It has been an abnormally chaotic fight week with UFC 232 hurriedly moved from Las Vegas to Inglewood, Calif., after the latest drug test controversy involving headliner Jon Jones.
Thankfully for fight fans — at least those not left stranded in Nevada — things have settled down. The fighters stepped on the scale at the official weigh-ins Friday, one day prior to the final UFC event of 2018, and all but one athlete successfully made weight.
Jones came in at an even 204 pounds, one pound under the light-heavyweight limit. His opponent, Alexander Gustafsson, weighed 204.5 pounds making their title fight official. Although Daniel Cormier is the current light-heavyweight titleholder, the winner of Saturday’s main event will be crowned the new, undisputed champion since Cormier is also the heavyweight kingpin and likely to compete in that division in his next bout. In fact, Cormier told ESPN Friday afternoon that he will relinquish his belt before the UFC can strip him.
Jones is the former champion but never lost his belt because of a loss in the cage. He has been stripped of titles on multiple occasions due to various failed drug tests and other personal scandals.
The 31-year-old’s most recent fight was a knockout victory over Cormier at UFC 214 in July of 2017 that was later overturned after Jones tested positive for oral turinabol, which is a banned and performance-enhancing substance, resulting in his latest suspension.
Prior to that saga, Jones had established himself as the most talented fighter the UFC had ever seen. He successfully defended his title eight times, including once against Gustafsson.
Jones eked out a tightly contested five-round unanimous decision victory over the six-foot-five Swede back in 2013 when the pair met in an instant classic at UFC 165 and the rematch has been something fans have wanted to see for more than five years now.
Stylistically, Gustafsson is the most difficult matchup on the UFC roster for Jones. A perfect foil. He’s also sick and tired of all of his foe’s missteps and believes he’s a cheater.
“Whatever this guy is saying, it’s just [expletive]. He’s just terrible,” Gustafsson told reporters at a press conference earlier this week, after the event was shifted to California. “This guy is terrible. I’m here to fight. I’m flexible. It’s all good, but we have friends, family coming into town, having plans. They have their budgets. They have to reschedule, re-plan everything, whatever. Whatever this guy is saying, you can’t take it serious. He’s just terrible, and he will eat it on Saturday night, I’m telling you.”
The night’s co-main event features the first true women’s “superfight” in UFC history with current 135-pound champ Amanda Nunes moving up to face Cris “Cyborg” Justino, the UFC women’s 145-pound champ and the consensus greatest female mixed martial artist of all time.
Cyborg, whose epic weight cuts are well-chronicled, stepped on the scale at 144 pounds and Nunes came in right at the limit of 145.
Bantamweight Montel Jackson was the only fighter not to hit his contracted weight. Jackson weighed 137 pounds, which was one pound over the non-title bout bantamweight limit of 136 pounds. Jackson will be fined a percentage of his purse, with a portion of it going to opponent Brian Kelleher, and the fight will now be contested at a catchweight.
Overall, despite all the drama, the card has held together and happens to be one of the more intriguing and star-studded fight lineups the UFC has presented all year.
There are two current champs, three former champs, five former title challengers, three winners of The Ultimate Fighter, plus a handful of up-and-coming stars.
Here is a look at the full UFC 232 fight card with official weigh-ins results in parentheses:
MAIN CARD
— Jon Jones (204) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (204.5)
— Cris Cyborg (144) vs. Amanda Nunes (145)
— Michael Chiesa (170.5) vs. Carlos Condit (171)
— Corey Anderson (204.5) vs. Ilir Latifi (205.5)
— Chad Mendes (146) vs. Alex Volkanovski (145)
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Andrei Arlovski (245.5) vs. Walt Harris (258.5)
— Megan Anderson (146) vs. Cat Zingano (144)
— Douglas Silva de Andrade (134.5) vs. Petr Yan (135)
— Ryan Hall (154) vs. B.J. Penn (156)
— Andre Ewell (135.5) vs. Nathaniel Wood (135)
— Uriah Hall (185.5) vs. Bevon Lewis (186)
— Siyar Bahadurzada (171) vs. Curtis Millender (170)
— Montel Jackson (137) vs. Brian Kelleher (135)
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