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Denver’s Wells Fargo Theater hosted the weigh-ins for UFC 135 which takes place Sept. 24 at the Pepsi Center.The event will feature 10 bouts headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between champion Jon Jones and challenger Quinton “Rampage” Jackso…
Denver’s Wells Fargo Theater hosted the weigh-ins for UFC 135 which takes place Sept. 24 at the Pepsi Center.
The event will feature 10 bouts headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between champion Jon Jones and challenger Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
All 20 fighters made weight for their fights. Check out the slideshow to view results and photos of each matchup.
All photos by Rob Tatum/Bleacher Report
(Rampage cutting the the last few ounces with Cheick Kongo.)
Just a friendly reminder that we will be showing the weigh-ins at 6:00 pm ET tonight for tomorrow night’s UFC 135 event at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.
Will Rampage give us more GIF fodder?
Will Jon Jones continue to lose fans for being cocky?
Will Josh Koscheck be the first opponent of Matt Hughes’ that the fans root against?
Will “Big” Ben Rothwell’s nickname be changed to “Medium” Ben Rothwell?
Will Nick Diaz show up to support his brother?
These questions and more will be answered after the jump.
(Rampage cutting the the last few ounces with Cheick Kongo.)
Just a friendly reminder that we will be showing the weigh-ins at 6:00 pm ET tonight for tomorrow night’s UFC 135 event at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.
Will Rampage give us more GIF fodder?
Will Jon Jones continue to lose fans for being cocky?
Will Josh Koscheck be the first opponent of Matt Hughes’ that the fans root against?
Will “Big” Ben Rothwell’s nickname be changed to “Medium” Ben Rothwell?
Will Nick Diaz show up to support his brother?
These questions and more will be answered tonight.
Filed under: UFC, NewsThe UFC’s version of “Spygate” may still be lingering, but it doesn’t matter much now. One of the most anticipated title fights in recent UFC memory goes down Saturday, spy or no spy.
Main event light heavyweights Jon Jones and …
The UFC‘s version of “Spygate” may still be lingering, but it doesn’t matter much now. One of the most anticipated title fights in recent UFC memory goes down Saturday, spy or no spy.
Main event light heavyweights Jon Jones and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson were both on the mark Friday for their title fight, which headlines UFC 135 at the Pepsi Center in Denver. The official weigh-in event took place at the Wells Fargo Theater at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.
Jones defends the light heavyweight title for the first time since winning it against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 in March. He took that fight on short notice, filling in for then-teammate Rashad Evans when Evans was hurt. Evans now waits in the wings to fight the winner of Jones-Jackson.
“I had to tell him I’m going to end his hype tomorrow, that’s what I told him,” Jackson told emcee Joe Rogan. “It’s about time he grew up and started acting like a real MMA fighter. We stare each other down – that’s what we do in the UFC.”
Jones had very little to say: “I feel real good. I’ve done enough talking, and it’s time for me to show what I’ve got now. So let’s do it.”
The training camp period for the title fight was interrupted by controversy after Jackson’s camp accused the Jones camp of planting a spy to monitor the challenger’s training – which Jones’ side vehemently denied.
In the co-main event, former title challenger Josh Koscheck returns for the first time since losing to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in December. He takes a short notice fight against UFC Hall of Famer and former world champion Matt Hughes. Koscheck was 170.5 pounds; Hughes was 170.
The main card opens with an intriguing lightweight fight between up-and-down fighters Nate Diaz and Takanori Gomi. Diaz has lost two straight fights, but is always a candidate for an exciting bout. And Gomi has lost two of three since joining the UFC after a lengthy career in Japan. Both losses have been by submission.
And in a pair of heavyweight fights, Travis Browne looks to remain unbeaten when he meets Rob Broughton. And former IFL star Ben Rothwell returns after a long injury layoff to meet Mark Hunt.
The preliminary card features five fights. The first three will stream live on the UFC’s Facebook fan page, including a bantamweight bout between former title challenger Takeya Mizugaki and Cole Escovedo.
Those three fights will be followed by a pair of bouts on Spike TV starting at 8 p.m. Eastern. Tony Ferguson, winner of Season 13 of “The Ultimate Fighter” this past June, fights for the first time since winning that title. He’ll drop down to lightweight to take on veteran Aaron Riley. And at middleweight, Tim Boetsch meets TUF veteran Nick Ring.
UFC 135 takes place Saturday with the main card airing on pay-per-view at 9 p.m. Eastern.
The complete weigh-in results are below:
Main Card
Jon Jones (204.5) vs. Quinton Jackson (204)
Matt Hughes (170) vs. Josh Koscheck (170.5)
Ben Rothwell (263) vs. Mark Hunt (261)
Travis Browne (255) vs. Rob Broughton (261)
Nate Diaz (156) vs. Takanori Gomi (155)
Preliminary Card
Tony Ferguson (155) vs. Aaron Riley (155)
Nick Ring (185) vs. Tim Boetsch (186)
Junior Assunção (145) vs. Eddie Yagin (145)
Takeya Mizugaki (135) vs. Cole Escovedo (135)
James Te Huna (205) vs. Ricardo Romero (205)
Filed under: UFCIt’s been an interesting week in Denver, what with both UFC 135 main eventers chipping away at each other in their own unique ways. With the fight nearly upon us, I submit some thoughts, predictions, and questions for your consideration…
Filed under: UFC
It’s been an interesting week in Denver, what with both UFC 135 main eventers chipping away at each other in their own unique ways. With the fight nearly upon us, I submit some thoughts, predictions, and questions for your consideration.
I. When did respect and humility become so important to “Rampage” Jackson? It must have been very, very recently, since I seem to recall him being less than respectful in the pre-fight exchanges with Rashad Evans. And remember Darrill “Titties” Schoonover, who Jackson bullied repeatedly during a coaching stint on TUF? Let’s go ask him how important respect is to Jackson. I get it, he’s feeling dissed by Jones and, possibly, the media and the oddsmakers. But as Jackson spent all week harping on Jones’ lack of respect, it was hard not to wonder when the challenger had decided to eschew bad breath jokes and personal insults in favor of treating everyone like he’d want to be treated. It must have been after he compared Jones to a monkey he saw at the zoo, just like his sudden love of humility must have come after he predicted that Jones would have to be woken up in the cage following Saturday’s fight. I guess when Jackson says fighters should show respect, he means they should show it to him.
II. And, while we’re on the subject, why can’t Jon Jones just admit that he thinks he’s pretty great? It’s not like anyone would blame him. Look at what he’s done. Just a few years after putting on the gloves for the first time he’s the UFC light heavyweight champion. A guy like that can be cocky. After all, it ain’t bragging if it’s true. The problem is, he’s trying very hard to present a certain hand-crafted, squeaky clean image to the fans, but they’re no longer buying it. He claims not to care what people think of him, but in reality it seems like few UFC champions care more. The claim that he’s somehow disrespected Jackson more than Jackson has disrespected him doesn’t hold up, but Jones certainly has a high opinion of his own skills, and he’s not the only one. If he’d just admit it, it couldn’t be used against him so effectively.
III. My God, this spying nonsense. With all this talk about secret espionage, how is it that there hasn’t been a single statuesque Russian woman involved? Or a dude with an eye patch? At least a spit bucket that is also a smoke bomb. Worst spy story ever.
IV. Matt Hughes says he hasn’t made a decision, but he definitely doesn’t sound like a guy who wants to retire soon. If he did, this would be a sensible fight to end on. His contract is coming up, he claims he doesn’t want to stick around into his forties, so why not call it now? My guess is, it’s because he’s hoping he’ll put out a win over Josh Koscheck and then he’ll be able to ride this train for at least one or two more fights. His wife wants him to quit. His boss doesn’t see what else he’d have to fight for. All signs are pointing toward retirement. The fact that Hughes is adamant about making no decision yet — just as he is adamant that the outcome of this fight doesn’t really matter — tells you that he desperately wants to stay in the UFC just a little while longer. If Koscheck puts a beatdown on him (and I suspect he will), the case for a continued Hughes run is going to be hard to make.
V. If Travis Browne can put his size to work, Rob Broughton could be in for a rough night. Seeing those two heavyweights near each other in the gym on Thursday, it became very apparent that Broughton’s biggest challenge will be getting in close. He’d probably like to put Browne on the mat, but at 6’7″ Browne is a lot of humanity to try and forcibly relocate. If he keeps Broughton at a distance, this should be Browne’s fight to lose.
VI. Will Nate Diaz opt to stand and bang against an opponent who excels at that (and, at this point, little else)? If you’re Takanori Gomi, you probably hope so. The Japanese import has not been so stellar on the ground lately, and he did get submitted by Diaz’s older brother (who then got submitted by the NSAC’s drug testing procedures, but whatever). But if Diaz comes out looking to box, he gives Gomi more of a chance than he needs to. Gomi still hits hard (just ask Tyson Griffin) and he’s always gotten high marks in the brawlability category. That doesn’t mean Diaz can’t beat him on the feet, but why risk it if you don’t have to? Maybe just because you’re a Diaz, and that’s what Diazes do.
VII. Ben Rothwell is a brand new fighter…again. I like Rothwell as a person, and I see what he’s trying to say, but what is this, like the third time he’s declared himself to be a new man? He’s been gone for a bit with injuries, so this time maybe it’s more true than ever, but how different is he really going to be? What, he’s lost some weight? He’s quicker? He’s a jiu-jitsu master who pulls guard now? Okay, the last one would be a significant change, but odds are he’s going to be more or less the same fighter, just an updated version. Again, nothing wrong with that. But you don’t get to be born anew before every fight. Especially not when you’ve been in this sport for ten freaking years.
VIII. The “media notes” the UFC has started handing out recently are, well, interesting. There’s some good information in the ten-plus pages of handouts. If you don’t live and breathe this sport (looking at you, local newspaper writer who probably won’t even show up until the main event), it catches you up on ‘spygate’ and on Hughes’ record of 18 UFC wins. But it also feels like some information is tossed in there just to fill white space. For instance, did you know Rothwell has “a technical degree in collision repair” from Waukesha County Technical College? Or that Hughes has an associate of arts degree from Lincoln Community College? I’m not sure what the UFC expects us to do with that information, but hey, the more you know, I guess.
IX. It’s a little weird to see Josh Koscheck being this nice. We’ve seen flashes of the old Kos this week, but the barbs have been few and not even all that prickly. When he said Hughes was in for a bad night, he seemed to actually feel a little bit bad about it. It’s as if he doesn’t want to beat Hughes up (or at least, not as much as he usual), but simply has no choice. Then again, he’s as fierce a competitor as Hughes is, he reminded us. It doesn’t matter if he’s fighting a former world champ or “a 12-year-old kid,” he wants to win. Who knew he could do it with such a congenial attitude? Well, congenial for him, anyway.
(Simon Cowell said they sucked. L.A. Reid said they sucked. Nicole Scherzinger said they sucked. Paula Abdul said they should keep practicing and never give up their dreams. / Props: jessektabor2)
UFC 135 goes down tomorrow night in Denver, and as always, it’s incredibly important that you hear our opinions about it. Fresh off his controversial split-decision victory over Seth Falvo, CagePotato staff writer Jared Jones returns for another head-to-head column against founding editor Ben Goldstein. Can Rampage pull off an upset? Is Matt Hughes on his way to retirement? Whose new screen-name will be more humiliating? Read on and get yourself educated…
Is there a part of you that wants to see Rampage get his belt back? How likely is that to happen?
JJ: There will always be a small part of me that wants to see Page with a belt again, if only so I never have to watch that same clip of Rampage exclaiming just how much he wants it back in every pre-fight commercial he’s been in since losing it. On the other hand, I fear for the lives of Southern California if he does win the belt and then loses it again.
As far as the likelihood of Page being the champ again, I’d say it’s better than those bookies would have you believe, but not much. Let’s face it, Rampage earned this title shot with a razor thin decision over Lyoto Machida and an unimpressive decision over a now retired Matt Hamill. Yes, he seems incredibly focused and in shape and yes, Bones’ chin has yet to be tested, but Jones is simply too quick, diverse, and smart to get caught by a straight boxer like Rampage.
BG: First off, no, I don’t want to see Rampage get his belt back. Not even a little. Dude gives me a headache sometimes. Like Nick Diaz, he’s a paranoid weirdo with a persecution complex — everybody’s cocky, everybody’s fake. Look, if you’re one of the hordes of eCritics that have emerged since Jones beat up Shogun, I’m sure you have your reasons. But to me, Jon Jones represents the latest step in MMA’s evolution, and it would feel like a regression if he were unseated by a guy who pretty much just throws hands these days.
The odds on this fight are so inflated because as loud as Rampage’s supporters can be sometimes, nobody’s actually betting money on him. Why would they? Jones has an 11.5-inch reach advantage, he’s far more athletic, and he’s unpredictable. Bones might beat up Rampage standing just to prove a point. After Saturday, we can stop calling Jones the “future of MMA.” He’ll officially be the present — a defending champion. Now what will that make Rampage?
(Simon Cowell said they sucked. L.A. Reid said they sucked. Nicole Scherzinger said they sucked. Paula Abdul said they should keep practicing and never give up their dreams. / Props: jessektabor2)
UFC 135 goes down tomorrow night in Denver, and as always, it’s incredibly important that you hear our opinions about it. Fresh off his controversial split-decision victory over Seth Falvo, CagePotato staff writer Jared Jones returns for another head-to-head column against founding editor Ben Goldstein. Can Rampage pull off an upset? Is Matt Hughes on his way to retirement? Whose new screen-name will be more humiliating? Read on and get yourself educated…
Is there a part of you that wants to see Rampage get his belt back? How likely is that to happen?
JJ: There will always be a small part of me that wants to see Page with a belt again, if only so I never have to watch that same clip of Rampage exclaiming just how much he wants it back in every pre-fight commercial he’s been in since losing it. On the other hand, I fear for the lives of Southern California if he does win the belt and then loses it again.
As far as the likelihood of Page being the champ again, I’d say it’s better than those bookies would have you believe, but not much. Let’s face it, Rampage earned this title shot with a razor thin decision over Lyoto Machida and an unimpressive decision over a now retired Matt Hamill. Yes, he seems incredibly focused and in shape and yes, Bones’ chin has yet to be tested, but Jones is simply too quick, diverse, and smart to get caught by a straight boxer like Rampage.
BG: First off, no, I don’t want to see Rampage get his belt back. Not even a little. Dude gives me a headache sometimes. Like Nick Diaz, he’s a paranoid weirdo with a persecution complex — everybody’s cocky, everybody’s fake. Look, if you’re one of the hordes of eCritics that have emerged since Jones beat up Shogun, I’m sure you have your reasons. But to me, Jon Jones represents the latest step in MMA’s evolution, and it would feel like a regression if he were unseated by a guy who pretty much just throws hands these days.
The odds on this fight are so inflated because as loud as Rampage’s supporters can be sometimes, nobody’s actually betting money on him. Why would they? Jones has an 11.5-inch reach advantage, he’s far more athletic, and he’s unpredictable. Bones might beat up Rampage standing just to prove a point. After Saturday, we can stop calling Jones the “future of MMA.” He’ll officially be the present — a defending champion. Now what will that make Rampage?
Josh Koscheck is going to kick Matt Hughes’s ass, right? I mean, that’s not really a question, so…how do you feel about the fact that Josh Koscheck is going to kick Matt Hughes’s ass?
BG: I mean, I don’t feel sad about it if that’s what you’re asking. Between his two welterweight title reigns and induction into the UFC Hall of Fame, Hughes has accomplished all there is to accomplish in this sport. I don’t think another championship belt is in his future, and I don’t really need to see him spend a couple more years knocking around against other contenders. His wife is ready for him to come home. Come home, Matt.
As for tomorrow’s fight, Koscheck has the striking advantage and Hughes won’t be able to put him on his back with any consistency. Kos by late TKO, followed by an emotional in-cage retirement from Hughes, as the crowd solemnly sings “A Country Boy Can Survive” in unison.
JJ: Ben, you ignorant slut. Weren’t we all saying the same thing about Ricardo Almeida just a little while ago? Matt Hughes may be coming off one of the most embarrassing (not to mention fastest) losses of his career, but this ain’t gunna be no walk in the park for Fraggle Rock. Koscheck’s striking has been overrated praised ever since his brutal finish of Yoshiyuki Yoshida, but was all but useless against GSP. Is Hughes as good on the feet as GSP? Hell no, but his wrestling is better than Koschecks, and if, no, WHEN he eeks out a boring decision over Koscheck, I’ll be dancing my cares away with all that extra bread.
Does the loser of Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi deserve to keep their spot in the UFC?
JJ: If this was a just world, I would say no. But Michael Bay still finds work, so it clearly isn’t, and as long as these guys WAR!!! then who the hell knows what’s going to happen. Diaz has only won three of his past eight fights, his wrestling sucks, and he isn’t anywhere near anyone’s top 10, or 20 for that matter. If Gomi loses, it’ll probably be by submission, and as much as it pains me to see him off, he would need a few wins elsewhere and an improved ground game if he wants back in the UFC. But I am really hoping he is able to turn Diaz’s lights out, if only to know that is possible for Christ’s sake.
BG: I agree that the loser should have to get a couple tune-up wins outside of the UFC, but I’ll put it like this — Gomi’s job is safe and Nate’s isn’t. Even if Gomi gets boxed up and gogo’d in the first round, the UFC will still keep him around for their upcoming Japan show, guaranteed. As for Diaz? He got bounced out of the lightweight division, then bounced out of the welterweight division, and now he’s back at lightweight. Another bad loss, and it would be clear that there’s really no place for him. Plus, don’t you think Dana wants to stick it to the Diaz family after that shit Nick pulled? King Pinkberry never forgets.
Pop-quiz, hot shot: You have $100. Using the current fight odds for UFC 135, you have to use that Benjamin to turn a profit, or the bus will explode. What do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO?
JJ: First, hand me that old bucket filled with bum sperm!! Seriously though, I would say the easiest way would be to bet it all on Page or Hughes, who are the most attractive underdogs, but I’m a man of variety. Despite getting swarmbashed (new term, called it) by a fever ridden Kyle Kingsbury recently, Ricardo Romero looks decent at +140 against the submission susceptible James Te Huna, and if “Big” Ben Rothwell decides to trade strikes with Hunt, then it could be an early night for him…
Screw it, I’m gunna go ahead and drop half of that C-note on a Boetsch-Ferguson-Romero parlay and the other half on a Hughes-Page-Rothwell parlay. Let’s just hope my bookie is more forgiving than last time.
BG: Wow, Hughes and Jackson in the same parlay? How much is Bodog paying you to write this garbage? Learn from my mistakes, Jared — doubling up on parlays is the quickest way to heartbreak. During my years of giving terrible gambling advice, I think I’ve matured enough to learn a valuable lesson: There are some events where you simply can’t make a huge profit, so don’t even try. And let’s face it, these UFC 135 odds are a total nightmare, filled with blowouts where you can’t justify putting money on the favorite or the underdog. But if I have to, I’ll put $30 on Jon Jones, $30 on Travis Browne, $30 on Tony Ferguson, and $10 on Gomi for the upset. According to BetUS, that would give me a potential profit of $42.02. Yuck. Moving on…
Screen-name bet time: Make one specific prediction for a fight at UFC 135. The person who makes the more accurate prediction gets to change the other person’s commenter name to something embarrassing for a week.
JJ: Nate Diaz will give the old “Stockton Heybuddy” about a minute before finishing Takanori Gomi with a guillotine. Is that too obvious? Either way, enjoy being Bisping’sgaysecret for a week.
BG: Jon Jones TKO’s Quinton Jackson via ground-and-pound (elbows), midway through round 2. Enjoy it, AmberFromTeenMom.
This weekend is stuffed to the gill with decent fights. So many, in fact, that it’s going to be difficult to rank all of them.So, in the spirit of picking the best fights, Strikeforce challengers has been eliminated.Strikeforce challengers has never ha…
This weekend is stuffed to the gill with decent fights. So many, in fact, that it’s going to be difficult to rank all of them.
So, in the spirit of picking the best fights, Strikeforce challengers has been eliminated.
Strikeforce challengers has never had the most competitive matchups, and there are plenty of other interesting options.
With that said, let’s get to the breakdown:
One star = Only use this as an aide to cure insomnia. Or a method of torture.
Two stars = Drink enough alcohol and this fight might entertain you.
Three stars = Decent fight. Just like most matinee movies, you won’t remember it three hours after it happened, but you’ll enjoy yourself while you’re watching it.
Four stars = A good fight. Something that will keep you on your toes every once in a while, and you’ll have a smile on your face the next morning as you remember it.
Five stars = Are you glad you saw this fight? It had a little bit of everything, and it will get you through Monday at work when you wonder why you need your paycheck. It might even be something you brag about watching.
Six stars = They don’t get much better than this. Your voice is a little hoarse from all the yelling, but it was worth it. It’ll be hard getting to sleep, and by tomorrow you will have read every scrap of post-fight news you can find on the web.
Seven stars = They don’t get any better than this! Ever! Forget sleep, as you won’t be getting much—if you get any at all. You will be refreshing news pages for new articles and breaking information and, by Friday, your voice still won’t sound normal.
Now that that is done, let’s get started!