Gegard Mousasi’s plans for immediate future involve pair of opponents
Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Gegard Mousasi hasn’t fought on American soil since losing his title by way of decision to Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal seven months ago and, according to Mousasi himself, he will be taking a third bout in Japan before eventually returning to the States in early 2001. The 25-year old, who won both of his DREAM-related match-ups in the interim, recently discussed... [Read More...]
Strikeforce Challengers 12 line-up ready to go for tonight’s event
The lot of Strikeforce fighters competing this evening at Strikeforce Challengers 12 stepped on the scale in Jackson, Mississippi and made weight, meaning the show will go on as originally scheduled. Neither Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro and Justin Wilcox will share a significant size advantage over the other when the headlining 155ers meet in the ring, as Ribeiro came in at 155.6 pounds with... [Read More...]
UFC in talks with undefeated featherweight Chas Skelly
The moment UFC executive Dana White announced the organization would be adding WEC’s divisions and talent to their monthly line-up, it stands to reason there were not only a number of excited fighters who were already signed to the promotion but also a wide array of featherweights/bantamweights across the MMA landscape anxiously awaitng a phone call from Zuffa representatives. It now appears one... [Read More...]
5 Oz. MMA Link Club
Welcome back to another edition of “MMA Link Club”, Five Ounces of Pain‘s weekly smorgasbord of offerings from our brothers and sisters in the MMA community. Enjoy… Tito Ortiz is on Last-Leg in the UFC (MMAFighting.com) An Extremely Detailed Breakdown of “Rampage” Jackson’s Headlining Scrap with Lyoto Machida (CagePotato.com) Five Lessons Learned from UFC 122 / WEC 52 (Versus.com) Anthony... [Read More...]
Goran Reljic released by UFC after third consecutive loss
Croatian grappler, and protege of heavyweight icon Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Goran Reljic has been made a free agent after being outpointed by Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 122 this past weekend. The 26-year old, who was recently considered one of MMA’s upcoming prospects after compiling an 8-0 start to his career, has dropped a trio of decisions since returning from a back injury last... [Read More...]
Jose Aldo: “(Josh Grispi) is a great fighter and he deserves to be in there with me.”
On the evening of December 31st, 2010, most twenty-somethings will be out celebrating the New Year in some fashion while consuming alcohol and sharing the occasion with loved ones until 2011 has long-since passed. However, UFC 145-pound champ Jose Aldo is far from an average 24-year old, let alone person, and rather than drinking the night away amongst friends he will likely turn in early in preparation... [Read More...]
Vitor Ribeiro ready to “finish the fight” at Strikeforce Challengers 12
Fans who are newer to Mixed Martial Arts may not be fully familiar with Vitor Ribeiro, but those who are aware of his past success in Japan and the UK know “Shaolin” is a serious threat to any opponent he faces. The 31-year old Brazilian holds an overall record of 20-4, as well as victories over a number of tough foes in the past including Tatsuya Kawajiri, Mitsuhiro Ishida, and Joachim Hansen.... [Read More...]
Dan Henderson: “’Babalu’ is not close to the same style as Jake Shields. He has an exciting style and he is well-rounded.”
If there’s one thing iconic Mixed Martial Artist Dan Henderson wants to make clear about his December 4th match-up with Renato “Babalu” Sobral, it seems to be letting people know they shouldn’t expect the same fighter who fell to former Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields this past April. As fans likely remember, Henderson started out incredibly strong against Shields and nearly finished... [Read More...]
Mike Brown scheduled for preliminary action at UFC 125
Former WEC 145-pound champ Mike Brown will enter the Octagon for the second time in his thirty-fight career on New Year’s Day according to an updated line-up listed for UFC 125 on the promotion’s website. Brown’s previous performance in the infamous eight-sided structure came more than six years ago when he was submitted by emperor-of-the-entrance Genki Sudo at UFC 47, an event headlined... [Read More...]
Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera on tap for UFC 127
This past weekend, Jorge Rivera sat helplessly backstage at UFC 122 while news broke his opponent, Alessio Sakara, would be withdrawing from their co-headlining bout due to illness. However, while Rivera watched an important opportunity unexpectedly slip away in Germany, it appears another, far greater one presented itself to the respected middleweight while backstage at the event. According to a conversation... [Read More...]
Leonard Garcia added to Ultimate Fighter Season 12 Finale
Fearless featherweight Leonard Garcia will return to the Octagon for the first time in three years next month when he enters the infamous eight-sided cage to compete at the Ultimate Fighter Season 12 Finale. According the card’s updated, official line-up, Garcia will face 11-2 Tyler Toner at the event. Toner went 1-1 during his run in WEC and hadn’t lost since April 2007 before being outpointed... [Read More...]
Jay Hieron joins Bellator Season 4 Welterweight Tournament
The question regarding where Jay Hieron would land after having received his release from Strikeforce in August has finally been answered! According to a press release from Bellator, the 19-4 welterweight will be joining the crop of 170-pounders competing in the promotion’s forthcoming divisional tournament with the winner ultimately advancing to face current champ Ben Askren. When asked about his... [Read More...]
Strikeforce heavyweight Fabricio Werdum ready for return
After traveling around the world and conducting seminars it seems Strikeforce contender Fabricio Werdum is ready for his return to the cage after being sidelined as the result of elbow surgery. However, just because the the Brazilian heavyweight is healthy does not mean he is planning on returning to Strikeforce just yet. Werdum has used his travels as a way to remain active while in recovery, as... [Read More...]
WEC veteran Alex Karalexis not part of UFC expansion
When news recently broke regarding the UFC’s decision to absorb World Extreme Cagefighting the speculation on the future of WEC’s roster was almost immediate. While certain fighters were essentially guaranteed an opportunity to compete inside the Octagon, far more competitors were left on the bubble between drawing a Zuffa paycheck and seeking a new promotion to call home. It turns out at least... [Read More...]
Yushin Okami: Not the Contender We Want but the Contender We Need
After a fairly disappointing card of action at UFC 122, about the only thing that’s really changed in the MMA world is that perennial contender Yushin Okami is finally in line to challenge for the UFC Middleweight Championship. It’s an opportunity that he’s been on the cusp of getting for several years now, but only after a close decision win over Nate Marquardt has Okami finally staked a definitive... [Read More...]
Bibiano Fernandes returning to ring on New Year’s Eve in Japan
DREAM featherweight champ Bibiano Fernandes appears set to join the line-up on December 31st at FEG’s annual year-end “Dynamite” event. Fernandes has been out of action since defeating Joachim Hansen this past March at DREAM 13 by way of split-decision due to a delay in payment for the performance. Five Ounces of Pain was able to confirm news of the Brazilian’s expected appearance by a party... [Read More...]
A Look Back at “UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami”
UFC 122 had very little going for it heading into things and when news broke that the co-main event, it lost a potential fight that had fight or knockout of the night written all over it. You know the card isn’t all that important when every loser on the main card not in the main event could very likely be released by the time you read this. Your Saturday night could have been worse though. You could... [Read More...]
Strikeforce cuts ties with Roxanne Modafferi
Fan-favorite Roxanne Modafferi has been released by Strikeforce according to a blog entry from the 28-year old grappler. In her departure the promotion loses not only a highly competitive 135-pound female but perhaps the most endearing smile in Mixed Martial Arts. Modafferi, known for her upbeat attitude as much as her ground-skills and heart, expressed understandable disappointment in the situation... [Read More...]
MMA on TV
Welcome to “MMA on TV”, Five Ounces of Pain’s weekly update on the upcoming MMA-broadcast schedule. Miss the latest episode of “MMA Live” or “UFC Unleashed”? Wondering when HDNet are airing a replay of their latest offering? Interested in finding out where to tune into live MMA events occurring over the next seven days? Read ahead and find out! November 15-21 All Times Eastern Monday... [Read More...]
Dennis Siver impresses with bonus-worthy performance at UFC 122
Though 31-year old Dennis Siver had compiled sixteen wins in the ring prior to Saturday evening, chances are his victory over Andre Winner at UFC 122 meant more to him on a personal level than any other example of his past success in MMA. Siver, who choked Winner out a little less than four minutes into their match-up, not only won in dominating fashion in front of his fellow Germans on the biggest... [Read More...]
