Diego Sanchez and Joe Stevenson to fight at main event of UFC 95
Two former winners from the The Ultimate Fighter are set to square off. UFC President Dana White confirmed the top fight for the February 21 show during while being interviewed by 15Rounds.com and FiveOuncesOfPain.com. “The London main event is Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Stevenson,” said White. The interesting part about this match is that it will be Sanchez’s lightweight debut. After... [Read More...]
Atencio says Yvel cleared to fight by California commission
One of the more controversial fighters of the past decade is heavyweight Gilbert Yvel. Yvel is scheduled to face Josh Barnett in the co-main event at Affliction Entertainment’s “Day of Reckoning” PPV on January 24. The problem with signing Yvel is that he has had a multitude of licensing issues with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The VP of Affliction Entertainment, Tom Atencio,... [Read More...]
Vitor Belfort reveals pro boxing aspirations
The fighter most excited by the recent alliance between Affliction Entertainment and Golden Boy Promotions is Vitor Belfort. Belfort made it clear that he wants to take up boxing in the very near future. “I want to fight boxing – professional,” Belfort said, “I hope Golden Boy can make that happen.” To this point, Belfort has not signed with Golden Boy or any other boxing... [Read More...]
Tito Ortiz announces agreement to broadcast Affliction’s “Day of Reckoning”
Los Angeles, CA - Tito Ortiz confirmed Wednesday during a press conference in Los Angeles that he will be part of Affliction Entertainment‘s “Day of Reckoning” on Jan. 24. However, Ortiz will not be fighting on the card. Instead, he will be the color commentator, a position in which Ortiz feels he can add a lot to. “The audience will figure it out – move to move,”... [Read More...]
Affliction planning multiple events in 2009
With only one event currently scheduled for 2009, many have wondered what Affliction Entertainment plans are for the rest of the year. Affliction V.P. Tom Atencio provided some insight as to what could occur in 2009. “Right now, we are looking at having four events in 2009,” said Atencio. A lot of what will happen in 2009 depends on the success of the “Day of Reckoning” show... [Read More...]
Jorge Gurgel: “I can’t be released from a childhood dream”
Jorge Gurgel’s seven fight tenure in the UFC recently ended following consecutive losses to Cole Miller at UFC 86 and Aaron Riley at UFC 91. Soon after the loss to Riley – a bout in which he garnered a $60,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus – the UFC moved to purge Gurgel from its roster. However, Gurgel’s gutsy performances in the Octagon clearly made an impact in the eyes of talent evaluators... [Read More...]
Jorge Gurgel released from UFC; signs with Strikeforce
The UFC may have released Jorge Gurgel, but Gurgel’s time out of work did not last long. FiveOuncesOfPain.com has learned that just a few minutes later following his release, Gurgel signed a multi-fight deal with the Strikeforce organization. Gurgel had a string of exciting fights in the UFC culminating with the unanimous decision loss to Aaron Riley at UFC 91. Even in defeat, Gurgel pocketed... [Read More...]
Leonard Garcia could be next for WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown
Mike Brown surprised many people in the MMA world with a first round KO victory over Urijah Faber at WEC 36. However, the last image most people have of Brown that evening is of him holding his ribs with a very pained expression on his face. “I’m ok. I tore a little bit of cartilage in the fight,” said Brown, “I was swinging hard. I’ve done it before. It’s an old... [Read More...]
Urijah Faber vs. Jose Aldo possible for January
Coming off his upset loss at WEC 36 to Mike Brown, former featherweight champion Urijah Faber must now decide what to do next. Faber already has a plan in mind. It clearly includes another match-up with Brown. “Definitely, there will be a rematch,” said Faber. Unfortunately, Faber may have to wait a while before getting his chance to regain the title. Brown suffered a rib injury in the... [Read More...]
Demian Maia’s turn not coming yet
One guy who wants to throw his hat in the cage as a possible opponent for UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is Demian Maia. Maia quickly defeated Nate Quarry by submission at UFC 91. Maia believes he is prepared for the challenge. “I feel ready for Anderson Silva,” said Maia. “I don’t want to say that I want to break his arm, but between us, I want to do that.” While impressed with... [Read More...]
Josh Koscheck confirms plans to fight at both UFC 90 and UFN 16
During a conference call to promote UFC 90, Josh Koscheck confirmed that he plans to fight twice in the next sixty days. First, Koscheck takes on Thiago Alves in the co-main event on October 25th. Then, If Koscheck comes out unscathed, he will have a six week turnaround to prepare for Yoshiyuki Yoshida on December 10. There are some very interesting sub-plots going on though. One of the main reasons... [Read More...]
Diego Sanchez out of UFC 90 match-up with Thiago Alves; to be replaced by Josh Koscheck
Multiple sources have confirmed that Diego Sanchez is out of his fight at UFC 90 against Thiago Alves. Sanchez pulled out of the fight due to torn rib cartilage and will be replaced on the Oct. 25 fight card at the Allstate Arena by fellow TUF 1 alum Josh Koscheck. Koshcheck had been scheduled to headline UFC Fight Night 16: “UFC Fight for the Troops” on Dec. 10 in Fayetteville, N.C. against... [Read More...]
Sobral: Ortiz is still my dream fight
After defeating Mike Whitehead at the last Affliction show, Renato “Babalu” Sobral made it very clear who he wanted to fight next. He publicly stated that Tito Ortiz is his dream fight. Ortiz appeared destined to sign with Affliction after finally parting ways with the UFC. However, to this day, Ortiz and Affliction have not come to terms on a contract. Sobral has still not wavered on a... [Read More...]
Prangley hopes to fight again soon
Trevor Prangley looked impressive in securing a recent decision victory over former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Anthony Ruiz. Prangley does not want to make a habit of fighting at 205 though. “I’m going back to 185,” said Prangley, “I weighed in at 203 without cutting. I want to go back to where I should be.” Prangley was slated to face Matt Lindland in the... [Read More...]
Atencio reveals Affliction’s plan
With their most recent show canceled, Affliction has confirmed that they will have a card early next year. “The January show is a guarantee,” said Affliction VP Tom Atencio. However, the type of show it will be has come under a lot of scrutiny. Recently, Affliction announced that it will be co-promoting with boxing’s Golden Boy Promotions. The big question now is what type of format... [Read More...]
Gilbert Melendez planning to return in 2008
Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez has had a difficult year. He lost two of his three fights – one to Mitsuhiro Ishida and another to Josh Thomson. Those were the first two losses of his MMA career. Now, Melendez is preparing to get back in the cage in the not-so-distant future. “You’ll see me before the end of the year,” said Melendez, “I have a... [Read More...]
Babalu prepares for return
Renato “Babalu” Sobral planned to fight Bobby Southworth during last weekend’s Strikeforce show. Unfortunately, that fight did not take place. Sobral pulled out of the fight due to a knee injury. “I had a torn meniscus,” said Sobral, “the surgery is already done. I will recover well.” Sobral hopes the recovery is quick. He is planning to fight in just a couple... [Read More...]
Josh Thomson wants Joachim Hansen next
After defeating Ashe Bowman in a non-title fight this past weekend, Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson made it very clear who he wants to fight next. “I am really looking forward to possibly fighting Joachim Hansen,” said Thomson. Thomson went on to say that his next fight will definitely take place in 2008. “November 21st is my next fight. I do know that I will be fighting... [Read More...]
Thomson: B.J. Penn is the best in the world
Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson hasn’t lost in two years. Among those victories was a huge unanimous win over former champion Gilbert Melendez. The win pushed Thomson into the top 10 of most of the lightweight rankings. Thomson though has no doubt who should be ranked at the top. “B.J. Penn is pound for pound the best fighter. He’s fought all the top guys. He beat the... [Read More...]
UFC 88: Could Martin Kampmann be closing in on a title shot?
Coming up at UFC 88, Martin Kampmann has a huge fight against Nathan Marquardt. With four straight victories (over Jorge Rivera, Drew McFedries, Thales Leites, and Crafton Wallace), Kampmann could see himself in the middle of the title picture with an impressive victory. Looking at the current roster of UFC middleweights – is there really a top contender out there? Of course, one of the main... [Read More...]
