Las Vegas Weekly

July 9, 2009 · 3:35 PM

Celebrity Forecast: Lovers and Fighters

By Melissa Arseniuk

UFC fighter and WSOP player Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell.

Photo: World Series of Poker/Harrah's

There will be no shortage of toned bodies in town this weekend as UFC 100 takes over the city.

The MMA centennial festivities begin this afternoon with a pre-party at Tao Beach featuring sure-to-be-shirtless fighters Chuck Liddell, Ryan Bader and Jens Pulver.

Later, Thiago Alves will host a pre-UFC soirée of sorts at Privé.

L.A. Laker Trevor Ariza will also be in town tonight, and will show off his new bling – that being his 2009 NBA championship ring – while celebrating his birthday in true Vegas style at Jet.

Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden will take over for DJ AM (aka Adam Goldstein) tonight as Rain’s resident DJ takes the night off.

Meanwhile, Snoop Dogg will be out in Primm as he brings his Blazed and Confused tour to the Star of the Desert Arena. Stephen Marley, Mickey Avalon and Slightly Stoopid will all join him this evening, just east of the California state line.

The music will continue back in Vegas: Duran Duran will play the Pearl; rapper Jadakiss will perform at LAX; Pat Benatar will take to the stage at the House of Blues; Mya will host at Pure; and The Roots will give a poolside show as part of the Hard Rock Hotel’s Friday Night Live concert series.

Rounding out tonight’s entertainment offerings is former Playboy model-turned-DJ, Roxanne Dawn, who will take her turn at the turntables at Hawaiian Tropic Zone’s UFC 100 weekend kick-off party.

Dawn will return to HTZ tomorrow night and toast her birthday with a fellow former Playboy model, Sarah Jelly. Adding to the sexy post-100 fun, UFC octagon girl Arianny Celeste will be on hand to host the after-fight party, which promises to feature “surprise UFC and MMA guests.”

Meanwhile, Liddell will host an after-fight party of his own at Planet Hollywood, in the so-called Playing Field Lounge. Who knows, MMA fan and guest octagon girl Holly Madison might even stop by after wrapping up “Peepshow.”

Upstairs at Privé, Rolling Stone and Cagefighter mags will throw what they’re promoting as “the hottest post fight party on the Strip.” Though no names have been added to the bill, the publications are promising “a star-studded event featuring A-list celebrities and all the top fighters” –- so we’ll see if they can deliver.

The UFC 100 partying will also continue south on The Strip, as Wanderlei Silvahosts at LAX. This party stands a good chance of seeing Madison’s ex, Criss Angel, make an appearance –- but when it comes to bad boy magicians, it’s hard to know when and where they’ll appear.

Yet if UFC really isn’t your scene, two very different musical options await: New Kids on the Block at the Pearl or considerably-harder rockers Incubus who are set to take to the stage at The Joint.

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