After upping the ante with a fiery staredown at Thursday’s pre-fight press conference, all eyes were on Vitor Belfort and Michael Bisping at Friday’s UFC on FX 7 weigh-ins in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Belfort, who was the clear crowd favorite, tipped the scales at a trim 185 pounds. Likewise, Bisping edged his mark at 186 pounds under a loud cascade of boos. The two jawed back and forth once again, though the ensuing faceoff never threatened to get physical.
“In my soul, I’m so ready,” Belfort said afterward. “I’m just roaring in my lion. I’m not disrespecting him at all, and today I got a message. This message is powerful. The Lord, Jesus, declared that I am victory, and not a victim. That’s important to know. So I am ready for whatever he brings to the table.
“He is a very tough opponent. It’s going to be great. I am looking for a tough opponent. I don’t pick fights, I just accept fights.”
Bisping surprised many with an insulting, off-the-cuff rant directed at Belfort after Thursday’s press conference, and on Friday he made no apologies for those statements. “There’s no tactic in anything I do, to be honest. I just speak my mind, I tell the truth, and I have belief in myself. I’m going to win this fight,” Bisping vowed.
“I’m ready to take him out in the first round or the fifth round. It doesn’t really matter to me.”
Meanwhile, TUF 7 finalist C.B. Dollaway and TUF Brazil finalist Daniel Sarafian both hit the middleweight limit on the nose, each weighing in at 186 pounds ahead of their co-main event showdown.
Complete UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs. Bisping weigh-in results can be seen below.
Main card (FX, 9 p.m. ET)
Vitor Belfort (185) vs. Michael Bisping (186)
C.B. Dollaway (186) vs. Daniel Sarafian (186)
Ben Rothwell (255) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (258)
Khabib Nurmagomedov (155) vs. Thiago Tavares (155)
Preliminary card (FUEL TV, 6 p.m. ET)
Godofredo Castro (145) vs. Milton Vieira (146)
Andrew Craig (185) vs. Ronny Markes (186)
Nik Lentz (145) vs. Diego Nunes (145)
Lucas Martins (154) vs. Edson Barboza (154)
Pedro Nobre (136) vs. Yuri Alcantara (135)
Ildemar Alcantara (201) vs. Wagner Prado (206)
Preliminary card (Facebook, 5:30 p.m. ET):
C.J. Keith (157)* vs. Francisco Trinaldo (154.5)
*Fighter has one hour to lose additional pound