Saturday night’s east coast vs. west coast lightweight battle is set.
Both New Jersey’s Jim Miller and California’s Nate Diaz tipped the scales at 156 pounds for their UFC on FOX 3 main event at Friday night’s weigh-ins, held at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
There was no animosity between the two, but neither was there any friendliness, as the duo squared off for their post weigh-in staredown but left the stage without sharing a handshake. If the moment proved anything, it was Diaz’s size advantage, as he towered over Miller, who was crouched in his usual fight stance.
“This is a huge fight,” said Miller (21-3). “You’ve got two of the baddest men on the planet locked in a cage and however it goes, wherever it goes, you guys are in for a treat.”
The stakes are a bit higher for Diaz (15-7). Earlier this week, UFC president Dana White said the win would likely earn him a title shot, though he would have a while to wait before cashing in that chip. Diaz, of course, isn’t looking past the roadblack standing directly in front of him.
“He’s tough, he’s a very good opponent,” he said. “I trained hard with the best team in the world, Team Cesar Gracie. I’m here to represent for my team and California.”
In the co-main event, surging welterweight Johny Hendricks missed weight on his first attempt by one-half pound, but after removing his shorts, made the limit, coming in at 170.5 His opponent Josh Koscheck was the same weight. Like Diaz and Miller, the two did not share a handshake or any words after squaring off on the side of the stage.
In a middleweight main card fight, both Alan Belcher and Rousimar Palhares checked in at 186 pounds.
In the night’s only heavyweight fight, Lavar Johnson (253) will have a nine-pound edge over Pat Barry (244) to go along with the height and reach differential. Johnson is 6-foot-4 with an 82-inch reach while Barry is 5-foot-11 with a 74.5-inch reach.
Flyweight John Lineker was the only fighter to miss weight on the scale, stripping naked but still registering 127. He has two hours to drop the final pound necessary to make the division’s limit.
Main Card
Nate Diaz (156) vs. Jim Miller (156)
Johny Hendricks (170.5) vs. Josh Koscheck (170.5)
Alan Belcher (186) vs. Rousimar Palhares (186)
Pat Barry (244) vs. Lavar Johnson (253)
Preliminary Card
Tony Ferguson (154.5) vs. Michael Johnson (156)
John Dodson (126) vs. Timothy Elliott (125)
John Hathaway (169) vs. Pascal Krauss (169)
Louis Gaudinot (126) vs. John Lineker (127)*
Danny Castillo (155) vs. John Cholish (155.5)
Dennis Bermudez (145.5) vs. Pablo Garza (145)
Roland Delorme (135) vs. Nick Denis (135)
Mike Massenzio (184) vs. Karlos Vemola (185)
* Lineker missed weight and has two hours to lose the additional pound.