Vitor Belfort wasn’t going to make the same mistake he did on Thursday.
A day after putting his fist near Michael Bisping’s chin as they posed for photos following the pre-fight conference for Saturday’s UFC event in Sao Paulo, Brazil, leading to some swatting and shouting, Belfort stood a good couple feet away for their post-weigh-in staredown Friday.
The fiery Bisping still didn’t appreciate the gesture and some more verbal jawing ensued.
Bisping weighed in at 186 pounds while Belfort was 185 for their headlining bout for Saturday’s UFC on Sportsnet: Belfort vs. Bisping.
Watch five hours of live fights on Saturday as UFC on Sportsnet: Belfort vs. Bisping coverage begins with three hours of preliminary bouts on Sportsnet ONE starting at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT, followed by the main card at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. Also, one early preliminary bout will stream on Sportsnet.ca at 5:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. PT.
The Brit Bisping received some expected boos, to which he raised his arms and playfully repeated, “C’mon!”
The Brazilian Belfort, sporting a snazzy Mohawk, was naturally greeted to cheers by his home crowd.
Perhaps the more entertaining moment was when Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov arrived with a white afro wig and a black shirt with white lettering that read, “If Sambo Was Easy It Would Be Called Jiu-Jitsu” — a pretty ballsy move to wear that in the birthplace of the grappling martial art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Here are the full weigh-in results:
Main card (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West, Pacific, 9 p.m. ET)
Vitor Belfort (185) vs. Michael Bisping (186)
C.B. Dollaway (186) vs. Daniel Sarafian (186)
Gabriel Gonzaga (255) vs. Ben Rothwell (258)
Khabib Nurmagomedov (155) vs. Thiago Tavares (155)
Undercard (Sportsnet ONE, 6 p.m. ET, Sportsnet East, Ontario, West, Pacific, joined at 7 p.m. ET)
Godofredo Castro (145) vs. Milton Vieira (146)
Andrew Craig (185) vs. Ronny Markes (186)
Nik Lentz (145) vs. Diego Nunes (145)
Edson Barboza (154) vs. Lucas Martins (154)
Yuri Alcantara (135) vs. Pedro Nobre (136)
Ildemar Alcantara (201) vs. Wagner Prado (206)
Preliminary card (Sportsnet.ca, 5:30 p.m. ET)
C.J. Keith (156)* vs. Francisco Trinaldo (154.5)
* Keith originally weighed in at 157 pounds, but made weight on his second attempt.