The stars of UFC 278 are almost ready to throw down inside the octagon at Salt Lake City, but before they enter the octagon on fight night, they face “the fight before the fight” as they step on the scale to make weight for their respective matchups.
The main event features a battle for the undisputed UFC welterweight title, as reigning champion Kamaru Usman and challenger Leon Edwards will have to hit 170 or under to make their title clash official.
In the co-main event, former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold makes his return to the octagon to face Brazilian powerhouse Paulo Costa. Costa looked huge at Thursday’s pre-fight press conference, and dodged Rockhold’s direct question about his pre-fight weight.
Questions have been raised over Costa’s weight in the past, with the Brazilian coming in overweight for his middleweight bout with Marvin Vettori and negotiating for the bout to be held at light heavyweight, 20 pounds above the original weight limit. That prompted UFC president Dana White to state that Costa would not compete at middleweight again, but he was eventually booked at 185 pounds to face Rockhold this weekend, and all eyes will be on the Brazilian as he takes to the scale.
The other bout with championship ramifications features former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, who takes on surging contender Merab Dvalishvili in a bantamweight clash that could propel the winner towards a title shot at 135 pounds.
Follow the weigh-ins with the UFC team in their UFC 278 live weigh-in show, as they preview the fights, comment on the fighters as they take to the scale, and throw in some fun and games along the way.
