Memo to the UFC/Dana White: Try Solving Piracy Instead of Just Fighting It
I know, I know. It’s silly to ask a fight promoter not to fight. Let’s be clear here up front: I understand why Dana White and Zuffa would support legal action like SOPA & PIPA, and were I in their place I’d be concerned about piracy too. They have a company whose foundation is built upon their customers paying to see events live, so anything that undermines that business is clearly going... [Read More...]
The Changing Of The Guard In The UFC’s Welterweight Division
2011 was a year of massive change for the UFC. They bolstered their ranks substantially, first by offering two new weight classes and then by acquiring their closest competitor in Strikeforce. The company experienced some of their most successful events ever with a record-shattering debut in Toronto, as well as their massively successful return to Brazil this past summer. This all led up to the announcement... [Read More...]
Upset Alert: Why Lyoto Machida Will Beat Jon Jones
At this point in his (still young) career it seems crazy to pick against the UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones. He has achieved a level of dominance at 205 pounds that has not been seen since the heydays of former company poster boys Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, and you could make a good argument that Jones has fought better competition than either man. The craziest part of all this is that Jones... [Read More...]
Let It Go: Frankie Edgar Doesn’t Need to Fight at Featherweight
I sincerely hope that Frankie Edgar has done enough to convince you that he’s one of the best lightweight fighters in UFC history. One would think that he’s proven this already. If you ask any fan who the best fighter ever to compete at 155 pounds is, they’ll probably tell you B.J. Penn. Of course, Frankie beat him twice. He’s also beaten a number of guys that have been considered amongst the... [Read More...]
Boardrooms and Backstabs: The Coming Battle Between the UFC vs. Spike
It’s always hard to make the good things last. The UFC and Spike TV have had a great relationship for a number of years, one where both parties have benefited tremendously from the other’s involvement. Spike was still struggling to establish it’s identity and it’s place in the cable landscape when they took a chance on a reality show featuring the UFC. At the same time the UFC was putting on... [Read More...]
Fightbook – UFC 133: Evans vs. Ortiz Edition
After the whelming reaction to this feature’s debut last week I decided to take another peek at the Facebook updates of your favorite fighters. This week we’re looking around for the latest thoughts from the fighters of this weekend’s UFC 133 event, I guess. It’s been tough to get any real excitement going even if this is the first UFC event in four weeks but obviously the fighters involved... [Read More...]
The Future of Strikeforce and the Elephant in the Room
In a way, I almost feel sorry for Miesha Tate. Here’s a woman who won her opportunity to compete for a title almost a year ago, only to have it given to someone else after she was sidelined with an injury. After nearly a year away from the cage Miesha returned and gave an outstanding performance to win the Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Championship. There can be little doubt that this will be... [Read More...]
Fightbook – The Social Network meets “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson”
As the fighters get ready to perform to their best this weekend, with titles and title shots all at stake amongst the best under the Strikeforce banner, I thought it may be a good idea to have a look at their Facebook pages to see what kind of mindset each fighter is in. DISCLAIMER: Please note that this is (obviously) a work of parody. Nobody whose name or picture appears here has anything whatsoever... [Read More...]
The Ten Most Interesting Octagon Offerings in the Next 100 Days
Ever since Zuffa folded the WEC into the UFC there have been plenty of changes to the way things are done within the largest mixed-martial arts organization in the world. More fighters means more fights, and one less organization means more cards for the main company. It also allowed the UFC to add the support Scott Shelby to the role of matchmaker, in addition to longtime UFC matchmaker Joe Silva.... [Read More...]
Matt Hamill is Closer to a Title Shot than You Think
If I had to pick one word to describe the UFC Light Heavyweight Division over the last few years it would be ‘unstable.’ The division’s top prize has been passed around more than an STD at the Jersey Shore house. As a result we’ve got any number of great fighters in the upper levels of the weight class and a lack of any real pecking order amongst contenders. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson fights... [Read More...]
The Other Odds – “UFC 129: St. Pierre vs. Shields”
Any other site can give you fight predictions disguised as honest betting advice, but I prefer to absolve myself from any and all responsibility for your financial gains or losses. That’s why I make up my own betting lines and give you completely subjective odds. UFC 129 is already poised to break numerous records. It’ll be the largest attendance for the UFC in the company’s history, and their... [Read More...]
Back and Forth: Chattin’ About Chael
If you’re a regular reader here at Five Ounces of Pain (and we certainly hope that you are) than you should be familiar with myself and Jeremy Lambert. We’ve both been regular fixtures in the weekly Grappling With Issues feature, but today we’re going to do something a little different. Instead of tackling six topics in the world of MMA we’re just going to focus on one. We’ll... [Read More...]
The Other Odds for “Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley”
Betting on professional sports is a tradition as old as watching professional sports. The only difference is one of them may make you unable to pay your rent. Some of us like to play the odds to try and fatten our wallets when an MMA event rolls around, but others are either too broke, too lazy, or just plain too wimpy to bet on which guy will win in a sport where pretty much anything can happen. For... [Read More...]
Now is Not the Time for Jones vs. Silva
In the wake of Jon Jones’ destructive win over “Shogun” Rua there is one fight that a lot of people seem to be clamoring to see, and it isn’t Jones vs. Rashad Evans. While Evans has already been named as the next contender for Jones’ newly won UFC Light Heavyweight Championship there seems to already be a lot of support behind a completely different direction. There are a lot of people who... [Read More...]
The Lightweight Logjam
I keep looking the list over and it still makes no sense. I’m staring at these fights that have been booked for upcoming UFC shows, and I can’t make any sense of them. I’m one of the biggest fans of UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, but I’m struggling to figure out his actions regarding the lightweight division in the last six months. There are outside factors of course. Things have been jammed up... [Read More...]
15 Dream Fights (That Came To Me In A Dream)
Well I think I’ve finally learned my lesson. No more six-hour MMA marathon sessions right before bed. It always gives me the weirdest dreams. Last night I dreamt that I was putting together the strangest fight card of all time. I made sure to write everything down in my dream journal (natch) and I thought I’d share the fights I made with you. Of course, since all of these fights took place within... [Read More...]
A Memo to Strikeforce: Fighters Need To Fight
The life of a fighter is, in a word, hell. Fiscal responsibility is hard enough in this day and age without throwing in the uncertainty that a sport like MMA provides. A serious injury can leave a fighter unable to earn a living for several months at best, a year or more at worst. On top of that consider the physical stress a fighter’s body must endure to continue competing (and winning), and as... [Read More...]
Union Jerk: Why Michael Bisping’s Actions Cannot Go Unpunished
In Europe a count is a nobleman and the title refers to a specific rank within the hierarchy of royalty. A count, representing the crown, should aspire to carry himself with dignity, class, and nobility. Based on even the loosest definition of the term it should now be plainly apparent that “The Count” is not an appropriate nickname for a fighter like Michael Bisping. His actions at UFC 127 are... [Read More...]
Is Jon Jones Going To Destroy Shogun?
Hype can be a funny thing. Too much of it can kill a career before it truly starts, yet not enough of it can keep a talented individual on the outside looking in. In the fight game we see guys (and gals) hyped up all the type. It’s all part of the cyclical nature of any professional sport; when a legend fades away there’s always going to be the next guy in line pegged to take his place. The UFC... [Read More...]
Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale Weigh-In Results
The UFC is ready to crown its newest Ultimate Fighter seasonal champion on Saturday night with finalists Jonathan Brookins and Michael Johnson squaring off in hopes of hoisting the trademark trophy above their head in the end. Joining the TUF 12 competitors, Season 3 winner Kendall Grove faces one of the stiffest tests of his career in the form of brilliant BJJer Demian Maia and fearless scrapper Stephan... [Read More...]
