Johny Hendricks averted a near-crisis for the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Friday by making weight during his second attempt for his UFC 171 title fight against Robbie Lawler.
Hendricks weighed in at 171.5 pounds during his first attempt. In accordance with the rules governing mixed martial arts title fights, he needed to make 170 pounds in order for the title fight to go forward. Historically, a title fight is turned into a non-title fight when one fighter misses weight, but the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation informed the UFC after Hendricks' failed first attempt that the title would still be on the line for Lawler even if Hendricks missed on his second attempt.
Luckily, things did not go that far, as Hendricks hit the 170-pound mark on his second attempt. The UFC 171 main event will remain a title fight for both parties.
It was an afternoon full of intrigue, and not just because of the weigh-in fiasco. No, the best entertainment of the day came from one Nick Diaz, who was in attendance at the weigh-ins. After Hendricks missed weight, Diaz snuck backstage and heckled the title contender as he left for a local sauna to attempt to cut more weight:
Feeling that wasn't enough, Diaz decided to stick around for Hendricks' second attempt:
Here's the thing: You can say what you want about Diaz and his lack of professionalism. I have, and I'll likely continue to do so. But I cannot deny that Diaz is one of the most entertaining things in mixed martial arts. I even proposed an idea for a new Fight Pass-exclusive show on Twitter that I believe would help sell a ton of new subscriptions:
How much would you pay for a show called "Nick Diaz Heckles Fighters?" I would pay all the moneys.
— Jeremy Botter (@jeremybotter) March 14, 2014
I'm being totally serious. How many of you would pay to see Diaz just walk around and heckle other fighters, calling them fat and booing them? Because I sure would. And I know he's lost two fights in a row, but I am suddenly filled with a desire to see Diaz square off against the winner of Saturday's fight. Perhaps even while serving as The Ultimate Fighter coaches?
