NSAC explains why Lee was granted extra hour to make weight for UFC 216
A rather dramatic turn of events left Bob Bennett with some explaining to do Friday.
After Kevin Lee came in 1 pound over - and was then given an extra hour to shed it - for his interim lightweight title bout with Tony Ferguson at UFC 216 in Las Vegas, the Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director told MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani that Lee was granted the leeway in accordance with the sanctioning body's regulations.
"Every fight, whether in boxing or MMA - it's in our reg(ulation)s that you have an hour to lose up to 2 pounds. Our regs supersede anybody else's," Bennett said.
Bennett said the rule in question applies to all fights sanctioned by the NSAC, regardless of championship implications or their place on a bill.
Lee tipped the scales at 156 pounds after cutting nearly 20 pounds in under a day, then was approved to weigh in once more in an hour's time by a pair of commission-appointed physicians, according to Bennett. The 25-year-old hit the mark the second time around, coming in at 154.5 pounds and thereby salvaging Saturday's main event.
The Detroit native appeared to have missed the 11:00 PT deadline to weigh in by one minute, although Bennett maintained he'd made it "according to my watch."
Lee meets Ferguson - who made weight without incident - Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.