UFC Vegas 121 Makes Cop vs. Convicted Felon Official Despite Huge Weight Difference

With just two days to go before UFC Vegas 121, Sedriques Dumas got a new opponent. After his opponent, Mickey Gall, was denied medical clearance for their middleweight bout, the UFC was in a bind—either salvage it or scrap it entirely. Thankfully for them, they found a replacement just in time. And it isn’t your typical matchup either.

Saturday’s Fight Night will now see a cop vs. convicted felon matchup, with DWCS prospect and Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputy Luis Hernandez stepping in on short notice to take on Sedriques Dumas. Hernandez is an active-duty Deputy Sheriff in Florida, while Dumas has a highly publicized, lengthy criminal record featuring 14 felony arrests and three convictions since 2014. Hence, the unofficial tagline for the new bout: ‘cop vs. convict.’

But the fight comes with a notable wrinkle.

Luis Hernandez weighed in at 204 lbs, while Sedriques Dumas came in at 197 lbs, leaving a seven-pound difference between the two fighters ahead of their clash, which will now be fought at light heavyweight.

The official weigh-ins for the Apex event recently concluded, with all 24 fighters across 12 bouts making weight. While Hernandez and Dumas were originally expected to compete at middleweight, the matchup was moved to 205 lbs after Hernandez accepted the fight on just two days’ notice. As such, he was unable to make the 185 lbs limit in time for the official weigh-ins.

With Mickey Gall being denied medical clearance to fight, it was either move the fight to 205 lbs against Luis Hernandez or completely scrap it. The UFC chose to keep the fight. However, as a result, we are looking at fighters entering the bout with a significant weight difference between them.

The seven-pound gap is particularly notable because both fighters have spent their professional careers competing at middleweight.

But this isn’t a first.

The UFC has previously made similar adjustments when circumstances have forced a matchup to move to a different weight class.

April 12, 2025, Miami, Fl, Miami, Fl, United States: MIAMI, FL – APRIL 12:Sedriques Dumas and Michal Oleksiejczuk meet in the octagon for a 3-round bout at UFC 314 – Volkanovski vs Lopes at Kesaya Center on April 12, 2025 in Miami, FL /PxImages Miami, Fl United States – ZUMAp175 20250412_zsa_p175_117 Copyright: xLouisxGrassex

One of the more notable examples came in October 2021, when the UFC moved Marvin Vettori vs. Paulo Costa from middleweight to light heavyweight after Costa encountered difficulties making the 185-lb limit.

Unlike Hernandez and Dumas, however, there was barely any difference between the fighters’ weights. Vettori weighed in at 204 lbs, while Costa came in at 204.5 lbs.

Weight discrepancies can become even more pronounced when a fighter misses the contracted limit by a significant margin.

For example, Simon Oliveira missed the 136-pound bantamweight non-title limit by eight pounds ahead of his fight against Luan Lacerda at UFC Rio last year. Oliveira weighed 144 lbs, while Lacerda successfully made weight. The UFC fined Oliveira 50% of his purse, with a portion going to his opponent, but allowed the fight to proceed.

Heavyweight fights naturally produce larger gaps because the upper weight limit is 265 lbs while the lower limit is anywhere above 206 lbs. Josh Hokit, for instance, weighed 233 pounds when he faced Curtis Blaydes, who came in at 261 pounds, at UFC 327 in Miami.

A seven-pound difference is therefore far less unusual at heavyweight. At 205 lbs, however, the gap between Hernandez and Dumas stands out.

And the size difference could become particularly relevant given the contrasting styles of the two fighters.

Who’s going to win this weekend’s Cop vs. Felon UFC fight?

At present, the Miami-based police officer is a mild favorite to defeat Dumas at UFC Vegas 121. Hernandez is a fresh addition to the UFC, having recently earned his contract after beating Hugo Guillon on Dana White’s Contender Series earlier this month. Dumas, on the other hand, has spent considerably more time in the cage, having fought in the UFC since 2023. 

Granted, having an advantage in weight alone doesn’t guarantee a win. But for a pressure grappler like Luis Hernandez, the added 7 lbs could be a blessing in disguise against a fighter like Dumas, who isn’t known for his ground game.   

Hernandez has already submitted 5 of his opponents, while remaining undefeated. That speaks to the Miami sheriff’s credentials on the ground, while Dumas has only 2 wins and 3 losses by submission, which screams inefficiency.

The extra weight would give the 30-year-old more strength to force grappling exchanges. In that case, it could be tough for Dumas to escape positions with his opponent constantly imposing heavy top pressure. In fact, there are plenty of fights where grappling-based fighters have managed to exploit a weight discrepancy.

Mackenzie Dern is one such example. The Brazilian missed the strawweight (116 lbs) non-title fight limit by 7 pounds against Amanda Cooper ahead of their UFC 224 bout in 2018. She eventually turned the weight to her advantage, dropping Cooper with a right hand, and then mauling her from top position before securing a rear-naked choke submission in the first round.

Another notable instance is when Ray Borg missed the flyweight non-title limit by two pounds against Rogerio Bontorin at UFC Fight Night 167 in 2020. Borg also leveraged his size difference on the ground and cruised to a dominant unanimous-decision victory.

So it seems Luis Hernandez will be brimming with confidence heading into his bout with Sedriques Dumas, knowing he can lean on his grappling to dominate and win the fight. With the unusual circumstances surrounding their matchup finally settled, the cop-vs.-convicted-felon storyline now moves from the headlines to the Octagon at UFC Vegas 121.

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