Celebrating the Two-Year Anniversary of the Death of PRIDE: Ten Reasons Why I Miss PRIDE
April 8 is the two year anniversary of the last Pride FC show, Pride 34. These things tend to make me nostalgic, especially when it comes to my favorite MMA promotion of all time. When I watch my library of old Pride DVDs, I am overcome with memorable moments, things that define the sport at the time for me. I tried to list ten of the more memorable characteristics that made Pride the spectacle we... [Read More...]
Notes from UFN 18 Conference Call
FiveOuncesOfPain.com just got off of the telephone from the Ultimate Fight Night 18 conference call that took place this afternoon with the headliners of UFN 18, Martin Kampmann and Carlos Condit. Also in attendance to answer questions during the call were the coaches of TUF 9, Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping. Some relative highlights of the call are as follows: Kampmann says he is used to welterweight... [Read More...]
Gouveia focused on Marquardt and possible title shot with a win
Wilson Gouveia trains at one of the best MMA training camps in the world, American Top Team. But even with the star-studded roster at ATT, almost every fighter there will point to Gouveia as the most talented fighter in the camp. Gouveia has tried to cultivate that talent in the light heavyweight division and had early success. After a loss to Keith Jardine in his first UFC bout, he rattled off four... [Read More...]
The Top Ten Fights of 2008
It’s the end of the year again and we like to do these silly things like apply a numerical value to our favorite fights. This is much easier said than done. A fantastic year of MMA has come and gone, and narrowing down the fights to just 10 took me weeks of back and forth arguing with myself, the kind that draws crowds at the grocery store. As a result, I have ranked the following ten fights as the... [Read More...]
The Top Ten Knockouts of 2008
With just a few days left in the 2008 calendar year, FiveOuncesOfPain.com will be taking a look at the best of the best in 2008. During our series, we will break down the “Top Ten Submissions of the Year” and the “Top Ten Fights of the Year.” But let’s begin our look back at all the great MMA action that 2008 provided by focusing on 2008’s “Top Ten Knockouts.” Trying to narrow this... [Read More...]
UFC 91: Breaking down the main card
Location: Las Vegas, Nev. Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena Broadcast: Pay Per View MAIN CARD (TELEVISED) The Fighters: Champ Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar (for UFC heavyweight title) The Records: Lesnar (2-1 MMA 1-1 UFC) Couture (16-8 MMA 13-5 UFC) How Lesnar got here: Words really cannot do Brock Lesnar justice. He is an athlete you need to see in action to believe. Lesnar is a ripped 275lbs, strong... [Read More...]
WEC 36: Main Card In Depth Preview
Preview- WEC 36- Televised bouts The Fighters: WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber vs. Mike Brown The Records: Faber (21-1 MMA 6-0 WEC) Brown (19-4 MMA 1-0 WEC) How Faber got here: Simply put, Faber is the best mixed martial arts fighter at 145lbs in the world. Some pundits may argue this point by mentioning Kid Yamamoto, but he neither has the consistent fights nor the resume at 145lbs to rival... [Read More...]
UFC 90: Main card in-depth breakdown
UFC 90 TELEVISED CARD Date: Oct 25, 2008 Location: Rosemont, Ill. (near Chicago) Venue: Allstate Arena The Fighters: Sean Sherk vs. Tyson Griffin The Records: Sherk (32-3-1 MMA 5-3 UFC) Griffin (12-1 MMA 5-1 UFC) How Sherk got here: Sherk is a veteran of almost ten years in MMA. He has a gaudy record but has earned it. Sherk had a sketchy start to his UFC career with two wins at UFC 36 and 39 before... [Read More...]
UFC 90: Preliminary card in-depth breakdown
UFC 90 PRELIMINARY CARD Date: Oct 25, 2008 Location: Rosemont, Ill. (near Chicago) Venue: Allstate Arena The Fighters: Josh Burkman vs. Pete Sell The Records: Burkman (18-7 MMA 5-4 UFC) Sell (7-4 MMA 1-4 UFC) How Burkman got here: Burkman was a two sport star in college as he excelled in wrestling and football. He earned himself a spot on The Ultimate Fighter season 2, received a UFC contract, and... [Read More...]
UFC 89: Preview of Carwin vs. Wain & Davis vs. Kelly
Shane Carwin (9-0 MMA 1-0 UFC) vs. Neil Wain (4-0 MMA 0-0 UFC) This fight is a very dangerous coming-out party for Shane Carwin. The UFC is attempting to restock their barren Heavyweight division with promising new talent and Carwin is the crown jewel of the collection. The undefeated fighter /engineer from Colorado looks the part and talks the talk for a rare combo in MMA. Ushered along carefully... [Read More...]
UFC 89: Undercard Preview
We are starting the pre-event hype train with a preview of the undercard for UFC 89. UFC 89 is the best overall card the UFC has put on in England so far, with many compelling matchups. Unfortunately a few of them are on the untelevised portion of the card. Many of you may not be familiar with some of the names on the undercard, but there is some serious talent there and although they lack the big... [Read More...]
The Nine Most Intriguing Fights left in 2008
I don’t know about the rest of you, but having our sport’s popularity in the mainstream hinge on a 34-year old street fighter is downright depressing. And the fact that I have gone from people asking if I do that “ultimate fighting” stuff to people asking how fast Kimbo Slice could knock out Mike Tyson is enough to make me want to vomit on my Tapout bed sheets. In an effort to cheer myself... [Read More...]
EliteXC “Heat” Andrei Arlovski vs. Roy Nelson Preview
Andrei Arlovski (13-5 MMA) vs. Roy Nelson (13-2 MMA) In an attempt to pull the ripcord on their financial free fall, EliteXC made a deal with the sponsorship-devil and allowed Affliction to again promote their clothing as well as their fighters under the Elite XC banner. Andrei Arlovski vs. Roy Nelson is the first attempt at a joint product, as both fighters are under the Affliction promotional contract.... [Read More...]
EliteXC “Heat”: Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice Preview
Ken Shamrock (26-13-2 MMA) vs. Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson (3-0-0 MMA) The evolution from street brawler to MMA professional continues on Saturday night October 4th when Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson takes on another slightly past his prime legend in Ken Shamrock. Although Shamrock has only won twice since the millennium, he will attempt to halt the hype train that is Kimbo Slice. Kimbo can... [Read More...]
EliteXC “Heat”: Preview Jake Shields vs. Paul Daley
Welterweight Championship – Jake Shields (21-4-1) vs. Paul Daley (18-6-2) The lone championship match on the Elite XC card, champion Jake Shields takes on British brawler Paul Daley for the Welterweight title. Billed as the best of America versus the best of Britain, this is also a perfect battle of striker versus grappler in MMA. The defending champion is the better-rounded of the two fighters,... [Read More...]
EliteXC “Heat”: Preview Benji Radach vs Murilo “Ninja” Rua
Benji Radach (18-4 MMA) vs. Murilo “Ninja” Rua (16-8-1 MMA) This is one of the best middleweight fights you will ever see outside of the UFC. These two 185lbers are some of the most exciting stand up fighters in MMA. We have a fighter on the comeback trail to elite status versus another on a quest to reclaim his title belt. Both have slick striking with knockout power and cement chins. This... [Read More...]
DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix Preview
Tuesday at 3 a.m. ET is the finale of the DREAM middleweight Grand Prix. If you haven’t been keeping up with the DREAM tournament, this is meant to be a simple user guide to the tournament finals. DREAM has been supplying us with possibly some of the most stacked MMA cards of the year, and DREAM 6 is no different. Below are quick bios on the four participants of the finals and then break downs with... [Read More...]
UFC Fight Night 15: Nate Diaz vs. Josh Neer Preview
The last preview of UFC Fight Night 15 is the main event, Militech Fighting Systems product Josh Neer vs. The Ultimate Fighter 5 winner Nate Diaz. This fight has more meaning for Diaz than it does for Neer, but I am sure you won’t be able to tell that by watching it as this should prove to be a slobberknocker. Nate Diaz (9-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is the brother of supremely talented problem-child Nick Diaz.... [Read More...]
UFC Fight Night 15: Ed Herman vs. Alan Belcher Preview
The next fight we are going to preview on the road to UFC Fight Night 15 could be billed as a possible “Loser leaves town” type matchup. Ed Herman versus Alan Belcher is a battle of two UFC middleweights trying to establish solid footing in the burgeoning talent pool of the middleweight division. Herman (14-6 MMA, 3-3 UFC) was a finalist for season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” losing... [Read More...]
The Changing of the Guard
Some were happy, some were sad, and most were in shock. Chuck Liddell was knocked unconscious by one punch, thrown by a reality TV show winner. If you had said that one, two, or even three years ago, any MMA fan in the world would have disagreed or possibly ridiculed you incessantly. Now, on September 6th of 2008 it is a reality. Rashad Evans knocked out Liddell at UFC 88. And it is a reality that... [Read More...]
