The official weigh-ins for UFC Fight Night: Renato Moicano vs. Chris Duncan concluded on Friday, and while the main and co-main events are locked in, three fighters, including undefeated prospect Rafael Estevam, missed weight at the Meta APEX.
Estevam, who fights out of Brazil, stepped on the scale at 136.5 pounds for his scheduled bantamweight bout against Ethyn Ewing. This put him half a pound over the non-title limit of 136 pounds.
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This marks the third time Estevam has failed to make weight in just four UFC appearances. He previously missed weight twice at 135 pounds and once while fighting at 125 pounds.
(L-R) Ethyn Ewing and Rafael EstevamJeff Bottari-GettyImages
(Jeff Bottari-GettyImages)
Fight Proceeds at Catchweight
Watch the official weigh-ins here (via UFC on YouTube):
The UFC officially announced that Estevam’s bout will still be fought as a catchweight contest. As a penalty for missing weight, Estevam will forfeit 20 percent of his fight purse to his opponent.
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He has a tough fight ahead of him as he faces surging prospect Ethyn Ewing, who, despite only having one UFC fight in his career, was able to defeat another highly-touted bantamweight prospect in Malcolm Wellmaker.
Third Weight Miss in the UFC
The issues facing Estevam are not new. Following a massive four-pound weight miss in August 2025, he admitted to prioritizing training over the cut, stating in a post-fight press conference, “You have to either prepare yourself or focus on the weight.”
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Having also missed weight for his UFC debut in 2023, this latest blunder makes it his third UFC fight out of four total in which he fails to meet the weight limit. Despite his undefeated record of 14-0, this recurring half-pound weight miss on Friday threatens to derail his career momentum.
He made it to the UFC by securing an impressive ground-and-pound finish over Joao Elias on Dana White’s Contender Series:
His complete ground game and dynamic striking will still be entertaining to watch, especially against a tough and disciplined Ewing.
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The undefeated Brazilian, however, was not the only fighter who struggled on the scale.
Two More Fighters Miss Weight
Light heavyweight Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev initially weighed 207 pounds, one pound over the limit, though he later returned and successfully shed the extra weight.
Darrius Flowers was the third fighter to miss, coming in a half-pound over the lightweight limit at 156.5 pounds. Like Estevam, Flowers’ fight will proceed at a catchweight with a 20 percent fine to his purse.
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Darrius FlowersJeff Bottari-GettyImages
(Jeff Bottari-GettyImages)
With three defeats and zero wins in the UFC, Flowers faces the very real possibility of being cut from the promotion if he loses to veteran Lando Vannata on Saturday.
Main and Co-Main Weigh-In Results
In the main event, Renato Moicano and Chris Duncan both successfully weighed in at 156 pounds. The two American Top Team teammates will now square off in a five-round lightweight main event.
The co-main event also went off without a hitch, as top-ranked Virna Jandiroba and Tabatha Ricci hit their marks, weighing in at 116 and 115.5 pounds, respectively. Both fighters remain in the title conversation in the strawweight division heading into Saturday’s card.
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With weigh-ins officially in the books, the stage is set for UFC Fight Night. The event takes place on Saturday at the UFC Apex, with the main card streaming on Paramount+.
For Estevam, the pressure is now on to perform. If he loses to Ewing, he will have squandered a 20 percent purse penalty for a fight he didn’t make weight for.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the MMA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
