Strikeforce: Payback weigh-ins

BROOMFIELD, Colo. – The fighters for Strikeforce’s Friday night foray over the Rocky Mountains and into the Denver area weighed in on Thursday night. There were a couple of hiccups along the way, but in the end, the fight card stayed intact.

UFC veteran and local favorite Duane “Bang” Ludwig will look to exact a little payback on Ultimate Fighter alumnus Sam Morgan. The two fought several years ago at a Ring of Fire event where Morgan upset Ludwig by knocking out the knockout artist. Both fighters came in on weight, making the headline bout official.

Frank Trigg made his landing in the Mile High City with his wife and four-week old son alongside. He easily made weight, tipping the scale at 183.8 pounds for his middleweight contest. His opponent, like Trigg a UFC veteran, Falaniko Vitale also made weight at 185.6 pounds, which is within the one-pound tolerance for non-title bouts.

The first hiccup came as Michelle Waterson, who weighed in at 111.4 pounds for her 112-pound bout, had her opponent, Tyra Parker, come in well over the limit at 116 pounds. Waterson’s camp still agreed to take the fight, although Parker will have to pay Waterson a penalty for every pound over the limit.

“Michelle has worked really hard for this fight, so we’re going to do a penalty fight,” said Waterson’s corner, Julie Kedzie. “We just didn’t want to take this fight away from Michelle. She’s worked too hard.”

In amateur action, Lumumba Sawyer initially weighed in at 171.8 pounds for his welterweight bout with Drew Dober, who weighed in at 167.8 pounds. Sawyer was given and hour, weighing in at 171.2 pounds on his second attempt. Dober and his camp accepted the bout even though Sawyer was still over the limit.

According to Colorado Office of Boxing Director Josef Mason, Sawyer could not be fined as there was no purse for his bout, but he would be reprimanded for not making weight.

The main card will air live on HDNet on Friday night, beginning at 8 p.m. MT.

MAIN CARD (Professional Bouts):
-Duane Ludwig (165) vs. Sam Morgan (164.8)
-Frank Trigg (183.8) vs. Falaniko Vitale (185.6)
-Donnie Liles (170.8) vs. Pete Spratt (170.8)
-Luke Caudillo (155) v. Billy Evangelista (155)
-Michelle Waterson (111.4) vs. Tyra Parker (116)
-Andre Walker (202.4) vs. Carlos Zevallos (205.4)
-Tyler Toner (146) vs. Ricky Johnson (143.6)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Amateur Bouts):
-Lumumba Sawyers (171.2) vs. Drew Dober (167.8)
-Jordan Goodwin (157.6) vs. Alan Gomez (155.6)
-Jeremy Malaterre (159.4) vs. Eric Galvin (160)
-Brett Tillis (141.8) vs. Turrell Galloway (139.2)
-Aaron Trujillo (122.8) vs. Haven Torres (126.4)