Sean Shelby had to separate Bisping (left) and Thales (right). Photo: Reproduction
When an athlete is selected to face Michael Bisping, he already knows that, in addition to being an opponent in the Octagon, he must also be prepared to hear a lot of provocation, thanks to the Brit's acidic style. Even aware of this, the Brazilian Thales leites He did not miss the official UFC Scotland weigh-in, held this Friday morning (17) in Glasgow, and responded in kind to Bisping's insults. After making weight, the two almost started fighting on stage and had to be restrained by their corners and the Ultimate team.
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In his sixth fight since returning to the Octagon, Thales, who is undefeated since returning to the biggest MMA organization on the planet, had no difficulty performing within the limits of the middleweight division. The Brazilian weighed 84 kg with ease and positioned himself in front of the matchmakers Sean Shelby, who followed the stares, just waiting for his rival.
Despite the rivalry between England and Scotland, Bisping received great acclaim from the crowd when he stepped on stage, and he responded by cheering a lot. The “Count”, as he is known, also had no problem weighing the same 84 kg and confirmed the main duel of the Octagon’s debut on Scottish soil.
When he came face to face with his opponent, however, the “old Bisping” showed up and the Englishman began firing a barrage of provocations at Thales. The Brazilian, in turn, responded in the same tone and started a heated discussion. On several occasions, it was even possible to see that the Nova União athlete asked Bisping not to touch him. Finally separated, the two still exchanged threats with their index fingers raised, pointed at each other until the moment they left the stage.
In an interview with narrator Mike Goldberg, Thales leites he said that, despite the small confusion, he is prepared to deal with the rival's strong psychological attack and was confident of another triumph. “I'm very confident, I have a very strong mental game and I will definitely beat him,” he assured.
Bisping, in turn, made a point of thanking the Scottish public, but didn't miss the chance to needle the Brazilian. “People from Scotland, thank you for coming. I'm really happy to be here and represent the United Kingdom. This guy here is finding himself and I'm going to show you what you paid to see. Thank you, Glasgow!” he said.
Brazilians gain weight easily
First Brazilian to step into the octagon, Leonardo Macarrão He had no trouble making weight. The TUF Brazil 1 veteran reached the 70,3 kg limit for the welterweight category and celebrated a lot, still on the scale. His rival, the Scottish Stevie Ray, of course, received a lot of praise from the local fans when he stepped on stage. “Coração Valente”, as he is known, also had no difficulty making weight and confirming the duel that opens the preliminary card.
Another Tupiniquim representative on the Scottish main card, veteran Ivan Batman had even less difficulty confirming his duel against Joseph Duffy. Batman weighed 69,9 kg, about 400 g less than the lightweight division limit. Duffy, known for being the last executioner of Conor McGregor, scored 70,3 kg and won the duel.
Female couple catches fire
JoJo (left) and Cortney (right) in a tense look. Photo: Reproduction
Only female representatives in the octagon for UFC Fight Night 72, Joanne calderwood and Cortney Casey had one of the most tense confrontations at the weigh-in. After confirming the weight, with 51,7 kg for Casey and 52,1 kg for Calderwood, the two even offered a greeting, but quickly stared at each other and even put their noses together, making the atmosphere heat up. The duo will face each other in the third fight on the main card.
Check out the UFC FN 72 weigh-in results below:
MAIN CARD
Average weight (up to 84 kg): Michael Bisping (84 kg) x Thales leites (84 kg);
Light weight (up to 70,3 kg):Evan dunham (70,7 kg) x Ross Pearson (70,3 kg);
Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Joseph Duffy (70,3 kg) x Ivan Batman (69,9 kg);
Straw weight (up to 52,1 kg): Joanne calderwood (52,1 kg) x Cortney Casey (51,7 kg);
Welterweight weight (up to 77,1 kg): Leon edwards (76,7 kg) x Pawel Pawlak (77,1 kg);
Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Leonardo Macarrão (70,3 kg) x Stevie Ray (70,3 kg).
PRELIMINARY CARD
Flyweight (up to 57 kg): Paddy Holohan (57,1 kg) x Vaughan Lee (57,1 kg);
Light heavyweight (up to 93 kg): Ilir Latifi (93,4 kg) x Hans Stringer (93 kg);
Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Mickael Lebout (70,3 kg) x Teemu Packalen (70,3 kg);
Featherweight (up to 66 kg): Paul Redmond (65,8 kg) x Robert Whiteford (66,2 kg);
Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Marcus Brimage (61,7 kg) x Jimmie rivera (61,2 kg);
Heavyweight (up to 120 kg): Chris de la Rocha (111,1 kg) x Daniel Omielanczuk (109,8 kg).
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