Wednesday, Nov 20, 2002
Weights All Tallied, Ufc 40 Is A Go!
 Weights All Tallied, UFC 40 is a Go! By Loretta Hunt With a bird’s eye view of the Octagon below, the official UFC 40 weigh-ins were held today on an upper tier of the MGM Grand Arena. With posters and cameras in hand, hundreds of fans turned out to see their favorite fighters weigh-in before they will have to prove their mettle inside the cage below tomorrow night. Following yesterday’s press conference antics — in which an enraged Ken Shamrock hurled a chair at opponent and current UFC light-heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz — all eyes were on the two competitors to see what they’d do or say today. Security was tight and heavy around the Team Punishment and Lion’s Den camps, who were separated on either side of the stage till Ortiz and Shamrock would take the stage.
Prior to his entrance, Shamrock was all smiles and had this to say about his performance yesterday at the press conference. "I was a little bit out of line I thought. I’m a professional and I shouldn’t let things like that get to me. It was just being that close to him after three and a half years and what was going on — It was kinda hard." But after three years, is his hate for Ortiz the real deal? "At times I get reminded of him when I watch the UFC or whenever I see him. It’s not like a go to sleep and think about it, but when I see him and I get around stuff like this (pauses) — yeah." The former UFC Superfight Champion was the first to weigh-in at a lean 201 pounds. Ortiz weighed in at 205 pounds, and after a brief moment where teammates fanned out around their team patriarchs and security was put in place, the most-anticipated staredown in the history of the sport finally came to pass. Shamrock could not help but take a quick lunge at Ortiz, whose taunting grin did nothing to help the situation. With the crowd in a frenzy, the main event was officially on. From here on in, the proceedings were smooth sailing and took on the friendly atmosphere of weigh-ins past. Welterweight contender Gil Castillo was the next to weigh-in at 170, while the ever-popular champion Matt Hughes came in on the dot as well.
Renato "Babalu" Sobral rang in at 204 pounds, while opponent Chuck Liddell was a svelte 205. Their staredown actually harbored a bit of genuine heat. Could their bout turn out to be a barnburner tomorrow night? With one excited fan blurting out "Canada rules," Carlos Newton made his way up the platform, but turned out to be the only fighter to not make weight his first time out. He came in at 172 pounds and by the Nevada State Athletic Commission regulation, was given one hour to lose the pound (NSAC always gives a pound.) Opponent Pete Spratt weighed in at 169 pounds.
Team Punishment’s Tiki and Miletich Martial Arts prot posted by Full Contact Fighter @ 8:00 pm
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