The pre-fight obligations have been completed for the the stars of UFC Saudi Arabia as they faced off for the final time ahead of fight night in Riyadh.
Earlier this morning, former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and short-notice opponent Ikram Aliskerov both made weight with ease ahead of their main event meeting at UFC Fight Night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
There were no concerns over either man as they stepped onto the scale looking fresh, with Whittaker hitting the non-title limit of 186 pounds, while Aliskerov came in with a couple of pounds to spare, tipping the scale at 184.
Chief support is provided by a clash between two Russian heavyweight contenders, and fireworks will be expected when Sergei Pavlovich and former Bellator heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov throw down in the co-main event. The pair cut two very different frames on the scale, with the more powerfully-built Pavlovich (260) two pounds heavier than the much taller Volkov (258).
Also set for action on the main card is a battle between Kelvin Gastelum and Daniel Rodriguez. Originally booked as a welterweight matchup, the pair later agreed to a middleweight bout after Gastelum reported problems getting down to the originally-contracted weight. With the 185-pound limit agreed, both men stepped on the scale to lock in the contest, with Gastelum weighing in at 184.5, and Rodriguez coming in at 184 even.
Middleweights Shara Magomedov and Antonio Trocoli (both 185.5 pounds), and light heavyweights Johnny Walker and Volkan Oezdemir (both 206 pounds) completed the main card lineup.
The rest of the fighters on the card all made weight successfully, including Xiao Long and ChangHo Lee, who both weighed in at 136 pounds for their Road to UFC bantamweight tournament final, which will kick off the action at the Kingdom Arena on Saturday night.
Following the official weigh-ins, the fighters stepped onto the stage to face off for the fans as they completed the pre-fight festivities in Riyadh. The next time they’ll go head to head, it’ll be inside the Octagon on fight night.
Recap the ceremonial weigh-ins via the official live stream replay above, and check out the full list of official weigh-in results below.
UFC Saudi Arabia: Official weigh-in results
MAIN CARD
- Robert Whittaker (186) vs Ikram Aliskerov (184)
- Sergei Pavlovich (260) vs Alexander Volkov (258)
- Kelvin Gastelum (184.5) vs Daniel Rodriguez (184)
- Shara Magomedov (185.5) vs Antonio Trocoli (185.5)
- Johnny Walker (206) vs Volkan Oezdemir (206)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Nasrat Haqparast (156) vs Jared Gordon (156)
- Muhammad Naimov (145.5) vs Felipe Lima (145.5)
- Rinat Fakhretdinov (170.5) vs Nicolas Dalby (171)
- Kyung Ho Kang (136) vs Muin Gafurov (136)
- Magomed Gadzhiyasulov (205) vs Brendson Ribeiro (205)
- Xiao Long (136) vs ChangHo Lee (136) – Road to UFC bantamweight tournament final