The UFC 159 weigh-in took place today at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey before tomorrow’s night big event, and 23 of the 24 fighters on the card made weight. The lone fighter to miss weight was Nick Catone, who weighed in at 173 pounds, two pounds above the absolute 171-pound limit allowed in a welterweight contest. Because of this, Catone will give up 20 percent of his purse to his opponent, James Head, who weighed in comfortably at 170.25. If you were planning on playing Catone, I would recommend you pass at this point. And if you did play him, good luck, because historically fighters who miss weight more often than not lose, although Diego Sanchez recently bucked that trend with a split decision win over Takanori Gomi at UFC on FUEL TV 9. (Our friends at TheMMA-Analysis.com did a great study on missing weight and what effect it has on the outcomes of fights). As for some other thoughts on the UFC 159 weigh-in…
- I’d say overall it was pretty uneventful, aside from a bit of shoving between co-main eventers Alan Belcher and Michael Bisping, who each weighed in at or under the 186-pound middleweight limit. Bisping looked to be a bit smaller than Belcher, but it remains to be seen what, if any, effect that will have on the fight. Bet accordingly.
- And speaking on size, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones towered over challenger Chael Sonnen, although each man officially weighed in at 205. I don’t see any way Jones looked this fight, and the size and reach advantage he has is likely to play a vital role in how he achieves victory.
- Roy Nelson looked to have put on quite a bit of weight, as he weighed in at 258 pounds to Cheick Kongo’s 237 pounds. Again, bet accordingly.
- Jim Miller was a lot smaller than Pat Healy at the weigh in but both weighed in under the 156-pound limit. I would recommend to stay away from this fight.
- Yancy Medeiros made 155 pounds in his first-ever lightweight fight as the former middleweight makes his UFC debut tomorrow night against Rustam Khabilov, who weighed in at 156.
- Sheila Gaff looked to be big and strong but the former flyweight weighed in only at 133 pounds in her UFC bantamweight debut, while Sara McMann weighed in at 134 pounds. McMann is a huge favorite to win this fight but I would recommend to pass because Gaff possesses extremely heavy hands and could very well win via knockout.
- Both Bryan Caraway and Johnny Bedford had to have their drawers removed and a towel wrapped around them to make the 136 pounds limit and they both did. These are two of the biggest bantamweights currently in the UFC and this fight could really go either way depending on which Caraway shows up to fight, as he’s known to be inconsistent with his performances.
- Cody McKenzie did not look good at all, although he did make the 145-pound limit. He has a weak body that has been exposed before by Nam Phan and Chad Mendes so look for Leonard Garcia, who also made weight, to target it in their fight tomorrow.
Herman vs. Smith Added To UFC On FOX 8 The UFC today announced a middleweight bout at the upcoming UFC on FOX 8 card, pitting veteran Ed Herman against former Strikeforce fighter Trevor Smith. Both men are extremely experienced submission fighters, and this has the makings of a fun grappling matchup. Still, Herman’s vast experience fighting against top-level talent in the UFC will likely have him open as a big favorite, perhaps in the -250 range. It’s too soon to count Smith out of this fight, but this isn’t an easy fight at all for his UFC debut in what is likely a must-win fight for him. Saffiedine Vs. Lawler Odds Released The opening odds for the upcoming welterweight matchup at UFC on FOX 8 between Tarec Saffiedine and Robbie Lawler was today released at Several Bookmakers. Saffiiedine opened up at -170, while Lawler opened at +130. So far the line has remained steady but expect it to start moving in the coming days and weeks. It’s a close fight so it will certainly be interesting to see where the public takes it. To see how the opening odds for Saffiiedine vs. Lawler were released, click here.