St-Pierre promises victory at UFC 129, Shields says title is going home with him
Posted April 29, 2011 6:55 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Challenger Jake Shields was roundly booed at the UFC 129 weigh-in Friday, giving the challenger a taste of what he can expect come fight night against welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.
The large crowd at the Ricoh Coliseum was chanting “GSP, GSP” before the California fighter even got off the scales after weighing in at 169 pounds.
St-Pierre followed, drawing a raucous welcome before weighing in at 169.5 pounds.
The two welterweights then shook hands and squared off for the cameras.
Then they offered their final message to the fans, who showered the 32-year-old Shields with more boos as he spoke.
“He’s a great fighter but I’m bringing the belt home with me,” said Shields (26-4-1). “People can boo all they want but it’s me and Georges in the cage and it’s going to be an all-out war, one I’m going to make you remember.”
St-Pierre (21-2) had a different view when asked how the fight was going to go down.
“It’s going to go down with a victory. That’s what I promise,” the 29-year-old from Montreal said. “Don’t blink tomorrow, don’t blink.”
The two face off at the Rogers Centre on Saturday night before 55,000.
There was a slight hiccup when Canadian featherweight Mark (The Machine) Hominick, who faces champion Jose Aldo in the co-main event, got on the scales.
His weight was announced at 145.25, which is a quarter of a pound over the featherweight limit. Championship fights do not offer the one-pound buffer than non-title fights get.
UFC president Dana White went over to the Ontario commission staffer working the scales and questioned the quarter-pound.
The extra quarter-pound did not seem to make a difference as the weigh-in continued without Hominick, from Thamesford, Ont., stripping down to try again behind a towel.
Aldo weighed in at 145 pounds.
Former WEC lightweight champion Ben Henderson did have to strip down and step on the scales behind a towel after weighing in at 156.5 pounds.
Getting naked didn’t help.
A commission official said the loud music was causing the scale to vibrate. So the booming soundtrack was turned off.
Henderson still missed weight and was sent away to lose a half-pound, which he did successfully.
The rest of the weigh-in was uneventful, although there was no shaking of hands as welterweights Nate Diaz and Rory MacDonald of Kelowna, B.C., squared off.
Diaz was accompanied by his brother, Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz.
Gilbert Melendez, the Strikeforce lightweight title-holder, accompanied welterweight Daniel (Ninja) Roberts to the scales.
And Montreal bantamweight Ivan Menjivar brought out a prop, in the former of a metal claw, as he posed with smiling opponent Charlie Valencia.
The crowd welcomed UFC Hall of Famer Randy (The Natural) Couture with chants of “Randy, Randy” as he weighed in at 203.5 pounds. It’s the final fight for the 47-year-old MMA icon.
His opponent, former light-heavyweight champion Lyoto (The Dragon) Machida, was 204.5 pounds.
Before the weigh-ins, CityNews reporter Hugh Burrill hung with the pugs at the UFC Fan Expo.
