Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
Anderson Silva hits Chael Sonnen with his shoulder as the face off during the weigh in for UFC 148 Friday, July 6, 2012.
Friday, July 6, 2012 | 9 p.m.
Related Content
- Jon Jones speaks to media for the first time since DWI arrest, talks next fight
- Retirement will bring its benefits for Tito Ortiz after UFC 148
- 'You're uncoordinated': Reporter recounts going through UFC training gauntlet
- UFC 148 breakdown, betting odds and picks
- Chael Sonnen continues to rankle Anderson Silva as UFC 148 fighters arrive
- UFC 148 fight week expected to boost local economy
- Forrest Griffin not quite ready to join Tito Ortiz in retirement after UFC 148
- No longer holding back, Anderson Silva lashes out at Chael Sonnen with threats
- Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II moved to Las Vegas for UFC 148
- UFC 148 section
- UFC coverage
Chael Sonnen has thrown plenty of verbal cheap shots in Anderson Silva’s direction over recent years.
Silva retaliated with a physical one Friday evening at the UFC 148 weigh-in. Silva lowered his shoulder and tossed it into Sonnen’s chin when the two posed for a stare-down photo at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
“I don’t respect Chael and Chael doesn’t respect nothing,” Silva said while onstage. “Chael doesn’t respect UFC and doesn’t respect my country.”
Sonnen only grinned and stood still after Silva’s attack, making no effort to escalate the situation into anything more.
“Champion versus icon, myth versus legend,” Sonnen said. “Anderson Silva versus Chael Sonnen, the fake guy versus the bad guy.”
The altercation overshadowed the simple fact that the most anticipated fight in UFC history is now official, with Sonnen hitting the middleweight limit of 185 pounds and Silva coming in with one pound to spare at 184.
Each of the other 20 fighters on the card also made weight.
“I cannot wait for this fight anymore,” an overwhelmed fan exclaimed after the face-off between the UFC’s best fighter, Silva, and the only opponent to ever give him trouble, Sonnen.
He wasn’t the only one. Anyone who struggled to understand the level of anticipation for UFC 148’s main event probably came around after the weigh-in.
The UFC typically scales the Mandalay Bay Events Center to hold 2,000 spectators for its weigh-ins. The promotion opened more than 8,000 seats Friday, and it wasn’t even enough.
Late-arriving fans rushed the aisles and concourses to catch a glimpse of the action. An early stare-down between lightweights Melvin Guillard (155) and Fabricio Camoes (156) got the packed crowd riled up.
UFC President Dana White had to step in between the two preliminary-card fighters, using the same motion he would later perfect when featherweights Chad Mendes and Cody McKenzie posed.
McKenzie (145) drove his forehead into his former training partner’s before White jumped in the middle. The noise level increased tenfold when UFC commentator Joe Rogan reached introductions for the co-main event.
Tito Ortiz, who will retire after UFC 148, strutted onto the scale slowly for one last time. Going back to one of his staples from earlier in the decade, Ortiz wore and pointed to a shirt with a message printed across the front.
Unlike some of the more infamous ones, this shirt contained no obscenities. It simply read, “I wear my heart on my sleeve.” Ortiz (205) and Forrest Griffin (204) got face-to-face with mere inches separating them, but made no contact.
They left that to Silva and Sonnen.
Check below for full results from the UFC 148 weigh-in.
Middleweight Championship bout: Anderson Silva (184) vs. Chael Sonnen (185)
Light Heavyweight bout: Forrest Griffin (204) vs. Tito Ortiz (204)
Middleweight bout: Cung Le (185) vs. Patrick Cote (185)
Welterweight bout: Dong Hyun Kim (170) vs. Demian Maia (170)
Featherweight bout: Chad Mendes (146) vs. Cody McKenzie (145)
Bantamweight bout: Ivan Menjivar (136) vs. Mike Easton (135)
Lightweight bout: Melvin Guillard (155) vs. Fabricio Camoes (156)
Lightweight bout: Gleison Tibau (155) vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov (155)
Middleweight bout: Constantinos Philippou (186) vs. Riki Fukuda (185)
Lightweight bout: John Alessio (156) vs. Shane Roller (155)
Lightweight bout: Rafaello Oliveira (156) vs. Yosilandy Izquierdo (156)
Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or case.keefer@lasvegassun.com. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.
Post a comment
Commenting requires registration.
Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy.
If you would like to submit your comment as a letter to the editor, you may submit it here.