Vinc Pichel castigates Ismael Bonfim after UFC cancellation: “I decided to take away his ability to fight and earn money”

Vinc Pichel is not satisfied with the blunder of his opponent Ismael Bonfim on Friday in Sao Paulo.

Hours after Bonfim’s weight loss during official UFC Fight Night 231 weigh-ins, Pichel (14-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) released A declaration who expressed his dissatisfaction. Bonfim (19-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) missed 3.5 pounds and didn’t weigh in again. Pichel initially weighed 157, but used the extra time to come in at 155.5, under the lightweight limit.

Shortly after the fighters hit the scales, the promotion announced that the fight was canceled. Although it was not explicitly stated, Pichel indicated that he declined the fight in order not to become complicit with an opponent who would not fulfill his contractual obligations.

“So, as you know, my fight is canceled,” Pichel wrote. “My opponent didn’t even try to make weight and I decided to take away his ability to fight and earn money for this lack of professionalism which I’m sure he regrets. I am very responsible for myself and he showed none by his actions and by lacking so much leverage that I decided to give him some for his actions. I’m sorry to everyone who was excited to see me fall and also happy to spoil the negotiations against me at the same time. In my 15-year career, I have never missed weight. If my decision upsets you, I’m sorry but there is no one to blame but my opponent. You’ll see me fighting again soon!

Pichel, 40, has not competed since a March 2022 loss to Mark Madsen that ended a three-fight winning streak. Bonfim won 13 fights in July when he was submitted by Benoit Saint-Denis.

The full UFC Fight Night 231 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)

• Jailton Almeida vs. Derrick Lewis

• Gabriel Bonfim against Nicolas Dalby

• Don’Tale Mayes vs. Rodrigo Nascimento

• Caio Borralho vs. Abus Magomedov

• Armen Petrosyan vs. Rodolfo Vieira

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

• Elves Brener vs. Kaynan Kruschewsky – contract weight 165 pounds

• Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos

• Modestas Bukauskas vs. Vitor Petrino

• Denise Gomes vs. Angela Hill

• Montserrat Conejo vs. Eduarda Moura – catchweight 119.5 (missed weight by Moura)

• Marc Diakiese vs. Kaue Fernandes

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 231.

Story originally published on MMA Junkie