MMA Junkie broke the news this week that Serra Brazilian Jiu Jitsu student Dan Simmler would be on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. Simmler has no professional MMA bouts and is 2-0 as an amateur but comes into the show as a highly decorated BJJ player and submission grappler.

It’s tough to find video on a guy that has only two amateur MMA fights so grappling videos is as good as it gets. First we have Simmler with a quick win via flying triangle. After the jump we have Simmler taking on Jimmy Quinlan in a rubber match where once again Simmler uses the flying triangle to his advantage. For reference’s sake, Simmler is in the brown top and black shorts.

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Here’s a video courtesy of MMA Madness where Brock Lesnar talks to the media during UFC’s media day. At least the guy’s got a sense of humor.

Check out more Brock Lesnar and UFC 81 content on FiveOuncesofPain.com

The MMA events keep on rolling and we, of course, have to give you our picks so you can scrutinize them or praise them.

Now let’s get on with it…

NOTE: Due to Rob Yundt being named as a last minute replacement for Alan Belcher, the staff did not have a chance to put in their thoughts on the Yundt/Almeida fight. We’ll all put in an unofficial pick in the comments section for you.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Tim Sylvia (UFC HW Interim Title Match)

Sam Cupitt : Despite the crappy reason for this fight taking place, I’m still actually rather excited about it. It’s one of those matchups MMA fans have been expecting ever since the buy out of Pride by the UFC. That being said, it could very well turn out to be a snooze fest as it features “the guy that just wants to be loved”, Tim Sylvia. I think this fight will go to Nogueira on the basis that in at least one of these five rounds the fight will hit the ground. In a five round fight, to some extent the fight is going to play out to either fighter’s strength’s at one time or another. You saw it in the Monson/Sylvia fight, and to me that fight was less likely to go to the ground than this one. Whether it be by takedown or by Minotauro pulling guard, this fight will go to the ground and will be finished on the ground. Nogueira via Submission in round 2-5.

Mike MacLeod: So my boys in Vegas are telling me that many of the cabs and signs have pictures of Mir and Lesnar and no mention of Nog and Sylvia. It’s crazy that a title match takes a back set to a fighter’s UFC debut. Anyway, look for Nog to follow Randy Couture’s game plan to get Sylvia off his feet and then put him away. Nogueira via submission in the third round.

Sam Caplan: I’m really stumped by this matchup because it could go in so many ways. I think Noguiera is a bigger threat here than Vera because he has more power with his hands and because of his boxing training he’s more skilled at fighting inside, which is what you have to do if you’re giving up as much reach as he is vs. Sylvia. I’m going with Noguiera via unanimous decision.

Ben Fowlkes: Say what you will about Sylvia, he knows how to win fights. It might not always be thrilling. It might often be boring. But he wins. “Minotauro” has been absolutely dominant at times, though he’s taken a lot of punishment in his career and might be feeling the effects of it. Even if his glory days are over, Nogueira still does most things better than Sylvia, and he’s notoriously difficult to finish. “Minotauro” by submission in the championship rounds.

Ram Maramba: I don’t know what’s easier, admitting to my older brother that I wrecked his car or that I think Tim Sylvia’s gonna pull it off. This is the first time I’ve read my esteemed colleagues’ picks and I couldn’t have picked a worse matchup than this one. Big Nog has the grappling skins, the striking skills and a veteran’s moxie, but the overgrown Sylvia has kryptonite stuffed in his pants. I’ve never liked Tim Sylvia, the human equivalent of brain freeze, but his game plan and underrated skills, both physical and mental, will stuff Nogueira’s attempts to take it to the ground. On their feet, Sylvia knows too well how to keep his opponents at bay. Sylvia wins the belt by decision, lures Bret Hart out of retirement for his next bout.

Gary Herman: Noguiera has been in a lot of wars through the years while Sylvia has won a lot of fights. The difference being the amount of damage Noguiera has taken. The wear and tear showed up in the fight with Herring as he was unable to block the high kick - Nog should have lost that fight. Sylvia fights like a man who doesn’t want to lose - and usually doesn’t. Plus, does anyone think Nog can make Sylvia tap to an arm bar? Sylvia by boring decision.

Adam Morgan: Tim Sylvia wins fights, period. In order for Nogueira to win this fight he will have to take Sylvia down and submit him, something that’s much easier said than done. In order to get Sylvia down, Nogueira will have to close the distance and use the clinch to look for takedowns. None of that will happen. Nogueira is a great fighter but he’s never faced a guy like Tim who is content to ride out boring decisions, keep his distance, and push you up against the cage. Tim Sylvia via decision.

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Below is some video from out friends at RawVegas.tv.

By the way, remember to stop by our UFC 81 chat during the broadcast this Saturday in order to win some Frank Mir gear!

I used “ready to dance” in the headline because one time I used “prepared for war” and people got bent out of shape. I just hope I don’t offend people that actually dance.

But I digress, because there’s a pretty damn big fight card this weekend. The heavyweights will have their chance to shine underneath the spotlight but there’s also a pretty interesting matchup of middleweights with Nate Marquardt fighting Jeremy Horn.

Horn has only had a couple of weeks to train but I’m curious what a win here would do for him? Does he fall in line for a title shot?

This will be a highly technical match but the question is, will it be entertaining? I hope it is, because I respect both fighters. I don’t want to see a bunch of hardcore pro wrestling fans take a big you know what on these guys.

The man-beast from Minnesota is making his UFC debut against Frank Mir at UFC 81 this Saturday. What better way to introduce him to the UFC fanbase than with the lovely Rachelle Leah at his side. (click for smokin pics of Rachelle)

According to UFC.com:
“Go behind the scenes to see how the former WWE star Brock Lesnar gets ready for a real battle against Frank Mir in his first fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship®.”

• Premiere: Thursday 1/31 Midnight Spike TV
• Re-plays: Saturday 2/2 10am, Saturday 2/2 5:30pm Spike TV

We have tons of Brock Lesnar and UFC 81 content on FiveOuncesofPain.com. And we’re covering UFC 81 with a LIVE chat, during which we’re giving away a SIGNED Frank Mir t-shirt and gear from ECKO UNLTD. Woot Woot.

We’ve posted several spoilers pertaining to the new cast for the upcoming seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” We even confirmed that a rumored member of the cast, Matt Major, is in fact NOT involved with the show. Like Major, another heavily rumored name associated with the potential TUF 7 cast is Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.

Souza is one of the greatest competitive grapplers on the planet and has done fairly well since getting involved with MMA. So well that many speculated he’d be this year’s version of Mac Danzig (i.e. a ringer worthy of a UFC contract without having to win a tournament but included on the show to get him exposure).

While I heavily researched all the cast spoilers and the rumor dunking report on Major, I haven’t been able to dig up anything concrete on “Jacare.” However, I really doubt at this point he’s been cast for the show. Again, I’m not basing that opinion on hard evidence. Instead, I’m using basic deductive reasoning.

Of the fighters I’ve spoken as sources for the cast spoilers, all told me the fighters in question left for Vegas on Thursday. Well, Caleb from MMAPredictions.com apparently conducted an interview with Souza in San Diego this past Saturday:

I caught up with Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza after a Brazilian jiu-jitsu seminar at Brandon Vera’s Alliance Training Center here in San Diego on Saturday.

So unless he was given special permission to report late or is brought in as an injury replacement, I don’t think he’s going to be involved with TUF 7.

There’s also an exchange between Caleb and Souza in which “Jacare” indicates his future in the U.S. in regards to MMA is “unknown.”

MMAPredictions.com: Everyone wants to know when you will be fighting MMA here in the United States again.

Jacare: That’s what I am here to find out.

MMAPredictions.com: So at the moment it is unknown.

Jacare: At the moment it is unknown.

Anything can happen but let’s be realistic. And if Jacare is not involved with TUF, it begs the question, what does this man have to do to get a big contract offer? There are so many promotions out there and he’d be a good fit in all of them.

In case you missed it, our friends at MMAjunkie.com broke the news yesterday that it appears that one of the new wrinkles for “The Ultimate Fighter” reality TV show promised by UFC president Dana White is that the final cast has been expanded from 16 fighters to 32. And all fighters must fight and win before they can be assigned to a team and allowed to take up residence in the TUF mansion.

I have no inside info on the concept in which Spike plans to deliver the possible addition of 16 fights to the show’s season. However, the news has me extremely excited and curious. Curious enough that I’ve actually been trying to envision how the new format will look and how the additional fights will be presented.

I envision two scenarios:

1) The fights will all be recorded and shown in a montage. The show opens with Dana White in front of 32 hungry fighters saying, “Do you want to be a f#$%@#* fighter!? Well, we made some changes for this season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and one of those changes happens right now. You’re going to have to fight your way into the house… right now!” They then cut to a reaction shot of some fighters being excited about fighting right away while others react and go, “Oh crap, I have to fight right now!?” Then we’ll see some confessional interviews and a minor buildup of some of the more interesting fighters. From there, Mr. Narrator will say some words, they’ll cut to a commercial and when they come back we’re blitzed with a montage of the finishes to the fights and Mr. Narrator voice talks about who goes into the house and who goes home.

Or…

2) They take a huge departure from the show’s format and they show wall-to-wall fights for the first 3-4 episodes. What if TUF became a fight show and we see ALL 16 first-round fights in their entirety with no editing? What if the initial drama was simply winning and losing and who stays and who goes? No drama over who ends up on what team, who misses their girlfriend, angry outbursts, etc. What I envision with this format is similar to BodogFIGHT’s format with a bunch of fights taped in a secure location. Many hardcore fans have asked for a weekly fight show that isn’t a reality show. It’s a tremendous asset for a promotion to have a weekly TV presence as opposed to a periodical one. One day we’ll see a live weekly MMA fight series like the old Tuesday Night Fights on USA and the Friday Night Fights that currently air on ESPN2. But a live weekly series isn’t in the cards right now and the Bodog format of showing first run fights that are taped might be a better concept than some people want to give credit for.

I am hearby publicly begging the UFC and Spike TV to go with scenario two. Blow us away by completely revamping the show and showing us every single first round fight. I don’t think this concept is too radical. Look at American Idol. They don’t start with the final field of contestants and instead take you inside the final casting process showing everyone the good, the bad, and the ugly. Showing every single fight for the first 3-4 episodes is similar in that viewers will be brought into the final round of casting by seeing who actually makes the final cast of 16 and goes into the house.

One request though; if the UFC and Spike TV go with a wall-to-wall fights format I hope they use announcers. No announcing for one fight at the end of a show is fine. But I find there’s an overwhelming lack of energy when multiple fights are shown with no announcing and no crowd. Hearing Matt Serra yell, “I need you to breath for me! DON’T YOU TAP!” is okay for the first few minutes but ten minutes of nothing but communication from the corner becomes a little stagnant. I understand there can’t be a crowd there due to the risk of someone running to the Internet and immediately spilling the beans, but the announcers can be sworn to secrecy. Hell, why not have Forrest Griffin and Rampage do the announcing with Mike Goldberg for the first round of fights before anyone is assigned to their team? It would be very interesting to hear them talk about fighters they may end up “drafting” and it would be a great way to expose more of the public to their personalities.

Wow, suddenly I am excited about “The Ultimate Fighter” again!

While I am in beg mode, let me also politely request that Spike TV turn the April 2 UFC Fight Night 13 telecast into a three-hour extravaganza. The card is way too stacked to just show four matches. There are usually repeats of “Unleashed” at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. that serve as a warmup before the live broadcast. But what better way to get us hyped for the feature matches by showing us some live prelims? I realize a three hour Fight Night telecast and a season premiere of TUF 7 means four hours of first-run MMA programming but real fans will hang for the entire duration.

Click here for additional information (including cast spoilers) on the upcoming season of TUF 7 from Five Ounces of Pain!

In a recent interview with MMAnews.com, Dan Henderson had some interesting things to say about WEC middleweight champion, Paulo Filho.

MMANews.com:What are your thoughts on Paulo Filho?

Dan Henderson: I don’t think he has been very impressive in his last two performances since coming to the US but I think that’s what not being able to use Steroids will do to you.

MMANews.com:Are you saying Filho may be a juicer?

Dan Henderson: Well that’s my opinion anyway. He hasn’t looked good since he left Pride.

MMANews.com: Was steroid abuse a problem in Pride?

Dan Henderson: People didn’t get tested.

Those are some pretty strong words from Henderson, especially when the only thing he has to back it up with is that “he hasn’t looked good recently” and that “people didn’t get tested” in Pride.

I highly recommend you check out the rest of the interview on MMAnews.com.

Read more Dan Henderson and Paulo Filho content on FiveOuncesOfPain.com

In an article on Tatame.com, WEC middleweight champion, Paulo Filho’s boxing coach, Josuel Distak states that Filho’s next fight will be a rematch against the last man he defeated, Chael Sonnen, in March.

“Last fight I had a lot of weight problems with Paulão, that’s why he wasn’t well. Sonnen asked for a revenge and we accepted.

Filho defeated Sonnen last December at WEC 31 under controversial circumstances. For the best part of two rounds, Sonnen appeared to be outworking Filho both standing and on the ground, however late in the second round Sonnen got caught in an arm bar which caused him to scream in pain. The referee, fearing the arm would break, stopped the fight without Sonnen having tapped. Once the fight was stopped, Sonnen immediately started complaining to the referee.

Filho stated after the fight that one of the reasons for his poor performance was that he had trouble making the 185 lbs. weight limit and that he was considering moving up in weight to the light-heavyweight division. According to Distak, that will actually be the case after this fight.

Thanks God this will be Paulão’s last fight at 84 category. After this fight he’ll go up to 93kg category”

In my opinion this is pretty crazy. If he can’t make the weight, he can’t make the weight but as it is he is a fairly short for a middleweight, and at light-heavyweight, you’d think he’d be at a great size disadvantage. I’m sure he’d walk right through anyone in the WEC light-heavyweight division but I doubt Zuffa would be too pleased with the decision.

Read more Paulo Filho content on FiveOuncesOfPain.com. 

According to Sherdog.com, one of the hottest free agents in the market, Takanori Gomi, is finally set to return, but not with the UFC as originally expected, Gomi has signed with World Victory Road:

The deal will see Gomi debut for the promotion on their March 5 Sengoku card at Yoyogi National Gymnasium No. 1.”

Is there anyway WVR can hurry up and sign Nick Diaz? The signing of Gomi is definitely a blow to the UFC. Adding the Pride lightweight champion to the UFC’s ranks would have made for some huge fights.

Now, all we can do is hope that WVR puts Gomi in the ring with some quality opponents. And that we can somehow see those fights on televsion.

Mark Cuban, owner of HDNet Fights, spoke last week with Pramit Mohapatra of the Baltimore Sun. In an otherwise mundane interview, a single statement by Cuban raised many eyebrows among MMA fans and fighters:

Maohapatra: What flaws do you see in the UFC’s game that you think can be exploited?

Cuban: The biggest is that their contracts don’t adhere to the [Muhammad] Ali [Boxing] Reform Act. There will come a time in the not distant future when they will be required to.

The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act of 2000 (full text) in general, restricts the types of contract that a boxer may be required to sign. For example, a boxer cannot be required to give away future promotional rights. The act also requires sanctioning bodies to reveal to state commissions information such as any fees charged to boxers by the sanctioning body and requires promoters to disclose a large amount of the financial information about bouts to the state commissions, as well as to the boxers they promote.

The legislation was enacted to provide legal protections to boxers as well as to assist states in regulating boxing as a sport. The need for the Act was due to boxing’s unique position in American sports, not having any organized league or rule-making body to ensure appropriate business practices, and due to the lack of protection offered to boxers from the various sanctioning bodies.

As the text of the legislation specifically mentions boxing, boxers, and boxing organizations, some have dismissed Cuban’s statements as not being applicable to the sport of mixed martial arts.

Bad Man Sports (www.BadManSports.com) was able to catch up with Mark Cuban to get a more detailed response to this issue. In an exclusive statement, Cuban says that the Ali Act does apply to MMA.

“Congress wanted to protect fighters. There is enough ambiguity in some definitions in the act, that it could easily be applied. Which means it comes down to how the appropriate politicians feel that the act can be applied to the benefit of their constituents. Meaning fighters and fans of MMA.”

When asked if this was simply his opinion or if he had sought legal advice, Cuban emphasized his confidence in the position.

“It won’t be hard to demonstrate how MMA fighters have been taken advantage of, particularly with contracts and how they are enforced, and to encourage action. “

Even if the government doesn’t change the way the UFC does business, Cuban feels that HDNet Fights will be offering fighters something that is more fair and that may be an advantage in the eyes of the talent.

UFC.com’s Thomas Gerbasi reported today that Alaskan Rob Yundt will step in for Alan Belcher to face Ricardo Almeida at UFC 81: “Breaking Point” on Saturday night.

Unbeaten UFC newcomer Rob Yundt (7-0) has stepped in on short notice to replace middleweight up and comer Alan Belcher against Ricardo Almeida on Saturday night’s UFC 81 card in Las Vegas. Belcher was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a severe case of bronchitis.

Yundt boasts a 7-0 record coming into the bout against Almeida. No word has been made as to whether the fight will move down to the preliminary card or stay a part of the pay-per-view broadcast. As of right now, UFC’s Event Page has the Yundt/Almeida bout still listed as a part of the televised card.

Check out more UFC 81 content on 5 Oz. of Pain.

You can say whatever you want about Tim Sylvia, and I won’t ever defend some of his actions outside of the cage, but the guy wins fights. If he wins Saturday’s fight against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira he will become a three-time UFC heavyweight champion.

No, he doesn’t say it in this ESPN video but I’ll say it.

When: April 19, ‘08
Where: Montreal, Canada @ the Bell Centre
Watch: PPV

Main Event is the Welterweight Title grudge match between interim champ GSP and injured champ Matt Serra.

Here’s the latest on the UFC 83 event:

• Matt Serra vs. Georges St. Pierre (Title Unification)
• Rich Franklin vs. Travis Lutter
• Michael Bisping vs. Charles McCarthy
• Patrick Cote vs. Alan Belcher
• Marc Bocek vs. Mac Danzig
• Joe Doerksen vs. Jason MacDonald
• Ed Herman vs. Demian Maia
• Nate Quarry vs. Kalib Starnes
• Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Jonathan Goulet
• Sam Stout vs. Rich Clementi

Fight card subject to change; bouts will be added as we confirm them.

Check out more UFC 83 content on 5 Oz. of Pain.

We have a few spots open in the FiveOuncesofPain.com league on UFC Fantasy. Join our league and gets your picks locked in for UFC 81.

UFC Fantasy is an easy way to keep track of your fight picks vs. the actual results. Plus it’s bragging rights against the 5 Oz crew and thousands of other MMA fans (I’m currently ranked 100 out of the 11,818 players).

To join, drop a comment in this post (be sure to use a legit email address) and we’ll send you an email from the UFC Fantasy admin.

Click the thumbnail for my picks of UFC 81 card:

UFC.com is having trouble with Fantasy invites getting caught as Junk Mail. Click HERE to enter your email addy directly into their system. I have sent dozens of invites but they are not getting delivered due to UFC.com’s email setup.

When: May 24, ‘08
Where: Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand
Watch: PPV

Main Event is the Lightweight Title grudge match between Interim champ BJ Penn and suspended champ Sean Sherk.

Here’s the latest on the UFC 84 event:

Main Card
• B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk (UFC Lightweight Title)
• Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine
• Tito Ortiz vs. Lyoto Machida
• Antonio Mendes vs. Thiago Silva
• Goran Reljic vs. Wilson Gouveia

Prelim Card

• Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
• Dong-Hyun Kim vs. Jason Tan
• Shane Carwin vs. Christian Wellisch
• Ivan Salaverry vs. Rousimar Palhares
• Jeremy Stephens vs. Terry Etim
• John Koppenhaver vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida

Fight card subject to change; bouts will be added as we confirm them.

Check out more UFC 84 content on 5 Oz. of Pain.

I’m trying to round up as much video as I can find on these new TUF 7 contestants that are being announced so that I can share it with all of you. Check out this video of Aaron Meisner, one of the first contestants that FiveOuncesofPain.com announced over the weekend. It features some of his muay thai fights as well as some serious devastation in his MMA fights. Can’t wait to watch this guy, as he seems like a fantastic prospect.

Check out more TUF 7 content and cast selections on FiveOuncesofPain.com

If you’re going to be in Las Vegas this weekend for UFC 81, you can meet Nick and Nathan Diaz. The brothers Diaz will be making two appearances for their new sponsor Ecko Unlimited this Friday and Sat. They also will be in attendance at the event (yes, the UFC will let Nick in the building but they won’t be sitting next to Karo).

Here are the details:
Friday Feb 1; 2pm-6pm
Ecko Unlimited Store
The Boulevard - 3528 S. Maryland Parkway

Sat Feb 2; 12pm-4pm
Marc Ecko Cut and Sew Store
Fashion Show Mall - 3200 Las Vegas Boulevard

As a reader of FiveOuncesofPain.com, if you print this page and bring it with you to the Ecko store during the Diaz brothers signing, they’ll give you a FREE Ecko t-shirt, with purchase of another item.

Big thanks to ECKO UNLTD. for hooking up FiveOuncesofPain.com readers with signed shirts by Nathan Diaz, Corey Hill, and for our upcoming UFC 81 live chat, Frank Mir.