Jones booed by fans at UFC 152 weigh-ins

Mike Johnston September 21, 2012, 8:45 PM

TORONTO — In the same venue where Stanley Cups have been won and historic rock concerts have been held, some of the most talented mixed martial artists on the planet took to the scales as the UFC 152 weigh-ins went down at the old Maple Leaf Gardens on Friday.

Watch a special UFC 152 preview show followed by live preliminary action on Sportsnet starting at 7pm ET / 4pm PT

UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones — who defends his title against Vitor Belfort Saturday at the Air Canada Centre — was booed mercilessly by fans as he walked on stage while chants “Vitor, Vitor!” rang through the crowd.

The boos didn’t come as a surprise to many, including Jones who looks to defend his title for a fourth consecutive bout.

“I honestly believe that Vitor is one of the best in the world. As good as it gets,” Jones told UFC commentator Joe Rogan after coming in at 204.6 pounds. “I’m excited to go out there and do my best, do what I always do.”

Jones has been criticized of late after refusing to take a fight with Chael Sonnen on short notice at UFC 151, which was supposed to take place on Sept. 1. The UFC made the decision to cancel the event after Jones turned down the Sonnen bout.

Belfort, who weighed 204.2 pounds and stepped in on short notice to fight Jones at Toronto’s third UFC event, now has the opportunity to become a UFC champion for the third time. The 35-year-old challenger, who got the loudest reception from the several hundred fans in attendance, won the UFC 12 heavyweight tournament in 1997 and won the light-heavyweight title at UFC 46 in 2004.

“I’m the old lion, he’s the young lion,” Belfort said. “(On Saturday) we’ve got a jungle in the Octagon.”

Flyweight title contenders Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson also made weight ahead of their UFC flyweight championship bout. The winner will make history by being crowned the organization’s first 125-pound champion.

“Me and Joseph are going to show you the flyweight division is here to stay in the UFC,” said Johnson who came in at an even 125 pounds.

His opponent, Benavidez, has said this fight will be the culmination of years of hard work.

“I can’t wait to give you guys a night to remember,” said Benavidez. “We’re going to bring out the best in each other.”

Just one day after Michael Bisping butted heads with fellow middleweight contender Brian Stann at the pre-fight press conference, he did so again at the weigh-ins.

UFC president Dana White had to step between the two briefly as Bisping drove his forehead into Stann’s, but the fighters continued to square off. Bisping gave Stann a light jab to the stomach and the two engaged in an enthusiastic handshake that had the crowd cheering.

All four Canadians on the card — Roger Hollett, TJ Grant, Mitch Gagnon and Sean Pierson — made weight with no issues.

The only fighter to miss weight was Brazilian featherweight standout Charles Oliveira. The 22-year-old stepped on the scale at 146.4 pounds and could only shed an additional two tenths of a pound after the weigh-ins. At 146.2 pounds, he missed weight by just two-tenths of a pound. However, his opponent Cub Swanson agreed to fight at a catchweight and Oliveira was not fined.

Here are the complete results for UFC 152:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

— Jon Jones (204.6) vs. Vitor Belfort (204.2)

— Joseph Benavidez (124.4) vs. Demetrious Johnson (125)

— Michael Bisping (185.6) vs. Brian Stann (185.4)

— Matt Hamill (205.6) vs. Roger Hollett (203.6)

— Charles Oliveira (146.4) vs. Cub Swanson (145.8)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Sportsnet)

— Vinny Magalhaes (204.8) vs. Igor Pokrajac (205)

— Evan Dunham (155) vs. TJ Grant (154.6)

— Lance Benoist (170.4) vs. Sean Pierson (169.4)

— Marcus Brimage (145.4) vs. Jim Hettes (145.8)