Rockhold and Bisping argued at a “staged” weigh-in. Photo: Reproduction
The UFC 199 weigh-in, this Friday (3), seemed like just one of many already held by the main MMA organization on the planet. The stage was the same as always, as was the protocol: fighters undressed, got on the scales, celebrated the milestone reached and went down to face their opponent. This time, however, there was something different: everything was just “theatre”.
See too
following the new California Athletic Commission rules, UFC 199 fighters participated in the official weigh-in in a closed room on Friday afternoon, late morning local time. Thus, during the ceremony held by the UFC, the weight reached hours earlier was only revealed.
This way, there were no surprises during the announcement of the affected brands. The two main fights of the night, which will put the middleweight and bantamweight belts at stake, were confirmed without any major surprises.
First, Dominick Cruz e Urijah faber took the stage. The champion noted the weight limit, 61,2 kg, while the challenger was 200 grams below. “This fight means a lot to me. This is my job. I'm one day away from punching you in the face, I can't wait,” said Faber, who heard Cruz's response soon after: “I'm ready to take this guy down and shut him up.”
Then, Luke Rockhold e Michael Bisping they confirmed the main duel of the night and discussed it during the confrontation – the Englishman even touched the champion. “I've been in the UFC for over ten years and I've fought with the best. I believe this is my destiny. There’s no one I’d like to steal the belt from more than this son of a bitch,” Bisping teased. Rockhold was more restrained: “I like feeling this atmosphere. I'm excited. He will understand what his destiny is: to stay behind a desk [and act as a commentator]”, he replied.
UFC 199 weigh-in results:
Medium: Luke Rockhold (83,9 kg) x Michael Bisping (83,9 kg)
Roosters: Dominick Cruz (61,2 kg) x Urijah faber (61 kg)
Feathers: Max Holloway (66,2 kg) x Ricardo Lamas (66 kg)
Medium: Dan Henderson (84,1 kg) x Hector Lombard (83,6 kg)
Mild: Dustin poirier (70,5 kg) x Bobby Green (70,3 kg)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Feathers: Brian ortega (65,7 kg) x Clay guida (66,2 kg)
Mild: Beneil Dariush (70,7 kg) x James Vick (70,5 kg)
Straws: Jessica penne (52,3 kg) x Jessica Andrade (52,3 kg)
Feathers: Cole Miller (66,2 kg) x Alex Caceres (66,4 kg)
Welterweights: Sean Strickland (77,5 kg) x Tom Breese (77,3 kg)
Light heavyweights: Jonathan Wilson (93,2 kg) x Luiz Henrique da Silva (93,2 kg)
Medium: Kevin Casey (83,9 kg) x Elvis Mutapcic (83,9 kg)
Mild: Polo Reyes (70,3 kg) x Dong Hyun Kim (70 kg)
Comments