Nicolle Caliari Blows Past UFC 333 Strawweight Limit by 4.5 Pounds

Missing weight by half a pound is a miscalculation. Missing by 4.5 pounds is a lifestyle choice. Nicolle Caliari just tipped the scales at 120.5 pounds for her strawweight bout at UFC 333, completely blowing past the divisional limit and leaving her weekend in limbo.

For context, the non-title strawweight limit is 116 pounds. Showing up 4.5 pounds heavy means you aren't even in the same zip code as the division you signed a contract to fight in. It is the kind of massive miss that forces the commission, the opponent, and the sportsbooks to scramble while everyone figures out if a fight is actually happening.

"MMA Fighting reported the official weight at 120.5 pounds, noting she was 4.5 pounds over the limit."

Caliari has a documented history of hating this cut. She actually started her UFC run up at flyweight specifically because making 115 left her completely drained and flat on fight night. After dropping her first two fights in the Octagon to Ernesta Kareckaitė and Carli Judice, she moved back down to save her job and managed to submit Shauna Bannon in May.

That win apparently gave her a false sense of security about her relationship with the scale. Now she is scheduled to face Iasmin Lucindo, assuming the fight survives the morning. When a fighter misses by this much, the opponent has to decide if they want to step into the cage against someone who essentially skipped the hardest part of fight week.

If Lucindo accepts the catchweight bout, Caliari will forfeit a massive chunk of her purse and step into the Octagon with a serious size advantage but zero goodwill. If the fight gets scrapped, the UFC brass might find themselves forcing Caliari permanently back to flyweight, where she is currently winless.