UFC Fan Expo Day 2! Billy Fanboys Out! Fighters! Octagon Girls! Autographs! And More!

Welcome Back to Billy Beer(ed)’s Barstool.  In case you missed the Day 
1 recap of the UFC Fan Expo, Mike will be nice enough to put the link 
right here.  So after a nice night of resting my feet and getting some sleep, we are back for more.  Nick was nice enough to pull the early duties today.  When we get there, the line isn’t as bad as yesterday.

MONTAGE!

We decide to go for Miesha Tate and Phil Davis first, thinking people 
might have gotten her the day before, and there were some big names at 
other booths…..WRONG!!!  I think we picked the longest line again to 
start with.  While I hold the spots in line, Nick was nice enough to 
get me Liz Carmouche, and Ed got me Rachel Leah.  What was great going 
with these guys, is everyone had each other’s back and helped each other 
out, even when Billy (yes I’m talking in third person) got in his 
“spaz out” mode (only happened once or twice trying to pull items).   
When we get to the front, they warn us that Miesha has to go soon, but 
we should make it.  Miesha is being cool.  She signs a couple of cards 
and even her ESPN The Body issue picture which I’m very happy about.

Right next to her was Phil Davis.  I think he was still a little tired 
from the night before, or he’s just a really chill guy.  He signs a 
picture and a couple of cards for me.  Then I ask him for the thumb 
wrestling photo.  He doesn’t get into it very much, but he did take 
the picture.

Now to figure out where to go next.  Sometimes it’s just about finding 
the shortest line if there’s people you already got.  Ed and I find a 
line for Ryan Bader and Luke Rockhold.  Cool, I had stuff for both of 
them.  While we’re waiting in line we see Jens Pulver, another fighter 
I have stuff for.  He tells us to come to his booth, but then turns 
around and hangs out with us.  I have him sign some cards, and then he 
has fun with the thumb wrestling picture.

As soon as he goes back to his booth, there’s Matt Hughes.  I’m having 
more luck just waiting in line today.  He signs a couple of cards.  I 
had already gotten the picture with him the day before.

Finally our line starts moving.  When we get up there, I notice how 
much bigger they are then I thought.  So I decide to have a little bit 
of fun with my photo-op.  Both guys were great.  They each signed a 
Promo Photo, and a couple of cards.  They were telling them one each, but 
the guys didn’t care.

I knew my MSU boys Rashad Evans and Gray Maynard were going to be 
there next, but I had to go back to the Octagon Girls booth to see my 
ladies.  Luckily me and Ed made friends with a few of the people, and 
they said they would hold us a spot while we were gone.

This time it’s Camila De Oliveira and Kahili again, and the one I’ve 
been waiting 2 days for, Vanessa Hanson (she had to work the weigh-in 
on Saturday and couldn’t make it).  First I go up to Camila.  She 
looks even better today.  She signs another Promo Photo for me and 
takes another picture.

Next is Kahili, my newest crush.  She looks amazing AGAIN!  She even 
remembered me from the first day.  I’m assuming from my stunning good 
looks, or maybe it was the beard.  She tells me that a lot of the guys 
in Australia are growing beards like mine.  Well, if things don’t work 
out in the USA, I know where to go.  I get another picture with her 
and probably thanked her a million times.

Now it’s time for my favorite Octagon Girl, Ms. Vanessa Hanson.  She 
is the only one I printed a 12×18 for, for the whole weekend.  So 
beautiful, and so down to earth.  She just seems like the kind of girl 
that one minute she’s doing a high end fashion shoot, and then the 
next minute she’s hanging out with the boys at a Buffalo Wild Wings 
drinking beer and eating wings.  She looked AMAZING today.  I set my 
picture down, it’s kind of a really sexy one.  She looks at it and 
give me an “ooooo!”  I tell her I think she looks amazing in it, and 
then as she’s signing it she tells me “well then I’ll give you a full 
name” (I guess she’ll do a VH other times).  I thank her and then try 
my luck again by asking her to kiss my photo.  My heart then drops 
when she says she doesn’t think anything would even come off or show 
up.  So what does she do?  She says hold on a minute, goes to her 
purse, finds her makeup, puts on some lip gloss, and then grabs my 
picture, asks me where she should kiss it and proceeds to do so.   ARE 
YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!  My favorite Octagon Girl just went WAY 
above and beyond for me!  I haven’t even gotten my picture with her 
yet, and this has already been amazing!  Props to the photo guy, cause 
he proceeds to take an amazing picture, and just to buy more time with 
her I ask for a selfie too.  When that was done I look up and notice 
there’s about 6 people waiting, so I finally leave.

I then rush over to the Rashad and Gray line.  Hoping I didn’t miss 
them.  Luckily we still had time thanks to our wonderful spot savers.   
I put my MSU jersey back on, and wait.  When I get up there, they are 
excited to see some Spartan love.  First they sign a couple of things 
for me, then we go in for the photo-op.  Gray suggests he and Rashad 
point out the jersey.  It came out great.  I was so happy to see them 
and talk to them about how much support E. Lansing used to give them.   
They were way cool.

Now that, that is done, time to go back to the ladies.  This time it’s 
for the final two I need and another visit with Jhenny.  Brittney 
Palmer, and Kenda Perez. While we’re waiting to arrive, we cross our 
fingers cause I guess Brittney was sick earlier and missed or was late 
to a couple of signings.  Nope, there she is.  OMG!  She is out to 
please her fans today!!!!  She’s wearing a cute top that is barely 
covering up the goods.  I can not complain.  When I get up there we 
take the picture first.  She turns to the side, basically showing off 
half of the goods.  Then she signs a photo for me.  I ask her too for 
the kiss, telling her the other girls are doing it.  She’s like “who 
else?”  Arianny, Vanessa, Carly.  I get that “Oh” reaction, then she 
grabs it and gives it a big smooch.

I move over to Kenda who is The Best of Pride host.  I give her a 
picture to sign, and for some reason, I lost my cards for her to 
sign.  I tell her this, and she actually gave me a card that someone 
had given her and signed it for me.  I thought that was kinda cool!   
We took the photo-op, and I was on my way.

Finally it’s time to visit my last Octagon Girl.  It’s Jhenny again, 
and again she looks cute as a button.  I tell her this, but I’m not 
sure if she understood me.  Her English still needs a bit of work, but 
she’s is still so nice.  She signs another Promo Picture and a few 
other pics for me and I get another Photo-op.

Now it’s getting down to the last few hours of the expo.  It’s really 
just find what you want and go there.  I head over to Martin Kampmann 
and Gian Villante.  On my way I see Roy Nelson.  I go through my cards 
and get him while he was walking.  I finally get to Martin and Gian, 
and the line is pretty short.  I think people are burning out and 
leaving, or getting ready for the fights.  Both the guys are cool and 
sign my stuff and take pictures, then it’s on to the next one.

Cub Swanson was signing, and I hurried and got him on a card and some 
photos and then took a pic.  I joked about kissing the picture since I 
had my Brittney picture out, and he got a good laugh out of it.

I then find the boys, and they are in line to get Glover Teixeiria.   
This was my first Official UFC Signing Booth.  All the other signings 
I went to were through sponsors, and the Octagon Girls.  They were 
really laid back, and signed whatever you had.  He signed a picture 
and 4 cards for me, and then took the picture.

I thinks it’s about time to go hooooowait a minute!  There is a shot 
line for Chad Mendez, and I have a bunch of cards for him too!  This 
only took a few minutes, things are now closing up.

Now it’s finally time to leaaaaaaaHOLD ON!  Travis Browne

Dan the Beast was still signing an hour and a half after he was 
supposed to leave.  Dan actually lives in Michigan, and we have some 
mutual friends.  So I talk to him while he’s leaving.  He signs a 
photo and takes a quick pic.  Now we are finally D O N E!

What a weekend.  I think I got around 90 autographs and over 30 photo-
op of the best fighters in the world, and some of the most beautiful 
ladies in the world.  At now time was there any fights (except the 
scheduled ones)  I didn’t hear anyone complain about spots.  The 
workers couldn’t have been nicer.  They 100% accommodated for the 
fans.  I wish every Fan Expo was run like this.

And not only during, but even after.  I have posted a number of 
pictures on Instagram, and some of the Octagon girls have even 
reposted and commented on them.  Thank you Vanessa, Kahili and Camila 🙂

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the recap, time for a tasty beverage.  It’s 
Happy Hour somewhere!