Report | Ray Borg being forced to bantamweight by UFC officials

Ray Borg will no longer be eligible to fight in the flyweight division after being forced by the UFC to move up to bantamweight.

“The Tazmexican Devil” Borg has endured trials and tribulations since signing to the UFC in 2014. His fighting career has been hindered with unfortunate illnesses, happenstances and injury. Borg was one of the fighters injured during Conor McGregor’s infamous bus attack targeted at Khabib Nurmagomedov. Borg has also faced many challenges outside of his UFC career. His young son has had multiple brain surgeries due to a condition known as hydrocephalus.

With many distractions including the health of his child, it may come as no surprise that over a quarter of Borg’s scheduled UFC bouts have resulted in missed weight. UFC Rio Rancho was no exception as the fighter weighed in at 129.5 pounds. The flyweight limit for non-title fights is 126 pounds.

At UFC Rio Rancho, he ultimately won the bout against Rogerio Bontorin by unanimous decision, but he had to forfeit 30% of his purse for missing weight.

Borg previously vowed to retire from the sport if he missed weight again, but it is reported that the UFC are taking matters into their own hands. Ranking panelist Erik Kowal is reporting that Borg is no longer eligible for the flyweight rankings, which implies he’s been forced to fight bantamweight. Ironically, he has previously missed weight for the larger weight category too.

We were just notified that the #UFC has requested Ray Borg be removed from eligibility in the flyweight rankings. He will be moving up to bantamweight.

— MyMMANews (@MyMMANews) February 16, 2020

Borg isn’t opposed to the bantamweight transitions, but insists on staying within the flyweight category.

“I truly feel like it’s just finding the right system,” Borg told MMA Junkie. “I’ve worked with so many weight-cut gurus, weight-cut dietitians, and I’ve tried always to pick things that I like from each one and tried to squeeze it all in one weight cut. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. I think it’s just finding the right weight-cut system that’s best for my career.”

“I don’t have a problem at 135; I can compete with guys that size,” Borg said. “It’s not something that’s out of the picture. I just feel comfortable at 125, and if I were to move to 135, I would have to find a way to get my body comfortable at 135 and not just 125.”

Ray Borg is confident he can succeed in the 125 pound weight division, but the decisive action of the UFC may have already forced his hand.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 2/17/2020.