Twenty-six fighters completed official weigh-ins Friday morning in Newark, New Jersey, ahead of the UFC 328 event [1].

These weigh-ins are critical to ensure all athletes meet contracted weight limits, maintaining the integrity of the matchups, and the safety of the competitors before the fight night on May 9 [1, 2].

The proceedings took place inside the Prudential Center [3]. Main event headliners Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland both stepped on the scale to confirm their weights for the bout [1, 2].

Most of the card successfully made weight, though one exception occurred. Jeremy Stephens missed his weight limit by four pounds [4]. This result follows a pattern for the fighter, who has not secured a UFC win in the past eight years [2].

In the co-main event, Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira faced a strict limit of 125 pounds for their flyweight title bout [2]. Both athletes met the requirement to ensure the championship fight could proceed as scheduled.

Staff from Sports Illustrated said, "26 fighters will step on the scale in Newark, NJ to weigh in for the event" [1]. The process is the final administrative hurdle before the athletes enter the cage for the Saturday event [1, 2].

“Jeremy Stephens missed by four pounds”

The successful weigh-ins for the main and co-main events ensure that the highest-profile fights of UFC 328 will proceed without the complications of catchweight adjustments. However, Jeremy Stephens missing weight highlights ongoing struggles for the veteran, potentially impacting his standing and the financial terms of his bout.