Diaz would go on to defeat Penn via Unanimous Decision and called out St. Pierre in a profanity laced attack claiming that GSP wasn’t really injured and instead was ducking a potential fight with him. At the UFC 137 post fight press conference White claimed that GSP was as angry as he had ever seen him and demanded his next fight be against the Stockton, CA resident as opposed to Condit. White also stated that Condit was okay with the situation and instead would face a yet to be named opponent at UFC 143 in the co-main event. As we would learn later on, Condit was not happy with the situation.

Of course, as luck would have it, GSP’s knee injury would turn out to be much more severe than anyone first thought and he would require surgery keeping him out until the fall of 2012. The natural thing to do for the UFC was to match-up Diaz and Condit which was scheduled for the main event of UFC 143 and would be for an interim title. The winner would then face “Rush” once he was healthy for the right to become the undisputed 170-pound champion.

The anticipation for Diaz-Condit was incredible as the UFC marketing machine was in full effect. White was telling anyone who would listen that this bout could be one of the best the UFC had ever seen. Based upon both fighters’ histories he wasn’t off as both men liked to stand and bang. They also brought a lot of intensity, toughness, and heart into every one of their fights. GSP felt uncomfortable rooting against the fellow Greg Jackson trained Condit, but still harbored a lot of ill will towards Diaz and made no secret of who he was pulling for.

The much anticipated tilt took place this past Saturday night and did not go anywhere near as well as planned. Condit fought a methodical, well-planned fight. He avoided Diaz’s pressure by keeping his feet moving at all times and landed a great deal of leg kicks and seemed to be ahead on the judges scorecards. When Bruce Buffer announced “The Natural Born Killer” as the winner it did not sit well with Diaz or his legion of fans who felt that Condit was awarded for avoiding Diaz at all costs and doing the bare minimum to take home the victory. As Joe Rogan interviewed Diaz after the fight he went into full tantrum mode and claimed he was done with MMA; that he no longer needed to be part of the sport.

It seems as though his threats and promises have worked to his advantage once again as word leaked out yesterday that Condit had not only agreed to, but asked for a rematch with Diaz before his scheduled bout with St. Pierre. Apparently Diaz was able to get under the skin of Condit in much the same way he did with GSP. The entire thing just goes to show you that self promotion is just as important as the fight you put on inside of the cage. The real story here is whether or not the UFC is hoping for a Diaz win so they can finally get the money bout everyone wanted in the first place, but has been canceled on two separate occasions – St. Pierre vs. Diaz.

Diaz lost the bout on all three judges’ scorecards. He won just one round on two of the judges’ cards and was awarded two rounds by the third judge. No one is arguing the fact that Condit fought a safe fight, but is there really a need for an immediate rematch based upon the outcome of the first fight? However, to be honest, this is the best call the UFC could make. Without trying to placate Diaz who seems to know how to push White’s buttons along with his opponents, if this fight doesn’t take place there is a potential nine-month gap between fights for Condit. If that is the case then what was the need to create the interim title in the first place if it was just going to be held up for nearly a year anyways?

The fight was close enough to get these two guys back in the cage as soon as possible. As we have learned in the past the judges aren’t always the most educated, responsible people in the arena at any given time. It’s certainly not fair to ask Condit to wait a minimum of nine months before GSP is ready to fight. This fight will kill three birds with one stone, it keeps Diaz happy, even if it means bowing down to his demands once again, it keeps Condit fresh and it gives more meaning to the interim title. For once the UFC is making the right call.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

The younger Thompson takes a great deal of pride in teaching the younger generation the intricacies of the martial arts as he is also an instructor. He’s a fine role model for the kids he teaches as he is a throwback, he believes in the true meaning of the martial arts. His principles go far beyond kicking, punching and grappling, he teaches them that martial arts is a lifestyle and helps to build confidence. Thompson also volunteers his time reading to children and teaching them the importance of living a clean, healthy lifestyle. If that isn’t enough he spends time teaching martial arts to the elderly when he visits them in their nursing homes.

If anyone wants to question his credentials one needs to look no further than his incredible 57-0 record in kickboxing. He has amassed an astounding thirteen titles throughout his career and has started his MMA voyage with a 5-0 record. While striking is obviously his strong suit, opponents should not sleep on his ground game as he is trained by his brother-in-law Carlos Machado. A cousin of Carlos Gracie Jr., Machado has also trained with Helio, Carlson, Rolls, Rickson and other members of the famed Gracie clan.

Getting the call to the UFC has been a lifelong dream of Thompson’s and this Saturday night he has the opportunity to showcase the skills that many of today’s top MMA stars have been lauding about for some time now. The journey has been a long, arduous trip, a serious knee injury kept him out of action for nearly three years. That’s all in the past now and Thompson is ready to show the world that the hard work he and his family have put in honing his skills has all been worth it.

“Growing up we never really had time for any other sports,” explained Thompson in an exclusive interview with Five Ounces of Pain. “We basically lived and breathed the martial arts. We were always entering in Karate tournaments, grappling tournaments and that’s continued over the last 25 years. Being trained by family helps keep me grounded and I love it, but I also get a lot of opportunities to travel. I’ve traveled to Tri-Star and trained with Georges St. Pierre; I’ve been to Jackson’s in New Mexico and Los Angeles to train with Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva. I’ve had some great opportunities to train with some of the best fighters in the world.”

There is a reason why all of these top mixed martial artists call upon Thompson to come and train with them. Besides the fact that his striking is world class he is humble, respectful and very loyal. You will never hear anyone utter a bad word about this man, in fact GSP and his head coach Firas Zahabi said in an interview that Thompson has the best striking in all of combat sports and is without a doubt a future world champion. That kind of praise could cause some to have an inflated ego, but that’s not the case with Thompson.

“Hearing that really feels great,” said an excited and proud Wonderboy. “Whenever the opportunity arises to train with those guys it’s an honor and to get that kind of praise from them is awesome. I met GSP while fighting in a kickboxing match in Montreal; my opponent was training at Tri-Star and was cornered by GSP and Firas. I won the fight and afterwards GSP asked me to come up and train with him. We do some sparring to help prepare him for his fights, but he has really worked with me to improve my ground game. GSP has also introduced me to Rashad Evans who I trained with before his fight with Machida. The experiences I’ve had have been truly amazing.”

Thompson prides himself on his striking, but is quick to point out that his ground game is not one that should be overlooked. He has taken bits and pieces from all of the fighters he has trained with and found that he can be dangerous once the floor hits the canvas. Fans will always look for the knockout in his fights, but Thompson has no problem throwing a wrench into his opponents’ gameplan and showing off his grappling skills.

“We are constantly working on my ground game,” Thompson stated. “Georges has really helped me improve my grappling skills and I feel like I’m always progressing. I feel as though my ground game is very good. When you have a phenomenal wrestler like St. Pierre training you it’s impossible not to improve.”

Making it to the UFC is the goal of every mixed martial artist worth their salt. For some it comes late in their career and for others like Thompson the call comes very early and unexpectedly. Taking a fight on short notice is never easy, but you never know if an opportunity like this will come up again. Thompson understood how important this decision was and didn’t hesitate when the fight was offered.

“We jumped on the fight when it was offered,” Thompson said excitedly. “I was actually in Montreal when the UFC called. Fighting inside the Octagon has always been my goal and when my manager Lex McMahon got a hold of me I told him yes immediately. I knew there was no time to hesitate, I thought to myself, hey you got go ahead and do it, short notice or not. The UFC is where I want to be and I plan on making the most of it.”

Will the words of St. Pierre and Zahabi ring true come February 4? Will all of the years of hard work and the countless hours training with a who’s who of mixed martial arts superstars equate into success for Thompson? While we have to wait until the fight takes place, Thompson is confident enough in his abilities and plans on showing the world that he belongs in the cage with the best in the world.

“Fans are going to see a war when I step inside the Octagon this Saturday,” said a confident Thompson. “I’ve trained really hard for this opportunity and I’m ready to throw down. I plan on scoring a knockout and coming home with the win. One thing is for sure, I will not disappoint, I am going into that cage to put on a show and nothing less than that will be suffice.”

To read Thompson’s weekly blogs with us you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. His third and last blog will be up at the end of this week.

Thompson would like to thank his management company Alchemist Management, his family and training partners at Upstate Karate and Pitchblack MMA. His father Ray Thompson, Thomas Lee, Machado and Billy Jeffries have all been there for him and he wants to thank them for all they have done.

What to do with Maia was the question at hand. There was an immediate call for Brazilian leg lock specialist Rousimar Palhares to face his fellow Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace, but such a scenario would have given Palhares a mere two weeks in between his fight at UFC 142 against Mike Massenzio and the match-up with Maia on the UFC on FOX 2 card. Even though “Toquinho” suffered no damage and needed all of 63 seconds to dispatch of Massenzio, it was simply not going to happen.

Enter undefeated Serra-Longo student Chris Weidman. The Long Island native and two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler was last seen submitting Tom Lawlor at UFC 139 in November. That night he earned his third UFC win in three tries and ran his overall record to 7-0. Taking on anyone in the UFC on two weeks notice is a daunting task, but it’s even crazier when your opponent is one of the best grapplers in the world.

Questions will arise, such as what type of shape is Weidman in physically and mentally; what is his weight, has he been in the gym, etc. These are all legitimate questions and ones that only Weidman himself can answer. Now he has, and as indicated by his attitude he is definitely a warrior ready to make the most of this opportunity.

“I’ve been training and working hard,” said Weidman in an exclusive interview with Five Ounces of Pain. “I was preparing to fight April 22, but I got the phone call and I knew I couldn’t let an opportunity like this pass me by. It’s going to be tough, but at this point it’s all mental, being confident and getting my cardio where it needs to be. I’m pretty confident and I know he’s tough, but in the UFC there are no easy fights. I have a lot of respect for Maia, but I’m not going to get to his level of BJJ in two weeks, I have to work with what I have.”

Fans have seen many fighters struggle with weight cuts in the past. Anthony Johnson is the first that comes to mind and he not only had a whole training camp to prepare but he was also moving up a weight class. As such, one would have to think that dropping a decent amount of weight in such a short period of time is not easy and one would be correct in assuming so.

“When I got the phone call I was 216.8 and I am down to 207 now,” explained Weidman. “A week out before a fight I would normally be around 205 so I am not that far off. I’ve had to cut my meals to very small portions and eat really light. I am eating a lot of tuna, grilled chicken and egg whites. The worst part is we are about to have a party at my house right now to find out if my wife is pregnant with a boy or girl. There’s a ton of food here and cake so I have to watch everyone else eat.”

Weidman spoke briefly of how he felt when he got the call to face Maia, laughing, “I was home about to eat dinner, my wife was making Sloppy Joes. “I got a call from my manager that the UFC called and wanted me to fight Maia. Joe Silva mentioned to my manager that the fight was in a week and my manager said, ‘Let me talk to Chris first’. Silva said if I accepted the fight they’d try to make it in March or April, but Maia wanted to be on FOX. I knew I had to take this opportunity and said let’s do it. So instead of eating Sloppy Joes I went and worked out instead.”

Everyone in the sport realizes the magnitude of this card. It may be the second card on network television but this time around it is loaded with three exciting fights as opposed to one. Being from New York, Weidman has a large group of family and friends who will be watching and rooting him on. There’s no doubt the 27-year old realizes the significance of being on this card and he plans on coming out on top.

“I haven’t had time to really wrap my head around it,” Weidman said. “This being the first true FOX card I realize it’s going to be an awesome experience. Getting a win over Demian Maia will definitely change my life and my career. This is a huge opportunity and opens up a lot of doors for me. I could never let this opportunity go.”

Being confident seems to be in Weidman’s nature. He sees himself putting on a great performance and having his hand raised when it’s all said and done. A win here runs his UFC record to 4-0 and will include a former title contender on his resume. So where exactly does a win over Maia place Weidman in the ranks of the UFC middleweights? In line for a title-shot in 2012 according to the self-assured grappler.

“I can see it going three different ways, I can see me knocking him out in the first round, winning by submission or by decision,” revealed a very confident Weidman. “I wish I knew how the outcome would be, but I don’t. What I do know is a win puts me as one of the top contenders. This is such a huge opportunity for me. Whatever the UFC thinks, I am down for. I’ll fight Sonnen or Silva. You never know guys get hurt and you have to be prepared for everything. I visualize MMA being legalized in New York and me winning the title here in NY. I want my title shot at the first MMA event in the state.”

Catch Weidman-Maia as they open the card on Saturday night at 8:00 PM EST with Bisping-Sonnen and Rashad Evans-Phil Davis set for later in the evening.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

“I don’t see how I wouldn’t have the advantage in wrestling,” a confident Davis stated in a conversation with Five Ounces of Pain. “When I say it like that it sounds cocky, but Rashad Evans’ wrestling record was barely over .500 while my record was well above that. Numbers can be misleading at times so I will give him the benefit of the doubt. I’m going to go ahead and say that I am probably the favorite as far as wrestling is concerned.”

The UFC has been trying to match Evans up with Jones for some time now and because of injuries to both men it just hasn’t come together. Dan Henderson recently staked his claim to the number one contender spot with a thrilling, Fight of the Year candidate with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139. The assumption here is a win by Evans will finally see him face Jon Jones in a grudge match that could sell a million pay-per-views, but what happens if Davis walks away with his arm raised that night in light of Henderson’s recent success?

“I like to think that a win would put me in line for a title shot,” said a confident Davis. “At the end of the day let’s just see what a win over Rashad Evans in impressive fashion will mean for me. It kind of goes like this, if I beat him let’s find out what will happen, but if I don’t beat him I don’t really care either way. I’ve heard that I may or may not get a title shot if I win, but it doesn’t bother me. Winning will only point you in one direction and that’s up.”

Speaking of Jones, no one has yet to come close to figuring him out, yet Davis has seen a few things thus far he’s taken away and could utilize in the event that the two meet inside the Octagon in the near futur.

“Anyone who is going to beat Jones is going to need a first round that Machida had,” Davis explained. “He’s going to need a lot of things to go his way, but since no one has really done it it’s tough to say what is necessary to beat him. When someone defeats him then I can tell you what is needed to win. He has done very well for himself and will continue to do so.”

The UFC’s light heavyweight division has always been considered one of its deepest and until Jones defeated Machida at UFC 140 no one man had been able to defend the title more than once. In fact, before Jones three of the last four champions (Forrest Griffin, Evans, and Rua) were all unsuccessful in defending the title even a single time. So with the top five fighters at 205 constantly changing, who does Davis have on his personal list?

“To be 100% honest that’s a question that is tough for me to answer,” said a puzzled Davis. “Sometimes I catch myself following the sport, but not enough to know who’s in the top five. I would say Evans, Rampage, and Machida who are all former champions. Dan Henderson is up there, but after that I start drawing a blank.”

Many fighters are very confident and have no problem offering a prediction while other fighters have enough confidence in themselves without having to brag to anyone who will listen. Davis has been competing long enough to know that anything can happen, but he is the one who controls his own destiny.

“I do have a prediction, however I am not very descriptive,” offered Davis. “I’ve never been a very descriptive person ever since I was in school and had to write book reports. If I had to point out one of my faults it’s I lack detail. I definitely see this fight ending in a victory for me.

“I don’t really know how it will end and I’d rather not say,” Davis continued. “I don’t want to script an ending and say I am going to knock him out. That paints me into a corner. I am going to take what’s there, if a knockout is there I’ll take it, if a submission is available I’ll grab it. More than likely I’m going to take a win anyway that I can get it.”

Fans can catch Evans-Davis mix it up on January 28 in headlining action at UFC on FOX 2. Other bouts on the card include Michael Bisping-Demian Maia and Chael Sonnen-Mark Munoz.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Beyond that what about the winner of the Marquardt-Maia match-up at UFC 102? If Maia wins wouldn’t that warrant him a shot at the title or is Dana worried we will get a repeat performance of the Leites-Silva bout. Sorry but Maia is better than Leites in my opinion and I don’t believe he will resort to flopping on his back every time Silva gets near him. Marquardt has some awesome skills, I truly believe the fans underestimate his overall skill set. He is a much better fighter now than he was when he first fought Silva. Instead of giving a title shot away why not have the winners of the two upcoming bouts square off and the man who reigns supreme gets the next crack at Silva?

The UFC maybe heading back to Texas sometime this fall. Just what I wanted to hear. Although my thirst for live UFC action will be quenched when I attend UFC 101 in August it still pains me that I live in one of the biggest markets in the world and we still can’t get mixed martial arts legalized in NY. Although I do have some good news on that front.

Apparently the bill was passed by a 14-6 margin by the Tourism Committee today. Now it has to go in front of the Codes Committee whatever that is. At least it’s a start and I am sure Assemblyman Bob Reilly is so pissed right now that it has gotten past the first round. Here we are in 2009 and the man is still referring to mixed martial arts as “Human Cockfighting”. He has the audacity to call UFC President Dana White ruthless but still allows a man like Don King to operate as a promoter in NY.

So Frank Trigg is returning to the UFC. Twinkle Toes was last seen in the Octagon losing to GSP back in August of 2005 which left his UFC record at 2-3. Since then he is 7-2 with victories over Jason Miller, Kazuo Misaki and Edwin Dewees while losing to Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit. Being that he just turned 37 and is dropping back down to 170 I don’t know what type of impact he plans on making in a stacked welterweight division. There is a lot of young blood who will look to make a nice name for themselves by defeating a veteran like Trigg so I hope he comes prepared.

Lots of MMA this weekend with the Strikeforce card on Showtime this Saturday and an awesome WEC event on Vs. this Sunday headlined by a rematch for the organizations featherweight title between champion Mike Brown and the man he took the belt from Urijah Faber. I had hardly heard of Brown before their first fight. Brown followed up that victory with an even more impressive thrashing of Leonard Garcia in front of Garcia’s hometown fans in Texas. Brown is so powerful and so steady which presents a problem for anyone who gets in the cage with him. Faber has the speed advantage and is so unpredictable but to be honest I think Brown is going to pull this one off again. Sometimes one fighter just has another fighter’s number. As usual we the fans are the true victors in all of this as not only do we get to see some great action but we get to see it free.

I would like to take this time to wish the Brothers Noguiera a Happy 33rd birthday. Two great warriors who are not only terrific fighters but true ambassadors for the sport.

First, he hasn’t been seen or spoken about all that much since his loss to Seth Petruzelli and the controversy that swirled around the bout afterwards.

Second, most fans both casual and die hard have grown tired of his act and realize he is not a legitimate mixed martial artist.

Will it be interesting to see him interact with fighters who may hold a grudge against him? Of course it will, I am looking forward to seeing him work with Rampage as that should lead to some quality television and perhaps some “Black on Black” crime. Do I feel as though he has any chance of being a legitimate contestant? Absolutely not, the other fighters will look to expose him as soon and as often as possible.

So Cro-Cop vs. Mustapha Al-Turk is official. Talk about taking it down to the wire, with just under two weeks left until game time Cro-Cop and the UFC left themselves little room for error. They also gave themselves very little time to promote the return of the former PRIDE standout to the Octagon.

What does the Cro-Cop of 2009 have to offer? That remains to be seen but I have a feeling he will show up in great shape with a lot to prove. That tells me Al-Turk is in for a long night and that Eastern European UFC fans will leave Germany extremely happy.

EA Sports has decided to throw its name into the MMA video game genre. I am not a gamer and I rarely if ever play video games. Not that I don’t enjoy them, but between working and running two kids around to karate, soccer, dance, cheerleading and various other activities, I just don’t have the time. I bought a Nintendo Wii and it now resides in my 4 year old son’s bedroom.

I did go out and purchase an X-Box 360 and UFC Undisputed. I had to, and I was not disappointed, well that was until my 4 year old kicked the crap out of me after playing it less than 24 hours.

EA Sports has been making quality sports video games for a long time now and their Fight Night boxing series is one of the top sports games out there from what I have seen and heard. I have no reason to believe their MMA game will be any different.

I read that some fans were not interested due to the fact that it won’t have any UFC fighters in it. Who cares? Think of all the other great fighters available that are not on Undisputed. Fedor, Couture, Belfort, Cung Le and so many others from Strikeforce, Affliction, Sengoku and DREAM. I could go on and on but I won’t.

I read somewhere that Pat Miletich wants to fight Frank Shamrock under the Strikeforce banner. I have no desire to see this bout at this time in their careers.

Shamrock at this stage in his career has one fight left that I would like to see and that would be against Tito Ortiz. I loved their first fight and believe me, I know that neither man is even close to the fighter they were back then but I truly believe they would bring out the best in one another and put on a quality fight.

After that, Shamrock should retire and concentrate on training a new legion of mixed martial artists. Miletich should stick to training and drawing the ire of Dana White.

I love how everyone and their mother is coming out of the woodworks talking about how they would beat Lyoto Machida. Like it is so easy, if that’s the case why hasn’t the man been defeated yet?

First it was Mark Coleman who should concentrate on getting past Stephan Bonnar first.

Up next we had Matt Hughes chiming in on what Rashad Evans did wrong in his preparation for his title fight with “The Dragon”.

Last but not least we have B.J. Penn throwing his two cents in. Many of you may not know this but Penn fought Machida at 205lbs in 2005 under the K-1 Hero’s banner. While I have never seen the bout I have done some research on it and Penn was somewhat successful in landing his fair share of strikes but he still lost. Granted he was fighting 50lbs over his normal fighting weight and should be commended on the fact that he went the distance with a much bigger man who even back then was extremely difficult to hit but he still lost the fight.

Who’s next? Maybe Ken Shamrock will try his hand at Machida once his suspension for steroid use is over. Fighters should keep their thoughts to themselves in the event they do wind up fighting him. Why would you want to let him in on whatever game plan you would attempt to implement anyway?

Strikeforce will be holding their second card on Showtime this Saturday and it is packed with exciting fights. Not only is this a fantastic card but it’s free. Well, it is for those of us who have Showtime.

I really like what Strikeforce is doing and I am excited about the future of the organization. Scott Coker is a man who knows the game, the business and the fighters. We should all be happy that he is now getting to showcase his organization on a greater stage.

Sources close to the negotiations have recently confirmed the news to MMAweekly.com.

Cote, who blew his knee out in the third round of his title fight with Silva at UFC 90 last October, is hoping to make his return to the octagon sometime this fall. Reports state that he may be fight at UFC 104 which will take place this October from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Cote holds a career record of 13-5 overall and is 4-5 in the UFC. He had a rather ominous beginning to his UFC career back in 2004. The Canadian born fighter was 5-0 at the time while fighting for organizations in Canada and was called on to fill in at the last minute against former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz at UFC 50. Although he lost the bout via unanimous decision he certainly held his own against a much bigger more experienced opponent.

Cote fought once more for the TKO organization in Canada before he was offered another bout with the UFC. Unfortunately Cote went on to lose his next two bouts inside the octagon and made his way back up north to get a few wins under his belt. He participated on season 4 of The Ultimate Fighter and made it to the finale where he lost to Travis Lutter putting his UFC record at 0-4. He would then go on to win his next 5 bouts. Four of those victories were for the UFC. He earned himself a shot at Silva and the middleweight championship with an uninspiring split decision victory over Ricardo Almeida at UFC 86 in July of 2008.

He was an extremely heavy underdog going into his fight with the Spider. Although he made it to the third round he never had Silva in any danger and it seems as though Silva was toying around the whole time which drew sharp criticism from the fans, other fighters and UFC officials.

Cote has been rehabbing his knee since he had surgery to repair the injury to his knee. He has began training and is now splitting his time with his camp in Montreal and Mark DellaGrotte in Boston.

I spent the weekend thinking about The Ultimate Fighter Season Ten and why Rashad Evans was chosen to coach opposite Rampage Jackson. This was the perfect opportunity for the UFC to get Lyoto Machida the mainstream attention he not only needs but rightfully deserves. Not only is Rampage losing out by getting passed up again for a title shot, we the fans are losing out as well.

I know a lot of MMA fans who weren’t familiar with Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera before his stint on TUF. They knew who he was as a fighter but had no idea who the man behind the fighter was. Thankfully the UFC gave us that opportunity, and I believe he gained a whole new legion of fans since the show aired. Machida could have benefitted in much the same manner but now we get stuck with having to watch Rashad Evans who possesses absolutely no charisma and lacks any sort of personality.

Last but not least in this whole story is, why is Shogun getting a title shot? If anything stick him on the show against Rampage and have them fight it out. Not only would the world get to know Shogun a little bit better but the two of them already have heat and Rampage has been dying for an opportunity to redeem himself from that brutal loss a few years back. Shogun’s UFC stint has been highlighted by knockout victories over two aging fighters in Chuck Liddell and Mark Coleman. I am sorry to say but defeating Chuck Liddell in 2009 is not the same as it was in 2006. He has not earned a title shot by any stretch of the imagination.

For those of you who are basketball fans you may have caught the controversy started when LeBron James did not offer any congratulatory words or shake any of the Magic players hands after losing the Eastern Conference Finals in six games. In an interview James did he said he is a competitor and could not find it in him to shake the hands of the players who had just defeated him. He went on to say if it was a fight would you shake the hand of the guy who just beat you up? Watch MMA LeBron and see how true professional athletes act whether they win or lose. These little things need to get more attention and maybe if they do people will start to understand how special this sport truly is and how gracious these athletes really are.

Matt Hughes chimed in on the Machida-Evans fight. Ok, he is a legend and has been around the sport a long time so I tend to listen to what he has to say for the most part. To criticize Greg Jackson who many consider one of the best trainers in the sport is wrong. Hughes went on to say that he didn’t believe that the decision not to bring any fighters who resembled Machida’s style was the former champions downfall. Well tell me Hughes, who out there can even attempt to copy Machida’s style? He also said that Rashad should have been coached on his wrestling. Another point that goes out the window as Machida defends over 80% of his opponents takedown attempts. Stick to fighting Hughes, well actually please don’t.

Last but not least, Tim Sylvia is talking about switching to boxing full time if his bout against 99 year old Ray Mercer goes his way. The former UFC heavyweight champion said that the money is better and boxing doesn’t require as much training as MMA does. That tells me he is looking to make as much money for doing as little work as possible. I don’t see how he can top his $750k payday for his 36 seconds of work against Fedor last year. Tim, you were paid over $20k per second against Fedor, you will never come close to making that type of money again in either sport. He thinks he has what it takes to fight some of the heavyweight champions in boxing, adding that some of the paydays top $10 million. He must still be woozy from the beating he received that fateful night last July.

The UFC has not announced the signing, but The Times of Northwest Indiana revealed the addition of Russow to the UFC heavyweight roster in a blog post.

Russow, who has seen action in PRIDE as well as Adrenaline MMA, was last seen defeating Braden Bice on Adrenaline’s second card in December of last year. The Chicago native is 11-1 in his career with his biggest win coming against Jason Guida in June of 2008. His only loss was against Sergei Kharitonov at Pride 33 in February of 2007.

Although no opponent has been confirmed it is believed that Russow will make his organizational debut at UFC Fight Night 19 on September 16 in Oklahoma City. The former state wrestling champion has won eight fights via submission, two  by knockout and one by decision. Russow attended Lincoln College which is the same school that former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes attended.

The deal is believed to be a four fight deal although not terms have yet to be confirmed.

According to the reports Rua had been in Las Vegas meeting with UFC officials to work on a new contract for the former PRIDE superstar.

Rua has had his share of ups and downs since joining the UFC after the organization purchased PRIDE back in 2007. He lost his debut to Forrest Griffin at UFC 76 in September of 2007 and then underwent two knee surgeries that would keep him out of action until this past January when he defeated 44 year old Mark Coleman via third round TKO at UFC 93. Although the two were awarded a “Fight of the Night” bonus the bout was universally criticized as were both combatants. The two fighters seemed gassed by the middle of the first round and the fact that it took Rua just under the full 15 minutes to put a guy away who was not only 16 years older than he was but had not fought in over two years did not leave a good impression at all.

Rua went on to score a first round TKO over an aging Chuck Liddell at UFC 97 in April.

Machida of course is coming off a resounding knockout of the previously undefeated light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans last Saturday night at UFC 98. Machida, who was criticized in the beginning of his UFC career for being too elusive and boring, has now become one of the most feared fighters as well as one of the most exciting competitors as well. He earned his second “Knockout of the Night” bonus in his bout with Evans as he ran his UFC record to 7-0. His overall record now stands at an outstanding 15-0. He has defeated the likes of Rich Franklin, B.J. Penn and Stephan Bonnar outside of the octagon. His victims in the UFC include Rameau Thierry Sokodjou, Tito Ortiz, and Thiago Silva to name a few.

Shinya Aoki, who is coming off a knockout loss to Hayato Sakurai in the first round of the DREAM welterweight grand prix, will be returning to the lightweight division to take on Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro. Ribeiro was last seen defeating Katsuhiko Nagata on the same Dream 8 card that Aoki and Sakurai fought against one another on.

Also appearing on the card will be the return of Paulo Filho to Japan as he squares off against devastating kickboxer Melvin Manhoef.

Filho, the former Pride superstar has had his share of problems over the past year. He has dealt with substance abuse problems and suffered his first defeat when he lost to Chael Sonnen at WEC 36 back in November of 2008. That bout was a rematch of their first fight which Filho won via tapout. For their second fight Filho failed to make weight and seemed somewhere else during the fight and many questioned his mental status at the time. He has since decided to move up to the light heavyweight division and will face a stiff test in Manhoef.

Manhoef has been keeping busy as he was victorious against Stefan Leko in a kickboxing match on May 16 in Amsterdam. His last MMA bout was against Mark Hunt on FEG’s K-1 Dynamite New Year’s Eve show. He defeated the much bigger Hunt via knockout in just 18 seconds. He is primarily an aggressive  stand-up fighter with extraordinary striking skills.

Also announced is a lightweight tilt between Katsunori Kikuno and Andre Amade.

Kikuno will be making his DREAM debut while Amade participated in the lightweight grand prix where he lost to Eddie Alvarez by first round TKO.

Next Tim Sylvia said he was fighting an unnamed opponent for an organization he could not reveal sometime in August.

Now MMAJunkie.com is reporting based on sources close to the event that Chris Horodecki will take on Dan Lauzon at Affliction III in August.

It is safe to assume that Affliction will be holding their third event in August.

Horodecki and Lauzon were scheduled to face off at Affliction’s “Day of Reckoning” in January but Horodecki was unable to receive medical clearance due to a neck injury.

Lauzon, the younger brother of UFC lightweight contender Joe Lauzon, has made quite a name for himself fighting predominately for World Championship Fighting in Massachusetts. To this day he is still the youngest fighter to participate in a UFC event. He was just 18 years old when he took on Spencer Fisher at UFC 64. Fisher was victorious in that bout via first round TKO. Lauzon was last seen submitting Bobby Green who was tapped as a replacement for Horodecki at Affliction II. Lauzon holds an impressive 12-2 record.

Horodecki will be fighting William Sriyapai at “Fight Force: Ultimate Chaos” on June 27. The event which will feature a main event between Bobby Lashley and Bob Sapp, will also see Afflcition VP Tom Atencio fighting in his second MMA bout.

Affliction III is expected for for August 1 and will emanate from the Honda Center in Anaheim California.

I invited a few people over and the usual suspects found excuses as the time approached to not be able to make it but I was able to get two people to stick to the invite and give the card a shot. I preached long and hard about the potential blockbuster main event and how I believed the critics would be wrong and it would produce fireworks. I sold them on the exciting potential of the lightweight clash between Frankie Edgar and Sean Sherk. Being from Long Island I didn’t have to sell long and hard about the animosity between NY native Matt Serra and future UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes.

Before the show started I scored some points by putting on UFC Undisputed 2009 and allowing my four year old son to school my two 30 something year old friends inside the virtual octagon. I have to say the realistic nature of the game got everyone instantly pumped for some hard hitting mixed martial arts action. Even my wife was asking questions.

At 9:30 the UFC showed why they are the leader in the industry by previewing the fights, specifically the light heavyweight title bout between Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida and the grudge match two years in the making between Matt Serra and Matt Hughes. They do a fantastic job of getting you excited.

I must tell you that the two people I had over aren’t noobs to the sport. In fact one of them even attended UFC 94, but they aren’t normally the type to sit for three hours thoroughly involved in what’s going on. They find reasons to get distracted and take way too many smoke breaks. They know who the combatants are but they needed some refresher courses on what each fighter has been up to and who they last fought. Of course I don’t mind telling them in explicit detail as I feel as though that is my job. As the card is about to start we score again as both my children have fallen asleep.

The Edgar vs. Sherk bout was a good choice for openers. I went over each fighter’s qualities focusing on their wrestling backgrounds. I explained that while Sherk was the more experienced and the stronger of the two he has shown a penchant for keeping his fights standing recently and was content on turning his fights into a kickboxing match. I further explained that I felt that Edgar was at a severe disadvantage in size and would be better suited at 145 pounds in the WEC. Boy was I wrong and I am more than happy to admit that as Edgar fought a perfect fight and made the fight look easy. Now these two are excited as the underdog won and did so in outstanding fashion.

Up next was Chael Sonnen vs. Dan Miller and I explained to them the virtues of both fighters. Miller, the New Jersey native who possesses outstanding submission skills who had won his last ten decisions against Sonnen, the uncrowned WEC middleweight champion who was a strong Greco-Roman wrestler. Neither one of them was familiar with either fighter and I told them that Miller would come out on top due to Sonnen’s inability to stay out of danger when it comes to being submitted. While Miller was able to put a scare into Sonnen on a few occasions Sonnen stuck to a solid plan and ground and pounded his way to a win. There were some ooh’s and aah’s whenever Sonnen landed some of those vicious elbows and punches to the fallen Miller.

Drew McFedries vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam was over before it started and one of my friends based upon the highlight reel shown before ths start of the bout correctly proclaimed that McFedries would deliver a devastating 1st round knockout. Although both men were impressed with Foupa-Pokam’s knees shown in his highlights neither man thought he had enough to stand a chance against McFedries and they both were right. The Miletich student showed why the UFC keeps him around due to his put it all on the line go for broke style.

Fast forward to Hughes vs. Serra as we took a break during the Soszynski-Gusmao bout but we came back in just in time to see the devastating finish. Even after the knockout delivered by The Polish Experiment I was unable to sell either man on his abilities even though I was more than clear that he was not going to ever be a championship contender. The pre-fight hype leading up to the Hughes-Serra bout was fantastic and once again had us sitting on the edge of the couches waiting in anticipation for the bout to begin. I can’t say that we were disappointed in the fight but we were less than enthused watching Hughes lay on top of Serra for the majority of the second round while inflicting little damage. The first round and third rounds had some exciting moments but the fight fell short of the fireworks we were waiting for.

At last it’s main event time and thankfully one of my friends knew a lot about both Machida and Evans. The three of us were in agreement that Machida was the favorite and that Evans was in for a long night. I explained to them that based upon the way Evans came out on his walk to the cage and his ridiculous dancing once inside the octagon that he looked to be nervous and was trying to hide that fact. Meanwhile Machida was looking strong, confident and stoic. The first two minutes left a lot to be desired as both men were waiting for the other to engage. Then like a bat out of hell the fireworks began as Machida did what no one else has been able to do and figured out the Rashad Evans puzzle. He was landing his shots at will and was not wasting any unnecessary energy all the while never putting himself in danger.

Watching Machida work was just what I needed to turn two more than casual fans into what I believe to be hardcore dedicated fans last night. By the time Evans was sent crashing to the canvas Machida and the UFC had two more fans that asked me if there were any spots left in the suite that I was going to be in at UFC 101.

What a night, knockouts, some strong submissions and a couple of upsets. Yes there were two undercard fights left but by that time we were heavily involved in conversation about who would give Machida his toughest test. I also explained to them that we would now get to see Machida and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 leading to a bout between the two after the show was completed.

So spending $49.95 last night not only meant that I could share the joy that is the UFC not just for this particular card but for future shows as well. Most of my friends are stubborn and content with baseball, football or whatever sport they are watching in a particular season. I have tried to convert a few of them but they are set in their ways and too lazy to invest the time to get to know these great athletes. They obviously do not know what they are missing. Last night the two friends that took the time to watch and ask questions went home in awe and eagerly anticipating next month’s UFC 99. I can mark down two more for that show and all other shows from here on in beginning with Strikeforce card featuring Robbie Lawler vs. Jake Shields in June.

UFC 104 which is scheduled for October 24 will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

The last time the UFC held a show in Los Angeles was UFC 60 which marked the return of UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie to the octagon as he faced off against then welterweight champion Matt Hughes in a catchweight bout of 175lbs. Hughes was dominant and showed just how far MMA had evolved when he earned a first round TKO of Gracie.

The Staples Center has a capacity of 20,000 and is currently the home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers as well as hockey’s Los Angeles Kings. The arena has also been home to some big boxing matches including some Oscar De La Hoya fights.

This won’t be the first trip back west for the UFC as they held UFC 63 & UFC 76 in Anaheim and UFC 65 & UFC 73 in Sacramento.

Overeem’s manager Bas Boon described the the events that played the deciding factor in Overeem no being able to take that bout.

“Alistair attended some famous dance club with his brother Valentine. Went to the toilet and did not have coins to pay the toilet woman. Alistair told her he would pay a euro when he came back, because he did not have change. Then the security guard who was near by started to get involved,” wrote Boon.

“Brother Valentine saw the incident and also started asking what the problem was. They offered to pay, but by then 6 security guards came over surrounding them. The Overeem brothers were asked to leave, Alistair was already outside when he saw his brother Valentine fighting.

“Valentine still was discussing the situation on his way outside with one of the security guards hit Valentine in the face with a flash light. Three security guards dived onto Valentine and brother Alistair wanted to go back inside to help his brother. This resulted in five security guards in the hospital.”

There is no word on how long it will take the injury to heal but Strikeforce did a fantastic job of finding a replacement for the June 6 card.

Headlined by a UFC light heavyweight title bout between champion Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida UFC 98 will air tomorrow night at 10pm on pay-per-view.

In the co-main event two former welterweight champions will meet in a bout that has been two years in the making. Matt Serra will finally get it on with Matt Hughes. They were originally scheduled to fight back in December of 2007 at UFC 79 when Serra was still UFC welterweight champion.

As noted earlier here on FiveOuncesOfPain.com, Mike Pyle has stepped in for Chris Wilson and will face Brock Larson in a welterweight bout.

Pyle did not weigh in during the official weigh-ins and when he did, he came in at 172. It was ruled that Pyle would proceed without penalty as he took the fight with little time to prepare.

Here are the full results of the weigh-ins held earlier today.

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans (205) vs. Lyoto Machida (204)
Matt Hughes (170) vs. Matt Serra (171)
Chael Sonnen (186) vs. Dan Miller (185)
Sean Sherk (156) vs. Frank Edgar (155)
Xavier Foupas-Pokam (186) vs. Drew McFedries (185)
Brock Larson (171) vs. Mike Pyle (172)
Tim Hague (263) vs. Patrick Barry (237)
Phillipe Nover (156) vs. Kyle Bradley (156)
Andre Gusmao (206) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (206)
Yoshiyuki Yoshida (171) vs. Brandon Wolff (170)
Dave Kaplan (156) vs. George Roop (154)

Fedor Emelianenko and Josh Barnett have verbally agreed to meet at the next Affliction event tentatively scheduled for August 1 according to a recent report by MMA Fanhouse. The event is to take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Fedor has been Affliction’s golden boy and he has delivered in two outstanding performances on his part. At the first Affliction event in July of 2008 he dismantled former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in just 36 seconds. This past January at “The Day of Reckoning” pay-per-view he knocked out another former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski in the first round.

Josh Barnett has competed on both cards as well defeating Pedro Rizzo and then Gilbert Yvel. The two also fought for Pride and there was talk back then of a Barnett-Fedor bout but it obviously never happened. Some have speculated that the two share a close friendship and have been hesitant to fight each other. Regardless this is the only bout that makes sense for Affliction in what could be its last hurrah.

Also rumored for the unnamed event is a fight featuring Gegard Mousassi who won the Dream middleweight grand prix but has since decided to move up to the light heavyweight division. His opponent is none other than the “Phenom” Vitor Belfort who has currently been fighting at middleweight but has fought at 205lbs in the past.

Belfort has been impressive in his last two bouts as he knocked out Terry Martin in the second round of the inaugural Affliction card and then completely devastated perennial top 10 middleweight Matt Lindland with a left hand just seconds into their bout at “Day of Reckoning” leaving Lindland unconscious for sometime on the canvas.

Tim Sylvia who is taking part in a boxing match with 47 year old former world champion Ray Mercer next month in Alabama is rumored to be on the card as well. His opponent may be either Gilbert Yvel or Paul Buentello.

Fans will see the debut of the ever popular featherweight Norifuni “Kid” Yamamoto as he was given a first round bye and will battle Joe Warren.

Many fans around the world have been clamoring for Yamamoto to join the ranks of the WEC where he could battle top featherweights Urijah Faber, WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown and Leonard Garcia just to name a few.

Warren is coming off a successful MMA debut at Dream 7 where he defeated WEC veteran Chase Beebe via first round TKO. Warren won the 2006 World Championships in Greco-Roman wrestling and was due to enter the 2007 tournament but had his dreams dashed when he was suspended for testing positive for marijuana for a second time.

Another exciting bout is the rematch between Jason Miller and Renaldo “Jacare” Souza which will be for the vacant Dream middleweight title. The two fought at Dream 4 in the middleweight grand prix quarterfinals. Miller became the only man to go the distance with Souza losing to the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt by unanimous decision. Miller went on to retire which didn’t last long and Souza went to the finals where he lost to Gegard Mousasi.

Mousassi has since vacated the title and will participate in the Super Hulk tournament facing off against Mark Hunt.

Also participating in the open weight tournament is disgraced former major league baseball player Jose Canseco as he faces off against Hong Man Choi who is famous for dancing down to the ring with girls by his side as well as losing to both Cro-Cop and Fedor Emelianenko.

Others participating in the tournament are Bob Sapp, Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa, Jan Nortje and Rameau Thierry Sokodjou.

Below is a complete list of the bouts expected for the card.

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller (for vacant middleweight title)

Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Joe Warren- Second Round Featherweight Grand Prix

Bibiano Fernandes vs. Masakazu Imanari- Second Round Featherweight Grand Prix

Yoshiro Maeda vs. Hiroyuki Takaya- Second Round Featherweight Grand Prix

Abel Cullum vs. Hideo Tokoro- Second Round Featherweight Grand Prix

Gesias “JZ” Cavalvante vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri

Mark Hunt vs. Gegard Mousasi- First Round Super Hulk Tournament

Jan Nortje vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou- First Round Super Hulk Tournament

Jose Canseco vs. Hong Man Choi- First Round Super Hulk Tournament

Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa vs. Bob Sapp- First Round Super Hulk Tournament

According to MMA Fanhouse Herring will not be able to face off against Cain Velasquez next month at UFC 99 in Germany due to an illness he has been suffering from for weeks which has left him unable to train.

The UFC has announced on their website today that Cheick Kongo will replace Herring and take on Velasquez at UFC 99. Kongo who is riding a three fight winning streak was last seen at UFC 97 in April where he defeated Antoni Hardonk by second round TKO. There has been some speculation that Kongo would receive a title shot sometime in the near future and a win over Velasquez will only add fuel to those flames.

Herring who hasn’t fought since being dismantled by current UFC champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 87 last August was to be Velasquez’s toughest opponent to date.

The young up and coming All-American wrestler from Arizona State is seen as the future of the UFC heavyweight division and a bout with Herring was surely going to show everyone what he is really made of. In his last bout against Denis Stojnic at UFC Fight Night in February Velasquez imposed his will and earned knockout of the night honors with a second round TKO.

In an interview with Fighter’s Only Magazine, UFC President Dana White hinted at the very real possibility of Liddell being one of the two new members going into the UFC’s Hall of Fame.

White would only give a maybe and a possibly when pressed for a more definitive answer. He went on to say he was waiting to see what they were going to do with Liddell and how they were going to do it. White had made an a previous announcement stating that there would be two new inductees at UFC 100 and ever since then rumors have been flying as to who those individuals would be.

Many people have made the case for former middleweight champion the late great Evan Tanner who perished in a California desert last September. Tanner battled through his personal demons and primarily taught himself the skills that would make him a champion and endear him to fans all across the world. Tanner came back from a hiatus in March of 2008 but lost to Yushin Okami in his first fight in almost two years. Three months later Tanner fought a much younger and bigger opponent in Kendall Grove to a split decision in what would be his last hurrah in the octagon. Overall he was 32-8 with victories over Paul Buentello, Heath Herring, Phil Baroni (2), Robbie Lawler and David Terrell.

Charles”Mask” Lewis who was the charismatic founder of the TapouT clothing line that has become synonymous with mixed martial arts is also widely believed to be a favorite for induction. Lewis had a smile that could light up any room that he walked into and gave support to fighters who a lot of other companies would not even consider getting involved with. He always said that he wasn’t concerned with wins or losses but rather the effort that a fighter gave. His tragic death on a California road in March was felt throughout the entire MMA community and his presence cage side will certainly be missed for a long time to come.

Another UFC legend thought to be under consideration is long time welterweight champion Matt Hughes who will take on Matt Serra this Saturday at UFC 98. Hughes who is an incredible 13-4 inside the octagon and has had two separate reigns as the welterweight champion has long been a favorite of Dana White. He has defeated such stars as Georges St. Pierre, B.J. Penn, Frank Trigg (2), Sean Sherk, Royce Gracie, Carlos Newton (2), Dave Menne and Hayato “Mach” Sakurai. If Hughes does retire after his bout with Serra it would make a lot of sense to see him inducted in July.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Godfather Helio Gracie who recently passed away has been talked about as a possible candidate. The father of UFC legend and Hall of Famer Royce Gracie would be an excellent choice for induction. Whomever is bestowed with the honor of being an entrant into the Hall of Fame will certainly be deserving and will join a select group of fighters that include Ken Shamrock, Randy Couture, Dan Severn, Mark Coleman, and Royce Gracie.