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The pull of one of the biggest New Year’s Eve parties in the country failed to entice at least one prominent group staying on the Strip.
None of the fighters competing at UFC 195 beginning at 3:30 Saturday afternoon at the MGM Grand Garden Arena succumbed to any temptation, as they all made weight Friday afternoon to render the first card of 2016 official. The overall mood of the New Year’s Day weigh-in did resemble a hangover, though.
There wasn’t much energy expended at MGM’s Marquee Ballroom, as the crowd stayed subdued and none of the 24 fighters got into as much as a minor altercation. Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit, who meet for the welterweight title in the main event, have promised a war in the cage but resisted saying anything negative about each other in the lead-up.
They stuck to that same theme in their final encounter before the fight. Lawler (170) and Condit (169) got in tight for a staredown photo before backing away and speaking highly of each other in their last comments.
“I’ve always been impressed by Robbie and his skills,” challenger Condit said on the weigh-in stage. “This is an incredible opportunity to put a highlight on my career. I have waited my entire life for this moment.”
Lawler has won seven of eight fights since returning to the UFC in 2013, including back-to-back title fight victories over Johny Hendricks and Rory MacDonald. Condit briefly held the interim welterweight title in 2012 before losing a unification bout with Georges St. Pierre later that year.
“Carlos is a heck of a fighter,” Lawler said. “He’s a fierce fighter, but I’m here to stay. I’m the champion and I’m going to showcase why I’m the best in the world.”
Former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski may have received the loudest reaction at the weigh-in. Arlovski came in at 246.5 pounds, 5 more than opponent Stipe Miocic.
The two were cordial and embraced after their face-off photo. The only sign of any ill will came in a much-anticipated lightweight bout between Dustin Poirier (155.5) and Joseph Duffy (155).
They were scheduled to fight in the main event of UFC Fight Night 76 last October, but an injury to Duffy delayed the meeting. Poirier rushed at Duffy after making weight and jawed at him during their staredowns.
Duffy responded with a laugh.
The UFC has promoted Poirier vs. Duffy as heavily as any bout on the card despite it being part of the online-only UFC Fight Pass preliminaries. Some have accused the promotion of putting a big matchup on the platform in an effort to drive up subscriptions.
But UFC President Dana White responded to a detractor on Twitter by saying the real reason was so Duffy could compete at a time when fans in his native Ireland could catch the action. Poirier vs. Duffy will go off about 12:30 a.m. in Ireland, as opposed to 3-5 a.m. if it were on the main card.
White often spends weigh-ins separating overeager fighters who get too aggressive with their opponent, but he didn’t have to use those skills Friday. These fighters have shown no indications of wanting to let loose until they get into the octagon.
Read below for full results from the UFC 195 weigh-in.
Welterweight championship bout: Robbie Lawler (170) vs. Carlos Condit (169)
Heavyweight bout: Stipe Miocic (241.5) vs. Andrei Arlovski (246.5)
Welterweight bout: Lorenz Larkin (171) vs. Albert Tumenov (171)
Featherweight bout: Diego Brandao (146) vs. Brian Ortega (145.5)
Lightweight bout: Abel Trujillo (156) vs. Tony Sims (156)
Bantamweight bout: Michael McDonald (136) vs. Masanori Kanehara (135)
Welterweight bout: Kyle Noke (170.5) vs. Alex Morono (170)
Women’s strawweight bout: Justine Kish (115) vs. Nina Ansaroff (116)
Lightweight bout: Scott Holtzman (155.5) vs. Drew Dober (155.5)
Lightweight bout: Dustin Poirier (155.5) vs. Joseph Duffy (155)
Bantamweight bout: Joe Soto (135.5) vs. Michinori Tanaka (135.5)
Welterweight bout: Sheldon Westcott (170) vs. Edgar Garcia (170)
Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.
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