The UFC’s biggest fight of all-time is officially set. The MMA world can let out a sigh of relief to see that former champion Conor McGregor makes weight for tomorrow night’s (October 6, 2018) UFC 229 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. McGregor hit the scales at 154.5 pounds at today’s UFC 229 early […]
The UFC’s biggest fight of all-time is officially set. The MMA world can let out a sigh of relief to see that former champion Conor McGregor makes weight for tomorrow night’s (October 6, 2018) UFC 229 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
McGregor hit the scales at 154.5 pounds at today’s UFC 229 early weigh-ins. He received an uproar of support from his fans. But the UFC’s biggest star didn’t wait to soak it in. He rushed out of the weigh-ins as fast as he arrived.
Watch him step on the scale and hit his mark via The Score:
.@TheNotoriousMMA makes weight and the main event is now official.
The news comes on the heels of champion Khabib Nurmagomedov making weight as the first man on the scales today. There was obviously a ton of uncertainty surrounding ‘The Eagle’s’ mark on the scale.
McGregor came in late as he usually does. He was a half-pound below the lightweight title fight limit of 155 pounds. Both fighters looked in shape and ready.
So all concerns in terms of weight have been checked off the list. The UFC’s biggest match-up can now proceed as planned.
For once, the MMA gods have smiled upon us today. Who will win in Vegas tomorrow night?
It’s time Khabib Nurmagomedov updates his weight status heading into Saturday’s (Oct. 6, 2018) UFC 229 from Las Vegas. The lightweight champion’s weight has been a hot topic before the biggest fight of his career. It’s for good reason. Nurmagomedov was missed weight before. His scheduled UFC 209 interim title bout with Tony Ferguson was […]
It’s time Khabib Nurmagomedov updates his weight status heading into Saturday’s (Oct. 6, 2018) UFC 229 from Las Vegas.
The lightweight champion’s weight has been a hot topic before the biggest fight of his career. It’s for good reason. Nurmagomedov was missed weight before. His scheduled UFC 209 interim title bout with Tony Ferguson was called off as a result.
Uncertainty brews and McGregor’s team is even concerned about the Dagestani combatant being on point at weigh-ins. It would be an extremely costly weight miss. The undefeated Nurmagomedov is most likely headed for his biggest payday. More importantly, he could finally become a mainstream star with a victory. He won’t make McGregor’s record-breaking MMA payday, but it will certainly be Khabib’s most lucrative purse.
The fight has to happen first. The MMA world is on pins and needles hoping that their biggest-ever match goes off without a hitch in five days’ time. Khabib has certainly dealt with a ton of serious injuries in recent years.
‘The Eagle’ said on this week’s “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show” that he was thankful to be in good shape. He clarified that his weight was good:
“Now I have belt, I am undisputed, undefeated. Now, this is my third fight in my last nine months. It’s like we part of the pay-per-view, everything And like five days before the fight, this is crazy.
“Now we’re here, my weight is good, my shape is good. I’m 30 years old, I’m still hungry, I’m still young for this sport. This is crazy.”
The champ claimed he was already at 166 pounds and would make weight “no problem” for the match.
Beyond that, Khabib obviously has a long history with McGregor.
Photo: Noah K. Murray for USA TODAY Sports
More Than Personal
The Irish former champion was arrested for his infamous bus attack this April. He threw a metal dolly through a bus containing Nurmagomedov prior to UFC 223.
Because of the scene, Helwani asked Khabib if the fight was more than just a title defense. “The Eagle” admitted that indeed it was. Nurmagomedov claimed he was chomping at the bit to make McGregor pay:
“Yeah, I agree. This is a little bit more than defending my title, more than fight for the title. You know this more than like, fight. It’s a little bit personal for, of course, and you know, I wanna make this guy pay, you know? This guy gonna pay about everything, what he say, what he did.
“In like five days, I’m gonna be very happy. We here now, and we very close.”
But he stopped short at sounding cocky before the biggest fight of his life. The always-humble Khabib acknowledged that McGregor had lethal timing and striking skills he could not underestimate:
“I’m not underestimating this guy, I know this guy have good timing, good boxing.”
So after all the chaos that threatened to turn UFC 206 in to one of the more unfortunate cards of the year, things ended up working out pretty well. The main event was exciting, the two bouts before it packed with action and all in all the event ended up being truly memorable. But despite that there was a shadow looming over this event. It was far from perfect in terms of “professionalism” as a number of fighters missed weight. Though it’s something to be scrutinized, you have to wonder how this weight cutting issue is going to be fixed.
So after all the chaos that threatened to turn UFC 206 in to one of the more unfortunate cards of the year, things ended up working out pretty well. The main event was exciting, the two bouts before it packed with action and all in all the event ended up being truly memorable. But despite that there was a shadow looming over this event. It was far from perfect in terms of “professionalism” as a number of fighters missed weight. Though it’s something to be scrutinized, you have to wonder how this weight cutting issue is going to be fixed.
While it may have been an exciting match up while it lasted, Max Holloway’s bout with Anthoiny Pettis was somewhat frustrating simply for the fact that the former lightweight champion missed weight and therefore lowered the stakes of the match up by half. But thought we can point the finger at Pettis, as well as Rustam Khabilov and Valerie Letourneau, the truth of the matter is that the sport forced their hands.
The idea that individuals don’t fight at their walk around weight is somewhat ludicrous. While boxing may have too many weight classes it does mitigate things to an extent. You get to see match ups with individuals who are far closer to their natural weight because of that fact. A guy like Pettis who probably walks around at about 165-170 lbs shouldn’t have to be forced to cut weight to 145 lbs just to avoid the monsters in the lightweight division who sometimes cut from upwards of 185 lbs.
It’s a crazy dance that their forced to participate in, but it’s a path they’ve chosen. Professionalism does matter most no matter what endeavor you choose, but it’s hard to criticize a person who is willing to throw their bones at another human being for the entertainment of others. Here’s hoping all the fighters who missed weight either find the best way to make cut or the right division to accommodate their frames.
What was your thoughts on the weight blunders at UFC 206?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
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