Dana White and his matchmaking team are not immune to having their fight plans falling apart due to a multitude of reasons. UFC Atlanta, featuring Joaquin Buckley and Kamaru Usman in the main event, also could have seen a few matchups getting canceled. If you’re wondering why, well, the reason can lies with the controversial incident that took place during the weigh-ins.

Cutting weight is always the toughest thing for a fighter to do ahead of their scheduled fights. As such, few fighters struggled during the recent weigh-ins prior to UFC on ESPN 69. Let us first start with Joaquin Buckley. The surging welterweight star revealed recently that when he was fighting as a middleweight, he didn’t have to shed too many pounds. However, at welterweight, although he’s made it to the weight limit many times, Buckley looked like he struggled this time.

As MMA content creator Nolan Whalen pointed out on Instagram, when the 31-year-old stepped onto the scale, he looked a bit annoyed. While he made the 171-pound non-title welterweight limit, he didn’t seem like himself as he said, “Energy feels different, bro,” insinuating that he wasn’t used to feeling like that. Despite the scare, Dana White has his main event, and it will go down.

On the other hand, the UFC CEO had three other fighters, who also had pretty tough weight cuts. Sean O’Malley‘s former rival, Kris Moutinho, who’s taking on Malcolm Wellmaker in Atlanta, didn’t look too well when he stepped onto the scale after accepting the fight on short notice and making his UFC return. Moutinho still made the weight to fight his opponent, showcasing his professionalism.

It was then that things looked a bit scary when 27-year-old Cameron Smotherman stepped onto the scale for his weigh-in. Much like Kris Moutinho, ‘The Baby-Faced Killa’ had also taken his fight on short notice, so when he came to the weigh-in, he seemed as if he’d fall off due to a lack of energy. But perhaps the strangest scene at the weigh-in happened with Mansur Abdul-Malik.

The middleweight fighter was a pound over the weight limit when he first stepped onto the scale. He only had six minutes left to make the weight, and miraculously, he shed off that extra pound in a rather quick fashion and saved Dana White’s plans as he’s fighting on the main card. Well, the UFC CEO would be happy that the fighters were able to make it through despite some difficulties. But he had once mentioned that if fighters find it difficult to cut the weight, they should try to avoid it.

Dana White once spoke about tough weight cuts, which he claimed were unnecessary

Well, for a fight to be official, meeting the weight limit requirements is essential. And over the years, for a long time, the process of shedding the pounds often turns out to be a difficult one, as we’ve pointed out with the recent UFC Atlanta weigh-ins. Dana White understands that there is never an easy way to do it, but he does not think fighters should be taking too many risks because it’s not worth it.

“I don’t think the cutting weight process is ever going to be perfect,” Dana White stated back in 2013. “I don’t care what level you fight on. No fight is worth dying over. These guys who take diuretics and all these different things to cut weight, it’s crazy. If you can’t make the weight, don’t take the fight. There’s going to be plenty of fights out there.”

While Dana White suggests fighters not take the risk, the fighters would want to impress the UFC CEO with their professionalism because everybody loves a reliable fighter. But do you think fighters should engage in difficult weight cuts? Let us know in the comments down below.