Weigh in photos here:
http://www.ufc.tv/multimedia/photoGallery.asp
Report from a UFC fan here:
Now, it?s on to the weigh-ins. Things went smoothly at the weigh-ins with two notable exceptions. In a bizarre turn of events, both Evan Tanner and David Terrell missed the required 185-pound weight limit for their middleweight title fight. Tanner weighed 187.5 pounds, while Terrell bested him by tipping the scales at a robust 188 pounds. Both men will have two hours to try and work off the excess pounds in the sauna.
Here are the actual results from the Mandalay Bay Theater (which was completely packed with fans):
Tito Ortiz (204.5 lbs) vs. Vitor Belfort (205 lbs)
A sweaty Ortiz actually ran onto the stage about an hour before the weigh-ins to check his weight. He was obviously on the tail end of his cutting efforts, and appeared to be right on target.
When two fighters returned at a little past 4 PM to weigh-in, it was intense. Belfort stepped on the scale first. Wait until you see the photos (coming shortly). "The Phenom" was a ripped and dry as I?ve ever seen him in his entire career. Unlike for his previous two championship fights against Randy Couture, Belfort did not have a piece of fat or an excess piece of skin to be found anywhere. He was completely shredded.
Tito Ortiz weighed-in second and was his usual ripped self. He didn?t look like he had to cut as much weight compared to the Liddell fight when Ortiz showed up at 201 pounds and looking extremely thin in the neck area. This time Tito looked very big and ready to go.
The crowd heckled Ortiz a bit before he stepped on the scale and he mimicked a cry baby sign toward them. He was calm, relaxed and completely at ease with himself.
During the stare down, the fighters actually had to be separated. Ortiz got right in Belfort?s face in an obvious attempt at intimidation. Belfort, however, did not back down an inch. He seemed more focused, if not angry, than he has since the Marvin Eastman fight, when The Phenom did not take kindly to Eastman?s antics. Again, "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" seemed ultra confident and ready to go. There was no handshake. This will be a great fight.
Andrei Arlovski (238 lbs) vs. Tim Sylvia (263 lbs)
The man from Minsk, Belarus came in very big and muscular for his interim championship fight. He also sported very long hair and a rather full goatee, which raises the obvious question of whether he will be allowed to enter the Octagon with it. The rules state that a beard may not act as additional padding. Stay tuned.
Sylvia was ultra relaxed and ready to go. Before he stepped onto the scales, someone in the crowd yelled, "Tim ain?t on the juice no more!" The former champ simply chuckled and stepped onto the scales and a ready 263 pounds.
Just as with Ortiz-Belfort, the stare down for Arlovski-Sylvia was intense with Dana White stepping in between the fighters as they got ever so close to each other. Also, there was no handshake or acknowledgement between the men. It almost seemed as if there was some bad blood brewing.
Evan Tanner (187.5 lbs) vs. David Terrell (188 lbs)
With both men weighing-in above the championship limit, there was no pre-fight stare down. Instead, each man went off to continue cutting weight. Although they were both over weight, each man looked shredded to the bone. This wasn?t a case of under preparation for either man. Instead, they obviously miscalculated their water intake.
Tanner, sporting extremely long hair and a skull cap, seemed to be amused by the fact that he was overweight. Unlike Terrell, Tanner hit the traditional double-bicep pose before exiting the stage. There is little doubt that both men will make weight in the allotted time.
Phil Baroni (185 lbs) vs. Pete "Drago" Sell (183 lbs)
Drago weighed in first and looked very full and muscular as one would expect for a guy who didn?t have to cut much, if any, weight. When he was on the scale, someone screamed, "You?re a dead man, Sell!" Drago just took it in stride and seemed unconcerned.
The New York Bad Ass weighed-in second and made a production out of the event. He showed up fully dressed in a New York outfit and took his time getting unclothed for the weigh-in. Whether it was gamesmanship or not, Baroni was very deliberate during the process.
He actually tried to step on the scale wearing a t-shirt and baggy shorts, probably to hide his physique. He was overweight, so Baroni stepped off, removed his shirt and shorts and weighed-in right on the button. Folks, this wasn?t the thin, streamlined Baroni from the last Tanner fight. Rather, it was a very thick and cut Phil Baroni. When these two step into the Octagon, Baroni will likely outweigh his opponent by 15 pounds.
Again, there was on handshake or acknowledgement. The stare down was extremely intense with a relaxed and extremely confident Baroni almost seeming to shrug off his opponent.
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Justin Eilers (225 lbs) vs. Paul Buentello (247 lbs)
Buentello weighed-in first and wore his t-shirt during the process. When he removed it for the stare down, he seemed a little soft around the middle, but that is typical Paul Buentello. He is just a big guy who doesn?t get lean, but those close to him say he is in excellent shape.
Justin Eilers came in looking very good and very relaxed. As a sign of respect, both fighters shook hands and nodded to each other after the stare down.
Preliminary Fights
Karo Parisyan (170 lbs) vs. Chris Lytle (170.5 lbs) ? both men looked to be in great shape and both showed respect toward the other. Lytle?s extra half pound is meaningless since this is a non-title fight.
Nick Diaz (170 lbs) vs. Drew Fickett (170 lbs) ? Diaz was ultra ripped. Fickett, who also appeared to be in great shape, seemed to be more muscular, although somewhat shorter. Both men seemed confident as Fickett pounded Pedia-lyte before the stare downs. Diaz turned and walked away after the pose down without acknowledging his opponent, which seemed to irk Fickett.
Mike Kyle (242 lbs) vs. James Irvin (224 lbs) - Again, both fighters looked relaxed and ready. What was shocking, however, was the relative size differential between the two fighers. Kyle absolutely dwarfed Irvin. It was shocking. It will be interesting to see how the betting lines react after such a noticeable size differential.
David Loiseau (184.5 lbs) vs. Gideon Ray (180 lbs) ? Talk about size mismatches! Loiseau absolutely dwarfed his opponent, who typically fights at 170 pounds. Ray was extremely thick with full muscle bellies ? a sure sign that he did not have to cut weight. He is built similarly to Marvin Eastman, a veritable ton of bricks. But Loiseau actually cut from 200 pounds, so there will likely be a 20-pound weight differential come fight time and there?s already a very noticeable height differential.
After the weigh-ins, InsideFighting spoke with Drago Sell?s team. Matt Serra, Ray Longo and Sell all seemed very relaxed as they were exiting the Theater. Serra said he looked forward to a great fight and Sell was extremely polite and respectful when saying hello. All in all, the team seemed ready to go.
Also on hand at the weigh-ins was middleweight star Rich Franklin. The UFC has a big announcement to make this weekend involving Franklin. After Ken Shamrock came on our radio show and acknowledged that Franklin was being considered as his next opponent, it seems likely that the UFC is poised to announce that fight as the headliner for the April 9th show.
i bet sylvia.. 