A New Holiday Tradition: Fighting on Thanksgiving Eve
Mixed Martial Arts in its embryonic form didn’t arrive in the United States until 1993 and didn’t begin its assault towards the mainstream until 2005 with the debut of The Ultimate Fighter. With such a young sport, you wouldn’t expect a defining tradition during its early growth period but it appears we could have a new holiday tradition in pro sports: MMA on Thanksgiving Eve. When... [Read More...]
MMA Storytime: Matchmaking MMA in the House of Hardcore
Philadelphia is a hotbed for Combat Sports. A long-time staple within the Philly sports scene has been pro wrestling. The meteoric rise of ECW caused the then-Viking Hall to be re-named "The ECEW Arena." Now known simply as "The Arena," a new combat sports tradition will take shape when Matrix Fights invades the historic venue. As I’ve chronicled in my previous two columns,... [Read More...]
MMA Storytime: The Legend of Kadillac Marshbanks
In my last article, I devoted a lot of real estate to one of the most unique human beings I have ever encountered, Lloyd “Kadillac” Marshbanks. If you thought Kadillac leading the U.S. to a come-from-behind victory against a Finnish dude with “White Power” tattooed on his back was a wild story, then buckle up and get ready for this shit. The story I am about to tell is 100%... [Read More...]
Sam Caplan: 2009 a Year to Remember
When I stopped writing regularly for this site and decided to no longer cover the sport of MMA as a columnist/reporter, it raised some eyebrows. For a lot of people, they only see what’s on the surface and you become pigeon-holed and typecast. Often, what people first see you as is what they will always see you as. But for anyone that has known me for any length of time, they’ve known I’ve... [Read More...]
Combat Sports Insider: Solving extreme weight cutting is easier said than done
Anthony Johnson’s failure to make weight at UFC 104 has renewed concerns about weight cutting in the sport and prompted pundits to make suggestions about how to rectify the situation. One of the more respected and authoritative voices out there to tackle the weight cutting topic was MMAjunkie.com special columnist Dr. Johnny Benjamin. I respect Dr. Benjamin’s expertise and believe his recommendations... [Read More...]
Combat Sports Insider: Four ways to improve officiating and judging in MMA
My opening statement to this opinion/editorial piece probably isn’t much different than what you’ve been reading elsewhere: that last night’s World Extreme Cagefighting main event between Donald Cerrone and Benson Henderson was perhaps the fight of the year but at the same time, also one of the biggest miscarriages of justice as well. The flawed judging of Cerrone vs. Henderson... [Read More...]
Dancing with the Reality Stars: Why Kimbo Slice vs. Chuck Liddell Should Happen
What's next for Kimbo Slice? Sam Caplan says it should be a showdown with Chuck Liddell. During a recent interview with Greg Savage of Sherdog.com, UFC President Dana White responded to a question about the promotion’s growing number of shows and whether they have enough marquee talent to headline the shows by saying he has plenty of headliners. While the UFC has its fair share of stars that... [Read More...]
Combat Sports Insider: Randomly Ranting Once Again
Sam Caplan is back with another self-serving look into his less-than ordinary life, which includes his wife just having got back from Thailand in preparation for her Aug. 28 pro MMA debut. It’s never a good idea to write when you’re sleep deprived. There’s a tendency to sometimes say things you shouldn’t say. Then again, that might make for an interesting read for everyone? As... [Read More...]
Frank Lester released from his UFC contract
It appears that welterweight Frank Lester has run out of chances to land a spot on the roster of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Sources informed FiveOuncesOfPain.com late Wednesday night that the Team Quest product received his formal release from the UFC shortly after losing via first round submission to Nick Osipczak during this past Saturday’s live finale for the ninth season of The Ultimate... [Read More...]
Interim WEC lightweight title fight between Donald Cerrone and Ben Henderson in the works
With World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight champion Jamie Varner having revealed on his official Twitter account yesterday that he’s sustained another setback in his recovery from a broken hand, Yahoo! Sports has reported that WEC officials are considering introducing an interim lightweight title. FiveOuncesOfPain.com has learned from sources that the WEC has engaged in preliminary talks to... [Read More...]
Additional clothing sponsors added to UFC’s banned list
A UFC fighter’s ability to obtain sponsorship from clothing apparel sponsors could take on a new degree of difficulty for upcoming fight cards, FiveOuncesOfPain.com has learned. FiveOuncesOfPain.com was contacted by a manager on Wednesday night who spoke on the condition of anonymity and stated that he recently received an e-mail indicating that additional clothing sponsors have been added to... [Read More...]
Combat Sports Insider: The Cage vs. The Ring
One unique thing in working for M-1 and getting to travel with the M-1 Challenge is that I get to routinely watch MMA take place in a ring. Having been a fan of PRIDE, I’ve always had an appreciation for the ring but understood why so many promotions have elected to brand around the cage, especially those with television deals. From a marketing perspective, going with a cage as the combat sports... [Read More...]
Postponed Mike Easton vs. Chase Beebe UWC bantamweight title fight expected for September
Ultimate Warrior Challenge bantamweight champion Mike Easton is expected to make his next title defense in September in a long-anticipated showdown with former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe. Easton revealed the news to FiveOuncesOfPain.com during an upcoming interview conducted shortly after being promoted to black belt last night by Lloyd Irvin in Jenkintown, PA at Jared Weiner’s Brazilian... [Read More...]
Combat Sports Insider: Volume One
It’s been a long time since I’ve written a column for FiveOuncesOfPain.com. As I write this, I’ve embarked on a new chapter in my life that caused me to step away from the site I created. The current state of the U.S. economy has had an adverse effect on a lot of people and I am one of many who have seen their ability to earn a living compromised. After losing a couple of non-MMA writing gigs... [Read More...]
After two losses, Xavier Foupa-Pokam released by the UFC
Xavier Foupa-Pokam’s tenure in the UFC has concluded after just two fights. The talented striker known as “Professor X” was released by the promotion on Monday. FiveOuncesOfPain.com confirmed the news on Tuesday afternoon Foupa-Pokam’s agent, Ken Pavia. Foupa-Pokam earned a spot in the UFC’s middleweight division after compiling a 20-9 record with and a seven fight win... [Read More...]
Report: Satoshi Ishii signs with Sengoku
Satoshi Ishii, a gold medalist in Judo during the 2008 Beijing Games last summer, has signed a lucrative fight contract with World Victory Road’s Sengoku promotion. The news comes according to a report by Nightmare of Battle, a English-language blog that has garnered a credible reputation for its coverage of the Japanese MMA scene. News of Ishii’s signing comes on the heels of previous... [Read More...]
Strikeforce confirms Kim Couture’s withdrawl from May 15 ShoMMA event
Strikeforce female fighter Miesha Tate recently revealed on her MySpace page that her planned fight with Kim Couture set for a ShoMMA event on May 15 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. has been called off after Couture elected to withdraw from the fight. In response to the blog entry, FiveOuncesOfPain.com contacted Strikeforce Vice President of Communications Mike Afromowitz, who confirmed that... [Read More...]
Fedor Emelianenko’s next fight could take place in Japan in July or August
Tokyo, Japan — During his reign as PRIDE heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko was one of Japan’s most recognizable fighters. However, Wednesday’s exhibition vs. WAMMA lightweight champion Shinya Aoki during the M-1 Challenge’s Tokyo event will be the first time he has competed in the country since a first round submission victory over Hong Man Choi on New Year’s Eve... [Read More...]
Heavyweight Prospect Shane Del Rosario Expects to Fight for Strikeforce in August
Tokyo, Japan — Former WBO Muay Thai champion Shane Del Rosario was one of the hottest heavyweight prospects in all of MMA following his second round TKO victory over the previously-unbeaten Carl Seaumanutafa during a September ShoXC event. However, Del Rosario became sidelined after the event due to a broken hand sustained in the victory. The Team Oyama fighter spent signficiant time on the shelf... [Read More...]
Reported Overeem vs. Rogers Strikeforce title fight not signed
A recent report on the Sports 1140 KHTK website revealed that Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem is set to defend his crown against undefeated prospect Brett Rogers. However, when contacted by FiveOuncesOfPain.com, sources close to the fight stated that a bout between Overeem and Rogers for Strikeforce’s June 6 show in St. Louis has yet to be signed. The sources did indicate that... [Read More...]
