I just watched the UFC 92 weigh-ins on msn sports. Let's get right to the grudge match of the night, Wanderlei Silva vs. Rampage Jackson:
Wanderlei came out first, had his head shaved, and looked cut. He weighed in at 203. Then Rampage came out, and he looked pretty cut too, much better than his fight with Griffin, and weighed in at 206.
Then came time for the stare-down, and you just knew sparks were gonna fly. The get about three inches from each other, maybe less, and Wanderlei starts with his classic stare-down, moving his head back and forth, his eyes boring into Rmapage. Rampage is smiling, and then he says something to Wanderlei, who then shoves him and I believe, then walks off the stage.
The camera focuses on Rampage, who faces the crowd, does the throat slash, and then the thumbs-down sign.
Joe Rogan then said, "I'll tell you what, ladies and gentlemen, that is going to be a crazy fight!"
So we've got some pre-fight fireworks, just as everyone expected - Wanderlei trying to intimidate Rampage, Rampage trying to get inside Wanderlei's head, even though he's lost to the guy twice. So, was Rampage's psych-out thing just a cover for the doubts he has going into the fight? Who knows. Did Rampage's antics have an effect on Wanderlei, maybe get him steaming through the night, making him use up valuable energy? Again, we'll see tomorrow night.
On to the rest of the weigh-ins for the main card:
-- Mike Massenzio, 184 vs. CB Dollaway, 186.
-- Mustapha Al-Turk, 237 vs. Chiek Kongo, 233. Kongo did a head-thrust toward Al-Turk as they squared off, but Al-Turk seemed unfazed.
-- Frank MIr, 251 vs. Antonio Minotauro Nogueira, 246.
-- Rashad Evans, 203 vs. Forrest Griffin, 205. The two had a very respectful stare-donw, shaking eachother's hands a couple times.
