Manny Bermudez picked up his first victory since being released from the UFC – but his recent weight issues followed him to the regional scene.
A short-notice replacement for former UFC fighter Josh Grispi, Bermudez (15-2) stepped in to fight champion Bruce Boyington at tis past Saturday’s “NEF 42: Symphony of Destruction” in Portland, Maine.
Bermudez submitted Boyington by guillotine choke in 114 seconds.
Despite moving up to 155 pounds, Bermudez encountered the same problem which led to his UFC release in late 2019. Bermudez missed weight by 2.8 pounds (weighing 158.8 pounds), marking the third time he’s missed weight in his past four fights – all of which were scheduled at different weight classes.
The weight struggles began for Bermudez in his third bout for the promotion, at UFC on ESPN 1 in February 2019. Though he defeated Benito Lopez in signature first-round submission fashion, Bermudez missed the bantamweight limit by four pounds (weighing 140 pounds).
At UFC 241, Bermudez and opponent Casey Kenney had their bout moved to 140 pounds during fight week, under a mutual agreement by the two fighters. Bermudez hit the catchweight mark at 140 pounds.
In his final UFC bout to date, Bermudez moved to featherweight to fight Charles Rosa. Despite the new weight class, Bermudez missed the 145-pound limit by two pounds (weighing 148 pounds). After the fight, Bermudez was released by the promotion, despite having a 3-2 UFC record.
Bermudez, 25, has won all 15 of his professional victories by submission.
Check out Bermudez’s victory at NEF 42 in the video above.
