Offering only a faint glimpse of the fireworks promised for Saturday night, Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz took to the scale on Friday, then had to be broken apart just a split-second into their final UFC 158 staredown.
Taking the scale first, the challenger Diaz (26-8, 1 no contest) received a mixed reception from the Bell Centre, with boos eventually overtaking the cheers. He weighed in comfortably at 169, one pound less than the welterweight title match limit.
St-Pierre (23-2) then followed, running up to the stage while confidently pumping his first towards the crowd a single time. Checking in at 170, St-Pierre quickly moved towards the staredown.
The two neared each other, and Diaz took an extra step closer towards the champion, and UFC president Dana White chose not to risk any escalation, quickly stepping between them. So instead of a faceoff, the two stood about 10 feet away, both facing the crowd and triumphantly raising their arms.
"I can talk as much as i want, but tomorrow I'm going to walk the walk," St-Pierre said after weighing in. "That's all I'm going to say."
Instead of addressing St-Pierre or the fight, Diaz took his opportunity on the mic to thank his coaches and training partners. The moment seemed somewhat anti-climactic, but few doubt Saturday night's action will be.
In the night's co-main event, top contender hopeful Johny Hendricks will take a two-pound weight advantage into his match with longtime ranked fighter Carlos Condit.
Hendricks weighed 171 to Condit's 169.
The match should prove to be a quality measuring stick for Hendricks, since Condit's last fight came against St-Pierre. UFC president Dana White has said that a win would put Hendricks in position to fight for the belt.
In another key welterweight matchup, Nate Marquardt weighed in at 171, one pound more than Jake Ellenberger.
