BOSTON — Conor McGregor won’t enter the octagon at TD Garden until very late Sunday night, but his legions of fans — many making the journey from his native Ireland — already have taken the city by storm.
The Orpheum Theatre was a sea of green and orange and a cacophony of drunken song Saturday afternoon at UFC Fight Night 59 weigh-in as McGregor, the obvious fan favorite, prepares to take another step toward becoming the first Irishman to claim a UFC title belt.
After he and his opponent, Dennis Siver, weighed in at 145 and 146 pounds, respectively, McGregor issued another message to the man he’ll face if — or as he tells it, when — he defeats Siver in Sunday’s main event.
Here are the official weigh-in results for all 12 bouts:
MAIN CARD
Conor McGregor (145) vs. Dennis Siver (146)
Donald Cerrone (155) vs. Benson Henderson (156)
Uriah Hall (186) vs. Ron Stallings (185)
Norman Parke (156) vs. Gleison Tibau (156)
UNDERCARD
Cathal Pendred (171) vs. Sean Spencer (171)
John Howard (170) vs. Lorenz Larkin (171)
Zhang Lipeng (156) vs. Chris Wade (156)
Patrick Holohan (125) vs. Shane Howell (125)
Johnny Case (156) vs. Frankie Perez (155)
Charles Rosa (145) vs. Sean Soriano (146)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Sean O’Connell (206) vs. Matt Van Buren (205)
Tateki Matsuda (125)vs. Joby Sanchez (126)
— Also benefitting from the strong Irish contingent were fellow Dublin-based fighters Patrick Holohan and Cathal Pendred. Pendred even endeared himself further to the Boston crowd by taking the stage in a Larry Bird Celtics jersey.
He loses points for the selfie stick, though. (GIF via Reddit)
— The Bruins and Patriots also were represented at the weigh-in, as Peabody, Mass., native Charles Rosa sported the spoked-B and Boston’s John Howard rocked the same Pats stocking cap he wore for Friday’s media day.
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Somerville’s Tateki Matsuda didn’t rep any particular sports team but still received a hearty ovation from the hometown crowd
— The final staredown between McGregor and Siver was a tense one, but the two men fighting in the co-main event don’t have nearly as hostile a relationship. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Benson Henderson already have met twice in the octagon, and after joking around on stage at media day, their post-weigh-in meeting was devoid of any intimidation and icy stares.
— Both “The Wrestler” and “The Fighter” were on hand for the festivities. That would be Mickey Rourke, who earned an Oscar nomination for his role as fictional pro wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson in the former, and Micky Ward, a Lowell, Mass., native and former boxing world champion whose life inspired the latter.
— If you’re interested in watching the full weigh-in, you can do so below.
Thumbnail photo via Facebook/MMAjunkie.com
