UFC 159 weigh-ins set for Friday in Newark, Chris Weidman hosts Q&A

Official fighter weigh-ins for Saturday’s “UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen” event are slated for Friday at AmeriHealth Pavilion at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Prudential Center then hosts the following night’s pay-per-view event, which features a light heavyweight title fight between champion Jon Jones (17-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) and two-time middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen (27-12-1 MMA, 6-5 UFC) in the headliner.

The first fighter steps on the scale at 4 p.m. ET, and doors open to the public at 3 p.m. ET. The weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

Prior to the weigh-ins, UFC Fight Club members are invited to a Q&A session with UFC middleweight contender Chris Weidman, who hails from nearby New York. Weidman (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in July challenges champion Anderson Silva (33-4 MMA, 16-0 UFC) for the title at UFC 162 in Las Vegas. Weidman takes the stage at 2 p.m. ET, and doors open to members of the UFC’s official fan club one hour earlier.

In addition to the evening’s championship headliner, UFC 159 also features a middleweight bout between Alan Belcher (18-7 MMA, 9-5 UFC) and Michael Bisping (23-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC), as well as a heavyweight bout between Cheick Kongo (18-7-2 MMA, 11-5-1 UFC) and Roy Nelson (18-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC). The night’s main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.

The latest UFC 159 card now includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

• Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen – for light heavyweight title
• Alan Belcher vs. Michael Bisping
• Cheick Kongo vs. Roy Nelson
• Phil Davis vs. Vinny Magalhaes
• Pat Healy vs. Jim Miller

PRELIMINARY CARD (FX, 8 p.m. ET)

• Johnny Bedford vs. Erik Perez
• Ovince St. Preux vs. Gian Villante
• Sheila Gaff vs. Sara McMann
• Rustam Khabilov vs. Yancy Medeiros

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 6:30 p.m. ET)

• Leonard Garcia vs. Cody McKenzie
• Nick Catone vs. James Head
• Kurt Holobaugh vs. Steven Siler

For more on UFC 159, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Chris Weidman)