Grappling with Issues – 10/5/11
Will 2012 be the year Dominick Cruz finally stops an opponent under the Zuffa banner? Should Brian Stann get a shot at the middleweight title if he wins this weekend at UFC 136? Is it time for the UFC to part ways with Pat Barry? Does Gilbert Melendez deserve an immediate crack at the championship when he joins the UFC? Keyboard warrrrriors….come out to plaaaay-yay! Welcome to Grappling with Issues,... [Read More...]
Bobby Lashley makes his Shark Fights debut against Darrill Schoonover in November
Bobby Lashley is finally ready to return to the cage. Sitting on the sidelines since March, Lashley signed a three-year deal with Shark Fights last month. Now he has his first opponent, Ultimate Fighter 10 competitor Darrill Schoonover, who might be best known to MMA fans as “Titties” a nickname given to him by Quinton Jackson on the reality show due to his man boobs. The bout is scheduled... [Read More...]
Melvin Guillard: “I’m going to knock him out like I knocked the other guys out.”
Melvin Guillard has just one objective when he steps inside the Octagon – to defeat the man standing across from him before they’ve even exchanged a single strike. Guillard will try to do just that against Joe Lauzon this Saturday night at UFC 136, live on PPV. “The Young Assassin” has won five straight fights to improve to 29-8 in his career. He has stopped both Shane Roller... [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. This week will offer a double-dose of MMA-related goodness based on all the excellent material out there to choose from. Enjoy… What Do Frank Edgar and Kimbo Slice Have In Common? (MiddleEasy.com) Kenny Florian Discusses His First Fight... [Read More...]
Hector Lombard facing Trevor Prangley at Bellator 58 in November
The next test for explosive Bellator middleweight champ Hector Lombard will come next month when the 30-2-1 title-holder faces Strikeforce/UFC veteran Trevor Prangley in headlining action at Bellator 58. Adding to the challenge, the bout will be contested at a catchweight of 195 pounds giving occasional light heavyweight Prangley a definite size advantage when he locks horns with Lombard at the event. News... [Read More...]
Five Ounces of Podcast: Episode 3
In this edition of the Five Ounces of Podcast, 5 OZ staffers Jeremy Lambert and Samer Kadi look back on UFC Live 6, review all of the fights and discuss certain topics like the performance of Dominick Cruz and whether or not he has any title contenders after Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles, and the future of fighters like Demetrious Johnson, Pat Barry, and Anthony Johnson. Then we get into a big preview... [Read More...]
Michael Bisping vs. Jason Miller to be a five-round fight
Not only will Ultimate Fighter 14 coaches Michael Bisping and Jason Miller meet on the Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale event rather than on PPV, but they’ll do so in a five-round fight. The event is scheduled to go down on December 3 at the Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada and will air live on SpikeTV. UFC sent out a press release earlier today confirming the details. TUF 14 marks only the... [Read More...]
Demian Maia: “Fighting for me is a chess game.”
Demian Maia has fought for the UFC middleweight title before, falling to Anderson Silva in a five-round battle in 2010. Now, he hopes to rebound from a loss to Mark Munoz and return to championship contention. Maia meets Jorge Santiago this Saturday night at UFC 136. Maia-Santiago will be one of at least two bouts shown live on Spike TV prior to the start of the pay-per-view. Since starting his UFC... [Read More...]
Bam vs. Wild: Checking In from China
Back again with another blog, this time coming from across the big pond. I have been in China now for a little over two weeks and I can’t tell you how good of a time I’m having. I started my trip in Hong Kong which, as it turns out, isn’t that different from New York. It’s really Westernized so it didn’t feel like I was half way around the world. You can get most types... [Read More...]
The Scorecard – UFC on Versus 6
The Scorecard hits the highs and lows of the latest big event offering in MMA. Points are assigned completely at random but stay between ten and negative ten because I hate math. Sports fans in Washington D.C. are used to stars, but they’re also used to stars disappointing. Alexander Ovechkin might be the best player in the NHL, but he always finds a way to lose in the playoffs. Gilbert Arenas was... [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 Showtime 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? Read ahead and find out! October 3 – October 9 All Times... [Read More...]
No longer working a full-time job, Brian Stann focusing solely on Chael Sonnen
This Saturday night at UFC 136, Brian Stann enters the octagon against his toughest opponent to date, former UFC middleweight title contender Chael Sonnen. A former Marine, Stann shows no fear when he stands across from his opponent, a man who is looking to beat him into submission or stoppage. Having been put in tough situation and extreme circumstances during his time in the military, Stann describes... [Read More...]
Champion Dominick Cruz breaks hand in win over Demetrious Johnson
Dominick Cruz had a successful title defense Saturday night in the main event of UFC Live 6, defeating Demetrious Johnson by Unanimous Decision to retain his bantamweight championship. Unfortunately, the night didn’t go completely perfect, as Cruz suffered a broken hand. Cruz (19-1) broke his left hand and will have surgery soon. He is expected to be placed in a bout with the winner of the upcoming... [Read More...]
Dana White bringing Gilbert Melendez to UFC “as soon as possible”
Alistair Overeem, Dan Henderson, and Nick Diaz all abandoned their Strikeforce titles to sign with the UFC and are scheduled for action in the Octagon over the next three months. Now, assuming UFC President Dana White has his way, lightweight Gilbert Melendez will join the group of former Strikeforce champions with the date of his arrival coming sooner than later. White opened up about the company’s... [Read More...]
UFC Live 6 awards more than $250,000 in bonuses to top performers
The UFC wrapped up another successful event on Versus with bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz retaining his title after a five-round skirmish with top 135-pound contender Demetrious Johnson. However, neither headliner walked away with an event-specific bonus at UFC Live 6. “Fight of the Night” and $65,000 each went to Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig after their re-telling of a controversial bout from 2010.... [Read More...]
Dominick Cruz retains title at UFC Live 6 in five-round affair against Demetrious Johnson
It’s tiiiiiiiiiiime….for the third UFC show in three consecutive weekends! Last night’s UFC Live 6 event featured Dominick Cruz successfully defending his bantamweight belt against the endless energy and lightning reflexes of 9-1 Demetrious Johnson. Cruz picked up his tenth straight win since falling to Urijah Faber in March 2007 with the performance while “Mighty Mouse”... [Read More...]
Heavyweight semifinalists emerge at Bellator 52
The latest Bellator tournament took to the airwaves in the form of tonight’s heavyweight affair featuring eight “big boys” vying for an opportunity to take on undefeated champion Cole Konrad and earn a $100,000 payday in the process. Bellator 52 unfolded in Lake Charles, Louisiana and entertained from start to finish with the quarterfinal fights resulting in two convincing finishes... [Read More...]
Demetrious Johnson feels it is his time to shine
Demetrious Johnson doesn’t believe in turning down fights, and that kind of attitude is why he is stepping inside the Octagon tonight to face UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz for the title. Cruz-Johnson is the main event of UFC Live 6, airing later tonight on the Versus Network starting at 9:00 PM EST. The fighter known as “Mighty Mouse” will be looking to pull what many would consider a... [Read More...]
UFC Live 6 Breakdown: The Main Event
Properly hyped or not, tonight’s bantamweight title fight between Dominick Cruz and Demetrious Johnson offers both competitors the chance to make a name for themselves. Sadly, the matter of fact is, this bout would not have sold well had it headlined a PPV. As it stands, Cruz and Johnson will get to display their skills for a wider audience, which on the long run, can only be beneficial. Slowly... [Read More...]
UFC Live 6 Breakdown: The Undercard
If ten months ago, someone suggested that the UFC will finish the year with two title fights on free television, he would have likely been ridiculed. And yet, the final quarter of 2011 will witness two very contrasting title bouts: One will headline the UFC’s much publicized debut on Fox, while the other marks the promotion’s last venture on Versus. One is arguably the most anticipated... [Read More...]
