Phil Rowe Nearly Misses Weight, Then Makes Mark for UFC Houston Bout with Jean-paul Lebosnoyani
Phil Rowe was briefly in danger of missing weight for his scheduled welterweight fight with jean-paul lebosnoyani at UFC Houston, but a second attempt at the scale brought him into compliance. The sequence preserved a card adjustment made on short notice and kept the matchup intact for the event this weekend.
Development details — Jean-paul Lebosnoyani
At the official UFC Houston weigh-ins, Rowe initially stepped on the scale at 172 pounds, one pound over the non-title welterweight limit that includes the standard one-pound allowance. Jean-paul lebosnoyani registered at 170. 5 pounds on his first attempt. After the initial miss, Rowe was granted a second attempt and recorded 170. 5 pounds, meeting the limit and clearing the way for the bout to proceed.
Rowe's earlier weight history is relevant: he had failed to make weight by 2. 5 pounds on two prior UFC occasions, coming in over the limit before knockout wins against opponents in those bouts. This was his most recent chance to avoid another miss at the scale.
Context and escalation
The matchup had already been altered prior to weigh-ins when Austin Vanderford withdrew from the scheduled pairing for undisclosed reasons. That withdrawal prompted Rowe to accept the fight on roughly a month’s notice, creating a compressed preparation timeline that likely contributed to the tense weigh-in moment. The UFC sanctioned the second scale attempt that allowed Rowe to meet the contracted limit for the contest.
Other headline weigh-in figures underscored a mostly routine scales session heading into the event: middleweight Sean Strickland weighed 185 pounds and Anthony Hernandez used the one-pound allowance to hit 186. A selection of other official readings included Dan Ige and Melquizael Costa at 145. 5, Serghei Spivac at 251. 5 against Ante Delija at 239, and Michel Pereira at 186 against Zachary Reese at 185. 5.
Immediate impact
Rowe making weight has immediate contractual and competitive consequences. By hitting 170. 5 on his second try, he avoided the penalties and possible cancellation that accompany an official miss and preserved his eligibility to compete against jean-paul lebosnoyani. The successful second attempt kept the bout on the card and maintained the integrity of the matchup that was rebooked after Vanderford's withdrawal.
For Lebosnoyani, who weighed 170. 5 on the first attempt, the outcome eliminates the need for last-minute negotiation over fines or catchweight arrangements that could have followed a confirmed miss by Rowe. Promoters and athletic officials can proceed with the scheduled fight without further administrative changes tied to weight compliance.
Forward outlook
The fight between Rowe and jean-paul lebosnoyani remains scheduled for Saturday at UFC Houston. With both fighters cleared on the scale, the next confirmed milestone is the bell for the bout itself on the event card. Officials and the fighters will move from the weigh-in protocols to final preparations and medical clearances ahead of the contest.
What makes this notable is the combination of a late booking and a prior history of missed weights for Rowe, which together raised the stakes of the weigh-in and underscored how a single pound on the scale can determine whether a fight proceeds as planned.
