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.