The main event did not disappoint after one of the most amazing comebacks in the sport’s recent history took place with Kongo recovering from the brink of defeat to lay Barry out flat on his back with a pair of perfectly placed and equally powerful shots. The affable Barry started out strong, rocking Kongo twice and nearly meriting a stoppage from the referee before becoming overly aggressive and eating the fight-ending strikes.

Meanwhile, Brenneman was able to overcome the shift from original opponent T.J. Grant to Story and used a solid dose of grappling to control his formidable foe. The win improved the area native’s overall record to 14-2 while stopping a six fight winning streak for Story.

Read below for a full breakdown of UFC Live 4 results including round-by-round recaps of televised action:

Michael Johnson def. Edward Faaloloto via TKO Round 1 (Punches)
Ricardo Lamas def. Matt Grice via TKO Round 1 (Strikes)
Charles Oliveira def. Nik Lentz via Submission Round 2 (Rear Naked Choke) *Note: This fight will be reviewed by the commission as Oliveira landed an illegal knee, which the ref missed, that led to the finish*
Rich Attonito def. Daniel Roberts via Unanimous Decision
Joe Lauzon def. Curt Warburton via Submission Round 1 (Kimura)
Javier Vazquez def. Joe Stevenson via Unanimous Decision
Tyson Griffin def. Manny Gamburyan via Unanimous Decision

MAIN CARD:

Matt Mitrione vs. Christian Morecraft

Round One: A lot of inside leg kicks by Mitrione early and then he dropped Morecraft with a straight left but let him back up. Morecraft landed some good inside leg kicks as well but Mitrione continued to find a home for the straight left. Mitrione wobbled Morecraft with a left and then dropped him but got over-aggressive trying to finish and ended up on his back. Mitrione knocked Morecraft’s mouthpiece out with a punch as he got of his feet. The round ended with Mitrione controlling the clinch. Great round for Mitrione, who is lighting up Morecraft with the straight left. 5OZ scores the round 10-9 for Mitrione.

Round Two: Mitrione picking up where he left off with inside leg kicks and straight left hands. Morecraft was finally able to get the fight into the clinch and put Mitrione on his back. Morecraft couldn’t do anything and the fight was stood up. Mitrione landed a big combination that put Morecraft down and then just stepped away as the ref came in. Great finish by Mitrione.

Official Decision: Matt Mitrione def. Christian Morecraft via KO Round 2 (Punches)

Matt Brown vs. John Howard

Round One: Howard throwing a lot of hard leg kicks early. Brown landing some good combinations with his hands though and showing off solid takedown defense, fighting off the attempts of Howard. Brown landed a big knee on Howard and then tripped Howard down when he went for a kick. He jumped on top and tried a d’arce choke but Howard got out and put Brown on his back. Brown was able to get to his feet without taking any damage though. Some more good combos by Brown as the round ended. Good round for Brown, who put together good combos and looked to have Howard hurt a couple of times. 5OZ scores the round 10-9 for Brown.

Round Two: Howard worked very hard to get takedowns early in the round but Brown defended them and made Howard pay with short punches. Brown ended up tripping Howard to the ground and got on top. Brown landed some good short punches and defended off a couple of submissions by Howard but Howard eventually swept him with a leg lock. Brown immediately went for an omoplata off his back though and used it to ride out the round. Another good round for Brown, who stifled the takedowns of Howard and did more damage. 5OZ scores the round 10-9 for Brown.

Round Three: Howard back to throwing leg kicks. Brown ended up taking Howard down but Howard was immediately up. Howard again kept trying to pick up Brown and slam him down but Brown always stayed on his feet. Finally they broke away from the clinch, where Brown picked him apart until Howard tried another takedown. Howard got a takedown but didn’t do much with the position. He did end the round on top though. Close round but not very exciting. A slight edge to Howard because he had more control time, even if he didn’t do much damage. 5OZ scores the round 10-9 for Howard but the fight 29-28 for Brown.

Result: Matt Brown def. John Howard via Unanimous Decision

Charlie Brenneman vs. Rick Story

Round One: A quick scramble to start the fight. Brenneman working very hard for takedowns but Story either stuffing them or immediately popping right back up. Brenneman eventually got a takedown and passed to side control but Story quickly regained guard. Brenneman stayed active in the guard of Story with body punches but didn’t land a ton of damaging strikes. A good start for Brenneman though getting Story on his back and controlling things. 5OZ scores the round 10-9 for Brenneman.

Round Two: Brenneman got an early takedown but Story grabbed a guillotine. Brenneman scrambled out and they ended up on the feet. Brenneman scored with another takedown. Story never let him out of guard and landed some good heel strikes but Brenneman stayed on top and landed some good short punches. Brenneman ended up passing to side control a couple of times but Story regained guard both times. Brenneman again ended the round on top. Another good round for Brenneman. Again not much damage done but he was on top almost the entire round. 5OZ scores the round 10-9 for Brenneman.

Round Three: Another early takedown by Brenneman but Story looked for a kimura off his back. The ref ended up standing them up as Story was working to pull the arm out. Story landed some good strikes on the feet before Brenneman again got a takedown. Story went for a triangle but couldn’t fully lock it up. Brenneman slipped out but Story ended up on top and mounted Brenneman. Brenneman controlled the postured of Story though and then escaped when Story gave him the space. Brenneman ended up on top but Story was once again working for a submission. A good round for Story, who was constantly going for submissions but too little too late. 5OZ scores the round 10-9 for Story but the fight 29-28 for Brenneman.

Result: Charlie Brenneman def. Rick Story via Unanimous Decision

Patrick Barry vs. Cheick Kongo

Round One: Big leg kicks by both men early. Barry caught and dropped Kongo with a right hand and swarmed on him for the finish but Kongo somehow survived. Kongo got to his feet and as Barry continued to try to put him away, Kongo caught him with two big right hands that put Barry out cold. A crazy finish.

Result: Cheick Kongo def. Pat Barry via KO Round 1 (Punches)

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

When Fickett entered the ring against the submission-savvy Brian Cobb he did so having had his hands raised five times in a row. However, in the end it was Cobb who exited the arena with a winning streak intact after surviving the bulk of the first round in Fickett’s clutches only to mount a comeback in the final thirty seconds of the round and ultimately score a TKO due to strikes.

Davis and Spratt went three full rounds against each other but focused more on technique and grappling than throwing caution to the wind in order to deliver a slugfest. In the end Davis walked away with the victory due to a Unanimous Decision on the scorecards.

Read below for full MFC 30 results:

Garrett Nybakken def. Jevon Marshall via TKO Round 1 (Strikes)
Mukai Maromo def. Scott Cleve via TKO Round 1 (Strikes)
Andreas Spang def. Cody Krahn via Submission Round 1 (Guillotine Choke)
Robert Washington def. Curtis Demarce via Split Decision
Dhiego Lima def. Jamie Toney via TKO Round 1 (Strikes)
Sheldon Westcott def. Thomas Denny via Unanimous Decision
Marcus Davis def. Pete Spratt via Unanimous Decision
Brian Cobb def. Drew Fickett via TKO Round 1 (Strikes)

—

I recently had the pleasure of talking with up and coming fighter, Dhiego Lima. Dhiego is the younger brother of former MFC welterweight champion Douglas Lima and is looking to bring further glory to the Lima name by continuing on a warpath through the Maximum Fighting Championships. Dhiego is undefeated in his five professional outings, has finished every opponent he’s faced, and is looking to stay unbeaten in his quest to the championship.

Read ahead and learn more about one of the sport’s stars of tomorrow…

Eric Bullock: So Dhiego, you are 22 years old, married with two young children and work full time. Where do you find the time to train?

Dhiego Lima: It’s hard to find the time. I do my cardio either early in the morning or late at night. Team training is during the day but if I cannot make it, I will train at night. I train out of four different gyms in the area due to the fact that my training partners live far away from each other. We meet at a different place each day. I train six days a week, usually resting on Friday or Sunday. I do a cardio work out daily, whether it is running, circuit training or biking it has to be done every day.

EB: How long have you been training and where did you get your start?

DL: I have been training for about five years now, fighting professionally for two years.

I started training right after I finished high school. I used to play football so I was already big and strong. My brother Douglas was training under Junior Assuncao, who is my trainer now, and they convinced me to start my training. After I graduated high school I had a choice to either go to college and play football or start fighting. I chose fighting because school and I really don’t get along too well.

EB: What do you like to do in your time off?

DL: In my time off I like to play with my kids, take them to the park or to the pool. I like to have date nights with my wife. I am always doing something with my family.

EB: In a recent interview MFC president Mark Pavelich described you as his alter ego and that you are like him 20 years ago. You don’t want to be someone’s buddy, you just want to kick their teeth in and this is why he signed you. Do you agree with this description?

DL: That is pretty accurate. I leave for Canada a week out from the fight and I go there for business. I don’t have any friends there, my friends are my corner and that’s it. It’s all about business, there are no smiles once I get there and I am a whole different person. I’m there to win a fight; I’m going to be mean. I’m not going to laugh at you; I’m not going to be your little buddy. I’m not going to come shake your hand. That’s just not me. I am respectable but this is the sport of fighting and it is all about business. I don’t have a lot of time on my hands with my family, training and work so I take every fight personally. Every fight I am trying to hurt somebody, I’m trying to win, and I will do what it takes to win. I am not there to make friends. If someone comes and laughs and smiles at me during the weigh-ins they are going to have a bad night.

EB: Your older brother, Douglas, recently left the MFC to sign on for Bellator’s welterweight tournament. Pavelich took this personally. Were you afraid that Douglas’ decision would have an affect on your relationship with the MFC?

DL: At first I was and there were some problems but we all talked about it and worked things out. I think Mark took it personally because he really liked my brother, but business is business. The MFC is a great company, they really take good care of their fighters and I felt like it was where I needed to be.

EB: You are fighting Jamie Toney at MFC 30 on June 10. What do you know about him?

DL: I know that he is a complete fighter. This is going to be a big test for me. I am looking for the early finish but I expect it to be a long fight. He has a lot of experience, he has never been finished, and his losses are all by decision. I knew after my last win I was going to get an experienced guy and I am ready for it.

EB: Do you watch opponent’s previous fights to form a gameplan or do you just continue with your normal training to prepare for an upcoming fight?

DL: I usually try to find a guy’s strong skill and work on countering that but since he is a good all around fighter there is really no gameplan other than making him fight at my pace and fight my fight.

EB: What is it like going from smaller regional shows to fighting on a nationally televised production like the MFC?

DL: It’s awesome, I love people watching me, the more the better. I feel so much more comfortable when people are watching; it pushes me even more and gives me that edge.

My last fight was in the other guy’s hometown and it was a sold out crowd. Pretty much everyone there was booing me but it doesn’t matter to me if they are booing or cheering, it pushes me hard either way.

EB: You recently said that you would be a UFC champion by the age of 26. What makes you think you will reach that goal and do it so quickly?

DL: I’m too dedicated; I don’t think that is too quickly. It is four years from now, plenty of time. I work too hard, I am improving every day and I am young. The people I train with every day help me and they all have been there before. I am motivated and hungry. I dream about it, I will be a world champ when I am 26 and that’s it.

EB: Is there anyone you would like to thank?

DL: I would like to thank my wife for putting up with me; it’s really hard being a fighter’s wife. She puts up with me, takes care of me and is a big part of my career. I would also like to thank all my fans for all of their support.

Again, Lima will be fighting at MFC 30 in Edmonton on June 10. The fight is televised nationally live on HDNet starting at 10:00 PM. The card also features Drew Fickett versus Brian Cobb in the main event and rematch between Marcus Davis and Pete Spratt.

PHOTO CREDIT – MFC

The card was headlined by Christian M’Pumbu pounding his way to victory to procure the belt in his light heavyweight title tilt against Richard Hale. In the other conclusion to a Season 4 tournament, featherweights Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and Daniel Straus battled it out for three tough rounds with the dynamic Brazilian coming out on top due to a Unanimous Decision. “Pitbull” will now move on to face 145-pound champ Joe Warren later in the year.

Also notable amongst the night’s results was Karl Amoussou‘s debut defeat at the hands of Sam Alvey by way of Split Decision.

Read below for a more-detailed breakdown of the card’s action:

PRELIMINARY CARD

Ben Parpart def. Joe Abercrombie via Submission Round 1 (Rear Naked Choke)
Rene Nazare def. Kalvin Hackney via Submission Round 1 (Rear Naked Choke)
Luis Santos def. Nicolae Cury via Unanimous Decision
Tim Ruberg def. Mike Fleniken via Unanimous Decision
Shawn Jordan def. John Hill via TKO Round 1 (Strikes)

MAIN CARD

Karl Amoussou vs. Sam Alvey

Round One: After a slow start, Amoussou tripped Alvey down with a leg kick and got his back in a scramble but Alvery quickly turned into the guard of Amoussou. The ref stood them up after Alvey failed to do anything. Amoussou ended up hitting a throw and then stepped right into mount. From the mount he battered Alvey with elbows, which badly cut him. Amoussou went for an armbar from the mount but he slipped off and Alvey ended up in guard. The round ended with Alvey in the guard of Amoussou throwing short punches and bleeding all over the place. Big round for Amoussou with those elbows. 5OZ scores the round 10-9 for Amoussou.

Round Two: Amoussou seemed tired to start the round. Alvey tried to counter Amoussou coming in and had some decent success with a left hook. Amoussou’s best strikes early were leg kicks. After a clinch that went nowhere, Amoussou took a long period of time to adjust his cup. Thing slowed down again before a wild exchange that was won by Amoussou. Another clinch went nowhere before Amoussou get a trip takedown, moved right to mount, but was again reversed with Alvey on top and in guard. Alvey spent the rest of the round on top throwing short punches while Amoussou threw strikes off his back. Close round that could go either way. I’ll give a slight edge to Alvey because he landed some good counters and ended the round on top. 5OZ scores the round 10-9 for Alvey.

Round Three: Amoussou shot in early but Alvey stuffed it and made Amoussou pay with knees. They ended up in a long clinch with Amoussou controlling and both men throwing knees. Amoussou ended up catching Alvey with a knee to the groin, which caused a break but Alvey fought on. Alvey landed some good counter punches but then went for a takedown, which was blocked, and Amoussou landed a good flurry of his own. After a clinch where nothing happened, Alvey reversed a trip takedown and ended up on top. Alvey finished the round in guard with a big flurry. Another relatively close round. Ending on top with a flurry probably stole it for Alvey though. 5OZ scores the round 10-9 for Alvey and the fight 29-28 for Alvey.

Result: Sam Alvey def. Karl Amoussou via Split Decision

Daniel Straus vs. Patricio Freire

Round One: A very long clinch to start the fight that was controlled by Freire but neither man did any damage. Straus went for a takedown but it was stuffed. Straus got the back standing but Freire spun out with relative ease. Neither man could get anything going on the feet. Freire stuffed another takedown and then landed a good flying knee as the bell rang. A pretty uneventful round but Freire stayed off his back, controlled the clinch, and did land the cleaner strikes. 5OZ scores the round 10-9 for Freire.

Round Two: Freire landed some cleaner strikes early and then got a big takedown. As Straus tried to get up, Freire landed a knee to the face, which caused a break. On the replay, it was clear that the knee was to the body. The fight resumed quickly. Freire had success with leg kicks and every time Straus moved in, Freire ducked under for a takedown. Straus stuffed every takedown though. Straus was getting the better of the strikes although he didn’t land much. A nice ending to the round as Straus landed a good knee and then hit a throw and grabbed a front face lock as Freire got up at the end of the round. Another uneventful round for the most part but a slight edge to Straus for stuffing the takedowns and landing some good strikes. 5OZ scores the round 10-9 for Straus.

Round Three: Straus started strong, turning up the aggression with his striking but Freire blocked and moved well. Freire put together a nice flurry but Straus covered well. Freire landed a good right hand and then got a takedown but Straus popped right back up. Freire dropped his hands and told Straus to hit him so when Straus moved forward, Freire moved back. Freire kept trying to counter the straight left of Straus with a takedown but Straus kept stuffing them. Freire kept showboating and went for a flying knee but Straus got behind him and hit a suplex. Freire was right back up though and ended the round sprawling and throw short punches. Good round for Freire but Straus made it interesting at the end. 5OZ scores the round 10-9 for Freire and the fight 29-28 for Freire.

Result: Patricio Freire def. Daniel Straus via Unanimous Decision

Richard Hale vs. Christian M’Pumbu

Round One: M’Pumpu had a lot of success early with leg kicks. Hale tried a takedown but M’Pumpu blocked it, got up, and landed a huge knee. M’Pumbu dropped Hale with a left hook and tried to finish but Hale survived. Instead of blowing himself up, M’Pumbu just allowed Hale back up. M’Pumbu continued to chop at Hale with leg kicks but those were the only significant strikes for the rest of the round. Good round for M’Pumbu with the knockdown. 5OZ scores the round 10-9 for M’Pumbu.

Round Two: Hale was the aggressor to start the round but he had trouble finding the chin of M’Pumbu. M’Pumbu continued to have success with the leg kicks. Hale began switching stances in the middle of the round, a sign that the lead leg is taking a beat from the leg kicks. Hale continued to be the aggressor but still couldn’t really land anything all that clean. The round ended with a short clinch. Uneventful round. Hale was more aggressive, which probably means he won the round but M’Pumbu is wearing him down with leg kicks. 5OZ scores the round 10-9 for Hale.

Round Three: Hale clipped M’Pumbu with a right hand early and then shrugged off a takedown attempt. M’Pumbu has really gone away from the leg kicks in this round. Hale continued to pressure but still had trouble landing anything clean. M’Pumbu doing almost nothing offensive and not countering when Hale moves in. Finally M’Pumbu turned up the pressure and dropped Hale with a right hand. M’Pumbu worked very hard to finish and after a ton of clean strikes and hammerfists, Hale finally went out and the ref jumped in to stop things.

Result: Christian M’Pumbu def. Richard Hale via KO Round 3 (Punches) to win the vacant Bellator Light Heavyweight Title

PHOTO CREDIT – BELLATOR

According to statement on the UFC’s website, Hardy will meet Chris Lytle on August 14 as part of UFC Live 5 on the Versus Network.

The Indianapolis firefighter is without question an apt grappler as indicated by the twenty-one submission wins on his record but has never shied away from engaging in heated exchanges with his adversaries while standing. His battle with Ebersole was good enough to earn “Fight of the Night” honors, the eighth event-specific bonus in Lytle’s UFC career. After the bout it was reported that Lytle had torn the meniscus in his right knee removed and was considering retirement. Apparently he’s put those plans on hold in order to trade leather with Hardy in August.

While only three of Lytle’s thirty total wins are TKOs with the last coming three years ago, the 36-year old is a former boxer who compiled a 13-1-1 record in the sweet science and has yet to be knocked out in a 50+ fight MMA career including bouts against talented strikers like Thiago Alves, Nick Diaz, and Robbie Lawler. Additionally, he holds past wins over respected competitors Kazuo Misaki and Matt Serra among others.

Regardless of where the fight actually ends up taking place it should not only be fast-paced and fun given the stylistic pairing but one with more on the line than simply a win, as Lytle is coming off a loss to Brian Ebersole at UFC 127 and Hardy has fallen in three straight after starting out his UFC career with four consecutive victories.

“The Outlaw” holds an overall record of 23-9 with in-ring success against Marcus Davis, Akihiro Gono, and Mike Swick but went winless in 2010 after suffering one-sided outpointing by 170-pound champion Georges St. Pierre and the first knockout of his career against Carlos Condit before running into Johnson at UFN 24.

UFC Live 5 will also feature a recently announced bout between former WEC lightweight champ Ben Henderson and top 155-pound contender Jim Miller as well as still-green Ultimate Fighter Season 7 winner Amir Sadollah continuing his growth by taking on hard-hitting veteran Duane Ludwig and original TUF finalist Stephan Bonnar in action against 8-1 Karlos Vemola.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

In conjunction with the date’s significance, as many of you know, Five Ounces of Pain is giving away a Blu-ray copy of “Ultimate Gracie” a week before it’s available in stores, and the time has finally come to reveal who will be taking home the documentary on Gracie’s life in addition to copies of his most memorable match-ups (including his scrap with “Saku”).

Before getting into the details we at Five Ounces want to thank you all for entering. The winner was selected randomly and fortunately so for the staff here, as it would have been extremely difficult to pick a “best of” had the contest been structured in such a way.

Without further adieu, your winner is…William Doggett! Mr. Doggett’s submission was blindly picked from the lot and can be found below a handful of other stand-outs from among the group who we felt deserved to see light.

Again, thanks to all who entered “The 5 OZ Submission: Ultimate Gracie” and rest assured we here at Five Ounces look forward to bringing more giveaways like this one to the site throughout 2011 and beyond.

—-

“Royce Gracie is MMA…There wouldn’t be a UFC if it wasn’t for his family’s entrepreneurial spirit. UFC Hall of Famer…UFC’s first Tourney Winner… His family’s techniques are a staple in modern MMA and he is one of the most influential and recognizable figures from the early days of MMA. He is quite possibly your favorite fighters’ favorite fighter. Even if it’s just as a special guest or in the corner of a fellow Brazilian I hope to see Royce Gracie at UFC 134 BRAZIL!” – Rece Rock

“Royce Gracie is the THE reason for the popular explosion of MMA. While jiu jitsu wasn’t his invention, successfully showcasing it with honor against much larger opponents impacted MMA like Sam Colt’s revolver in the Wild West. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu inspired average-bodied fans to dream of being “Giant Killers” and made fighters dangerous and defensive in new and exciting ways. Royce Gracie brought intrigue and suspense to MMA, and changed the environment from brawling bloodsport to technical athletic competition appreciated by the masses.” – Mark

“An often overlooked aspect of Royce’s sensational career is his win over Dan Severn in the finals of UFC 4. If you recall, Severn displayed some awesome wrestling power in his fight with an admittedly grossly outweighed Anthony Macias. To be sure, those 5-point suplexes would have won Severn any match under freestyle wrestling rules and surely impressed everyone watching. However, Royce’s match proved — for the first time I can remember — that pure wrestling cannot finish fights, and after spending 15 minutes in his guard Royce threw his legs up, locked in the triangle, and forced a reluctant tap. That tap was a warning shot to all those in the wrestling community with MMA aspirations and cast off any doubt that dominating positional control from wrestling, without more, can still be overcome by expert BJJ.” – William D.

In commemoration of Gracie’s memorable showing we at Five Ounces of Pain are giving away a brand spanking new Blu-ray copy of the UFC’s “Ultimate Gracie” to readers more than a week before it is officially released to the public on May 10. MMA fans entering will have an opportunity to relive many of Gracie’s greatest moments in incredible quality, including his aforementioned bout with Sakuraba, as well as learn more about the man who helped lay the technical groundwork for countless individuals including many of those competing on Saturday night at the Rogers Center.

To win “Ultimate Gracie” all you need to do is write a few sentences (no more than a paragraph) on some aspect of the pioneering Brazilian – a fight of his standing out to you from the others, influence he might have had on love of MMA, or any other number of memories related to Gracie’s storied career – and send it to “gracie_giveaway@yahoo.com” from a reliable email address.

Then, this upcoming Sunday (5/1) Five Ounces will select a random submission and run it along with others in a column on Monday paying tribute to Gracie’s legacy. Entrants should make sure to include a moniker they are comfortable with having posted publicly even if it is a “screen name”. Additional questions should also be sent to the drawing’s email address and will be handled in as timely a manner as possible.

For the mere price of a 3-5 sentence admission you can walk away with access to Gracie and a catalog of his combative offerings. You could be a click away from having six hours of content including most of his match-ups and takes on Gracie from UFC 129 main carders St. Pierre and Lyoto Machida, in addition to a number of their peers, on what he means to them, as well as insight from himself and his family on his path towards greatness including the infamous Gracie Challenges and early UFC events. Tap out a few lines on your keyboard, send them in, and be part of the Five Ounces’ Submission!

PHOTO CREDIT – ZUFFA

The Strikeforce Challengers 15 main card kicks off at 11:00 PM EST on Showtime (11:00 PM PST tape-delayed on the West Coast).

The event is headlined by lightweights Justin Wilcox and Rodrigo Damm battling it in order to take the next step for the main show. Also on the card is Cesar Gracie standout David Douglas taking on Caros Fodor.

PRELIMINARY CARD

Ronald Carillo def. Adam Antolin via Submission Round 1 (Rear-Naked Choke)
Tristan Arenal def. Tommy Peterson via Submission Round 1 (Armbar)
Bobby Escalante def. Raul Sandoval via Submission Round 1 (Armbar)
Anthony Avila def. Rafael Rios via Unanimous Decision

MAIN CARD (Showtime – 11:00 PM EST)

Damian Douglas vs. Wayne Phillips
ROUND ONE: Fighters take to the center of the ring before locking up. Philllips attempts a throw but ends up taken down for his efforts. Douglas works from the top and pushes Phillips up against the cage. Douglas adjusts position and ends up on Phillips’ back. He attempts a Rear-Naked Choke but is unsuccessful with Phillips eventually standing back up and escaping. The two separate temporarily and then clinch back up. Douglas pins him back against the fence, then moves around and goes for another RNC. He gives up the position and the men go back to standing. Phillips fires a telegraphed head-kick towards Douglas who defends. A few brief exchanges follow before Phillips wraps up Douglas’ waist and tackles him to the ground. Douglas goes for a Kimura from the bottom causing Phillips to scramble, then jump on his opponent’s for the RNC attempt. He yanks Douglas to the ground but the round expires before he can sink it in fully. Close round with Phillips stealing things at the end.

ROUND TWO: Douglas seems to be a bit tired with his punches looking sloppier than in the first frame. He lunges in with a few strikes but can’t land. Philllips goes for a takedown but ends up in a Guillotine Choke. Douglas fails to seal the deal and has to start working from his back. Phillips controls from the top but has to defend a Kimura from half-guard. The referee stands them up and re-starts after a few moments of stalling. Phillips starts to serve as the aggressor with Douglas starting to breathe from his mouth. Phillips clinches and throws a knee to Douglas’ body. The round ends with decent exchanges from both. Likely another 10-9 frame for Phillips on the scorecards.

ROUND THREE: Fighters circle and throw occasional strikes for the first few minutes of the third. Neither looks particularly crisp or “pot-invested” on scoring a finish. Things pick up midway after the crowd voices its disapproval. Douglas moves in and out while mixing in combos. He lands a stiff straight that backs Phillips up but isn’t able to follow up on the damage. Douglas continues to circle backwards for the most part but connects with a few punches while lunging in. Round ends with some showboating from Douglas for some confusing reason. Douglas likely gets the round but Phillips should get the fight.

Winner – Damion Douglas def. Wayne Phillips via Majority Decision

EVENT NOTE – Strikeforce announced Keith Jardine will step in to replace Mike Kyle next weekend against Gegard Mousasi.

Josh Thornburg vs. James Terry
ROUND ONE: Fighters start out standing with some crsip exchanges thrown from Terry. Thornburg seems to be having trouble adjusting to Terry’s movement and takes a few shots for it. Terry leaps in with a Superman Punch and keeps doing a nice job mixing up his strike-selection. Thornburg still looks lost three minutes in but is able to land a punch that produces a small cut over Terry’s eye. In the end the mini-gash doesn’t matter, as he sets up a perfect overhand right and floors Thornburg. The ref jumps in and calls for the stoppage with less than a minute left in the round.

Winner – James Terry def. Josh Thornburrg via Knockout Round 1

EVENT NOTE – Urijah Faber is in attendance and sitting ringside. Also, Terry humorously decided to call out Ronnie from Jersey Shore after his win over Thornburg citing the fist-pumper’s decision to stick with Sammi for so long as his reason for wanting the scrap.

Lorenz Larkin vs. Scott Lighty
ROUND ONE: Larkin shows up in Melvin Manhoef’s gladiator-style trunks and with a pink designed dyed into his hair. Larkin starts off hot with some swift shots and a jumping headkick. Lighty ends up on his back after getting tripped by a legkick, pops up, and absorbs a few punches for his trouble. Lighty presses forward and fires away but can’t land anything cleanly. Lightly looks to be getting his range and throws a nice headkick that almost finds its target. Larkin pushes Lighty back to the fench with a pushkick, then follows up shortly thereafter with a number of stiff strikes that drop Lighty a few times. However, he toughs it out and survives the final thirty seconds of the fight. Round is Larkin’s without a doubt.

ROUND TWO: Larkin starts with more of the same, countering a takedown attempt from Lighty and dropping him with a punch. Larkin throws another left after Lighty recovers and puts him back on the canvas. Larkin takes Lighty’s back as he attempts to stand back up but can’t do much with the position and separates. The stand-up slows down from both as fatigue sets in. Lighty fires away with a combination but gets caught with a left, then dropped for the finish with a follow-up strike after backing away from the damage.

Winner – Lorenz Larkin def. Scott Lighty via TKO Round 2

Caros Fodor vs. David Douglas
ROUND ONE: Douglas #2 comes in and clinches right off the bat. Fodor backs him up to the cage and attempts to rip Douglas down to the mat. Douglas maintains his balance but Fodor holds on other than during a brief moment where each fires away with punches. They clinch again with Douglas scooping Fodor’s legs out from under him. He rains down strikes from the top but Fodor survives and gets back to his feet. Fodor goes back to the clinch in perhaps an effort to test Douglas’ conditioning. Douglas presses forward and gets momentarily locked in a Guillotine Choke. Fodor adjusts position and gets on top of Douglas where he starts to drop elbows. Douglas absorbing a good deal of damage from above. Fodor locks in a Kimura from side control with Douglas holding on to his own shorts to prevent Fodor from putting his arm in a finishing position. Round ends with a 10-9 effort from Fodor.

ROUND TWO: Douglas comes out with a kick that looks a bit slow. Fodor immediately takes Douglas down and works from his guard before easily maneuvering into side control. After a brief scramble the two end up standing again. Fodor leaps in for a Guillotine Choke but can’t finish it, then adjusts and takes Douglas down into mount. Fodor goes back to elbow-laced GNP. Douglas holds on but is in deep water at this point. Fodor continues having his way with “Tarzan” from the top going into side control and then working a number of submission attempts while also landing the occasional punch. Possibly a 10-8 round for Fodor given his dominance in the frame.

ROUND THREE: Douglas looks stiff and winded even as things open up. Fodor clinches and presses him up against the cage, then starts delivering stout knees to the face and body. Fodor continues his assault against the fence. The ref has apparently seen enough as Douglas isn’t defending anymore and calls for the bell. No argument here.

Winner – Caros Fodor def. David Douglas via TKO Round 3

Justin Wilcox vs. Rodrigo Damm
ROUND ONE: After an awkward pause while waiting for CSAC officials to get in place the action starts with Damm circling towards Wilcox’s power before landing a solid leg kick. Wilcox recovers after falling down for a second and lands a headkick that wobbles Damm. Wilcox continues to stalk Damm who is backing up and circling in a singular direction. Damm absorbs another headkick, then gets dropped by a straight right a few seconds later. Wilcox pounds away from the top on a blooded Damm who is ice-skating his way towards attempted recovery. Damm’s DNA splatters across the canvas while Wilcox continues to work from a dominant position. Wilcox backs away, then picks his shot and throws at a kneeling Damm. Round ends with Wilcox in half-guard. A 10-8 frame for Wilcox on the 5 OZ scorecards.

Ringside physicians stop the fight based on cuts though from a viewer’s standpoint it’s difficult to tell exactly why as none look particularly bad.

WINNER – Justin Wilcox def. Rodrigo Damm via TKO (Doctor’s Stoppage)

PHOTO CREDIT – ESTHER LIN / STRIKEFORCE

Jesus Martinez

Red "Redline" Wing

Philadelphia, PA — One of the biggest local fights in Philadelphia combat sports history is now set to go down on Friday, April 22 when welterweights Chris “Redline” Wing (2-0) and Jesus Martinez (5-0) headline Matrix Fights IV (www.MatrixFights.com) at the Sheet Metal Worker’s Union Hall in South Philadelphia.

“The MMA community in Philadelphia was already buzzing about this fight before the contracts had even been signed,” said Matrix Fights promoter Jimmy Binns Jr. “Since MMA was sanctioned in Pennsylvania, the area has seen some great fights featuring local fighters taking on someone from outside the area. But as far as a matchup between two area fighters going head-to-head, there hasn’t been a bigger fight than the one we’re going to put on April 22 featuring Chris and Jesus.”

Both Wing and Martinez are viewed by many area pundits as the two fastest rising prospects from the Tri-State area in their respective weight class. The outcome of their fight will go a long way towards catapulting one of the fighters closer towards landing a multi-fight contract with a major national promotion.

“Two years from now, Jesus Martinez vs. Chris Wing is a fight you could easily end up seeing on a UFC, Strikeforce, or Bellator event,” said Matrix Fights President Phil Migliarese. “However, in typical Philly fighter fashion, neither Jesus or Chris are backing down from a tough fight despite it coming so early in their respective careers. Philadelphia-area fight fans won’t have to wait for the future to see these two guys fight because on April 22, the future becomes the present.”

Wing has generated a great deal of buzz on the Internet, thanks in large part to a series of successful YouTube videos designed to highlight his electric brand of fighting. After compiling an impressive 8-2 record against the top amateur competition in the New Jersey and Pennsylvania regions, Wing turned pro this past June and knocked out Judo black belt Giedrius Karavackas at 2:14 of round 2. Several months later, Karavackas would go on to win the Bellator Fighting Championships regional tryouts held at Daddis Fight Camps in Philadelphia.

In his second pro fight, Wing required just 1:20 of round 1 to knock out Yusef Yoldas in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

“Chris is a real good opponent but inexperienced,” said Martinez. “He’s 2-0 but he hasn’t really anybody yet. I’ll be a strong test for him on April 22.”

Martinez is correct in his assertion that when Wing steps into the cage on April 22, he will be facing his toughest competition to date. A former Combat in the Cage middleweight champion, the multi-skilled Martinez went 4-1 while competing under advanced amateur rules in the state of Delaware.

One of the area’s most popular fighters, Martinez has built his record to 5-0 and has also competed for the nationally recognized King of the Cage promotion. Matched up with Cape Cod Fighting Alliance product Chip Pollard, Martinez improved his national profile at “King of the Cage: No Mercy” in Connecticut on Sept. 17 when he recorded a dominant decision victory en route to recording scores of 30-26, 30-25, and 30-24 on all three judges scorecards.

“People are saying that this is the biggest test for me yet. Wrong. I’m biggest test Martinez has ever had,” stated Wing. “He’s never fought anyone like me. Check my record on MixedMartialArts.com. There are NO ‘T’s’ in front of my KO’s. When I hit you I don’t hurt you — I cripple you.”

Also signed for Matrix Fights IV is a heavyweight showdown between fast-rising heavyweight prospect Azunna “Zu” Anyanwu (2-0) and Bellator Fighting Championships veteran Greg Maynard (3-2). Anyanwu trains out of Daddis Fight Camps in Philadelphia and just recently won his second pro fight at a Locked in the Cage event this past Friday, needing just 1:04 of round 1 to knock out Corey Mullis. Anyanwu, who spent part of his training camp in Dallas, TX getting ready for the fight by training with former NCAA heavyweight standout Jared “Big Show” Rosholt and other members of Team Takedown, will face his toughest test to date against Maynard. In addition to competing for Bellator, Maynard most recently challenged another rising heavyweight prospect, Stipe Miocic, for the NAAFS heavyweight title. He also holds a notable victory over long-time MMA veteran Jonathan Ivey.

Additional matchups for the event will be announced in the coming days. For additional information pertaining to Matrix Fights IV, please visit www.MatrixFights.com or become a fan of Matrix Fights on Facebook (search: Matrix Fights). Tickets for the event are expected to go on-sale soon.

Editor’s Note: Combat Sports Media, the majority shareholder of FiveOuncesOfPain.com, is the official matchmaking service provider to Matrix Fights.

—-

In a small desolate town in upstate Cortland, New York – population 18,000 – resides one of MMA’s gems where Team Bombsquad trainer Ryan Ciotoli has been fortunate enough to have one of MMA’s top fight teams and group of fighters in his backyard – literally.

Branded the name “The Barn” for over three years, Ciotoli’s furnished training center sits quietly nestled behind his residence. Plastered with old metals and fight posters, the smell of sweat still looms in the small, dark gym but the lack of footprints in the snow to the door suggests emptiness and lonesomeness. Ciotoli has retired the one-time bustling center for his state of the art training facility located in Ithica, NY and rightfully named Ultimate Athletics. Sustained memories of the old gym now adorn the walls of the 23,000 square foot fitness and training center infested with talent. A former Office Depot, the now rejuvenated building sports two 24’ training cages, a boxing ring, 3,000 square feet of mats, cardio and strength equipment, locker rooms, showers, supply store, and even a juice bar.

Former home to UFC light heavyweight phenom Jon Jones, Team Bombsquad is sought out by many of the nation’s toughest fighters including a number of recognizable names. In fact, two young prospects making a stir on the big scene right now are living in Ciotoli’s basement apartment. UFC heavyweight Christian Morecraft and Bellator featherweight Kenny Foster both share the fully furnished residence Ciotoli has set up ion his home for fighters.

However, his success has come with a price. A family man, Ciotoli says mornings are family time and during the week he tries to spend as much time as possible around his wife and kids, but on the weekends he sheds his “daddy mask” for the serious shades of an MMA trainer and embarks on long rides, and flights to and from fight venue to fight venue for his team. Often, the life of an MMA trainer is as demanding and difficult as the very fighters’ they’re preparing. While discussing specifics, Ciotoli briefly depicted the 5-6 hours car rides to fights in Massachusetts and New Hampshire involving vehicles packed with sweaty, angry, dehydrated fighters en route to a weigh-in. With New York still deadlocked on keeping MMA out of the State, Ciotoli finds match-ups for his team in other nearby areas.

On the subject of his early experiences with the hardships of the MMA industry, Ciotoli reminisced about his days as a competitor, explaining, “A friend of mine was going to a show in Wildwood (New Jersey)…I think it was a Reality Fighting card…..I loved it and had to do it. There just wasn’t a lot of money even if you won. I think I made $100 my first fight…good for the beers afterwards.”

Ciotoli later left Ithica College, where he was coaching wrestling, to start CNYMMA where he partnered with the likes of Tamden McCrory and Eric Charles for a very successful run. However, they grew distant with CNY’s decision to bring the training to the general public, and as a result Ciotoli decided keep the development focused specifically on team-members and parted ways with the group in 2009.

Ciotoli then went on to begin developing his own contracted fighters and started a management group (Bombsquad Sports Management). When asked what makes a fighter a great fighter, and what gets them to the big show, the respected Northeasterner replied, “A combination of everything! A fighter’s attitude is very important. If he believes he’s gonna win and be successful he will. Having a good manager – you got to pick the right fights and I don’t mean the easy ones. You don’t want the real easy fights, you want the tough fights. The tough fights are what make you better. I believe in taking tough fights and pushing yourself if you wanna be successful at the next level.”

Today, Team Bombsquad stands high among the nation’s most talented camps. When asked of their recent absence from the local New England scene, Ciotoli responded, “You know, we developed our guys in the New England area, Massachusetts specifically. It’s mostly due to the commission in Massachuseets that we haven’t returned. I mean it’s not the only reason…we don’t sell a lot of tickets coming from New York and promotions survive on ticket sales around here.”

“They just make everything so difficult,” he continued. “I don’t want to bash anyone…they just don’t have any experience in MMA They have people in charge that just don’t understand the sport. States like New Jersey and New Hampshire and Pennsylvania are very easy to work with and they have the knowledge of the sport. They’re very accommodating. Before, the commission in Massachusetts was a place promoters had a lot of flexibility with (as far as) the number of fights they put on, who they fought, and medicals were easy. Now they just make things difficult; now there’s more paper work and more hoops to jump through. I’m not saying we won’t come there anymore, we’d come big or small show. We just don’t sell tickets from NY and there are a lot less promotions now with the new commission in place.”

Fighters from Team Bombsquad fans may want to keep their eyes on in the coming months include Mike Stuart, who sees action on February 28 in New Hampshire on a Combat Zone card, against Jesse McElligot. Others in action that night include amateurs Dustin Hurtgam, who fights Anthony Loycano, and 2-0 Corry Murray who takes on Miletich Fighting Systems’ Perry “Filthy” Filkins.

Also set for a showdown in the next few months are Morecraft, facing Sean McCorkle at Fight Night 24 in March, and Foster who will take part in Bellator’s Season 4 featherweight tournament.

Another exciting acquisition Team Bombsquad has made recently is that of Brazilian Rene Nazare, currently an instructor in BJJ and No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu at Ultimate Athletics. “He’s an exciting guy to work with, a four-time World BJJ player, and he’s here with us working on his wrestling and striking. He’s the type of guy that he’s ready now to compete at the highest level in MMA,” said commented Ciotoli. “He’ll be an easy sell for me to the UFC.” Nazare is in the process of moving to New York from Massachusetts, leaving his family behind while he trains to achieve his dream of becoming a world champion.

Other past/present members include UFC veterans Kevin Jordan, Pat Audinwood, and Mike Massenzio.

Amazing to think what was just a backyard barn – a mere past time for the former Ithica College wrestling coach – has spawned.

—

Holidays or not, several of the Northeast’s best fighters are sweating it out in local gyms stemming from the south shore in Rockland, Massachusetts to as far north as Bangor, Maine. Most notably, Team Irish owner, “The Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis, makes his lightweight debut tonight at UFC 125 against the heavy-handed Jeremy Stevens. Also featured on the card is Plympton, Massachusetts’ own Josh Grispi out of South Shore sport fighting in Rockland. Grispi fights the very tough Dustin Poirier en route to his long-awaited fight against featherweight champ Jose Aldo, who he had previously been scheduled to fight before Aldo suffered an injury.

Furthermore, Framingham resident Jorge “El Conquistador” Rivera finds himself in “the hunt” in his bout with the brash Michael Bisping when the UFC makes its return on February 27 to the land down under and invade the Acer Arena in Australia. Also set for pending action, new Team Bombsquad member, and heavyweight force in the Northeast, Christian Morecraft battles Sean McCorkle after both fighters suffered a loss to Stefan Struve this year. Morecraft is slated to meet McCorkle on March 26 at a UFC Fight Night event.

Also notable, Rick Hawn, who was named 2010′s Northeast “Fighter of the year” by the Boston Herald, makes his second appearance for Bellator this March when he enters the coveted welterweight tourney featuring some of the world’s best MMA athletes. The Olympic Judoka is currently residing in Dracut, Mass. and training out of Sityodtong, Renzo Gracie NH, and Pedro’s Judo will face Jimmy “Judo” Wallhead in the first round of the tournament. Bellator Fighting Championships has recently announced this fight will be aired on MTV 2. Also representing the northeast and needing no introduction is Hawn’s teammate sharing time in camp at both Sityodtong and Renzo NH, Daniel Gracie has signed with Bellator and will fight in the Light Heavyweight tourney the same night. Lastly, Ithaca, New York’s Kenny Foster, representing the Team Bombsquad earned his right to a spot in the featherweight tournament March 20. Foster earned his birth in the tournament with a win over Lester Caslow of New Jersey at Bellator 33.

Rounding things out, M-1 Global has recently picked up the following fighters and look to add them to their next show tentatively scheduled for late March. Greg Rebello (Sityodtong) of Middleboro, Tom Moreau (Moreau Training Center) Londonderry, New Hampshire, and Andres Jeudi (Sityodtong) Somerville, Mass.. The aforementioned fighters are all looking to commit to one last local fight before making their debut on the big stage.

Clearly, as evident by their presence across the MMA landscape, 2011 is poised to be a big year for fighters calling the Northeast home

With the close of the calendar, Five Ounces of Pain brings you the final segment of our annual awards featuring the general categories fans have come to expect – Submission of the Year, Knockout of the Year, Fight of the Year, and of course Mixed Martial Artist of the Year.

As always, 5 Oz. invites our readers to offer their own opinions in the “Comments” section on who should have taken home the hardware (or in this case digital love). We would not be here without you, and rest assured the Staff not only appreciates your contributions from a “page view” standpoint, but genuinely enjoys reading our community’s take on topics. Have an incredibly fun, albeit safe, New Year’s Eve!

— Submission of the Year —

Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen / UFC 117: Though the past twelve months delivered a number of memorable BJJ-based victories, including historic moments like Fabricio Werdum tapping Fedor Emelianenko, as well as unique holds like Phil Davis‘ “Wonderbar”, Anderson Silva‘s submission of Chael Sonnen at UFC 117 stood out as the biggest of the year. There was an incredible amount of hype entering their match-up thanks in large part to Sonnen’s gift of gab and the end result lived up to the expectations that had been created. Sonnen abused Silva unlike any fighter had in the Octagon only to see his hopes of winning the middleweight belt slip away in the final two minutes of the fifth round courtesy of the Brazilian’s perfectly-timed Triangle-Armbar hybrid.

— Knockout of the Year —

Mauricio Rua vs. Lyoto Machida / UFC 113: In their first fight at UFC 104, Mauricio Rua and Lyoto Machida engaged in a human chess match where neither man wanted to make a mistake. After leaving it in the hands of the judges and coming up on the wrong end of a controversial decision, Rua had a different game plan in the rematch at UFC 113. Tasting Machida’s power in their first bout and concluding that he couldn’t be hurt, Rua went after Machida in the rematch and did something that some thought was impossible. He countered the ultimate counter fighter and he hit Machida with a big overhand right as Machida leaped in with his patented left straight. The punch dropped Machida to the mat, where Rua quickly pounced on him and delivered the infamous Chute Box choke while pounding Machida unconscious with right hands. The fight-ending series earned “Shogun” the UFC Light Heavyweight Title and the distinction for Five Ounces’ top knockout of 2010.

— Fight of the Year —

Kazuo Misaki vs. Jorge Santiago II / SRC 14: Our selection for this year’s top fight was a match-up a lot of MMA fans likely missed based on location (Japan) and promotion (Sengoku). However, those who have been fortunate enough to see Jorge Santiago’s SRC middleweight title defense against Kazuo Misaki this past August understand exactly how incredible the bout was. The two respected 185-pounders battled for the bulk of five rounds before Misaki’s corner was forced to throw in a towel to stop things with less than a minute remaining in the fight. However, prior to the stoppage, “The Grabaka Hitman” had controlled a good portion of the early action before being dropped in the third then returning the favor a frame later. The championship clash involved near finishes for both and a spectacular, last-minute ending that likely saved Santiago from losing his belt. It may not have been the highest profile fight of 2010, but it was by all means arguably the best of the bunch.

— Mixed Martial Artist of the Year —

Cain Velasquez. There were plenty of stand-out performers in 2010 but no one rose to super-stardom quite like Cain Velasquez. His journey started at UFC 110 against former PRIDE and UFC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Even though he had dominated previous competition like Ben Rothwell, Cheick Kongo, Jake O’Brien and other more-forgettable UFC heavyweights, Nogueira was Velasquez’ first true test inside the Octagon. Coming into the fight, many believed Nogueira was back to his old form after displaying his complete array of skills against Randy Couture and that his well-roundedness combined with his experience would give Velasquez more than he could handle. If this was Velasquez’ first real test, he passed with flying colors. Nogueira threw one jab and Velasquez countered with a three punch combination, including a right hook that sent “Big Nog” down to the mat in a heap. A few unanswered punches later and Velasquez had scored his first UFC main event win and a shot at the UFC Heavyweight Title. The “Cain Train” had officially left the station, ready to take out anything in its way.

Enter his next challenge. UFC 121 may have been promoted during “Brocktober,” but the million-plus people that bought UFC 121 saw the former WWE superstar fall victim to a far superior fighter. The UFC promoted this fight as one of the biggest of all time, giving it three weeks of strong promotion with the “UFC Primetime” series going deep into each fighter’s training camp. The UFC knew that Brock Lesnar would draw strong and they took that opportunity to fully introduce their fanbase to the next great Mexican-American sports star. When fight night came around Lesnar came out charging, but Velasquez weathered the early storm to take complete control of the fight. What followed was utter domination and in less than five minutes Velasquez became the UFC Heavyweight Champion, utterly destroying the former champion in such a way that no doubt can be left as to who is the better man. 2010 was an extremely strong year for the heavyweight division and Velasquez led the charge. One year ago he was a strong prospect, and now he’s the top heavyweight fighter in the world.

With the close of the year, Five Ounces of Pain is here to bring you our annual awards as we wind things down and get read for the adventures 2011 will undoubtedly bring. Over the next few days we will announce our winners in somewhat unique categories with a final batch of standard distinctions handed out on Friday, December 31.

As always, 5 Oz. invites our readers to offer their own opinions in the “Comments” section on who should have taken home the hardware (or in this case digital love). We would not be here without you, and rest assured the Staff not only appreciates your contributions from a “page view” standpoint, but genuinely enjoys reading our community’s take on topics. Have an incredibly fun, albeit safe, holiday week!

— The Trash-Talk Gone Wrong Award —

James Toney / UFC 118: Prior to his fight against Randy Couture at UFC 118, James Toney did a lot of shit talking. He reportedly chased Dana White around the country, begging for the chance to compete in the octagon. He called out MMA fighters and even the sport of MMA at various points. If there was a microphone in front of Toney, you can bet that he was going to say something to get MMA fans riled up. When UFC 118 finally arrived, all the shit talking came to an end thanks to “The Natural.” But we all knew that Toney only had a punchers chance and that Couture would likely have his way with him once the fight hit the ground. What made Toney’s trash talk even worse was the fact that he came into the fight completely out of shape and looking like he hadn’t training a wrestling drill one time in all the months of his MMA training. If it were any other fighter under any other circumstances, it would have been rather embarrassing to watch but because it was Toney and after all he said, well, it was still embarrassing but it was also rather satisfying.

— The Golden Microphone Award —

Ariel Helwani: In a profession often lacking professionalism, Helwani is easily among the select group of outstanding journalists covering Mixed Martial Arts today. In 2010 he emerged from an individual hardcore fans recognized to one of the primary faces of MMA media due to his work on Versus, as well as through other outlets like “The MMA Hour” and MMAFighting. His interviews are always insightful and reveal him as not only being well-studied but unafraid to ask tough questions and a genuine fan of the sport (and athletic endeavors in general). On top of that, the New Yorker by way of Canada also breaks news on almost a daily basis and is responsible for a high percentage of the scoops that surface as a result. There’s no questioning how hard he works or his ascending star in the industry. While we can’t be certain what 2011 will bring, it isn’t hard to envision Helwani joining a major broadcast team or network over the next twelve months based on his wit, demeanor, interest in MMA, and dedication to the field.

— Most Epic Event of the Year —

WEC 48: When reminiscing about the twelve months in MMA it’s difficult not to focus on the fact that this was the last year of existence for the WEC. With that in mind we present this award to WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber. Sure the WEC brand name was nowhere to be found on the live broadcast, but that doesn’t change the fact that this was the WEC’s biggest event in the company’s history. Jose Aldo gave the kind of dominating performance that ensured his place at the very top of the 145 lbs. food chain. Ben Henderson made quick work of Donald Cerrone, Manny Gamburyan shocked the MMA world with a quick KO of former featherweight champion Mike Brown, Shane Roller used his superior grappling to make short work of Anthony Njokuani, and Scott Jorgensen avenged one of his losses in a back-and-forth battle with Antonio Banuelos. Of course, there was one fight that everyone was talking about after the show, and we’re still talking about it now as MMA sites try to determine the Fight of the Year- the instant-classic featherweight battle between Leonard Garcia and Chan Sung Jung, and while we may disagree with the decision rendered, it was still an amazing fight. Historians will likely nitpick the technique (or lack thereof) of both fighters, but Five Ounces prefers to remember the excitement felt when watching this battle unfold. It was a great fight that’s only made better by the fact that it was on an outstanding card.

—

Freak athlete. Physical specimen. Unstoppable force. These are words often used to describe reigning NBA MVP Lebron James. There is no one in basketball that can match his rare combination of strength, size, skill, and explosiveness. In MMA, the same can be said when talking about 6’5”, 260 lb. powerhouse Alistair Overeem. Once a lanky light-heavyweight back in the heyday of the PRIDE Fighting Championships, the 30-year-old has transformed himself into a comic book superhero come to life and has dominated opponents for the past three years, never once needing to go to the judges in any of these victories.

Just as James does things on the basketball court no other player on earth can do, Overeem does things other heavyweights can only dream of. Who else in MMA can both toss 265 lb. behemoth, Brett Rogers around like a sack of potatoes and also come close to leaping out of the cage while attempting a flying knee to the head of 6’4” James Thompson? What other fighter has both beaten some of the greatest heavyweight kickboxers in the world in K-1 and has also won grappling tournaments at the elite level in ADCC? There can be only one: the man known as “The Reem.” Many MMA fans say that he is the one to supplant Fedor Emelianenko as the greatest heavyweight the sport has ever seen. Bas Rutten has already declared that he is the #1 heavyweight in MMA.

However, like “King James,” there are questions that surround Overeem despite his otherworldly physical abilities. Just as Lebron’s heart has sometimes been questioned when up against championship-caliber teams in the playoffs, fans wonder if Alistair can defeat an elite heavyweight such as Fedor Emelianenko who can put him to the test. During his current dominant run, he has not even gone to the second round in an MMA fight since his victory against Paul Buentello over three years ago, and has not had to show that he can come back from adversity in a fight. As a younger fighter, he had often wilted under the pressure against highly-ranked opponents such as Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Antonio Rogerio Noguiera.

Overeem’s critics also say that, although he does indeed possess the Strikeforce heavyweight title, he has not truly earned a top ranking in MMA because of the level of opponents he has fought to en route to that title. They assert that his outstanding achievements is K-1 kickboxing, where he recently knocked out legend Peter Aerts to become the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, are not valid in any way when trying to rank him in MMA. These criticisms often mirror those that plague Lebron James. His Cleveland Cavalier teams have often crushed lesser teams and consistently had one of the best regular season records in the league. However, when faced with elite opposition in the playoffs, he has faltered. And just like Lebron’s scoring titles in basketball, Overeem’s kickboxing titles display a skill that is only one facet of MMA.

Ultimately, is it an insult or a compliment for “The Demolition Man” to be compared to “The Akron Hammer”? At this point, it is too soon to tell for either athlete. Both have the raw physical ability to be the best in the world in their respective sports. However, both have yet to possess the actual achievements to validate their incredible potential. At the highest levels of sports, it has been said that the difference between the very good and the champions is mental. Do either of these awe-inspiring athletes have the mental toughness to truly make them the greatest? Only time will tell. But for both of them, that time may be coming soon.

With the close of the year, Five Ounces of Pain is here to bring you our annual awards as we wind things down and get read for the adventures 2011 will undoubtedly bring. Over the next few days we will announce our winners in somewhat unique categories with a final batch of standard distinctions handed out on Friday, December 31.

As always, 5 Oz. invites our readers to offer their own opinions in the “Comments” section on who should have taken home the hardware (or in this case digital love). We would not be here without you, and rest assured the Staff not only appreciates your contributions from a “page view” standpoint, but genuinely enjoys reading our community’s take on topics. Have an incredibly fun, albeit safe, holiday week!

— The “Sometimes These Things Happen in MMA” Award —

Josh Barnett kicks “Mighty Mo” in the groin: In his first fight since being busted for steroids and effectively killing Affliction MMA, Josh Barnett took on a “gimme fight” against near 300 pound kickboxer “Mighty Mo” Siliga. In the middle of the bout, Barnett caught Mo with a front kick right to the groin, immediately dropping Mo to the mat. Usually when a fighter is hit in the groin, he is given five minute to recover. Well Mo was given about an hour before the fight was questionable resumed. Barnett quickly finished Mo and after the bout, proving he’s a fair man, Barnett allowed Mo to knee him in the groin. Now on every DREAM broadcast, when someone takes a strike to the groin, you often hear Michael Schiavello bring up “Mighty Mo’s balls” in reference to Barnett’s strike.

— Most Disappointing Moment of the Year —

Paul Daley vs. Josh Koscheck / Post-Fight: Though there was debate as far as going with Fedor Emelianenko finally losing in a clean manner, in retrospect the loss is more of an affirmation of why MMA is such a great sport rather than a particularly sad event. There were also, unfortunately, illegal acts and positive drug tests to consider as well. However, Paul Daley sucker-punching Josh Koscheck after their bout at UFC 113 won out as the final selection for a few reasons, the foremost being that it didn’t land clean.

Kidding, kidding.

To watch the explosive Brit likely throw away a career in the UFC because of something as small as frustration with Koscheck’s strategy was extremely disappointing. Not only is Daley an exciting fighter to watch perform, but he’s one of the most underrated hype-men in Mixed Martial Arts when it comes to promoting his match-ups to the media. His style and showmanship would have likely carried him a long way in the Octagon and now not only have fans lost out on the opportunity to see him in action against the world’s best welterweights, Daley flushed a significant future down the toilet for no real reason. The embarrassing post-fight shot also put a black-eye on MMA as far as creating the perception its participants are upon occasion uncontrollably violent even on the grandest stage in the sport. The public can generally stomach athletes breaking laws or doing drugs because they’re used to such transgressions but violence outside of the realm of competition is rarely tolerated. It was a shameful situation where nobody won outside of “Kos” on the judges’ scorecards.

— Best Performance in a Losing Role —

Chael Sonnen / UFC 117: Given the events that unfolded in the months after it happened it was tempting to give this award to someone else, but even we can’t deny that nobody deserves this distinction more than Chael Sonnen. He talked a big game leading up to his UFC Middleweight Championship fight with Anderson Silva, but hardly anybody figured that he would be able to back up that talk in the cage. Sonnen got the better of Silva on the feet, but the majority of his time was spent thoroughly dominating the champion on the mat. Silva had no answer for Sonnen’s takedowns, and as the rounds went by he had less and less time to save his title reign. Within the first few minutes of the fifth round it was all but over, as Sonnen was clearly on his way to a unanimous 50-45 decision win. Everyone saw what happened next but we cannot deny that Sonnen came closer to beating Silva than anybody else had done in the UFC. Had he not got popped for a banned substance he’d be on his way to an immediate rematch, something relatively unheard of for a challenger who definitively lost his first title shot. With his performance Sonnen established himself as the clear #2 fighter in the middleweight division, and he may very well be top dog by the time next year’s awards roll around.

PHOTO CREDIT – Tracy Lee / COMBAT LIFESTYLE

With the close of the year, Five Ounces of Pain is here to bring you our annual awards as we wind things down and get read for the adventures 2011 will undoubtedly bring. Over the next few days we will announce our winners in somewhat unique categories with a final batch of standard distinctions handed out on Friday, December 31.

As always, 5 Oz. invites our readers to offer their own opinions in the “Comments” section on who should have taken home the hardware (or in this case digital love). We would not be here without you, and rest assured the Staff not only appreciates your contributions from a “page view” standpoint, but genuinely enjoys reading our community’s take on topics. Have an incredibly fun, albeit safe, holiday week!

— The “Who Saw That Coming?” Award —

Fabricio Werdum submits Fedor Emelianenko: This was supposed to be another “tune up fight” for Fedor Emelianenko on his road to the Strikeforce heavyweight title. Werdum was looked at as a very good fighter with outstanding Jiu-Jitsu but most people’s lasting memory of him prior to this fight was seeing him get his clock cleaned by Junior dos Santos. Plus, Fedor is Fedor. He was practically undefeated, he was unstoppable, he was a robot, he was frickin’ Fedor! When the fight started, it looked like another cake walk for “The Last Emperor”. He immediately dropped Werdum and then pounced on him for the finish. Then it happened. Out of nowhere the Brazilian used Fedor’s aggressiveness and the cage to his advantage, locked on a triangle choke, and forced Fedor to give a single tap, but possibly the most memorable tap in MMA history. The once unbeatable had been beaten.

— Beatdown of the Year —

Josh Koscheck vs. Georges St. Pierre / UFC 124: Not to be confused with “Fight of the Year”. Though there were plenty of options to consider, including Roger Huerta’s loss to Eddie Alvarez and Cain Velasquez’s title-win over Brock Lesnar, in the end GSP’s rivalry-ending smackdown of Koscheck prevailed. For months upon months fans listened to Koscheck spew his venom at Georges St. Pierre, questioning everything from the welterweight champion’s ability to strike to his hushed demeanor and preference for spandex trunks. An entire season of the Ultimate Fighter was dedicated to the rivalry he seemed intent on creating even if GSP wasn’t interested in engaging outside of the cage. However, once the two met in the Octagon at UFC 124 it became clear the most important jabs in MMA are not of the verbal variety. Koscheck left the event having lost all five rounds, sporting a broken orbital bone, and undoubtedly reflecting on how much more he needs to learn before he’s on the same level as the French-Candian champ. He was completely out-classed for twenty-four of the twenty-five minutes he spent in the ring, and though he may not have been rendered unconscious he most certainly exited Montreal the victim of a “beatdown”. Whether or not Team St. Pierre’s “male nurse”, i.e. Brad Tate, sent him a “Get Well Soon” card after the action concluded is still unknown…

— Most Meteoric Rise —

Anthony Pettis: Over 3.5 million. That’s how many times videos of Pettis delivering his amazing kick off the cage have been viewed on YouTube. It’s crazy to think that just one year ago Pettis was coming off the lone loss of his career against Bart Palaszewski, and now he’s one of the most popular fighters in the world. Pettis was able to rack up several impressive wins over the course of 2010, but none was bigger than his WEC Lightweight Championship win over Ben Henderson a few weeks ago. Not only did he deliver a kick that will be on MMA highlight reels for all of eternity, he also managed to showcase excellent skills in all areas of the sport. He’s next in line for the UFC Lightweight Championship, and after his star-making performance at WEC 53 he can be sure that everyone will be watching his next fight very closely in the hopes of seeing his next mind-bending maneuver.

While a recent article on MMAWeekly indicated Rodriguez is interested in a homecoming, Five Ounces of Pain has learned from a source close to the fighter that talks with the UFC are currently ongoing. It is believed the deal would involve three fights and a six-figure salary paid out over the lifetime of the contract.

The seasoned New Yorker made his UFC debut in 2001 with a TKO win over Andrei Arlovski, then went on to emerge with his hands raised four more times in a row including victories over Jeff Monson and a title win over Randy Couture. However, he lost his initial defense of the belt against Tim Sylvia and eventually parted ways with the promotion after losing in his follow-up appearance (with another “L” to Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira sandwiched in between the defeats).

After the trio of losses Rodriguez went on to deal with a slew of personal problems, including a sizeable weight gain, and has since appeared for more than twenty other promotions including the IFL, EliteXC, and of course one-and-done YAMMA Pit Fighting. He has now cleaned up his life and gotten back into shape with both factors clearly contributing to his current ten-fight run (16-4 in his previous twenty bouts).

However, sources also revealed to 5 Oz. that the UFC’s initial plan for “Suave” would have very little to do with the light heavyweight division (which he has expressed recent interest in). If negotiations are completed and Rodriguez returns, the UFC is expected to utilize him against high-profile opponents only. Potential names include former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and former UFC interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin.

It is also believed that a rematch against Couture is possible as well with Rodriguez holding the afore-mentioned submission victory over the UFC Hall of Famer in 2002. However, Couture’s status is currently uncertain. He stated during an MMA conference in Las Vegas two weeks ago that he has not closed the book on his career but that he would only consider fighting again if the right matchup was offered. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Lyoto Machida were two of the names mentioned by Couture in regards to opponents he was interested in fighting. It is uncertain whether a chance at redemption versus Rodriguez is a match-up holding interest for Couture.

HDNet Fights President Andrew Simon was a guest on Friday’s edition of MMAJunkie.com and revealed that Duffee will be headlining Titan Fighting Championships 16 on January 28 at the historic Memorial Hall in Kansas City, KS. According to Simon, the 6-1 Duffee’s return to the cage will take place against Abe Wagner, 6-3, who is best known for being a cast member during the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter.

The bout will mark Duffee’s return to MMA after being knocked out in shocking fashion by Mike Russow in May at UFC 114. Prior to the loss the shredded 6’3” heavyweight had beaten six straight including five wins by way of scoring a TKO in the bouts’ opening round. In addition to his overall success in the ring, he also notched a seven-second knockout against Tim Hague at UFC 102 recorded as being the fastest win in the Octagon’s history.

The event will mark the first time the Titan Fighting Championships has been televised on HDNet. The Kansas City-based promotion has been promoting shows since 2006 and has served as a launching pad for the careers of current UFC fighters Mike Johnson, Rob Kimmons, and Alan Blecher; former WEC veterans James Krause and L.C. Davis; current Strikeforce welterweight Bobby Voelker; as well as current Bellator Fighting Championships fighters Jay Hieron and Eric Marriott.

Joe Kelly, the President of the Titan Fighting Championships, informed FiveOuncesOfPain.com that several other notable names have been scheduled for the card and will be announced in the coming days. Tickets for the event will go on sale at all local Ticketmaster outlets as well as Ticketmaster.com this Monday at 10 a.m. CT.

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“Never leave it in the hands of the judges.”

Fans of the Ultimate Fighter reality show have seen this motto posted over the dressing room doors in the UFC’s Las Vegas training facilities. It serves as a warning to fighters against complacency and coasting to decision victories. But it also serves as a reminder from the organization itself that the judges may not make the correct decision and they may award the victory to the wrong fighter. In reality, fighters cannot simply finish all their opponents to avoid bad judging any more than NFL teams can simply blow out all opposing teams to avoid bad officiating. When a fight must go to a decision, fans and fighters should have the belief that the judges assigned to do the job are qualified enough to do it right. Unfortunately, for MMA fighters and fans that is often not the case. A clear example of this was featherweight Nam Phan’s puzzling decision loss to Leonard Garcia at the Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale, a fight that most fans and pundits perceived as a clear-cut victory for Phan.

Human error and the subjective nature of judging in not just MMA but in all sports ensure that there will always be controversial decisions and calls made. Although these mistakes will never be completely eliminated, the best effort should be made by the organizations that run these sports to minimize them to help preserve their sport’s integrity. From instant replay to stricter evaluation of officials, major organizations such as the NFL have sought to do just that. But MMA is different. Just like the often problematic 10-point must scoring system (Settle the Scoring), the procedures for selecting judges in MMA as well as many of the judges themselves are derived from boxing. Each state has its own athletic commission that chooses both who gets credentialed to judge MMA fights and what events they are assigned to. This does make it more difficult to regulate than if choosing officials was done by a single entity as it is in many major sports like the NFL or major league baseball. However, not all athletic commissions are created equal. When it comes to MMA, most states look to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) for leadership because Nevada is both the home of the UFC and the location where some of the biggest UFC events throughout the year take place. Underscoring the relationship between the UFC and the NSAC is the fact that Marc Ratner, former NSAC commissioner is a now a high-ranking UFC official.

The UFC and NSAC should work together to take the lead in this issue by instituting an evaluation/rating system for both judges and referees that resembles what the NFL does with its own officials. For every NFL game, each official is graded on a hundred-point scale by the commissioner’s office. Both missed calls and incorrectly called penalties are cause for deducting points from their grade. Officials are given a weekly printout of their grade and can discuss it with the league office to see where they made their mistakes. At the end of the season, only the officiating teams with the highest grades are allowed to work during the playoffs. Officials with the lowest grades are subject to possibly being dismissed. The NSAC could institute something similar to this, only allowing judges and referees with higher scores to officiate in UFC events (as opposed to smaller MMA events) and the highest rated officials assigned to championship fights. The UFC can play their part by encouraging state athletic commissions to use Fightmetric stats (the UFC’s official fight statistics provider) as a tool in this evaluation system to get a clearer picture of how accurate these judges’ decisions are.

There was a time in the sport’s formative years that there simply weren’t enough knowledgeable people to serve as quality judges for MMA events. Athletic commissions were satisfied with the placement of judges in major events and championship fights based solely on their experience in judging boxing matches. That time has passed. MMA is at a crossroads. It is currently dealing with similar accusations that plague pro boxing: accusations of corruption and of “an old boys network” that allows judges and referees to keep their position based not on their performance, but on who they know. Having a clear evaluation and ratings systems for these officials who are entrusted with making important decisions during fights can go a long way help combat these accusations and to ensure that the correct decisions are made. In the end, it is not really the responsibility of the fighters to keep their fights out of the judges’ hands. It is the responsibility of the people who run this sport to “never leave it in the hands of (incompetent) judges.”

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

In the following piece, new Five Ounces of Pain writer Jarred Mercado – who wrestled at Northwestern University and trains/competes under the Grudge MMA banner – examines the effect training with close friends has in comparison to boxing, where multi-million dollar payouts allow for the ability to bring in not only specialists but relative strangers.

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It is not uncommon to hear MMA fighters profess during UFC countdowns or interviews how close they are to their teammates and that their gym is more of a family than workout partners. While their statements indicate the strength of their training environment and support system, it also exposes flaws in the current MMA training model.

The team based model is one born out of convenience and economic necessity. It’s no secret that the superstars of MMA make considerably less than their counterparts in other major sports specifically boxing. Manny Pacquiao, the top pound-for-pound boxer in the world, is likely to make upwards of $20 million for his recent domination of Antonio Margarito. The battered and broken Margarito received roughly $6 million for his efforts. Conversely, Georges St. Pierre, the UFC’s beloved Canadian welterweight champ received a purse of $400,000 for his last title defense. Of course MMA athletes receive additional pay aside from what is reported, however, it is still a far cry from the likes of what Floyd Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya, and Pacquiao can pull in.

Due to this pay discrepancy most MMA fighters cannot replicate the same training methods as boxers i.e. hired sparring partners, and training camps designed specifically around them. The fall out of from this is that fighters form teams with other athletes in their area or weight class. As the fighters themselves have told us, strong bonds are built and a family like atmosphere is put into play.
The negative consequences of this are twofold; can fighters maintain the same level of intensity and killer instinct when sparring twice a week against someone they consider to be a great friend or family? In comparison, Pacquiao’s camp brings a set of hired fighters to spar during camp. Mercenaries brought in to push the champ, no friendship exists, and the sole focus is to give the proper looks needed to prepare their fighter for battle. Pacquiao’s camp even goes as far to pay the sparring partners additional fees if they are able to knock down “Pac Man” during sparring. The second issue is one that is currently a dilemma that UFC head Dana White has spoken out against. Because of the team dynamic, many fighters refuse to fight another teammate. With top fighters from each division joining forces in camps like AKA, Black House, Xtreme Couture and Jackson’s MMA, potential chaos could ensue as camps would have be split apart, forcing coaches to choose sides or fighters leaving to train elsewhere.

To be clear these are two different sports that require different training methods. This is not to suggest that MMA fighters should adhere strictly to the training done by boxers. Mixed Martial Arts takes elements from a number of sports such as wrestling which is also built around a team training based model, though of course in wrestling you are not being punched or kicked in the face with violent intentions. Instead, though it is pointed out that while MMA is a sport on the rise, it still has a large room for growth in both pay and training.

This idea is not lost on the fighters, as Rashad Evans former UFC 205-pound champ, discussed the issue of teammates fighting on his Twitter account.

“(Boxers) can afford to bring people in just to train & spar with no connection, but in MMA we can’t afford to do that so we form teams..Boxers pay their training partners, MMA fighters don’t! If we got paid $40 million to fight then I would form my own team & fight who ever!”

For a sport less than two decades old, change and growth is inevitable. As more money flows in, training with family may eventually be too big of a price to pay.