His title is no longer on the line, but Australia's UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is still promising to produce fireworks against Cuban Yoel Romero.
The fight at Chicago's United Centre on Sunday (AEST) was supposed to be Whittaker's first defence, but was reduced to non-title status after the challenger twice failed to make the weight.
Whittaker came in right on the limit and can't lose the title even if he loses to Romero, who was still 90 grams above the limit on his second attempt.
Romero complained the local commission didn't give him the usual full two-hour period to cut all the excess weight after he initally scaled just under half a kilo over the limit.
The champion later made it clear he was focusing on the fight rather than the earlier dramas.
Whittaker, who beat Romero on points last year in a fight for the interim title, intends pushing the pace against his 41-year-old opponent.
"Pay attention - on Sunday I'm going to put on fireworks and I'll put on a show," Whittaker told AAP before Romero's failure to make weight.
"'I've been trying to increase my skill sets across the board so come the fight, you're going to see a collective gain of of all those which will result in me being better.
"I'm going to be a better version of me, he had a hard enough time dealing with the first one, we'll see how he handles the second one."
Whittaker's manager Titus Day said the loss of title status would take a little edge off the bout, which will go out live on Main Event, but his perfectly primed fighter was ready to deliver.
"He's had the best preparation he's ever had, so it's his moment to show the world how good a fighter he is," Day told AAP.
Romero could struggle to match Whittaker's work rate, especially given any extra exertions caused by his struggle to make weight.
But the champion's camp is well aware Romero is capable of a sudden decisive strike, as he showed in his last fight against Luke Rockhold, in which he also failed to make weight .
"Romero is still a massive danger, nothing has changed, he can knock a tree down with that punch," Day said.
"He (Whittaker) knows he has got to be really careful."
Whittaker is one of three Australians on a stacked card that includes a number of former world champions and current world ranked fighters.
Explosive Sydney heavyweight Tai Tuivasa fights former heavyweight world champiom Andrei Arlovsi, while American-based Queenslander Megan Anderson makes her UFC debut at featherweight against former bantamweight champion Holly Holm.
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