The seasoned Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Vinc Pichel has expressed his disappointment on social media following Ismael Bonfim’s severe weight deviation, which resulted in the cancellation of their UFC Sao Paulo fight. This was a frustrating setback for Pichel, as he was primed to step back into the Octagon and take on Bonfim, following a unanimous decision loss to Mark O. Madsen back in April 2022. This fight was specifically anticipated as a comeback for Pichel, as he was ready for a strong performance after his previous bout.
During the weigh-in process, however, complications arose. Mark O. Madsen registered at 155.5 pounds, just within the allowable limit for their weight class, while Bonfim recorded a weight of 159.5 pounds – an excessive 3.5 pounds beyond the acceptable range for their lightweight division. Consequently, the promotion team announced the cancellation of the much-anticipated match, which was scheduled to kick off the main card of the evening.
Following the announcement, Pichel took to Twitter to share his frustrations, accusing Bonfim of not even attempting to make the required weight. He publicly condemned the lack of professionalism and self-responsibility exhibited by Bonfim and decided not to proceed with a fight against an opponent who was so significantly over the weight limit. Pichel wrote, “My opponent didn’t even try to make weight and I decided to take away his ability to fight and make money for his unprofessionalism, which I’m sure he regrets.”
As for the future, it remains uncertain whether the UFC will schedule the same matchup in the coming months. However, Pichel is hopeful that he will at least receive his purse from the UFC, given he fulfilled his contractual obligations. He expressed this optimism in another tweet, stating, “I doubt the UFC would reward the guy who didn’t complete his contractual obligations more than the guy who did…But then again, they can basically do what they want but I trust them to pay me my purse.”