Shogun, Bones weigh in for UFC 128
Posted March 18, 2011 9:45 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
THE CANADIAN PRESS
NEWARK, N.J. — Light-heavyweight champion Mauricio (Shogun) Rua showed some irritation at Jon (Bones) Jones’ brashness Friday, saying the challenger had disrespected him.
After weighing in, Rua was asked about what he thought about the 23-year-old Jones signing autographs “UFC champion 2011.”
Speaking through manager Eduardo Alonso, the 29-year-old Brazilian called it disrespectful “but it’s OK because tomorrow we’ll see who’s the better man.”
“This belt is mine and I’m going to keep it mine,” he added.
Both men weighed in at 205 pounds ahead of their UFC 128 showdown at the Prudential Center.
“I feel great,” said Jones. “This is the biggest opportunity of my life.”
Jones (12-1) stepped on the scales first and then waited in the wings, looking intense, breathing hard and bouncing from foot to foot as the champion weighed in.
He just looked down as Rua (19-4) came over for the traditional pose.
Bantamweights Urijah (The California Kid) Faber and Eddie Wineland, who meet in the co-main event, both weighed in at 135.5.
New Jersey fighters Kurt Pellegrino, Ricardo Almeida and brothers Dan and Jim Miller got warm receptions from the crowd at the Prudential Center practice rink. But Croatian heavyweight star Mirko (Cro Cop) Filipovic also got a raucous welcome.
