MACAU – Jon Tuck made it over the last big hurdle prior to making his UFC debut, weighing in at the 155-lb. limit for his lightweight bout Friday at the Cotai Arena in The Venetian in Macau.
“Easiest cut so far in my career. Now time to make it official!,” Tuck said right before the weigh-ins.
His official weight was 156-lbs but he was wearing a three-pound sinahi.
Tuck has been at a steady 165-lbs. throughout his training in recent months, making the 10-lb. drop fairly easy.
He awoke at 164-lbs., cut five pounds by lunch time and sweated out the remaining four pounds in the afternoon.
It’s now time to eat pasta at a Venetian pasta spot
, get rest and bang away Saturday night in UFC Macao against the much shorter hometown fighter Tiequan Zhang, who also weighed in at 155-lbs.
“We haven’t seen him fight but we hear a lot of good things about him,” one of the UFC press officials said about Tuck.
The main event features former UFC middleweight champion Rich ‘Ace’ Franklin going up against popular Asian fighter Cung Le as well as other Asian MMA stars such as Korea’s Dong Hyun Kim going up against Paulo Thiago and Japan’s Takanori Gomi facing Mac Danzig.
PXC welterweight champion Hyun Gyu Lim will not fight on the card due to a serious illness today.
PHOTO GALLERY BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Jon Tuck goes over his last workout on Wednesday with trainer Jeff Clark in The Venetian gym. (photo by Lloyd Cubacub)
Jon Tuck wraps up his final workout in Macau with mentor Marcos Oliveira and trainer Jeff Clark. (photo by Lloyd Cubacub)
Jon Tuck sheds his final pounds the afternoon of weigh-ins on the treadmill. (photo by Lloyd Cubacub)
Putting in a workout while Jon Tuck burns off weight is non other than UFC announcer Bruce Buffer. (photo by Lloyd Cubacub)
Jon Tuck ponders after making his last stretch to make weight. (photo by Lloyd Cubacub)
Jon Tuck sports the sinahi made by Greg Pangelinan during the weigh-ins of UFC Macao. (photo by Lloyd Cubacub)
Jon Tuck and Tiequan Zhang shake hands after both fighters make weight for their lightweight matchup. (photo by Lloyd Cubacub)