Cutting Weight For Ufc 34
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Cutting Weight for UFC 34 By Jim Genia  The weigh-ins for the Ultimate Fighting Championship 34 took place at the MGM Grand today, and though fans had an easy time meeting the UFC’s top stars, some of the fighters had a tougher time cutting weight. One fighter in particular, Homer Moore, had to be re-weighed — after taking full advantage of the hour grace period permitted under Nevada State Athletic Commission rules. Cutting weight, which is a fact of life in nearly any sport with weight classes, played no small role in today’s event. In the 155 to 169.9 pound welterweight division, both challenger and champion were cautiously optimistic before stepping on the scale. Challenger Matt Hughes was 177 pounds back in Iowa, but when he got to Vegas, he found himself at 185. "No big deal," he said, as fans began to file in and clamor for autographs. "It’s my fault, but I should be fine." He later made weight, coming in at 169.9 pounds. Welterweight champ Carlos Newton, who usually walks around at 185 to 190, was 171 pounds just prior to the official weigh-ins. He was 169 when it counted. "I feel great," he said afterwards. "Very genki." "Genki," when translated from Japanese, means "healthy" or "peppy" — which was an accurate description of the champ as his trainers led him off to the buffet. In the light-heavyweight division, Evan Tanner came in at 199 pounds. His opponent, Homer Moore, did not make weight at that time, as he was a pound and a half over the 205-pound limit. As per Nevada rules, Homer was given time to work it off. He returned to the scale at 202 pounds. Present at the second weigh-in were Homer’s cornermen, and Zuffa official Lisa Faircloth and owner Lorenza Fertitta. Evan was not present, although it was done with his consent — and videotaped. None of the heavyweights seemed to have weight-cutting worries – heavyweight champ Randy Couture weighed in at 225 pounds, while challenger Pedro Rizzo was 235 pounds. Pete Williams and Ricco Rodriguez weighed in at 230 and 240 pounds, respectively. Josh Barnett was 245, while Bobby Hoffman tipped the scales at 254 – the heaviest competitor on the card. Newcomer Frank Mir was 247, which raised the eyebrows of his opponent, Roberto Traven. Roberto was only 214 pounds himself. Lightweights Caol Uno and BJ Penn were 153 and 154 pounds. In the middleweight division, "New York Bad-Ass" Phil Baroni was 184.5 pounds. Olympian Matt Lindland was only a half-pound less, weighing in at 184.  Present for autograph signing were light-heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz, middleweight champ Dave Menne, and lightweight champ Jens Pulver. Rounding out the roster were fighters Chuck Liddell and Gil Castillo, and former Playboy model Angelica Bridges. Not present were the fans who had flocked to the weigh-ins for UFC 33, as the turnout seemed to be slightly less than before. Still, the atmosphere was one of anticipation. Will this show be more exciting than the last? Will the judges end up deciding all the fights? We’ll know tomorrow night.  |
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Matt Lindland: UFC 34 Pre-fight Interview By Aaron Crecy  Matt Lindland will make his third appearance in the Octagon when he puts his unbeaten MMA record on the line versus the outspoken Phil Baroni at UFC 34. A 2000 Olympic silver medallist in Greco-Roman wrestling, Lindland’s last fight ended by disqualification when Ricardo Almeida received a third foul for illegal kicks to the face. However, Lindland was well ahead on all three judges’ card prior to the DQ, which came with approximately forty seconds remaining in the bout. Lindland is a member of Team Quest, along with Randy Couture and Dan Henderson. He lives and trains in Gresham, Oregon, where he and his two business partners own a thriving used car dealership. Matt took some time to answer some questions earlier this week, speaking candidly about his opponent, his training, and his fight with Almeida. FCF: If Phil Baroni’s punches are as big as his mouth, you might be in trouble. What is your opinion on his pre-fight trash talking? FCF: With the Greco-Roman World Championships in December, how much of your training is devoted to MMA as compared to wrestling? Is there a crossover between the two types of training? I imagine it helps with cardio. FCF: This fight promises to be a match-up of two ground and pounders — do you have the advantage, considering that Baroni’s has never faced someone with your elite wrestling skills? As a Greco-Roman wrestler who focuses on upper body attacks, do you have trouble defending leg attacks? FCF: What have you done to improve your striking and submission skills since your last appearance in the Octagon, a win by DQ over Ricardo Almeida in UFC 31? Who have you been training with other than Randy? FCF: With Dan Henderson in Japan and Couture preparing for the main event, who will be in your corner at UFC 34? Give us your thoughts on the difficulty of having the UFC and Pride on the same weekend — and given the time change, the same day. FCF: You took some criticism after your last UFC appearance — although you were winning decisively before Almeida was DQ’d with about forty seconds remaining in the fight, some Internet fans complained that it was boring. What are your thoughts? FCF: What feedback did Dana White and Joe Silva give you? Did the fan backlash have something to do with the UFC passing you over for a fight with Dave Menne for the then-vacant middleweight belt, or did your plans to compete in the World Championships prevent the match-up? FCF: Is it difficult balancing your training with your car dealership (USA Auto Wholesale)? How much time do you dedicate to training? FCF: Do you prefer the hard sell or the soft sell? FCF: Do you plan to retire from amateur wrestling after the World Championships and focus 100% on MMA? FCF: Who wins in practice — you or Dan? He says your best-of-three victory over him at the World Team Trials was a fluke — something about you cheating and biting. |
 Closing In On Championship Chaos By Aaron Crecy Tokyo — There is a chill in the Tokyo air, but the temperature at the Shinjuku Hilton is almost at a boiling point as Pride 17 approaches. All the fighters gathered today for a press conference, where they were introduced to the media, shook hands and posed for photos. All but Vanderlei Silva, that is, who chose to stare icily at Kazushi Sakuraba rather than shake his opponent’s outstretched hand. Nobuhiko Takada was not present at the press conference.
Official Bout Order
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 UFC 34: High Voltage Tickets available from: Ticket Master: 702-474-4000 & MGM Grand: 877-880-0880 LINE-UP:* Main card: Prelims: *Card subject to change |
 Special Night On Sunshine FCF runs on Thursday this week Catch an all new episode of Full Contact Fighter TV tonight on Sunshine Network at 11:30PM (Eastern time). This jam-packed show will include…
Check with your local cable or satellite provider and your local listings. |
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Vanderlei Silva: Ready to do it again! By Eduardo Alonso  When Vanderlei Silva fought Japanese superstar and Pride posterboy Kazushi Sakuraba for the first time on March 25th, few people believed in his chances to win. However it took Vanderlei less than two minutes to finish the fight, stun the Japanese audience, and become the first fighter to defeat Sakuraba at Pride. Not only that but with this victory the popularity of the "Axe Murderer" grew all over the world, and after lots of speculation and expectations, the awaited rematch is finally going to happen! The Tokyo Dome will hold a crowd of more than 50,000 fans to witness who will prevail this time! In this short conversation with FCF, right before Vanderlei got to his plane to fly to Japan, the Chute Boxe star shows that he is more than ready to do it all over again, and become the first ever Pride Middleweight champion! FCF: After your overwhelming victory over Kazushi Sakuraba at Pride 13, you are going to fight him again a very anticipated rematch. How are you feeling about this fight? FCF: At the first time you two fought, Sakuraba accepted to trade punches with you to most people’s surprise. Do you expect him to fight as open as he did last time, or do you believe he may present some kind of surprises? FCF: Are you concerned with the rule that Pride uses about the weight difference? Do you believe that rule (That when a fighter weighs 10kg or more than his opponent he can’t use knees and kicks to an opponent on all fours) will hinder you in any way? FCF: You always enter every event very well prepared. How was your preparation for this fight against Sakuraba? FCF: Pride will now finally have its belt, and you can be the first Pride middleweight champion if you beat Sakuraba. What does this means to you? FCF: Your teammate Murilo "Ninja" Rua will also be fighting at the event, doing probably the toughest fight of his career, against the experienced Dan Henderson, whom you already fought at Pride 12. What can we expect from Ninja this time? FCF: Any final message to your fans? FCF: Thanks once again Vanderlei! The best of luck in your fight! |
