Ricco Rodriguez is out of Friday night's Shark Fights 17 scheduled co-main event in Frisco, Texas after an alleged miscommunication in weight stipulation left him potentially facing an opponent nearly 30 pounds heavier than him.Rodriguez's manager Ken Pavia confirmed to MMA Fighting that he would not be participating in the planned fight against Karl Knothe.
Apparently though, event promoters and their broadcast partners are still hopeful of keeping him on the card.
The problem stems from weight issues.
At Thursday night's weigh-ins, Rodriguez tipped the scales at 227.75 while Knothe checked in at 253.75.
According to Pavia, Rodriguez, who has been working towards a possible move to light-heavyweight, had a contract stating the fight would be contested at a 230-pound catchweight. Meanwhile, Knothe believed it was a heavyweight fight. Rodriguez dieted and cut to make the weight, only to be at a big size disadvantage.
Given the difference, he elected not to fight.
Meanwhile, Andrew Simon, CEO of Shark Fights' broadcasting partner HDNet Fights, told MMA Fighting that there could potentially be an opponent switch, but that for now, Rodriguez was not out. Simon said that Rodriguez may stay on the card, facing someone other than Knothe.
Pavia though, said otherwise.
"I spoke to Ricco 30 minutes ago," he said. "They offered more money to fight the big guy and he said no. He dieted and cut for this."
Whatever the case, the show's main event is still on. In that bout, Jake Rosholt and Matt Horwich square off in a rematch of their November 2010 fight, which Horwich won via third-round TKO.
Get the latest gear
