Jones, Vera Make Weight
Greg Savage Mar 20, 2010
Jon
Jones and Brandon Vera
both made weight for their light heavyweight showdown, which tops
the bill of Sunday’s inaugural UFC Live on Versus event. The 1st
Bank Center in Broomfield, Colo., will host the 11-bout card.
Jones, who took advantage of the one-pound allowance, weighed in at 206 pounds. He is returning from the first loss of his young career -- a disqualification due to an illegal elbow against Matt Hamill. He will look to get his title run back on the rails against a man who rolled down the same “can’t miss” track he has been thrust onto since bursting on the UFC scene in 2008.
Vera, who tipped the scales at 204 pounds, will try to rebound from
his last start, a lackluster effort against Randy
Couture in which he dropped a close decision against the iconic
former champion. A fighter with immense talent, Vera has settled
into a middling run that has knocked some of the luster off his
once-rising star. He will try to recapture some of that lost
momentum against Jones.
In a bout with tangible heavyweight implications, Junior dos Santos will take on Gabriel Gonzaga in the co-main event. Dos Santos, who came in at 238 pounds, is undefeated in the UFC and hopes to take another step forward against a fighter with perhaps the best jiu-jitsu credentials in the heavyweight division. He has shown great striking prowess in the Octagon but has rarely had to worry about the ground game.
Gonzaga will have a 17-pound advantage after weighing 255 at Saturday’s weigh-ins. He was within sight of the divisional crown after working his way to a title shot at UFC 84 before coming up short against Couture. A win over the heavily hyped dos Santos might push him back into the now crowded heavyweight title picture. Despite his grappling credentials, Gonzaga has repeatedly shown a willingness to stand and trade with his opponent and has had mixed results.
Official Weights:
Jon Jones (206) vs. Brandon Vera (204)
Junior dos Santos (238) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (255)
Cheick Kongo (237) vs. Paul Buentello (246)
James Irvin (185) vs. Alessio Sakara (185)
Clay Guida (155) vs. Shannon Gugerty (155)
Vladimir Matyushenko (205) vs. Eliot Marshall (204)
Duane Ludwig (155) vs. Darren Elkins (155)
Daniel Roberts (169) vs. John Howard (170)
Brendan Schaub (*245) vs. Chase Gormley (265)
Mike Pierce (170) vs. Julio Paulino (170)
Eric Schafer (205) vs. Jason Brilz (205)
Update: 8:35 p.m. ET: UFC.com is reporting that Schaub's announced weight of 264 pounds is incorrect. The UFC states that his official weight is 245 pounds.
Jones, who took advantage of the one-pound allowance, weighed in at 206 pounds. He is returning from the first loss of his young career -- a disqualification due to an illegal elbow against Matt Hamill. He will look to get his title run back on the rails against a man who rolled down the same “can’t miss” track he has been thrust onto since bursting on the UFC scene in 2008.
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In a bout with tangible heavyweight implications, Junior dos Santos will take on Gabriel Gonzaga in the co-main event. Dos Santos, who came in at 238 pounds, is undefeated in the UFC and hopes to take another step forward against a fighter with perhaps the best jiu-jitsu credentials in the heavyweight division. He has shown great striking prowess in the Octagon but has rarely had to worry about the ground game.
Gonzaga will have a 17-pound advantage after weighing 255 at Saturday’s weigh-ins. He was within sight of the divisional crown after working his way to a title shot at UFC 84 before coming up short against Couture. A win over the heavily hyped dos Santos might push him back into the now crowded heavyweight title picture. Despite his grappling credentials, Gonzaga has repeatedly shown a willingness to stand and trade with his opponent and has had mixed results.
Official Weights:
Jon Jones (206) vs. Brandon Vera (204)
Junior dos Santos (238) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (255)
Cheick Kongo (237) vs. Paul Buentello (246)
James Irvin (185) vs. Alessio Sakara (185)
Clay Guida (155) vs. Shannon Gugerty (155)
Vladimir Matyushenko (205) vs. Eliot Marshall (204)
Duane Ludwig (155) vs. Darren Elkins (155)
Daniel Roberts (169) vs. John Howard (170)
Brendan Schaub (*245) vs. Chase Gormley (265)
Mike Pierce (170) vs. Julio Paulino (170)
Eric Schafer (205) vs. Jason Brilz (205)
Update: 8:35 p.m. ET: UFC.com is reporting that Schaub's announced weight of 264 pounds is incorrect. The UFC states that his official weight is 245 pounds.
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