Ultimate Fighter 14 Conference Call Highlights
The world is a week away from the latest season of the Ultimate Fighter where colorful competitors Michael Bisping and Jason “Mayhem” Miller will each take a team’s reins and coach a group comprised of bantamweights/featherweights. Debuting September 21, Season 14 will mark the final run of TUF on Spike TV before heading to the FOX family and will culminate in a live finale scheduled to feature... [Read More...]
Nick Diaz happy for Condit but thinks GSP is a “little b-tch”
A week ago the issue with Nick Diaz was his apprehension to speaking publicly about a main event match-up with welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre. Now it seems the blunt brawler doesn’t know when to shut up. “The truth is Georges doesn’t want to fight me in the street or in a cage. He knows who I am, and he knows where I came from,” Diaz recently explained in an interview with MMAJunkie.... [Read More...]
Grappling with Issues – 9/14/11
Do you like Nick Diaz‘s new UFC 137 match-up more than his old one? What recently announced heavyweight fight are you most interested in? How important is a win for Jake Ellenberger this weekend in New Orleans? What was your favorite throwdown from this past weekend? Keyboard warrrrriors….come out to plaaaay-yay! Welcome to Grappling with Issues, our site’s regular weekly feature highlighting... [Read More...]
Strikeforce 19 headliner Virgil Zwicker out with head injury
As the saying goes, “When it rains, it pours,” and in the case of Strikeforce at the moment it appears a dark cloud is currently positioned directly above the promotion and dropping down nothing but misfortune including lengthy health-related absences, former champions departing with regularity, and struggles with attendance/ratings. Adding to the list of the organization’s recent woes, Strikeforce... [Read More...]
Michael Bisping thinks Chael Sonnen as top contender is “complete bullsh*t”
Never one to bite his tongue, Michael Bisping recently spoke up about a few things on his mind including rival Ultimate Fighter coach Jason Miller as well as the man “Mayhem” replaced, Chael Sonnen, and didn’t mince his words. The outspoken Brit blasted both men in a recent conversation with MMAFighting where he assured fans he not only came out shining against Miller as far as team performance... [Read More...]
Daniel Cormier’s broken hand will keep him “on the shelf for awhile”
The injury-related fallout from “Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov” has started to show up with two Grand Prix participants out for solid block of time plus five other fighters also set to sit on the sidelines for more than a month. Tournament finalist Daniel Cormier confirmed fears yesterday when he announced through Twitter than he had indeed broken his hand as suspected. Though no timetable... [Read More...]
Eric Schafer makes UFC return against Aaron Simpson in October
After a successful middleweight debut a week-and-a-half ago at XFO 41, former light heavyweight Eric Schafer will get a second shot at the UFC this October in hopes of finding a permanent home at 185 pounds while getting a bit closer to evening up his record in the Octagon. According to an official announcement through the organization’s website, “Red” will face Aaron Simpson in Houston at UFC... [Read More...]
Jon Fitch draws Johny Hendricks in return at UFC 141
Jon Fitch has finally been called off the sidelines and into action. Out of the cage since February with a shoulder injury, Fitch will return to competition at the end of December at UFC 141. Ready to welcome him back is fellow collegiate wrestler Johny Hendricks. News of the bout was first reported by ESPN and has since been confirmed by the UFC. Fitch was cleared for competition from his shoulder... [Read More...]
Strikeforce semifinalists all earn six-figure paydays for Saturday night’s show
While Strikeforce may seemingly be struggling to maintain its standing as a promotion it seems a number of its athletes aren’t, at least on the financial front. According to figures released today by the Ohio Athletic Commission, all four Strikeforce Grand Prix semifinalists brought home six-figure salaries and number of other fighters earned very respectable paychecks as well. Topping the list of... [Read More...]
Rafael Cavalcante suffers broken arm in Strikeforce win, may need surgery
Though a good deal of the MMA world’s attention has turned its focus towards the health of Grand Prix finalist Dan Cormier’s hand, like the AKA product, another talented athlete exited last weekend’s “Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov” event with an important victory in addition to a significant injury that could keep him sidelined for months. Former light heavyweight champ Rafael “Feijao”... [Read More...]
The After Party – “Strikeforce Heavyweight GP Semifinals”
The headlines may have been stolen by a slew of huge UFC announcements, but when it came down to it, the Strikeforce fighters who stepped into the cage this past Saturday night delivered. Even if the company is on life support, and the Grand Prix hasn’t quite lived up to its original potential, and Cincinnati fans were too busy dying their hair red for the Bengals game and the Andy Dalton era. The... [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 Strikeforce or HDNet are airing a replay of their latest offering or interested in finding out where to tune into live shows occurring over the next seven days? September 12 – September 18 All Times Eastern Monday... [Read More...]
Daniel Cormier injures hand in victory, Grand Prix finals in doubt
Daniel Cormier may have scored the biggest win of his career when he KO’d Antonio Silva in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinals last night, but it came at a cost. The Olympic wrestler broke his right hand on the chin of “Bigfoot” with the very first punch he connected with. “I kind of hurt my hand on the very first right hand when he went down,” said Cormier,... [Read More...]
Phillipe Nover signs with Bellator for November debut
The list of Bellator’s newly acquired lightweights grew again today with the addition of Ultimate Fighter 8 finalist Phillipe Nover, a 5-3 fighter out of New York who took time off from MMA to focus on personal business after struggling in the UFC and is 1-0 since returning to the ring last month. According to Nover via his Twitter account, he has not only inked a deal with Bellator but has a date... [Read More...]
Kurt Pellegrino signs to fight Patricky Freire under Bellator banner
Long-time UFC lightweight Kurt Pellegrino willfully walked away from MMA competition a little less than six months ago, opting to focus on obligations to his family and gym rather than re-sign a Zuffa contract. “It’s hard to make a decision like this, but I feel its best for me to step away for now and time will tell what the future will bring for me,” Pellegrino originally wrote online to his... [Read More...]
Cormier and Barnett punch tickets to GP finals, Rockhold upsets Souza
There are no jail sentences being served or threats of retirement in Cincinnati tonight as the semifinals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix are set to go down at the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. As always Five Ounces of Pain will provide complete results, including a round by round recap of all the live televised action. It was an exciting night of action in Cincy, highlighted by the... [Read More...]
Bellator 49 full of competitive clashes, semifinals set
Bellator FC was back tonight with their fifth season and another tournament poised to determine their ever-growing welterweight division’s top contender (as well as winner of the promotion’s next six-figure payday). Competing in the Season 5 fray are a number of recognizable fighters including Brent Weedman, Ben Saunders, Chris Lozano, Douglas Lima, and Dan Hornbuckle. The night featured a... [Read More...]
Rich Franklin done for 2011 with torn shoulder labrum
For the second consecutive year Rich Franklin will only enter the Octagon a single time after news surfaced this week regarding a torn shoulder labrum he suffered during a routine grappling session. The amount of recovery time involved will potentially keep “Ace” out 2-3 months leaving him little if any time to prepare for a fight in 2011. “The timing of this shoulder injury is unfortunate... [Read More...]
Paul Daley picks up win at BAMMA 7, Frank Trigg falls to Wallhead
After once again coming in overweight for a fight, controversial competitor Paul Daley took to the ring again this evening in England with Bulgarian wrestler Jordan Radev looking to hand the British bomber a third consecutive loss. However, Daley prevailed after hurting Radev early and peppering him with knees, punches, and kicks for the duration of their fight minus a few brief flashes of resilience... [Read More...]
Vitor Belfort ready to welcome Cung Le to the UFC in San Jose
It looks like Cung Le might be headed to the octagon and ready to welcome him is explosive striker Vitor Belfort. It appears that Le and the UFC are close to reaching a deal that would bring the Vietnamese American over from under the Strikeforce banner. Cung will find himself in familiar territory though, as he’s scheduled to make his UFC debut at UFC 139, which takes place in his hometown of... [Read More...]
