Just woke up. The Brazilian steakhouse defeated me once again.
Day 2
We were told by many sources - the Shotime guys, the Strikeforce guys, the guy at the Sears Centre box office, radio stations - that the doors would open for the weign-ins at 4pm. We get there "early", around 3:30, and wait arond until 5pm for the doors to open. In the lineup they're giving out energy drinks and I down a couple before begging to get in and use the washroom. King Mo's there taking a leak 3 p!ssers over. I'd talk to him, but it's kind of awkward being that it's in the bathroom and all. Get back out only to see Aoki walk past the line and into the building. F'n Aoki is in the house!!!!
By the time the doors officially open, there are lots of people here, more than I think they anticipated. Strikeforce could have easily done the weign-ins UFC-style using a quarter of the arena but inexplicably chose to have the weigh-ins in the lobby/entrance area of the arena itself. Weird. They have this press area with a few cameras on a mini stage behind about 100 seats for press. They are using this cheap-looking digital scale. Immediately I'm not impressed cause there are already too many people around the guardrail to get good pictures. I decide then and there that I'm getting one of those seats.
I spot a **** in the guardrail's armor. A garbage reseptacle next to a post provides the cover and angle I need to sneak into the press area. I plan my route and go. No one seems to notice. Sweet! So I'm standing in the press area and see a few people have beers. When in Rome! I spot a beer booth next to the press area on the side the public does not have access to. A whole side of the guardrail is not on that side, so I figure this booth is here for the press and VIPs. Man was I wrong.
In this hidden area I spot Scott Smith and ask him when he's fighting next. December 19th is his reply. I ask who he's fighting and he doesn't know. I go for my beer. The girl keeps messing up the beer with way too much foam. I'm there literally 5 minutes watching her struggle. Turns out the keg wasn't hooked up properly with either too much or too little air, I wasn't really paying attention to her at this point. Then the unthinkable happens. The gate to the press area's closing. She's got my $8 and I have no beer. I get my money back, but by this time it's too late. I go to the security guard "I need to get back in there", "Press only" he replies. "I know, my friend's right there" and I point to a random area. "He's in the press" He asks who it is. My quick-thinking pays off here as I name the only MMA reporter I know to be in the arena, "Ariel Helwani of Fanhouse". "Right this way", and he open up the guardrail and lets me in.
I take a seat next to a guy writing a piece for a Minnesota paper on Brett Rogers. Unfortunately the spot is behind the biggest head I've ever seen. Turns out it's Big Black from Rob and Big. The dude took up 3 seats. As the weigh-ins are about to begin at 6pm, 3 huge Russian dudes sit down nearly in front of me. I recognize them from the day before as Fedor's crew. I will not say anything about them being a bit in my way.
Now the weigh-ins start. I got some great shots cause the Strikeforce guy running the show kept getting the fighters to look my way "And one more over there". Sweet. Big Foot and Verdum have one of the meanest staredowns I've seen in a while. Moussasi looks like he wants to get off the stage taking pictures and eat some food. It was funny to see. Mayhem seems like a joker, smiling for every picture, making faces, ultimately annoying the sh!t out of Shields. Fedor comes in to the loudest cheers. He takes off his shirt and the Stirkeforce guy running things motions for him to take off his pants. Fedor smiles and communicates that he's rocking it commando. The first couple rows get it and laugh. Guess that's why he always wears his pants at weigh-ins. He does the staredown, and I get some amazing pictures. Next a "special guest" has an announcement. Shinya Aoki comes out and through an interpreter says that he is talking with Strikeforce and is waiting to sign a good deal. Cool. Stirkeforce is no joke!
At this time they announce they will be doing the weigh-ins for the prelim fights. Fedor's 3 guys get up, and I make my move and follow them backstage behind the weigh-in screens. Now I'm in the acutal arena where the cage is, in what passes for box seats at the Sears Centre. I see the same Strikeforce guy who tipped me off about Fedor the day earlier and he tells me the commission is fu<king up the prelim weigh-ins (Strikeforce ran the main event weigh-ins). He knows I'm not supposed to be there, but he's cool. I run into Dan Henderson. I ask him about the hunt he just went on, he caught some nice elk. I ask "Shoot any, WHITEtail?" He doesn't really get it and says no just some other type I can' remember. I ask when and where he's signing. He's not sure. I tell him he's worth every $$$ he wants cause he's a legend and if anyone's worth the money, he is. He thanks me. I see Roxy and wish her good luck, though she won't need it. She says she'll take luck. We talk for a bit about nothing really. I tell her the Frenzy loves her and to check the site out. She says she will. I see the MW Strikeforce belt with some Strikeforce guy and ask to take a pic with it on. He lets me and begs me not to drop it. That belt is HEAVY. The thing must literally be made of solid gold.
Still in the backstage/box suite area Sheilds, Miller, and Sokadjou are rehydrading and eating a sh!tload. I ask Sheilds if he was impressed with Miller's antics at the weigh-ins. He tells me that he won't fall into Mayhem's game and he's confident he'll win. Then Mayhem walks by with this beer-looking drink and I say "I hope that's not beer." He laughs and says he wishes it were and that he's gettin' drunk tomorow. Melendez is back here too with Sheilds' team. I guess now the other weigh-ins are done cause Strikeforce people are asking all the fighters if they want to go meet the fans. Most do.
At this point I guess it's hecktic out there and I must have inspired someone, cause the dude I walked past to initially sneak into the press area walks into the backstage area and says what's up. And he's a good ol' Canadian boy too. We decide to try to get into the cage. We walk along the aisles and past Bas, Kenny, and Franky Shamsham filming for HDNet, not very interesting. We see Fedor's translator and main trainer and ask to meet to man himself, but he's left the building. We then walk down to the floor like we own the place and I recognize Jimmy from Fight Quest. Sweet, one of my favorite shows. He's all alone and sees I recognize him so he walks up to us (we're now standing directly next to the cage). From our conversation I learn that he's usually on location for 13 days but only 5 is training. Discovery Channel wants the show to be have a Rocky-feel so him and Doug are supposed to get owned during training and triumph during the final fights. But this never happens. He constantly owns the guys he trains with and the film crew gets p!ssed off cause most of the footage is then unuable. Then they always lose to the locals, which isn't planned. He's not sure if there will be a next season, but they're trying to do a version of the show where they spend more time in a specific country and imerse themselves in the culture and style for much longer than the time they do now. I see Mauro Renallo and he actually sounds like that in real life. Frank Shamrock walks by just as I'm doing my best Mauro impression for Jimmy and they both crack up. I think Mauro hears me, but he avoids eye contact. What a diva!
At this time we decide to try to get into the cage, but there's this hand written note asking to take off your shoes before you enter, and we chicken out. We go back to get the girls and bring them down to see the cage. The whole time I was backstage my girl was awesome and got some more signatures for me to go with my shirt I got signed by everyone backstage. I appologize for leaving her so long, but she's happy for me and having a blast with the girls she met. She tells me something interesting: Dan Henderson was signing autographs in the crowd and taking pics when a kid with a UFC poster asked him to sign it. Dan said he can't sign UFC stuff. He signed everything else for this obvious ebay kid, but not the UFC poster. I'll leave the speculation to you guys, but Hendo did sign an 8X10 I had (which thankfully my girl was holding my stuff all night and getting guys to sign) with him holding both PRIDE belts.
So finally I get asked to show my credentials by security (what took them so long??) and I admit defeat. My sharpie lid came off in my pocket sometime during the evening and I noticed a nice black stain on my pantleg. ****, my favorite jeans. Oh well. We leave for the hotel after a successful night of wicked pictures and good times. It's nearly 7. We get to Texas de Brazil around 8:30 and don't leave until 9:45. The night becomes a blur after the 4th cut of meat. We drive back to the hotel and I lapse into a food coma.
