ATLANTA – In one of the most emotionally charged UFC event weigh-ins in recent memory, both UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Rashad Evans made weight, making their UFC 145 title match official.
Jones checked in at the division’s championship limit of 205 pounds, while Evans was one pound lighter. The reaction from the live crowd at the Fox Theatre was mixed but loud for both, with Evans receiving slightly more support from the crowd. The audience was loud enough to mostly drown out both fighters as they gave their final pre-fight comments to announcer Joe Rogan.
After weighing in, the two went forehead-to-forehead and had to be separated. As they were backed away from each other, Evans barked at Jones, while the champion stared him down. Meanwhile, their cornermen Art Jones (for Jones) and Tyrone Spong (for Evans) got into the act as well, yelling from afar. After Evans addressed the crowd, he pounded his chest while screaming towards the crowd and at Jones.
The champion responded by saying he was ready to “tear some hearts out.”
Co-main event fighters Rory MacDonald and Che Mills had no problem hitting the mark, with Mills weighing 170 and the intense MacDonald just one-half pound lighter.
Heavyweight Brendan Schaub will have to overcome a 26-pound disadvantage in his fight with Ben Rothwell, who hit 263 on the scale, while Schaub was 237. That was a slightly larger differential faced by Chad Griggs, who at 228, was 22 pounds lighter than 250-pound Travis Browne.
John Makdessi was the only fighter to miss weight, checking in at 158 for his lightweight fight with Anthony Njokuani (156). Makdessi elected to forfeit 20 percent of his purse rather than attempt to cut the final two pounds.
UFC president Dana White was not present for the event, staying in Las Vegas for the night’s edition of TUF Live.
Main Card
Jon Jones (205) vs. Rashad Evans (204)
Rory MacDonald (169.5) vs. Che Mills (170)
Brendan Schaub (237) vs. Ben Rothwell (263)
Miguel Torres (135.5) vs. Michael McDonald (135)
Mark Hominick (145.5) vs. Eddie Yagin (144.5)
Mark Bocek (155) vs. John Alessio (155.5)
Preliminary Card
Travis Browne (250) vs. Chad Griggs (228)
Matt Brown (171) vs. Stephen Thompson (171)
John Makdessi (158) vs. Anthony Njokuani (156)
Mac Danzig (155) vs. Efrain Escudero (156)
Keith Wisniewski (170.5) vs. Chris Clements (169)
Maximo Blanco (146) vs. Marcus Brimage (145)