HONOLULU, Hawaii, Sept. 14 -- Both ICON Sport and EliteXC middleweight champions Robbie Lawler (Pictures) and Murilo "Ninja" Rua had no problem making weight Friday for what many on the islands are calling the biggest mixed martial arts card in the Aloha State's history.
The middleweights locked eyes as they posed for photos, and it was the Brazilian that reacted first, offering a wry smile before turning away
to gaze into the popping flashes of the cameras.
Of the 10 fighters scheduled to compete on Saturday's Showtime-televised card (10 p.m. ET/PT) at the Blaisdell Arena, only
Gina Carano (Pictures) had issue making weight, and even then it was just by one-tenth of a pound.
Carano, who came it at 141.1 pounds, appeared weak while doing a one-leg balancing act on the scale. With promoters briefly discussing whether the Las Vegan would need to drop the weight, Carano's opponent Tonya Evinger (Pictures) looked on, surprised to learn that there was a one-pound
weight allowance.
Carano, shaky and on weak legs, rushed to take a seat, where she gulped down Pedialite before Evinger finally conceded and the fight
was made official. As the two squared off for the traditional staredown, Carano barely had the energy to keep her arms raised,
eventually opting to fold them across her chest.
Nick Diaz (Pictures) towered over B.J. Penn (Pictures)-trained fighter Mike Aina (Pictures). Returning from a six-month suspension after testing positive for marijuana
following a fight in Nevada, Diaz looked trim at 160.5 pounds, the same weight as his Hawaiian opponent.
Middleweights Riki Fukuda (Pictures) (184.9) and Joey Villasenor (Pictures) (185.1) both looked ready to fight.
Meeting at a catch-weight of 175 pounds, Jake Shields (Pictures) and Renato Verissimo (Pictures) will compete in a bout that failed to happen at the same
weight last year, during a Rumble on the Rock tournament that Shields captured. Shields, as always, looked big at 175.3 pounds, while
"Charuto" appeared healthy at 173.2.
Official weights and bout order:
Internet Broadcast
Chad Klingensmith (Pictures) (170) vs. Brandon Wolff (Pictures) (170.6)
Nui Wheeler (Pictures) (135) vs. Mark Oshiro (Pictures) (133.2)
Jose Diaz (Pictures) (186.7) vs. Mark Kurano (Pictures) (182.6)
Jeff Cox (173.5) vs. Kala Kolohe Hose (Pictures) (182.6)
Tyson Nam (Pictures) (134.4) vs. Albert Manners (Pictures) (135.5)
Showtime-televised portion
Robbie Lawler (Pictures) (184.9) vs. Murilo Rua (Pictures) (184.1)
Mike Aina (Pictures) (160.5) vs. Nick Diaz (Pictures) (160.5)
Tonya Evinger (Pictures) (139.5) vs. Gina Carano (Pictures) (141.1)
Riki Fukuda (Pictures) (184.9) vs. Joey Villasenor (Pictures) (185.1)
Jake Shields (Pictures) (175.3) vs. Renato Verissimo (Pictures) (173.2)
Off-TV bouts
Ikaika Choy-Fu (Pictures) (161.2) vs. Justin Buchholz (Pictures) (160.3)
Elias Delosruyes (Pictures) (150.7) vs. Chico Cantiberos (Pictures) (150.1)
