Five Ounces of Pain » Aaron Simpson

Lineup for UFC on FUEL TV event grows with addition of two bouts

Jeremy Lambert — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:30:59 +0000

The inaugural UFC on Fuel TV event continues to grow as the company has officially added to more bouts to the card. Aaron Simpson and Ronny Markes will do battle in the middleweight division while featherweights Jonathan Brookins and Rani Yahya will trade leather as well.

It’s not yet known whether or not these fights will take place on the main portion of the broadcast or the preliminary portion.

Simpson is currently riding a three fight win streak that has seen him take out Mario Miranda, Brad Tavares, and Eric Schafer. He’s only lost twice in his professional career to top middleweights Chris Leben and Mark Munoz in consecutive bouts back in 2010.

Markes made a successful UFC debut this past August, defeating highly-touted wrestler Karlos Vemola by unanimous decision. The victory upped his win streak to five and came after a win against former WEC middleweight champ Paulo Filho.

Brookins will look to bounce back following a loss to Erik Koch in his return to 145. Prior to the loss, Brookins won The Ultimate Fighter 12 lightweight tournament, defeating Michael Johnson in the finals.

Yahya will most likely be fighting for his job against Brookins as he’s been on the wrong side of the decision in three of his last four bouts, posting losses against Joseph Benavidez, Takeya Mizugaki, and Chad Mendes with just a lone win over former WEC featherweight title-holder Mike Brown.

UFC on Fuel TV 1 is scheduled for February 15 at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska. The night will be headlined by a welterweight bout between top contenders Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Eric Schafer makes UFC return against Aaron Simpson in October

Brendhan Conlan — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:40:12 +0000

After a successful middleweight debut a week-and-a-half ago at XFO 41, former light heavyweight Eric Schafer will get a second shot at the UFC this October in hopes of finding a permanent home at 185 pounds while getting a bit closer to evening up his record in the Octagon.

According to an official announcement through the organization’s website, “Red” will face Aaron Simpson in Houston at UFC 136 on a card headlined by dual title-fights with lightweight champ Frank Edgar defending his belt against Gray Maynard and dynamic Brazilian Jose Aldo putting his strap on the line against Ken Florian.

Schafer’s showings in the UFC may not been relatively successful in nature but the 33-year old grappler rarely fails to entertain and even took Ryan Bader the distance at UFC 104. Holding an overall record of 12-5-2, Schafer has won eight of his fights via submission including past wins against Jason Guida and Houston Alexander.

A former All-American wrestler who has never been tapped out, the 10-2 “A-Train” should be fully prepared for the challenge Schafer offers on the mat while serving as a threat himself. Simpson is coming off an outpointing of Brad Tavares a few months ago at UFC 132, his second straight win and sixth under the UFC banner.

Other bouts at the October 8 event include Jeremy Stephens vs. Anthony Pettis and Brian Stann vs. Chael Sonnen.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Brad Tavares fills vacancy against Aaron Simpson at UFC 132

Brendhan Conlan — Tue, 31 May 2011 11:00:16 +0000

When the UFC named newly signed middleweight Jason “Mayhem” Miller as one-half of the coaching hierarchy on the Ultimate Fighter Season 14 it left Aaron Simpson, who had been scheduled to mix it up with Miller this summer, without an opponent and likely a bit confused.

However, both problems have now been remedied as the organization announced late on Monday undefeated Hawaiian Brad Tavares has agreed to take Miller’s place and will now face the 9-2 Simpson at UFC 132.

Tavares has gone 2-0 since a stint on TUF 11 including an opening round knockout of Phil Baroni on New Year’s Day at UFC 125. The bout marked the seventh win of the 23-year old’s career and his sixth finishing performance.

The former All-American wrestler out of Arizona State will also be riding the momentum of success in his previous outing when he meets Tavares on July 2, as Simpson outpointed Mario Miranda in March and in the process notched his fourth victory inside the Octagon.

UFC 132 is headlined by bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz defending his title against rival Urijah Faber. The Fourth of July Weekend event also features a bout between hard-hitting slugger Wanderlei Silva and Chris Leben as well as a number of other interesting match-ups including Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim and Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Jason Miller assigned date, opponent for return to the UFC

Brendhan Conlan — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 18:24:23 +0000

Aaron Simpson shadow boxing

When Jason “Mayhem” Miller steps foot in the Octagon after six years away from the famous eight-sided structure, he will do so at one of the UFC’s largest shows annually and against an opponent with All-American credentials on the mat.

According to a statement on the UFC’s Twitter page Miller has drawn accomplished grappler Aaron Simpson at UFC 132, the organization’s July 2 extravaganza headlined by bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz’s title defense against former 145-pound title-holder Urijah Faber.

The bout will mark the second time “Mayhem” has fought under the UFC banner with the first and only other occurrence taking place in 2005 against welterweight ace George St. Pierre. Though he ultimately lost the bout by Unanimous Decision, Miller went on to make a name for himself in Japan and Hawaii as one of the most entertaining middleweights in MMA.

Miller is 24-7 in his career with past victories over Niko Vitale, Tim Kennedy, and Robbie Lawler. Though healthy and having won back-to-back fights, he has been out of action since a September win over Kazushi Sakuraba due in part to the contractual issues assisting in his return to the UFC.

The 36-year old Simpson made a name for himself as a successful wrestler and coach in the collegiate ranks before deciding to give MMA a go in 2007. Since then he has compiled an 8-2 record including seven straight at one point. He was last seen outpointing Mario Miranda in March at UFC Fight Night 24.

Other match-ups for UFC 132 include Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim, Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader, and Chris Leben vs. Wanderlei Silva.

PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE / 5 OZ

Aaron Simpson vs. Tom Lawlor set for UFC Fight Night 20

Cory Brady — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 06:19:27 +0000

A middleweight bout between Aaron Simpson and Tom Lawlor is expected to take place at UFC Fight Night 20.

Both men have been issued bout agreements for the bout according to a recent report on The Underground.

The event is expected to mark the first UFC in Virginia, taking place in Fairfax on January 11 and airing live on Spike TV.

Simpson sports an unblemished record of 6-0 , with all six wins coming by either KO or TKO, and trains out of Arizona Combat Sports alongside Ryan Bader, C.B. Dollaway, and Jamie Varner. A former NCAA All-American wrestler and coach out of Arizona State University, Simpson’s last outing in the Octagon saw him on the winning side of a TKO victory after Ed Herman succumbed to a knee injury following an action packed first round of their UFC 102 bout.

A black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Lawlor holds a professional record of 6-1-1. He has been impressive since his stint on the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter, going 2-0 during his time spent in the Octagon with wins over fellow TUF alumni Kyle Kingsbury and C.B. Dollaway.

Aaron Simpson vs. Ed Herman at UFC Fight Night 19

Cory Brady — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:24:51 +0000

Undefeated middleweight Aaron Simpson is all set to face off with The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 middleweight finalist Ed Herman at UFC Fight Night 19.

The event is set to take place at the Oklahoma Convention Center in Oklahoma on September 16.

Simpson recently announced the expected match-up on his Facebook page.

Simpson trains at Arizona Combat Sports along side the likes of Ryan Bader, Jamie Varner, C.B.Dollaway and Jacob McClintock. He is a two-time All American wrestler, and went on to coach for Arizona State. He is currently sporting an undefeated record of 5-0 with all of his wins coming by either KO or TKO.

Herman recently bounced back from three straight losses in the octagon by defeating David Loiseau at UFC 97 and will be looking to make it two in a row when he faces off with Simpson in September.

Aaron Simpson and Steve Steinbeiss competing in separate fights at UFC 103; Possible for Phoenix, Az.

Cory Brady — Sat, 16 May 2009 19:57:29 +0000

FiveOuncesOfPain.com has just learned from sources close to both fighters that Aaron Simpson and Steve Steinbeiss will be competing in separate fights at UFC 103.

No date or location has been announced announced for UFC 103 but the same source confirmed that Phoenix, Arizona is one location being considered for the event.

Arizona is among the growing number of states that have recently sanctioned their mixed martial arts rules to include elbows on the ground among other rule changes that make them identical to the UFC’s.

Arizona is also a hot bed for MMA activity and lays home to numerous top mixed martial artists such as Ryan Bader, CB Dollaway, Jamie Varner, Efrain Escudero, Joe Riggs, Don Frye, Benson Henderson and countless others.

Simpson is a two time All-American wrestler that won a Pac 10 championship while with Arizona State University before eventually going to become a coach for the illustrious wrestling program. He is undefeated in his mixed martial arts with nothing but TKO’s or knockouts in his five professional career and most recently made his UFC debut a successful one, stopping former training partner Tim McKenzie by TKO in the first round at UFC Fight Night 18 in April.

Steinbeiss is a K-1 veteran and training partner to Simpson at the highly respected Arizona Combat Sports. He was recently scheduled to face off with Ryan Jensen at UFC Fight Night 18 before Jensen was forced out of the bout at the last second.

Aaron Simpson: Throwing First and Throwing Last

Cory Brady — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 01:00:33 +0000

Do you believe in fate, or destiny? If you do, you would have to believe that Aaron Simpson‘s story was written long before he had any say in the matter.

A natural born competitor, Simpson immersed himself in the world of combat from adolescence and has not taken a back step since. In high school the budding athlete put together a jaw dropping record of 142-1 during wrestling competition. Upon graduation the Phoenix, Arizona native continued with his success on the mat for the prestigious Arizona State University wrestling program. While with ASU he was named a two time All-American, won a Pac 10 championship and holds wins over Mark Munoz and Olympian Ben Askren.

Having maintained an unblemished straight A record throughout his days wrestling, Simpson went on to graduate from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, and earned himself a masters degree in higher education. Needless to say, the academic and athletic stand out had his options upon graduation. He easily could have gone on to secure himself a number of different jobs in a variety of different fields with his strong education, but that wouldn’t have been Simpson’s fate. Simpson was meant to be a fighter from day one.

Simpson wanted to give back to the team that had given so much to him, and shortly after graduation he landed a job as an assistant wrestling coach for ASU. For nine years Simpson shared all of the fundamentals he had learned during his many successful years on the mat with many of the best athletes ASU’s wrestling program has ever produced. It was during this time that the lifelong wrestler finally discovered his true calling in life.

As fate would have it, UFC veterans CB Dollaway, Ryan Bader and Cain Velasquez had all fallen under the guidance of Simpson during his coaching days with the school. Even back then his up and coming pupils often expressed their desires to possibly transition into mixed martial arts in the future. Simpson didn’t thnk too much of it at the time. Even after Jesse Forbes came up to train with him in preparation for his stint on The Ultimate Fighter in 2006, sure it peaked Simpson’s interest, but nothing was set in stone at the time.

This is where former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz comes into the grand scheme of things. Longtime friends from their wrestling days in college, Ortiz had recently enlisted Simpson’s services during his preparation for his showdown with current king of the UFC’s light heavyweight division, Rashad Evans, in July of 2007. After the time Simpson spent with Ortiz in Big Bear and the experience of being able to help corner Ortiz in his bout with Evans, there was nothing left to consider. As soon as he got back to the desert he hooked up with one of the best gyms in the business, Arizona Combat Sports, and the rest is history so to speak.

Jump starting his career with a first round beatdown of Tim Coulson in October of 2007, Simpson went on to fight for the WEC in his fourth professional bout and graduated to the UFC in his most recent bout, a first round mauling of former training partner Tim McKenzie on the first of April. He has been extended out of the opening round only once during his career and has finished every single one of his bouts by knockout.

Training with an incredibly talented group of fighters at AZCS like Carlos Condit, Jamie Varner, Jacob McClintock, Jesse Forbes and former students Dollaway and Bader have helped to propel Simpson into the biggest fighting promotion in the planet in the blink of an eye. One would think that his overwhelming wrestling pedigree would be the backbone of his fighting style but Simpson has surprised many with the dynamite in his fists and willingness to exchange punches with tremendous success. The combination of skill in the the separate aspects of MMA have left Simpson as an obvious up and coming talent to keep a very close eye on in the future.

Every now and then an athlete will come along in mixed martial arts that it’s nearly impossible to not have incredibly high expectations for. Simpson is without a doubt one of those fighters.

Cory Brady with FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Why do you think that so many top level wrestlers have been enjoying so much success in recent years?

Aaron Simpson: I feel that wrestling at the top levels helps an athlete develop skills that you cannot simulate in any other form of mixed martial arts. The day in and day out training, develops timing, speed and quickness, explosiveness and endurance as well as top notch mental toughness. Those who actually train and compete on the highest levels are having a great deal of success in MMA because they’ve already competed for so long and have so much experience with wrestling as combat.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Do you feel that the transition to mixed martial arts has been a natural one because of the time you spent in the wrestling room?

Aaron Simpson: I definitely feel the quick learning curve for me and MMA is directly related my years spent in the wrestling room. There are so many attributes that I have developed in wrestling that help me in fighting.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Did you ever imagine yourself fighting for the UFC back during your wrestling days at all?

Aaron Simpson: I think every wrestler who has ever seen the UFC, as well as most men on this planet, imagine themselves fighting in the Octagon in the UFC. Now, some are a little more realistic than others, but I believe that it is natural for humans to want to test themselves in physical combat. As far as me personally training in the sport, I have always thought about fighting, but never put myself in the right situation due to coaching and competing in wrestling.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Your hands have looked extremely explosive during your MMA career so far, have you always been fairly heavy handed, or is the power behind your punches something you have had to really focus on?

Aaron Simpson: I feel that my style as a wrestler helps the power in my hands. That being said, I still train my hands everyday. I am a big fan of Jamie Varner and Carlos Condit and it so happens that I get to train with them everyday. Their hands are so impressive, that I would like to mimic certain things they do. It always helps to have great people around you when you’re trying to get better

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: You can see that you look really comfortable on your feet, when did you first begin formal training in any kind of striking?

Aaron Simpson: I started formal training in May of 2007 at Arizona Combat Sports, so that puts me at just 2 years. I feel like I’ve come a long way, but still have so much more to get better at.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Would you credit a lot of your success you’ve had in MMA to training at one of the best gyms in the business, Arizona Combat Sports?

Aaron Simpson: Yes, I definitely credit ACS to my success. They’ve put together a great fight team: Ryan Bader, Steve Steinbeiss, Ray Steinbeiss, CB Dollaway, Jamie Varner, Carlos Condit, Jesse Forbes, Jacob McClintock, and Estevan Payan. In my honest opinion, you can’t find a better place to reach your goals.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Do you think that having a good group of guys around you in the gym is one of the keys to progressing your game, and continuing to improve?

Aaron Simpson: I can get freaky knees and elbows from Carlos, I can get awesome stand up from Jamie, I can get top notch wrestling and toughness from Bader, I can get unorthodox wrestling and ground with CB, I can get top level BJJ with McClintock, I can get K1 level kickboxing with Steve. I have no excuse but to get better.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: How do you feel about having the opportunity to swim with the sharks in the UFC’s middleweight division at this early point in your career?

Aaron Simpson: I am honored to be fighting in the UFC and feel that I can compete with most anyone in the middleweight division and with time… I feel like I can beat them all.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Did you suffer from any of the notorious UFC pre-fight jitters in the moments leading up to your bout with McKenzie?

Aaron Simpson: Honestly, I have not had too many pre-fight jitters before the last fight. I may get a little nervous a week out hoping I did everything in my power to prepare for the fight. But, one hour leading up to right before, I’m calm and collected. The reality is I love the spotlight. I love being in the middle and having pressure to excel on me. I’ve finally found something that really gets me going.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Do you find being a full time father and a full time fighter to be quite a balancing act at times?

Aaron Simpson: The first several months of having twin babies is absolutely ridiculous! My elbows were killing me from holding and feeding, holding and feeding! But, things have slowed down a little now that they’re 10 months old. My wife is amazing and has them on a schedule, so nothing cuts into training. She is understands the rigors of training and competing. She grew up in a family that lives for wrestling, so she learned at a young age about the discipline and sacrifice that comes with being great. I am able to do what I do, because she is so great at being a mom.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Do you think there is any reason that Arizona State’s wrestling program has produced so many top level fighters over the last couple of years? In the last year or two, Ryan Bader, yourself, Cain Velasquez, CB Dollaway and others have really taken MMA by storm. Is there something in the water down there?

Aaron Simpson: I’m not sure what to say about us all fighting now and all former Devils. We all have different stories and took different paths to get where we are. Cain was the first, Bader and CB followed. I had an opportunity and decided it is now or never. It is really amazing to think that just a couple years ago, I was helping coach these three against Minnesota, Iowa and Iowa State and now we’re all fighting on the biggest stage in the world. It is crazy to see how life unfolds.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: What are your ultimate goals in mixed martial arts? What did you get involved for?

Aaron Simpson: The ultimate goal is to fight for and win the UFC World Title. I would not be in this for anything less.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Is it important that you are known as the kind of fighter that finishes his fights?

Aaron Simpson: It is important for me, because I train so hard for these fights. The day after my fight, I ran 3 miles in Nashville. The next day I was back doing my conditioning workout with Bryan Davis, a former Superbowl Champion cornerback for the Washington Redskins, and several of the Elite Freestyle wrestlers who were getting ready for the US Freestyle Nationals. I train that hard so I can push my opponents to their breaking point. I know that someday my fight will go the distance. But, when it is over and I am getting my hand raised, my opponent is going to remember me and know that he will never want to go through that again.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: What can people expect from Aaron Simpson in the future with the UFC?

Aaron Simpson: They can expect me to start the fight and end the fight. I will be throwing first and throwing last. My goal going into every fight is to dominate. That is the game plan first and foremost. I will leave everything I have on that canvas.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Is there anyone you would like to thank?

Aaron Simpson: I would like to thank all of my training partners (mentioned above) as well as the Lally brothers. I would also like to thank Dave Martin and Amanda Barnes with Wasserman Media Group as well as Brad Martin with UltimatePros.com. Last but not least I would like to thank my wife for being a perfect role model of hard work and true honesty as well as my daughter Claire for taking everything that she’s been dealt and turning it into gold…and lastly my baby boy Nico and baby girl Mia for making me smile all day long…oh and thank you for letting me rattle on!

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: No problem Aaron, anytime. Good luck with your fighting career, it’s looking very bright from here. Thanks for your time and I’ll talk to you soon.

Aaron Simpson to make UFC debut at UFN 18 vs. Tim McKenzie

Sam Caplan — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:22:06 +0000

Talented middleweight prospect Aaron Simpson is scheduled to make his UFC debut on April 1 at UFC Fight Night 18 against Tim McKenzie.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com learned of the news from a source close to one of the fighters on Sunday.

The Simpson vs. McKenzie matchup will pit a current member of Arizona Combat Sports, Simpson, vs. one of its former members, McKenzie. Both fighters will also be making their UFC debuts after being transferred over from the WEC following the latter’s decision to close its middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.

Simpson improved to 4-0 after needing all of 18 seconds to knockout David Avellan at WEC 36 this past November. A former standout wrestler in college, all of Simpson’s victories have ended inside the distance.

McKenzie is 12-5 overall during a professional mixed martial arts career that began in 2001. He was 1-1 in the WEC with a loss to Steve Cantwell at WEC 33 and a victory over Jeremy Lang at WEC 34.

UFN 18 will take place in Nashville, Tennessee and the two-hour Spike TV telecast will precede the season premiere for the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Additional bouts expected for the card include TUF 8 lightweight winner Efrain Escudero vs. Jeremy Stephens, TUF 8 light heavyweight winner Ryan Bader vs. Carmelo Marrero, and Junie Browning vs. Cole Miller.

Exclusive: IFL set to announce extension with Fox Sports Net; Miller to fight Palaszewski

Sam Caplan — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 23:13:01 +0000

A representative close to the International Fight League confirmed to FiveOuncesOfPain.com (www.FiveOuncesOfPain.com) late Monday that the fight promotion is set to announce an extension of their existing television contract with Fox Sports Net.

As per terms of the deal, the extension will call for the IFL’s show to air weekly on FSN on Saturdays at midnight through July.

While speaking with Five Ounces of Pain for this story, the IFL representative expressed his belief that the new time slot is beneficial to the promotion because it will decrease the number of preemptions that result from FSN’s local sports commitments.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com has also learned that lightweight prospect Jim Miller will compete on the IFL’s next fight card scheduled for April 4 in East Rutherford, NJ at the Izod Center.

Sources have revealed that Miller will replace Deividas Taurosevicius on the April card in a lightweight clash against Bart Palaszewski. Taurosevicius had to bow out of next month’s fight due to a hand injury that has been slow to heal. He is slated to compete on the promotion’s May show at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.

Miller had reportedly been offered a contract by the UFC and an opportunity to replace Spencer Fisher against Marcus Aurelio at UFC Fight Night 13 on April 2. He was unable to execute a contract with the UFC due to an existing three fight deal with the IFL.

Exclusive: Jim Miller vs. Marcus Aurelio fight at UFC Fight Night 13 not finalized

Sam Caplan — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:37:22 +0000

It is being reported by several media outlets that Jim Miller has agreed to replace the injured Spencer Fisher in a lightweight match against Marcus Aurelio to be contested on the undercard of UFC Fight 13 on April 2.

While Miller has been offered the fight and is prepared to accept it, FiveOuncesOfPain.com (www.FiveOuncesOfPain.com) has learned that the fight has not been finalized.

When contacted by FiveOuncesOfPain.com for comment on Tuesday afternoon, IFL Senior Vice President of Communications Joe Favorito confirmed rumors that Miller is already signed to a three-fight contract with the promotion.

Miller was recently added to the IFL roster and is scheduled to be a part of its May show in Connecticut as a member of a team comprised of fighters from the New Jersey and New York area.

Favorito was quick to add that the IFL is more than willing to work out an agreement with the UFC that would grant Miller a one-time exemption allowing him to compete against Aurelio. According to Favorito, Miller’s management team was notified of the IFL’s position this morning.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com has also learned that Miller’s brother, Dan Miller, who has competed for the IFL in the past, has also signed a new three-fight agreement with the promotion.