Thiago Alves missed weight for UFC 138 due to calibration problems

It seems that every time Thiago Alves is booked for a welterweight fight, the first question that comes to mind is whether or not he'll successfully make the 170-pound limit.

More often than not, it seems, the unfortunate answer to that question is a resounding no. There are many possible reasons for this, of course. Poor diet, little too much muscle packed on too small a frame, bad weight cut, inconsistent scales. 

Whatever it is, UFC President Dana White, as well as nearly every fan of fighting that pays attention to such things, finds it to be utterly unacceptable.

If you're a professional and you're job is to make weight, you make weight. Simple as that, right?

So when Alves missed weight yet again for his bout against Papy Abedi at UFC 138 tomorrow (Sat., Nov. 5, 2011) in Birmingham, England, the backlash came fast and furious.

"How can this possibly keep happening," fans wondered. As Alves' nutritionist Mike Dolce explains to MMAFighting.com, it was disheartening to see the Octagon faithful turn against "The Pitbull," especially since his explanation should be enough to satiate everyone.

"We had four different scales. Every scale had him between [1]69 [pounds] and [1]71 [pounds]. We were happy. It was an easy weight cut, he felt fine, high energy, bouncing around. We got to the weigh-ins and he was [1]72.3 [pounds] with his shorts on. He took off his shorts and he was [1]72 [pounds] on the dot. We were shocked, but hey, no problem. We walked off the scale, we went backstage, there was a sauna there, he sat in the sauna for a few minutes, then he took a pee, then we went back out and made 171 [pounds]. It was literally that simple. ... (It) sucks, because I see how hard this kid's working. He understands that he has to work his way back up the ladder, and he's doing everything correctly in his personal, emotional, professional, and financial life to make sure he makes a statement and makes a run in the welterweight division. Having something silly like this, to see everyone jump on him, you know, I understand why since he's had trouble in the past, but come on, the kid came back a half-hour later and made weight with a smile."

Despite the rather simple explanation, which will surely help Alves in his cause, there may or may not be repercussions for this latest issue.

That's because he's missed weight enough times in the past that Dana White all but told him he had to move up to 185-pounds or risk losing his job.

The Brazilian sweet talked his way back to the welterweight division but combine this latest scale snafu with the fact that he's lost three of his last four fights and something's got to give.

But will it be Alves? A loss to Abedi could be disastrous and, at the very least, will likely mark the end of "The Pitbull's" welterweight career. But would it mean the end of his Octagon career, as well?

Thoughts?