However, there’s an overlooked match that is scheduled to be televised on this weekend’s pay-per-view with plenty of history behind it, as former Junior College wrestling standout Mike Massenzio will seek revenge against amateur wrestling rival C.B. Dollaway.

Massenzio lost to Dollaway at the Junior College National Championships several years ago and spent the next year of his life preparing for redemption. Unfortunately, Dollaway never advanced to the finals and Massenzio’s opportunity for revenge was lost.

But fate has strange way of working as Massenzio will finally get a chance to avenge his previous loss. However, instead of taking place on a mat, Massenzio and Dollaway are set to have their rematch inside the Octagon in a televised main card attraction this Saturday at UFC 92.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com was granted exclusive access to Massenzio courtesy of RotoExperts.com just days before he was scheduled to leave for Vegas in anticipation of the fight and the transcription of our conversation is now available.

Sam Caplan: You made quick work against Drew McFedries in your UFC debut this past September at UFC Fight Night 15. Did you experience any nervousness coming into the fight?

Mike Massenzio: Obviously when you’re involved in any type of fight there is going to be some nerves. If you’re not nervous before a fight then there’s something wrong. But I’ve been competing my whole entire life having wrestled since I was four years old so the crowd really didn’t bother me at all. I just wanted to make sure I went out there and gave it everything I could and came out on top.

Sam Caplan: Prior to the UFC, you had competed once for the IFL but had primarily fought on regional shows. What was the UFC experience like in comparison to the regional fights you had been involved with? I assume there was a noticeable difference.

Mike Massenzio: Oh, without a doubt. I experienced the difference days before I had even fought when I had gotten to the hotel. Things were just done so professionally. It’s the biggest and best stage in the world and it’s just an honor to even be fighting there. It was very surreal. It was almost like a dream. It was a world of difference.

Sam Caplan: I assume like most professional athletes, you believe in your abilities. But were even you surprised you were able to finish a solid vet like McFedries in just 1:28?

Mike Massenzio: Any fight I go into I prepare the same way whether a guy is 1-10 or 10-1 or 20-0. I go in there as if they are a world champion. I go in there knowing they are going to try and tear my head off and that they’re going to try and beat me. I know I have to give it everything I can.

I planned for the long haul; I planned as if it was going to be a war. It was just that my goal was to try and get the job done as quick as possible and go out there apply pressure and not stop coming at him. Just come at him full blast. That’s what I did and the outcome was in my favor.

Sam Caplan: Your next opponent, C.B. Dollaway, beat you in the JUCO finals and you trained like a madman for a shot at redemption the following year but you never got that chance. Was it a coincidence that you were offered this fight, or was it something your camp campaigned for?

Mike Massenzio: Honestly it’s just karma. Things happen for a reason. I don’t lose very often and when he beat me he was the better man on that day and I don’t take anything away from him because he’s a great competitor. But I trained every day of my life with him in my mind and I wanted to beat him. When I didn’t get that chance, I thought that my shot was gone. But once I saw him fighting in the UFC, I even said to my managers, “You know, I’d love to fight this guy again. I would love to get this guy one more time.” And then when I got the phone call, it just seems like everything happens for a reason.

Sam Caplan: Is there any personal animosity towards him or is this simply a professional rivalry?

Mike Massenzio: Oh no, it’s nothing personal. The guy is a great athlete and I have nothing against him. All I know is that he beat me and it’s not fun to lose. I don’t like losing and I know that I could have beaten him. I feel like I am the better man but that on that day he was better than me. No one likes to lose and I just want to get my revenge. I just want redemption.

Sam Caplan: Dollaway actually gets paid by his camp to train and word has it that Team Bombsquad has a similar arrangement with its fighters. I wanted to know if that’s true and if so, what’s that like for a fighter to have that security?

Mike Massenzio: They help me out as much as they can. They do what they can to help me out. It’s just that I’m able to train full-time. Bombsquad is my management team and I also own my own mixed martial arts academy, Ironhorse Mixed Martial Arts in Garfield, New Jersey. It’s just a great thing to be able to train full-time. In order to be the best in this sport you have to do it full-time.

You have to train full-time because there are just so many aspects to this game. The sport has evolved and you really have to put 100 percent into it. That includes hours and hours and hours of training. I put an unlimited amount of time into training so that I can be the best I can possibly be.

Sam Caplan: You just mentioned that it’s a must to train full-time in order to be a lasting success in this industry. However, due to the financial constraints for a fighter starting at the entry level of the UFC, the pay really isn’t good enough for a guy to have the luxury to quit his job and focus solely on training. As a pro fighter trying to work your way up the ranks, would it even be possible to consider training full-time if it wasn’t for the help of Bombsquad or your sponsors?

Mike Massenzio: Before I even took Bombsquad on as my management company I was still training full-time. It’s about how bad you want it. If you want to get there and you want to get there fast, you’ve got to sacrifice. When I first started doing this I had nowhere to live. I had nothing. I quit my job and knew that I was going to struggle.

I wanted to be the best and money is great; I want to be a millionaire but my dream is that I want to be the UFC world champion. And I know in my heart I know that I would do anything to get there. I lived off of nothing for pretty much the good part of my career. I lived in a small little basement apartment where sometimes the electric wasn’t working and I didn’t even have enough money to put food in my mouth. I just had the dream of becoming a world champion in my head and I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from getting to this.

Sam Caplan: Now that you’re fighting for the UFC, how much more interest are you getting from sponsors?

Mike Massenzio: A lot more. Sponsors aren’t going to just mess with anyone, they want the best guys. I knew that coming into the sport a couple of years ago and now that I’m in the big show, I’m doing well and people want to help out more.

Sam Caplan: For this upcoming fight, are there any sponsors you’d like to thank?

Mike Massenzio: I pretty much just want to thank everyone; from sponsors, to Bombsquad, to everyone at my camp. Edson Carvalho from Team Edson Carvalho Jiu-Jitsu; Barry Porter from Faceoff Boxing; Hector from RotoExperts.com; and just anyone who believes in me.

Sam Caplan: Sources have told us that the UFC approached your camp several times about being on TUF, most notably TUF 7. Why did you choose to break into the UFC the old fashioned way as opposed to doing it through reality TV?

Mike Massenzio: Personally, I felt I was doing well in my career and I didn’t feel I had to use the show in order to (get into the UFC). I felt that I would be able to get in there (on my own). I also had fought three times in a row right before the season was casting and I had a couple of injuries I wanted to take care of. The biggest thing is that I didn’t want to go into that show and be a little bit injured and not have a good performance and never get a shot again.

Sam Caplan: If you were on TUF 7, do you feel like you would have won?

Mike Massenzio: Yeah, without a doubt. I feel like I could have won the show. C.B. was in there and I would have ended up seeing him a lot earlier and I feel I could have done very well. In my heart, I know that I could have beaten a lot of those guys and I feel that I could have made a lot of noise on that show.

Miller is the younger brother of UFC lightweight competitor Jim Miller and is also a former middleweight champion in the IFL and Cage Fury Fighting Championship promotions. He will make his UFC debut at UFN 15 against Rob Kimmons.

Massenzio, a former amateur state wrestling champion in New Jersey, will take on Miletich Fighting Systems’ product Drew McFedries.

Also officially announced is a bout featuring another newcomer, Jason Brilz, who will be taking on former heavyweight competitor Brad Morris in a bout to be contested at light heavyweight.

UFN 15 will air on Spike TV on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 9 p.m. ET and will emanate from the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska. The card, which will precede the season premiere for the eighth installment of “The Ultimate Fighter,” will feature a pair of solid lightweight bouts between Nate Diaz vs. Josh Neer and Mac Danzig vs. Clay Guida.

Hometown hero Houston Alexander will also be featured in a light heavyweight bout vs. Eric Schafer.

(Pictured: Mike Massenzio)

Massenzio’s bout is currently slated to make the Spike TV portion of the card, which will be telecast as a lead-in for the eighth season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” It’s somewhat ironic that he’ll be debuting during a TUF premiere night considering he was recruited to be a part of the cast for TUF 7. But the UFC wasn’t alone in their desire for Massenzio. He has been on the radar of talent evaluators for several national organizations after amassing a 10-1 record in MMA following a standout wrestling career in Junior College.

Last spring, Massenzio made the decision to leave the regional ranks. However, some industry insiders were surprised upon hearing that Massenzio had chosen to go with the International Fight League. With the IFL having ceased operations, Massenzio was given a second opportunity to join the UFC’s middleweight division.

Massenzio recently granted FiveOuncesOfPain.com an interview where he discussed the reasoning behind turning down the TUF 7 invite and eventually signing with the IFL. During our exclusive interview, he not only spoke about his career moves but also talked about how competing for the UFC will be the realization of a dream; fighters he looked up to while being a fan; what he has planned for McFedries; whether he’s ready for a shot at Anderson Silva; and much more.

Sam Caplan: I first wanted to congratulate you on signing a four-fight contract with the UFC. It’s a tremendous honor.

Mike Massenzio: Definitely. It’s a great feeling. I’ve been waiting my whole life. This is a lot of peoples’ dreams.

Sam Caplan: With the UFC having been a dream of yours are there any fighters you’ve enjoyed watching or have looked up to while watching in recent years?

Mike Massenzio: I love GSP. I love St. Pierre. That’s a style that I like: constant pressure. And just mixing it up and not just doing one thing and being able to go from one thing to the next. You can never know what he’s going to do next so I’ve enjoyed watching him. And Wanderlei Silva is my all-time favorite.

Sam Caplan: After having spoken with sources in the past, I know this wasn’t the first time that the UFC has come after you. Is it true that you were invited to be a participant on the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter?”

Mike Massenzio: Yes, it’s true.

Sam Caplan: What was behind your decision for not going on the show:

Mike Massenzio: At the time I had just fought three fights in a row in September, October, and November. I just needed a little time to rest and relax. I was doing my thing and doing well and I felt I needed to take some time off and rest before getting ready to go.

Sam Caplan: Around that same time I had heard from a source that EliteXC tried to get you to sign and had plans for you to debut on the 1/25 ShoXC show. Is that true as well?

Mike Massenzio: There’s some truth to that. My manager is Gary Marino (of GVM Sports Management) and we were keeping in touch. He handles all of that stuff. But yes, that was a scenario that was run by me at that time.

Sam Caplan: So you had all of these promotions coming after you and around that time you made the decision to sign with the IFL. What was behind the decision to go with the IFL as opposed to other promotions that had approached you?

Mike Massenzio: The IFL was a good step up. It was a big step up from what I was doing. I would have love to have been on (TUF 7) but there were just a couple of other things I was trying to take care of. I had to take care of a couple of injuries here and there and like I said, I really wanted to get some rest after having fought three times in a row. But I have a good bunch of people around me and they had advised me that the IFL was a step in the right direction.

Sam Caplan: When the IFL canceled its August show and basically suspended operations, did you receive an immediate release from your contract?

Mike Massenzio: I’m not really too sure. Gary handles all of that. He takes care of all the inside work.

Sam Caplan: I spoke to Gary right after you had signed with the UFC and he made the point that it is rare for the UFC to sign a fighter coming off a loss. You had lost to Danillo Villefort during the IFL’s show in May. Were you surprised when you got the call from the UFC?

Mike Massenzio: It caught me a little off guard. They usually don’t want to take a guy coming off a loss. I lost to Danillo but he’s a great athlete and he’s super-tough. It was a bad fight to make a judgment on me. At the time, I was a little disappointed but I was ready to go at all times. I feel like I belong in the UFC and I’m excited to be a part of it. It’s the best organization in the world and I’m taking this as a second chance.

Sam Caplan: You’re one of the top prospects coming out of the East Coast. It just seems like a lot of fight prospects in California and the Midwest are always getting opportunities. Do you feel East Coast fighters are getting the same kind of love from the major national promotions?

Mike Massenzio: I see it coming a little bit more and more. A lot of the best schools, training camps, and facilities are out West in Vegas and California, so they’re probably going to get a look first. But there are a lot of tough East Coast guys coming up and I feel I am one of them. I’m just excited to be on a show where I can demonstrate what I can do on an elite stage.

Sam Caplan: You were a standout wrestler at Bergen County Junior College. What made you decide to get in MMA?

Mike Massenzio: My whole life I’ve been an athlete. I’ve been wrestling since I was five years old. My ultimate dream in the wrestling world was to go Division I but I never really got a chance to get to that level (because) coming out of high school I was academically ineligible, which forced me to have to go to Junior College. And coming out of JUCO I actually was signed by Rider University to a full scholarship. Right after coming out of Bergen, I was just burnt out coming from the whole wrestling world and I had always wanted to do MMA. I had to make a decision about what I wanted to do; times were real rough (as) I had been living on my own since I was 18-years old. I had to pay bills and MMA was brand new to me. It was exciting during a time when I was burnt out so I made the switch.

Sam Caplan: When you fought for the IFL, you fought a jiu-jitsu black belt in Danillo Villefort. You’ll be making your UFC debut against a puncher in Drew McFedries. As a wrestler, do you have a preference of going against a grappler or a puncher?

Mike Massenzio: Honestly, I feel that I am very well-rounded in every aspect: my jiu-jitsu, my standup, and obviously my wrestling is on top of its game, I feel. I’ll fight anybody. If it’s a striker, a wrestler, a jiu-jitsu guy, I approach every fight the same way; I want to have the same intensity. I’ll go over films and devise strategic moves to counter their best areas. But for the most part I just approach every fight with the right mindset and do what I’ve got to do out there.

Sam Caplan: McFedries is a tough opponent. He certainly won’t be an easy debut. Have you started watching film in order to scout him and prepare for the fight?

Mike Massenzio: Without a doubt. As soon as I had heard I had the fight with him we started going over what we felt his weaknesses and his strengths were. We just have been trying to pick his game a part so that I can put a gameplan together and figure out how I am going to approach the fight.

Sam Caplan: I know you can’t talk about your gameplan too much, but I wanted to know if there is one area you’ve seen in his game that you feel you can exploit?

Mike Massenzio: My whole thing is whoever I fight, I want to be aggressive. From the opening bell to the final bell, I want to apply constant pressure. I want to give it everything I’ve got, no matter what. He’s a great fighter and this is a great fight. It’s an honor being able to fight a guy like this. But I feel I am at his level and I’m at all of these guys’ level and this is just a great fight because I can prove what I can do. Like I said, I’m just going to pressure the whole time and go out there and give it everything I’ve got.

Sam Caplan: Ideally where would you like to be in the UFC a year from now?

Mike Massenzio: A year from now I hope I’ve won all of my fights. I hope I am undefeated in the UFC. I can’t really predict what’s going to happen in the future; all I know is that I have to worry about what’s going on today. Before I can look ahead, I need to get past Drew McFedries first but I would love to win all of my fights within a year and then see what’s going on then.

Sam Caplan: I assume fighting for the middleweight title is a goal of yours. How soon do you think you’d be ready for Anderson Silva?

Mike Massenzio: My dream is to be a world champion in the UFC but I’m just taking one step at a time. Drew McFedries is just the first guy in my way. It’s hard to say but I hope that within a year or two that I’m in title contention.

According to Marino, Massenzio will make his UFC debut on Sept. 17 during UFC Fight Night 15 in Omaha, Nebraska against Miletich Fighting Systems middleweight Drew McFedries.

Massenzio is 10-2 in 12 pro fights and is considered one of the top prospects on the East Coast. At one point or another, he’s been recruited in the past by all of the major national promotions, including the UFC and EliteXC.

In his most recent fight, he had his nine fight win streak snapped during the International Fight League’s Connecticut show on May 16. Making his IFL debut against American Top Team’s Danillo Villefort, Massenzio submitted to a kneebar at 3:25 of round 1.

Some of Massenzio’s most notable victories during his win streak came against IFL middleweight champion Dan Miller, TUF 7 contestant Dante Rivera, K-1 and Spirit MC veteran Masakatsu Okuda, Bill Scott, Drew Puzon, and Eric Charles.

Massenzio still had been under contract to the IFL until recently, but was one of several fighters to receive their releases while the UFC finalized a deal to acquire the struggling New York-based fight promotion. He joins Jim and Dan Miller as top prospects from the IFL to recently sign with the UFC.

The news comes from EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw who was a recent guest on MMA Weekly radio.

From MMA Weekly:

“Obviously the back injury happened (to Shields) and the easiest thing to do was move him to Hawaii to fight Drew,” said Shaw in the interview with MMAWeekly Radio. “Unfortunately since then Drew Fickett has hurt his knee and he’s not going to be able to take that fight on June 14 and that will be rescheduled again.”

By “rescheduled again,” Shaw is referring to a scheduled March 29th bout between the two that didn’t go through due to Shields’ aforementioned back injury.

In addition to revealing Fickett’s injury, Shaw also announced five bouts for the June 14th show set to take place in Hawaii. The bouts are as follows:

• K.J. Noons vs. Yves Edwards (for EliteXC’s lightweight title)
• Nick Diaz vs. Muhsin Corbbrey
• Murilo Rua vs. Tony Bonello
• Wayne Cole vs. Rafael Feijao
• Dave Herman vs. Ron Waterman

Read more EliteXC content on FiveOuncesOfPain.com

Stephanie Daniels, co-host of the Internet radio show Cageside Live was the first to break the news. Upon seeing Daniels’ announcement, ProElite.com (SamCaplan.ProElite.com) confirmed with Baroni through text message that the match has been signed.

Baroni recently returned to active competition following a six-month suspension handed down by the California State Athletic Commission for testing positive for a banned steroid. The original suspension was for a year but was reduced following a December appeal hearing. Baroni continues to maintain his innocence.

Baroni, 10-9, returned on March 15 during an ICON Sport show in Honolulu, Hawaii. He challenged Kala “Kolohe” Hose for the vacant ICON middleweight title but lost via TKO at 1:45 into round 5 in spite of a strong showing in the first round of the fight.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REMAINDER OF THIS ARTICLE ON SAM CAPLAN’S PROELITE.COM BLOG

We regret very much the departure of Murilo and Mauricio Rua, they are fighters brought up in the team and left to start their own team in the USA. We’d like to remind them that the doors to Chute Boxe shall always be open for both of them and we wish them luck and success in their new endeavors.

While I understand that the fight promotion aspect of MMA in Brazil is doing quite well, it’s still sad to see that the landscape regarding some of its top fight camps has been completely altered.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REMAINDER OF THIS ARTICLE ON SAM CAPLAN’S PROELITE.COM BLOG

Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.

The signing of Silva comes in light of a report in this week’s print edition of The Wrestling Observer newsletter in which it was claimed UFC Vice President of Talent Relations Joe Silva said during a Q&A session prior to UFC 78 that Silva had two remaining fights on his existing EliteXC contract. According to the report, he added that the UFC would have interest when Antonio Silva became available.

Silva returned to action following an eight month layoff during EliteXC’s most recent show in November. He improved his record to 9-1 following a first round submission via rear naked choke against Jonathan Wiezorek.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REMAINDER OF THIS ARTICLE ON SAM CAPLAN’S PROELITE.COM BLOG

After a brutal TKO loss to Robbie Lawler last month, former EliteXC middleweight champ Murilo “Ninja” Rua, is looking to return to winning form against Frenchman Xavier Foupa-Pokam at Cage Rage 24 on December 1 in London, MMAWeekly reports.

“That wasn’t me,” who fans saw lose the EliteXC middleweight title to Lawler, Rua said. The Chute Boxe middleweight says that his stamina wasn’t what it should have been against Lawler and promises to be in the best shape of his life for Cage Rage 24.

“I know that Xavier Foupa-Pokam likes to stand up and punch,” Ninja told MMAWeekly. “It will be an electric fight for sure, the crowd will see a real war because I am going to war for this fight.”

Cage Rage 24 will be the promotion’s first event under the Pro Elite Inc. banner.

For more on this fight, as well as the rest of the Cage Rage 24 fight card, click here.

I recommend that loyal 5 Oz. readers check out the countdown show because a certain someone you know might be appearing on the show opening his big mouth about the matchups.

If you’re not able to see tonight’s showing, here is a schedule of future airings:

DAY DATE TIME CHANNEL
Friday Aug. 31 1 a.m. SHO
Saturday Sept. 1 12:30 a.m. SHO

Monday Sept. 3 4 p.m. SHO
Tuesday Sept. 4 Midnight SHO
Wednesday Sept. 5 Midnight SHO

Sunday Sept. 9 11 p.m. SHO
Monday Sept. 10 7:30 p.m. SHO

Wednesday Sept. 12 1:30 a.m. SHO
Thursday Sept. 13 Noon SHO
Friday Sept. 14 1:15 a.m. SHO

http://cbs.sportsline.com/mmaboxing/story/10232110

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news.asp?n_id=7995

Gross reports that the medical issue that had been thought likely to prevent Murilo “Shogun” Rua from fighting Joey Villasenor for the vacant EliteXC middleweight title may have been resolved. CSAC executive officer Armando Garcia said that if everything continues to progress as they have for Rua, he could be cleared in time to fight Villasenor after all.

After Rua was unable to secure a license to fight last week, EliteXC brought Niko Vitale in as a replacement for Rua. If Vitale’s services are not utilized, he’ll still be compensated and EliteXC has announced that he’s been signed to a long-term contract.

In regard to a report on GracieFighter.com that Phil Baroni’s status is in doubt, Garcia reiterated what he told us yesterday and that is that Baroni has undergone all the standard tests.

Gross spoke with Baroni’s agent, Ken Pavia, who said that results from a standard MRI could be available Wednesday and that he believes his client will be cleared to fight.

Rua had been scheduled to fight Joey Villasenor for the vacant EliteXC middleweight title on the undercard of Friday’s Frank Shamrock vs. Phil Baroni main event. However, the match was canceled after Rua was unable to get approved for a license in California last week.

Despite being cleared by the UCLA neurosurgeon, it’s unlikely that he’ll still get a ruling on any kind of appeal to CSAC in time for Friday’s card.