Dana White Explains Why DWCS Fighter Who Badly Missed Weight Still Has Opportunity To Get Into The UFC

UFC President Dana White has explained why flyweight prospect Lucas Rocha will get a second DWCS booking after a bad weight miss this week.

Rocha was supposed to face Davi Bittencourt during last night’s episode of Dana White’s Contender Series at the UFC Apex. His fight was called off after Rocha missed weight by five pounds (131lbs) ahead of Tuesday night’s event.

Despite badly missing weight, the Rocha vs. Bittencourt fight will be moved to October 10th, one week after the weight miss. White is usually a hardliner when it comes to missing weight, especially prospects looking to get into the UFC.

White says the decision to give Rocha another shot was made by matchmaker Mick Maynard.

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Dana White Says Matchmaker Pushed To Reschedule Fight

During a recent press conference, White was asked why Rocha will get a second chance.

“So he missed the weight, Mick [Maynard] still wanted to do the fight, so we’re doing it,” White said. “You’re off to a bad start, kid, but we’ll see what happens. But I’ll definitely take that into consideration during the fight, too…Mick wants to do the fight so I’m doing it.”

Rocha doesn’t have a history of missing weight aside from this week’s debacle; even making strawweight earlier in his career. He attracted the UFC’s attention after five straight wins.

Rocha’s last fight clinched a spot on DWCS at LFA 159. He defeated Matheus da Silva by unanimous decision in a matchup of two impressive prospects.

The 28-year-old Bittencourt will enter Tuesday’s fight with a 14-3-0 professional record. He has won 10 fights in a row since his last defeat in 2021.

Rocha will look to take advantage of White’s generosity and secure a UFC contract next week.

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