BANGOR, Maine — Open workouts featuring several top combatants and pre-fight weigh-ins are two free public events held in advance of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Maine debut this weekend.
UFC Fight Night 47 is scheduled for Saturday night, with the preliminary card set for 8 p.m. followed by the main card at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor at 10 p.m.
The two main-event fighters, light heavyweight contenders Ryan Bader (18-4) and Ovince Saint Preux (16-5), are among five fighters who will conduct public workouts Thursday afternoon in the Lancaster Room of the Hollywood Casino Hotel and Raceway, located just across Main Street from the Cross Center.
The event is free and open to the public beginning at noon, with Saint Preux, the 10th-ranked light heavyweight in the UFC, to hold the afternoon’s first workout at 12:30 p.m.
Saint Preux will be followed at 1 p.m. by 12th-ranked lightweight contender Gray Maynard (12-4-1), who will battle Ross Pearson (17-7) in one of Saturday’s main-card bouts.
Lincolnville native Tim Boetsch (17-7), ranked 14th among UFC middleweights and slated to fight Brad Tavares (12-3) on the Fight Night 47 card, will conduct his open workout at 1:30 p.m., followed by Pearson at 2 p.m. and Bader at 2:30 p.m.
All three fights featured in the open workouts are crossroads bouts of sorts, with Bader and Saint Preux seeking to inch closer to title contention while the Maynard-Pearson and Boetsch-Tavares bouts could advance the winners to top-10 status.
And a loss for a veteran like Boetsch, who was nearing a middleweight title bout opportunity before dropping three of his last four bouts, could jeopardize his continuing status within the UFC.
“Boetsch is a guy who was right there. He was on his way to title contention and then he lost, so it’s very important for him that he wins,” UFC president Dana White said in a recent interview. “You’re talking about a guy who was ranked in the top five and now he’s No. 14. This is a very big fight for him.
“And he’s from Maine, so it’s awesome for him to have the opportunity to fight in his home state.”
The scene shifts to the Cross Insurance Center for the official weigh-ins Friday afternoon. Doors open to the public at 3 p.m., with the weigh-ins scheduled from 4-4:30 p.m.
