(TICKLE FIGHT!! Photo via MMAMania.)
Though it lacked the shoulder-checking excitement of the UFC 148 weigh-ins, last night’s UFC on FUEL 4 weigh-ins were not without their fair share of close calls. Mainly, that of Rafael Natal, Francis Carmont, and Alex Caceres, who all had to drop trou in order to make weight for their scheduled contests with Andrew Craig, Karlos Vemola, and Damacio Page, respectively. Caceres went au naturale right off the get-go to make 136, whereas Natal and Carmont managed to shed a pound following the aforementioned removal of their trousers, which must have been lined with a paper thin piece of iron or had a ham sandwich in the back pocket. Mark Munoz, on the other hand, squeaked in at the 186 pound limit for his main event matchup with fellow wrestling standout Chris Wediman.
And speaking of ham sandwiches/UFC 148, Subway aficionado Jay Glazer sat down alongside Ariel Helwani and recently dispatched middleweight contender Chael Sonnen to break down tonight’s main event, as well as discuss Sonnen’s UFC 148 loss and his future in the sport after the weigh-ins had concluded. We gotta give props to Glazer, who came right out and asked Sonnen, “What the hell were you thinking with that spinning elbow?” to which Sonnen responded in good humor, “I wish I could tell you…but I fell down like a doofus and I gotta live with it.” That you do, Chael. That you do.
Check out both of those videos and the full weigh-in results after the jump, and make sure to swing by CagePotato at 7 p.m. EST, where we will be liveblogging all the action in between heated games of Battleshots.
Weigh-in Video (starts at the 10 minute mark)
Interview with Chael Sonnen
When asked on the perceived illegality of the knee in question, Sonnen stated that:
Here’s the reality. We don’t do instant replay in this sport and we shouldn’t. It comes down to a judgement call and wherever the referee says the knee landed, officially, that’s where the knee landed. That’s an excellent official as they all are; he made his call and that’s the way it goes, and I will never complain or look back.
Helwani immediately brought up the recent decision by Sonnen’s camp to appeal the fight verdict, as it seemed somewhat contradictory to what Sonnen had just said, to which Sonnen replied that “We would never appeal a decision.” If that is truly the case, then I have just gained back a ton of respect for Sonnen. Now if only I could hold onto it for more than a week at a time. Sonnen also said that he would not even begin to consider retirement for at least a few more weeks, referring to but not mentioning the hasty, emotion-based retirements of guys like BJ Penn.
Weigh-in Results
Main Card (FUEL TV)
Mark Munoz (186 lbs.) vs. Chris Weidman (186 lbs.)
James Te Huna (205 lbs.) vs. Joey Beltran (205 lbs.)
Aaron Simpson (171 lbs.) vs. Kenny Robertson (170 lbs.)
Karlos Vemola (186 lbs.) vs. Francis Carmont (186 lbs.)
T.J. Dillashaw (136 lbs.) vs. Vaughan Lee (135 lbs.)
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Damacio Page (136 lbs.) vs. Alex Caceres (136 lbs.)
Chris Cariaso (125 lbs.) vs. Josh Ferguson (125 lbs.)
Rafael Natal (186 lbs.) vs. Andrew Craig (185 lbs.)
Marcelo Guimaraes (171 lbs.) vs. Dan Stittgen (170 lbs.)
Raphael Assuncao (136 lbs.) vs. Issei Tamura (135 lbs.)
Will Munoz follow through on his promise to throw some bombs? Will Beltran’s glorious return to the UFC at 205 lbs against the hard hitting Te Huna be all for naught? Will “The Angel of Death” fall prey to a submission yet again? Tune in tonight and find out.