LAS VEGAS — It is Thursday night, and The Ultimate Fighter gym is packed.
Daniel Cormier and his team are swarthed in towels, sitting in the sauna near the entrance and pouring volumes of sweat onto the floor. Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was supposed to fight on Saturday in UFC 187 before his knee exploded yet again, is sitting on the outside of the Octagon, his face plastered with a smile and his native Dagestani papakha sitting beside him.
Standing on a scale near the middle of the gym is Chris Weidman, the world middleweight champion who will defend his championship against Vitor Belfort on Saturday night.