The weigh ins are a stressful and tough time for many fighters. These are guys and girls who have been fasting, dehydrating and cutting weight for weeks and are often not in the best moods. This can lead to some angry and aggressive stare downs and here are five of the craziest and most intense.
1. Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera
Anytime Bisping has a fight, you know a ton of trash will be talked and tempers will flair. And when he was matched up with Rivera, who doesn’t take crap from anyone, we knew we’d be in for quite the show. In the buildup of their fight the two traded multiple jabs on social media and through the media. And when it came to weigh in time, the two would not stop jawing back and forth and had to actually be physically restrained from one another.
2. Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida
These men are two of the most intense fighters in the UFC so when they were signed up to fight at the TUF 9 finale, fans were salivating over not only their fight, but also the weigh in. And in true Guida and Sanchez fashion, it didn’t disappoint. While tempers didn’t boil over and the two men didn’t try to fight or yell at each other, the stare down and tension were about as intense as you’ll ever see and this without a doubt set the tone for one of the best fights I have ever seen.
3. BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz
Each of these men is a bonafide legend and this was a true test for both men. Diaz is known for being outspoken and Penn is known for not backing down from anyone. Diaz (and his brother Nate) often get in the faces of their opponent during weigh ins and this fight was no different. But Penn didn’t back down and the two bumped and rubbed heads and had to be restrained from one another to prevent an all out brawl.
4. Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort
Anderson Silva is normally fairly respectful towards his opponents leading up to the fight, but when Belfort talked a bit of trash prior, people were wondering how Silva would react. He had an interesting choice at weigh ins to wear a plain white mask over his face. And then, very uncharacteristically, he walked right up to Belfort and got right in his grill, lifting the mask and talking trash. This was very surprising and intense to fans and set the tone for one of his best performances ever.
5. Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva
Fans today just don’t know how anticipated this fight was among fans in the mid 2000’s. The fight was years in the making and it was one of the biggest fights of all time. Both men had an obvious disdain for each other and tempers boiled over at the weigh in. After the two stared down, Silva tried to make Liddell flinch and Liddell flipped him off, which led Silva to actually run across the stage and almost start and brawl before he was held back.
