Blame it on the Devils.
The weigh-ins for UFC 78: "Validation" have been moved from the arena to the New Jersey Devils practice rink because the New York Islanders will be in town that same evening.
The problem? Size.
The rink, which is attached to "The Rock" near the Lafayette Street entrance in Newark, N.J., only holds about 1,500 fans and UFC Fight Club members will get priority seating. In fact, UFC Fight Club members will already be in the building taking advantage of an open question and answer session with lightweight BJ Penn prior to when the doors open for the weigh-in at 3 p.m. ET.
In short, there are a limited number of seats available even though the event is billed as "open to the public." The UFC hasn't staged a pay-per-view (PPV) event in New Jersey since UFC 53: "Heavy Hitters" in 2005. It's safe to say that a big crowd is expected.
Therefore, get there super early if you want to be guaranteed a seat inside. That's because there will be a monitor outside the facility broadcasting the event LIVE to accommodate the overflow. It's supposed to be around 45 degrees on Friday, November 16 when the weigh-ins are happening from 3 to 5 p.m.
Dress appropriately.
In addition, according to UFC.com, the weigh-ins will not be streamed LIVE via the Internet. In fact, a highlight video package will be available later Friday evening on UFC.com that will provide the coverage.
Have no fear: We'll post the UFC 78 weigh-in results live on Friday, November 16, at about 4 p.m. Remember that we will also provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 78 on Saturday, November 17.
Be sure to hit up MMAMania.com before, during and after the action.