CABMMA releases statement on ‘Cyborg’ Justino's UFC Fight Night 95 weigh-in controversy

The Brazilian athletic commission today re-affirmed the official results from this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 95 in the wake of controversy over Cristiane Justino’s official weight.

“CABMMA states and reafirms that all athletes made weight, except Michel Prazeres, who was 2 pounds over the limit of his division, as officially announced on September 23rd,” stated CABMMA spokesperson to MMAjunkie in a prepared release.

Following Justino’s (17-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) second-round decimation of Lina Lansberg (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in the FS1-televised headliner at Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in Brasilia, Brazil, Sampaio also responded to videos that surfaced appearing to contradict Justino’s official weight of 141 pounds. Closeups of Justino on the scale indicated she was 141.5 pounds, or one half-pound over the allowance she was given for the non-title, catchweight fight at 140 pounds.

“Regarding Cris Cyborg, any variation/oscillation of the digital scale due to factors such as stage set, minor body movements, and clothing worn by the athlete, did not affect the reading and/or her limit to the determined catchweight, therefore fulfilling her contractual agreement with (the) promoter and commission’s license for the bout,” Sampaio stated. “The same protocol was applied to all 26 athletes for that event, including her opponent, Lina Lansberg.”

The title on Sampaio’s emailed statement read, “Final statement on the matter.”

It’s not the first time a headliner’s official number has clashed with on-the-ground reports. After now-former welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre’s dominant decision over Nick Diaz at UFC 158, a person close to Diaz released video footage of a UFC official telling his camp “off the record” that the fighters would be allowed an extra hour to cut weight, and if they were any tenth of a percentage over, the number would be rounded down.

After much controversy online and a complaint filed by the Diaz camp, the official result remained the same. Later, at least one official stepped forward to say it was common practice to round down in the case where a fighter was up to 4/10 of a pound over.

Justino’s weight was an ongoing concern the week of the fight after she revealed she had 24 pounds to lose to be within her allowed weight. There were conflicting reports about whether or not she was allowed one pound. However, MMAjunkie reported the UFC officials had granted the extra weight, and Justino was monitored to ensure she did not suffer any health complications as the result of her weight cut.

It was the Invicta FC featherweight champ’s second appearance at the proposed catchweight of 140 pounds, a number created for her by the promotion as an intermediate step before a potential showdown with now ex-champ Ronda Rousey. In two separate online documentaries, she detailed the immense suffering she underwent to lose those final pounds, at several points breaking down in tears as her teammates rallied around her.

Justino, however, made the weight, first for a UFC 198 meeting with Leslie Smith that ended in a first-round knockout; and then for this past Saturday’s fight. Justino’s power and explosiveness appeared unaffected by her extreme weight cut. Lansberg’s coach claimed that when she faced Lansberg, she was 170 pounds.

Although prior to her second 140-pound fight, she said she wouldn’t fight at the weight anymore, she reversed course after her win and welcomed “superfights” to entertain her fans. Meanwhile, UFC commentator Joe Rogan asked the promotion to open up a featherweight division so she wouldn’t suffer any more tough weight cuts.

For more on UFC Fight Night 95, check out the UFC Events section of MMAjunkie.