SAN ANTONIO – With no ceremonial weigh-ins ahead of UFC on ESPN 4, the fighters’ final close-up exchanges with their opposite numbers took place at the host hotel.
MMA Junkie was on the scene Friday to capture the footage as the fighters faced off – or didn’t, in one notable case – ahead of their respective bouts.
There was tension in the faces of both main eventers as former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos and fellow welterweight contender Leon Edwards locked eyes in front of the cameras.
But there was no eye contact whatsoever between the two men involved in a heavyweight grudge match. Juan Adams opted to stare at the ground, while his opponent Greg Hardy chose to turn towards the assembled media and grin for the cameras.
And there was even time for a brief embrace as heavyweight veterans Andrei Arlovski and Ben Rothwell attempted a stern-faced staredown before opting instead to hug it out. They’ll trade leather in the opening bout of the main card in a rematch of their first meeting at Affliction: Banned, which took place 11 years ago to the day.
You can watch the faceoffs from every fight on the 13-bout card in the video above.
All 13 bouts were made official at the morning weigh-ins, with the only fighter to miss weight, flyweight Jennifer Maia, agreeing to a 30 percent purse forfeit to opponent Roxanne Modafferi.
UFC on ESPN 4 takes place Saturday at the AT&T Center. The entire card airs live on ESPN.
For more on UFC on ESPN 4, check out the MMA Schedule.
