UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling Sheds Tears During UFC 273 Weigh-in
The UFC 273 early weigh-ins occurred earlier this morning at the UFC fighter hotel in Jacksonville, Florida. The anticipation continues to build around tomorrow night’s action, which marks the fourth PPV of 2022 for the UFC. Concluding the weigh-ins, thirteen bouts are expected to take place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Alex Volkanovski, Chan Sung Jung, Aljamain Sterling, Petr Yan, Gilbert Burns, and Khamzat Chimaev are all among the action.
Despite two athletes missing weight, every fight on the card will still go ahead. Weight-misses are usually the primary talking point from the weigh-ins, but UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling was among the point of discussion after an incredibly emotional weigh-in.
The Big Three
The UFC 273 main event is locked in with Alexander Volkanovski and Chan Sung Jung successfully making weight. “The Korean Zombie” aims to add the UFC featherweight title to his already prolific résumé. The 35-year-old will be under no illusion that Saturday will likely be his last opportunity to seize UFC gold. The odds are stacked against the South Korean, and rightfully so, with Volkanovski riding a twenty-fight win streak.
The co-main event features the rematch between heated rivals Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan. Over one year ago, Yan landed an illegal knee flush to the head of a downed Aljamain Sterling resulting in “Funk Master” being deemed the undisputed bantamweight champion due to disqualification. Since the first meeting, Aljamain Sterling has spent a substantial amount of time on the sidelines with a severe neck injury.
The 32-year-old’s competitive future was up in the air after the neck injury became so drastic. Sterling admitted that he didn’t predict making the walk again, and the curtain could have been closed on his MMA career. That certainly showed in this morning’s weigh-ins, as Sterling seemed to go through a roller-coaster of emotions while on the scale. It was a long way back, but the Serra Jiu-Jitsu representative has a mighty task in front of him in Petr Yan.
Aljamain Sterling’s Emotional Weigh-in
UFC 273 features two thrilling title fights, but many have touted Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns as “The people’s main event. Since entering the organization in 2020, Chimaev has dismantled every opponent the UFC has put ahead of him. The hype surrounding the Chechen has all the signs of a superstar in the making. However, Chimaev’s previous opponents haven’t had the level of skill that Burns possesses. A win for Chimaev shows the fans the level he is operating at. A win for Burns steals all the momentum of Chimaev and puts the Brazilian back in talks for a title shot.
The weigh-ins are in the books. Check out the official UFC 273 weigh-ins below.
UFC 273 Weigh-in Results
Main Card
MAIN CARD
Main Event – Featherweight Title Bout: Alexander Volkanovski (144.5) vs Chan Sung Jung (144.5)
Co-Main Event – Bantamweight Title Bout: Aljamain Sterling (134.5) vs Petr Yan (134)
Welterweight Bout: Gilbert Burns (170) vs Khamzat Chimaev (170)
Women’s Strawweight Bout: Mackenzie Dern (115.5) vs Tecia Torres (115.5)
Lightweight Bout: Vinc Pichel (155.5) vs Mark O. Madsen (155)
Prelims
Welterweight Bout: Ian Garry (170.5) vs Darian Weeks (170.5)
Heavyweight Bout: Jairzinho Rozenstruik (252.5) vs Marcin Tybura (253)
Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Aspen Ladd (136) vs Raquel Pennington (134.5)
Welterweight Bout: Mickey Gall (170.5) vs Mike Malott (170.5)
Heavyweight Bout: Aleksei Oleinik (244) vs Jared Vanderaa (266)
Middleweight Bout: Anthony Hernandez (186) vs Josh Fremd (185.5)
Women’s Strawweight Bout: Piera Rodriguez (115) vs *Kay Hansen (118.5)
Bantamweight Bout: **Julio Arce (136.5) vs Daniel Santos (135)
*Kay Hansen weighed in above the strawweight limit, and will forfeit 20% of her purse.
**Julio Arce weighed in above the bantamweight limit, and will forfeit 20% of his purse.
Out of the scheduled bouts listed, what fights are you looking forward to the most?
