Minute by Minute: UFC 98 Weigh-Ins
By Jake Rossen (jrossen@sherdog.com)Forget doctor consultations across the oceans: What the Internet is really good for is watching dehydrated, dizzy adults spit into cups just so they can make weight for tomorrow night's UFC 98 festivities.
7:00 p.m. David Kaplan and George Roop step onstage. Roop is 154 lbs; Kaplan, sporting a bleached mullet that would shame Harold Howard, is 156.
7:03 p.m. Brandon Wolff is 170 lbs; opponent Yoshiyuki Yoshida is 171. Yoshida thoughtfully dons his shorts before the staredown.
7:05 p.m. Andre Gusmao shakes hands with Dana White before stepping on scales, a clear violation of procedure. He's 205; Krzysztof Soszynski, sporting more ink than an octopi tank, is 206.
7:06 p.m. Kyle Bradley clocks in at 156; Phillipe Nover, wearing shades, is a ripped 156.
7:08 p.m. Tim Hague is a bearish 263 lbs. Pat Barry strips down with alarming speed and skill to make 237.
7:10 p.m. Brock Larson, 171; Mike Pyle won't weigh in until later on due to his late-notice acceptance of the fight.
7:11 p.m. Xavier Foupa-Pokam is an intense-looking 186; a more reserved Drew McFedries is 185.
7:13 p.m. Frankie Edgar at 155. Sean Sherk appears carved out of stone at 156. The guy must drink his own tears.
7:14 p.m. Dan Miller is 185 lbs. Chael Sonnen, who had to cut 35-odd lbs. in three weeks, boldly weighs in wearing his credential. He's 186.
7:15 p.m. Matt Serra gets a good reception. He looks very fit. Hate was his teacher. 171 lbs. Matt Hughes gets a more mixed reaction, which prompts a smirk. He looks more like the Hughes of 2002-04, cut up and serious. 171. No violence.
7:17 p.m. Lyoto Machida steps on stage. 204 lbs. His typical physique: no Creatine bloat. Rashad Evans appears relaxed. His underwear has his web page URL on the waist band. Smooth. 205 on the nose.
The two shake hands. One of the best main events in memory.
7:20 p.m. Joe Rogan talks to Machida via Ed Soares, but Machida answers in English. "I train very hard for this fight. Please cheer for me tomorrow night."
Rogan tells Evans he thinks people underestimate his skill set. Evans will "do what I gotta do" to win.
Rumor Central: Hughes to Hang It Up, Win or Lose
By Jake Rossen (jrossen@sherdog.com)Friday, 3:50 p.m. ET: ESPN’s “MMA Live” had Stephan Bonnar on board this week, and he may have tipped Matt Hughes’ post-fight speech: according to Bonnar, Hughes told him Saturday’s bout with Matt Serra will be his last, win or lose.
If true, good for Hughes. The temptation to stick around past your athletic expiration date can be embarrassing in most sports; in MMA, it can lead to dehydration via being a bloody mess.
Hughes has seen the precipitous slides of Chuck Liddell and others: no one ages gracefully in the ring. If he has to fight, it’s likely to be against serial killers looking to make their name off his legacy. It proves nothing, and it means nothing.
Beating Serra and making your farewell speech without having to talk through a broken jaw is as good a way to go out as any.
Overeem Hospitalizes 5 Bouncers, Then Himself
By Jake Rossen (jrossen@sherdog.com)Friday, 10:45 a.m. ET: It’s funny how simple twists of fate -- or in this case, horrific street violence -- can prompt a change of plans: Alistair Overeem’s trainer Bas Boon told Fighter’s Only that Overeem damaged his hand by beating up five bouncers at a nightclub. The resulting infection forced him to drop out of a planned June 6 Strikeforce title defense. (Andrei Arlovski is his rock-solid replacement.)
Apparently, Overeem drew the ire of security when he didn’t have any euros to “pay the toilet woman.” (In Holland, having a full bladder apparently results in some kind of surcharge.) The argument escalated, and soon Alistair and brother Valentijn found themselves in a spontaneous sparring session.
“Three security guards dived onto Valentine and brother Alistair wanted to go back inside to help his brother,” Boon said. “This resulted in five security guards in the hospital."”
Sounds like an instructional waiting to happen.
Trigg Rebuffs Canseco
By Jake Rossen (jrossen@sherdog.com)Friday, 10:40 a.m. ET: Shy, monotone fighter Frank Trigg phoned MMAJunkie Radio Thursday to shoot the breeze and make with the confessions: he turned down debuting MMAer Jose Canseco’s plea for help in training.
“I just don’t want to be associated with him,” Trigg said. “… He hasn’t been doing anything… he’s been running on a treadmill.”
Superficially suspect, but consider that Canseco’s best chance against the 7’2” Hong-Man Choi is to run like Forrest Gump on amphetamines straight out of the ring, through the crowd, and right into an idling taxi.
HDNet airs this nonsense at 5 a.m. ET Tuesday. Ask your local cable operator for complimentary circus peanuts.
Flawless UFC Victories: Part V
By Jake Rossen (jrossen@sherdog.com)Friday, 3:30 a.m. ET: Concluding our series of headlining UFC bouts where the victor sustained little to no damage and made no missteps en route to mauling his rival. (Fights lasting less than two rounds don’t count, and only attention-grabbing bouts make the cut: Not falling into a mistake when you have the world watching is easier said than done.)
Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring (UFC 87, Aug, 9, 2008)
Heath Herring made a name for himself in Pride by dismantling proud wrestlers, waiting out the bottom game until a lull in action brought it back to his world. Mark Kerr and Tom Erikson both appeared near-invincible: Herring brought them down to Earth.
A little older, perhaps a little slower, Herring still had several advantages against the greener Lesnar: striking, good scrambling and a proven constitution. Only the latter mattered. 2-1 in MMA at the time, the NCAA standout Lesnar crushed Herring in the opening seconds, blowing his eye up with a right hand; he spent the next 15 minutes stifling Herring’s attempts to get up, punishing him with chopping punches and knees and completely smothering any chance whatsoever for Herring to mount an offense.
Lesnar earned a victory that was valuable in more ways than one. Having lost his UFC debut, he was under the gun to perform here. It wasn’t fireworks, but a pitch-perfect application of wrestling that delivered on any fighter’s absolute desire: go in, win and see the doctor only to ask how your opponent is doing.
Shine Fights II ‘ATT vs. The World’
By Mike Fridley (mike@sherdog.com)Friday, 3:05 a.m. ET: Following its debut in Columbus, Ohio, on May 9, Shine Fights has put together the particulars for the promotion’s sophomore effort, which takes place at the James L. Knight Center in Miami on Aug. 1.
According to Shine Fights matchmaker Ron Foster, “ATT vs. The World” will be headlined by a clash of UFC veterans as Jorge Patino takes on Roan Carneiro.
Shine Fights II “ATT vs. The World” Fight Card:
Jorge Patino vs. Roan Carneiro
Ryan Healy vs. Luiz Firmino
Flavio Alvaro vs. Jean Silva
Carlo Prater vs. Milton Vieira
Kyle Watson vs. Junior Assuncao
Anthony Morrison vs. Micah Miller
Vanessa Porto vs. Ediene Gomes
Dave Branch vs. Fabiano Capoani
Kami Barzini vs. TBA
Check the blog all day for more entries.