meet as it is. However, if you show fighters who blatantly disregard the regulations that their actions will not be tolerated by forcing their hand, the issue, in my opinion, will resolve itself quickly.
It’s sad to say, money is the only language a lot of people understand these days. And for what Dana pays, it’s sadly a language most fighters will spend their whole lives trying to understand.
Honestly, even with the blunder at the scale, however, I hope to see how Tafa and Hunsucker perform tomorrow night. Tafa will have a bit of a chip on his shoulder, as this fight is essentially a fight to keep his job. With Hunsucker, however, comes the opportunity to gain a bit of credit as the more disciplined and technical fighter.
As of right now, odds still open favorably for Tafa at -350. Hunsucker will have a +255 underdog odds.
While not the most exciting bout on the card, I think this will be a fight that brings that “Just Bleed” mentality a lot of fans expect from the sport, even as it evolves into a more cunning and beautiful thing.
Who do you guys think is going to take the victory home? Leave a comment down below!
