UFC Weigh-Ins This Afternoon at Root Memorial Park

Tomorrow night is the Ultimate Fighting Championship's debut in Houston at the Toyota Center, giving the budding mixed martial arts fan base a chance to see a big-league card in person (and not on a television screen in Hooter's, for once). UFC 69's headline fight will be a bout between defending welterweight champion George St. Pierre and feisty contender Matt "The Terra" Serra, but the heartwarming story will be that of middleweight Mike "Quick" Swick's octagon appearance back in here in his hometown. Sure, he's got a 12-1 MMA record and his own personal motivational song on his myspace page, but his sweet 'success had to start somewhere. In Swick's case it was at the Main Boxing Gym on Travis, the "House of Pain", as this Canadian article tells us.

From recent interviews, Swick seems intensely excited about fighting in Houston, vowing that he "will do everything within my power to make sure it's the best fight I'll ever have." You can catch Swick, his opponent Yushin Okami, and all the other fighters on the card at this afternoon's autograph signing at the Hilton Americas from about 1 to 3 PM today. The weigh-ins, also free and open to the public, will follow from about 2 to 4 PM at the Root Memorial Basketball Court on La Branch St. (pictured above). Expect a more-than-healthy amount of energy drinks, intense poses, and testosterone.