Man, you can really see the height difference here. 'Course this photo appears to have been taken from the pit at the front of the stage where the media was being kept. Still, I bet Arlovski has at least 5 or 6 inches on Fedor. Doesn't matter - Fedor's fought taller guys before.
Anyway, I watched the last three match-ups as I joined the weigh-ins in progress. Gotta say, Affliction has a long way to go until they reach the level the UFC at as far as production. There was a lot, I mean a lot, of dead air, and blank screen time. But, I was pretty much able to look past that and concentrate on the fighters. Here's who I saw:
Matt Lindland (186) vs. Vitor Belfort (184)
Vitor looked absolutely ripped, Lindland looked pretty much the same as he always does. We'll see if Vitor can get re-hydrated by fight time.
Gilbert Yvel (240) vs. Josh Barnett (248).
Yvel looked to be in good shape, but this was the heaviest I've ever heard of him weighing. I wonder what effect it'll have on his fight game, as he's not used to being that big. Barnett was the same as always, maybe a little smaller, I think he usually weighs in around 250-255. Maybe the lost weight will help him move quicker.
Andrei Arlovski (237) vs. Fedor Emelianenko (230)
Arlovski was ripped, while Fedor was his usual doughy self. That's the big mystery with Fedor - how someone who looks like the plumber can be the number-one pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. Just goes to show being cut isn't the be-all-and-end-all of being a good athlete.
Here are the rest of the weigh-ins, courtesy of mmaweekly.com:
-Renato "Babalu" Sobral (204) vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (205.25)
-Paul Buentello (244) vs. Kiril "Baby Fedor" Sidelnikov (229.5)
-Dan Lauzon (155.5) vs. Bobby Green (155.5)
HDNet Bouts:
-Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (204.75) vs. Vladimir Matyushenko (204.5)
-Jay Hieron (169.25) vs. Jason High (170)
-L.C. Davis (143.75) vs. Bao Quach (145.5)
-Antonio Duarte (145) vs. Albert Rios (145)
-Brett Cooper (169) vs. Patrick Speight (169)
Leave a comment