AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- All 22 fighters competing at UFC 123 easily made weight on Friday afternoon, leaving no issues and paving the way for the event at The Palace at Auburn Hills on Saturday night.Only one fighter needed the extra one-pound allowance accorded to non-title fights, and the rest of the athletes came in at or below the weight limits, making the weigh-ins a quick and somewhat uneventful formality on the way to fight night.
Ironically, the main event fight pitting Quinton "Rampage" Jackson against Lyoto Machida is the only one that resulted in some tension on the stage. After the two weighed in, they squared off for a posedown, and Machida put his right fist up to Jackson's face. Jackson took exception and said something to Machida, but UFC president Dana White quickly stepped between them and the situation was quickly diffused.
"Lyoto is a very respectful guy and has a great style but I come here to excite the crowd," Jackson said. "I'm here for you all. I'm here to put a show on for you all. I'll put on an incredible show for you tomorrow."
Machida will be looking to rebound after suffering his first career loss, a knockout at the hands of current light-heavyweight champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.
"The pressure always exists regardless of the fight," Machida said. "I'm very well prepared to put on a good show tomorrow night.
After their interviews, Machida walked off the stage and backstage to rehydrate while his manager Ed Soares stayed behind at Jackson's request, and the two spoke for a few moments, likely discussing what just occurred. The conversation appeared respectful and broke up with a handshake and Soares heading to re-join Machida.
Both Jackson and Machida weighed in at 205.
In the co-main event, both Matt Hughes and BJ Penn checked in at 169 pounds for the rubber match of their trilogy. Penn won the first fight by rear naked choke before Hughes rebounded with a TKO victory.
Lightweight contenders Joe Lauzon and George Sotiropoulos both weighed 155 pounds for their bout.
Aaron Simpson was the only man on the entire card who needed the extra allowance, checking in at 185.5 for his middleweight fight with Mark Munoz. Non-title fights allow one extra pound of weight. The two engaged in one of the lighter moments at weigh-ins, squaring off for their posedown in wrestling stances as an homage to their collegiate days on the mats.
Main Card
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (205) vs. Lyoto Machida (205)
Matt Hughes (169) vs. B.J. Penn (169)
Tim Boetsch (205) vs. Phil Davis (205)
Joe Lauzon (155) vs. George Sotiropoulos (155)
Maiquel Falcao (185) vs. Gerald Harris (185)
Spike TV Fights
Matt Brown (170) vs. Brian Foster (170)
Mark Munoz (185) vs. Aaron Simpson (185.5)
Preliminary Fights
Dennis Hallman (170) vs. Karo Parisyan (170)
Edson Barboza (155) vs. Mike Lullo (155)
Paul Kelly (155) vs. T.J. O'Brien (155)
Nik Lentz (155) vs. Tyson Griffin (155)
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