Author: Jeremy Botter

Jeremy Botter: I rarely get goosebumps from weigh-in events. By my account, I’ve attended roughly fifty of these things, and most of them are the same as any other. It’s a chance to grab some photos and some video and perhaps hear a few more words about how this guy is going to beat up the other guy, and vice versa.

And then you have moments like today, when Jon Jones and Rashad Evans stepped on the stage at the Fox Theater. The crowd came alive. Both men were heavily cheered and heavily booed. Evans weighed in, then Jones.

Jones uttered a primal scream, and then calmly walked over and got directly in Evans’ face. They went forehead to forehead before matchmaker Joe Silva – who is playing the role of Dana White while White stays back in Vegas to film The Ultimate Fighter – urged them to walk away. Jones did an about-face and walked to the other side of the stage, but Evans refused to take his eyes off the champ.

This is a big fight. The biggest I can remember in quite some time. And the “story” we’ve heard countless times doesn’t matter any more. What matters? The fact that the two best light heavyweights in the entire world are going to step in the cage and test their skills against each other on Saturday night. 

It’s going to be an incredible fight.

Jonathan Snowden:

Our video editor Tony and I got an amazing opportunity last night to spend some time with the one and only Chael Sonnen. The middleweight great was very generous and spoke to us at length about a number of topics. You can expect to see that here shortly. Like Joe Rogan, it was our honor to be in the presence of greatness.

It’s also fun when you and a fighter have a mutual interest. For me and former UFC champion Josh Barnett, that interest is catch wrestling and its history. Barnett can speak at length about the hundred plus year history of professional wrestling as a major spectator sport, and did at length exclusively for Bleacher Report.

Today at the Sonnen Q+A the passion of UFC fans was on full display. They love this sport and the fighters love them right back. Sonnen, for all his bluster, was generous with the fans, handing out more than his share of hugs and handshakes. It’s great to see.

Jeremy Botter: Chael Sonnen’s Q&A sessions are the stuff of legend. These are the venues where Sonnen typically unveils his carefully-crafted and highly entertaining banter. I’m not using hyperbole when I say that Chael Sonnen, the middleweight who turned himself into one of the more popular fighters in the world, did so on the back of theseUFC Fight Club Q&A sessions.

Today was more of the same, but it was no less entertaining than it always is. Standing on the stage of the historic Fox Theater, Sonnen took more shots at Anderson Silva and continues to say that he hasn’t received a contract to fight Silva. That part might actually be true; with the date for the fight not actually locked in, they won’t have the fighters sign the contracts.

One fan asked Sonnen about the possibility of his fight moving to Vegas from Brazil. Sonnen decided to answer the question by calling Dana White on his cell phone. White did not answer, but we did get to listen to White’s Beastie Boys-styled caller ringback music. White eventually texted back with this terse message: “Why are you calling me?”

Sonnen is clearly accumulating a legion of fans who are into his brand of entertainment. A long time ago, I thought Sonnen’s shtick would grow old. For some people, perhaps it has. But for me? I’m still entertained by Chael P. Sonnen, and I think I always will be.

Whenever the UFC has a fight coming up that they want to promote, they’ll hold a media breakfast on Friday or Saturday morning. I always make it a point to attend, because let’s be honest, who doesn’t love free food? 

But it’s not just the food. The main point of these breakfast meetings is to spend time with a few fighters who are in attendance to promote upcoming fights. This morning, our attention was turned towards Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier, who meet in the finals of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix next month in San Jose.

We all know Barnett is a great orator. Years spent in Japan doing professional wrestling has honed his speaking skills, and he’s one of the best in the business. What we didn’t know is that Cormier is very nearly on his level.

The heavyweights sat in front of us for an hour and discussed all manner of topics: catch wrestling, Fedor Emelianenko and his lack of name-value oppponents, the state of American wrestling and how Cormier thinks the U.S. Trials will go this weekend, how the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix ultimately played out and much more.

It was a completely enthralling discussion with two of the most intelligent fighters in the game. And after it concluded, I found myself thrilled at the prospect of seeing them get in the cage and face off. It’s an incredible strategic matchup that just isn’t getting the attention it deserves, at least not yet. Perhaps it’ll start getting some love once we have this nasty business between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans in our rear view mirror.

I can only imagine that fan interest would go through the roof if the UFC put Jon Anik between Cormier and Barnett and allowed the public to see what I saw this morning. Look for video highlights here on Bleacher Report in the near future – you’ll see exactly what I mean.

Caged In authors Jonathan Snowden and Jeremy Botter are on the ground for UFC 145 in Atlanta alongside Kenda Perez, the host of Bleacher Report’s The Ultimate Show.

The team is bringing you plenty of exclusive interviews and stories from fight week, but Jeremy and Jonathan are also giving you a small peak behind the curtain with daily diary updates. The goal is to give you, the reader at home, quick glances at all of the fighter interactions and media events that normally aren’t covered by media outlets during fight week.

It’s Friday, which means it’s time for official fighter weigh-ins, but the team will bring you so much more from one of the busiest days of the week.

You may bookmark this post for all of Thursday’s updates, and remember to follow Jeremy and Jonathan on Twitter for more.

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