Rafael Estevam may be undefeated, but fans are losing patience — and fast.
At UFC Vegas 108, the flyweight contender scored another decision win, this time over veteran Felipe Bunes. But the spotlight quickly shifted from his hand being raised to the scale fiasco that preceded it. Estevam missed weight by a whopping 4 pounds — again — reigniting a debate that has followed him since day one: Should he even be allowed to fight at 125?
Despite remaining unbeaten in his UFC run, Estevam’s weight-cutting woes are now just as consistent as his win streak. Out of his four scheduled UFC bouts, he’s failed to make the 126lb non-title flyweight limit three times. And fans are furious.
The sentiment? It’s unfair and unprofessional.
Charles Johnson, one of Estevam’s past opponents, blasted him on X:
“Another boring Estevam fight. Gassing out again, missing weight egregiously again and sniffing jock straps. Dude ain’t made weight in three years. No respect.”
Rafael Estevam does this every fight.
– MISS WEIGHT 🚨
– OUT GRAPPLE OPPONENT 🚨
– Gets the Win 🚨
– We all forget he missed weight 🚨
Man I hate fighters like that.
— SU 🥋 (@Nolimitsu_) August 2, 2025
And he wasn’t alone. One fan chimed in under Johnson’s post with:
“Hopefully that hugging p—- gets cut, f—ing sport killer.”
Another fan posted under the official UFC account:
“Estevam ALWAYS Weight Above Contracted Limit. They need to punish this kind of behavior.”
Many are now calling for strict new rules: weight surprises, limits on how far above the class a fighter can be, and even automatic reclassification into a higher division. One popular fan comment read:
“When you miss weight like this you should never be allowed to fight at that weight again.”
Estevam’s UFC journey began with promise after a 2022 win on Dana White’s Contender Series — the same card that launched Bo Nickal. But since then, his repeated failure to make weight has overshadowed his actual octagon performances.
Even his one successful cut — against Jesus Aguilar in February — was after a 14-month layoff, leading critics to speculate whether he can ever reliably make 125 again.
Now the UFC has a problem: Can they justify keeping an unbeaten fighter who might be gaming the system — or is it time to send a message?
Honestly, it’s time to send a message. You either make weight or you don’t. If you don’t, you need to go up a weight class.
