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Thursday, Jan 29, 2004

Fans Come Out In “supernatural” Force For Ufc 46 Weigh-ins



Randy Couture (left) vs. Vitor Belfort
Fans Come Out In "Supernatural" Force For UFC 46 Weigh-Ins
By Loretta Hunt

      Fans, fans, and more fans came out of the woodwork today to witness the official UFC 46 weigh-ins held at the RA Nightclub in the Luxor Hotel & Casino. By the time the doors opened to the public at 1 pm, the line of UFC supporters had reached a most impressive size, so large that some hopefuls had to be turned away. No fighter was immune to the unending requests for snapshots and autographs, and all of tomorrow night’s combatants handled the extra attention wholeheartedly. By the time the fighters made it to the stage, the room was positively packed to the gills.
      Under the microscope due to recent personal events in his homeland of Brazil, Vitor Belfort put on a brave face for the happenings, even smiling from time to time as he sported Scooby Doo boxers on the scales. Belfort weighed in on the dot at 205 pounds. He’ll challenge light-heavyweight champion Randy Couture tomorrow night, who sneaked in just under the requisite weight at 204 pounds. "The Natural" received both the loudest and warmest ovation of any other fighter for his efforts.
      Weight division jumper BJ Penn must have gotten the same memo as Belfort regarding weigh-in apparel. But, his colorful SpongeBob SquarePants were in direct opposition to the Hawaiian’s mood — sober and focused, with almost a twinge of anger. Coming in at 169 pounds, fans will notice a less-sculpted competitor than what they’ve seen in Penn’s lightweight fights. 5-Time defending welterweight champ Matt Hughes has had no quarrels in expressing his disdain for Penn’s move up to his division. His face told that story as he jumped onto the scales to weigh in at 170 even.
      The only discrepancy for today came with the proposed swing match between welterweights Carlos Newton and Renato "Charuto" Verissimo. It seems that Canadian Newton had some visa problems this week, delaying his deliverance to Sin City till late last night. Due to these circumstances, the UFC suggested Newton and Verissimo re-sign bout agreements to fight at 175 pounds. According to Zuffa officials, Verissimo was made aware of the situation last night, and agreed upon the new weight. Subsequently, the 6"1′ BJ Penn teammate weighed in at 174.5 pounds. Always-cheery Newton was the very last competitor to make it to the scales, coming in at 175 pounds.
      Heavyweight showboater Wes Sims seemed to bask in all the hoopla today. The 6’10" giant stands out wherever he goes, and has really blossomed as a character for the promotion. On the scales, the extrovert weighed in at 239 pounds. At the polar end of the spectrum, opponent Mir sat unobtrusively in the very last row till called to the stage, where he came in at 249 pounds. When the two squared-off for their staredown, Mir tried not to play into Sim’s game, turning away from the Hammer House prot

posted by Full Contact Fighter @ 8:00 pm
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