UFC Fight Night 281 Prelims Deliver 7 Winners as Harris Scores 1:40 KO

Q: Did multiple fighters missing weight tarnish the professionalism of the UFC's Oklahoma City event?

Not significantly, though it was a minor professionalism issue. Two fighters missed weight in Oklahoma City: Chase Hooper came in 1.5 pounds over the lightweight non-title limit at 157.5, and Ezra Elliott was also 1.5 pounds heavy at 147.5 for his featherweight bout. Both were penalized financially, with Hooper forfeiting 20 percent of his purse, and Elliott’s bout proceeded despite the miss. Those failures did interrupt a recent run of cleaner UFC weigh-ins and created avoidable late complications. Still, the broader event was not defined by the scale issues. The main and co-main event fighters made weight, the card went forward without major disruption, and the preliminary bouts delivered strong in-cage performances. Elliott, despite missing weight, won convincingly and set a new featherweight takedown record, while several other prelim fighters produced decisive finishes and competitive fights that kept the focus on competition rather than logistics. In practical terms, weight misses are viewed as a professionalism lapse because fighters are expected to meet contracted limits. Having two on one card is not ideal and does reflect poorly on preparation. But based on the available facts, it amounted to a blemish rather than something that seriously undermined the event’s overall professionalism or success.

3 articles · Updated · MMA Junkie · Jul 19

Seven preliminary bouts wrapped up in Oklahoma City, with Dione Barbosa, RJ Harris and Felipe Franco producing the card’s standout finishes before the main card.
Harris stopped Alvin Hines by first-round KO at 1:40, Barbosa submitted Anna Melisano with a rear-naked choke at 4:04 of Round 1, and Franco finished Levi Rodrigues Jr. by second-round TKO at 1:40.
The rest of the prelims went to the judges: Jose Delgado beat Austin Bashi, Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani edged Seokhyeon Ko, Ezra Elliott stayed unbeaten against Damien Anderson, and Alden Coria topped Stewart Nicoll.
Those results set the stage at Paycom Center for the 185-pound main event between former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and ex-welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.