Five Ounces of Pain

Luke Rockhold: “TRT had nothing to do with that kick.”

Brendhan Conlan — Sun, 19 May 2013 23:30:42 +0000

Leading up to last night’s headlining tilt between middleweights Luke Rockhold-Vitor Belfort at UFC on FX 8 there had been a ton of talk about testosterone replacement therapy’s influence on the effort’s outcome. During the build, Rockhold labeled “The Phenom” as a cheat with many fans echoing his sentiments in relation to Belfort’s use of TRT despite being popped in the past for PEDs. And, with Belfort going on to win the scrap in spectacular fashion thanks to a perfectly placed spinning heel kick in the fight’s first frame, the opportunity was certainly there after the clash for Rockhold to continue his quest against the controversial practice.

However, the 28-year old Californian took the opposite route.

“TRT had nothing to do with that kick,” admitted Rockhold to MMAJunkie.

“I mean it’s hard to say what went wrong. I was feeling good. I was finding my timing. I felt like I was controlling things, and then he landed a spinning heel kick to my head,” he continued. “I felt good. I saw his punches. I saw everything. I was landing some shots. I felt like I was starting to control things, and then I got caught. It happens.”

“I had a great camp. I felt good in the fight. I was focused. I don’t know if I got overconfident or what exactly happened. I don’t know. I thought I had it,” he concluded, expressing interest in getting back to work in the gym as soon as possible to help numb the sting of defeat.

The loss snapped a nine-fight winning streak for Rockhold and dropped his overall record to 10-2. Comparably, it was Belfort’s fourth straight triumph at 185 pounds with all of the victories featuring some form of finish.

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Rafael dos Anjos never doubted he’d earned decision over Evan Dunham

Brendhan Conlan — Sun, 19 May 2013 21:30:51 +0000

A spirited scrap between lightweights Rafael dos Anjos and Evan Dunham at UFC on FX 8 was left tainted in the eyes of many based on a bit of questionable scoring. Though Dunham had seemingly done enough in the match-up to receive the nod, Dos Anjos ultimately walked away with the victory. While far from the worst decision in MMA history, the situation reminded fans of the inconsistency involved in judging and even prompted UFC President Dana White to declare Dunham had been robbed.

However, Dos Anjos never felt as though the win was in jeopardy.

“I was confident, because the takedown he got in the first round…I tried a kick, so I slipped a little bit. I won the second and third round, so I was confident,” said the 28-year old to Fuel TV in a conversation about the clash.

Regardless of the controversy, Dos Anjos’ performance marked his fourth successful showing in a row, adding to other recent wins over the likes of Mark Bocek and Anthony Njokuani. With a Top 10 opponent likely on tap for his next tilt, the 19-6 Brazilian is prepared for any challenge the UFC might throw his way.

“I’m ready to fight anyone. I’ve been training hard,” he assured his supporters.

The full interview with Dos Anjos can be seen below:

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UFC on FX 8: Belfort vs. Rockhold Scrap Book

Brendhan Conlan — Sun, 19 May 2013 19:30:03 +0000

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. As such, prepare to read one of the longest columns on Five Ounces of Pain to date.

The atmosphere last night in Jaragua do Sul was festive as fans have come to expect when the UFC stops in Brazil. The crowd at UFC on FX 8 cheered the least known of their countrymen on the card as though each was a star, showered disapproval down on foreigners, and kept things electric from start to finish. The competitors also delivered, kicking the evening off with a Fight of the Night winner and ending it with one of the most memorable knockouts in the organization’s history thanks to Vitor Belfort‘s brilliant finish of Strikeforce veteran Luke Rockhold.

Thanks to the fine folks at USA Today Sports, readers can take a look back as the festivities in a series of shots pulled from their catalog of images. All photos were taken by Jason da Silva.

Arena Jaragua During UFC on FX 8

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Ronaldo Souza: “I wanted to show him that I’m a complete fighter and I did that.”

Brendhan Conlan — Sun, 19 May 2013 17:30:00 +0000

UFC middleweight Ronaldo Souza will never be known as a striker and that’s okay with the 33-year old submission specialist. However, he also has no interest in being seen as a one-trick pony based on his BJJ brilliance and has made a concerted effort to improve his stand-up over the past few years.

Though Souza’s UFC on FX 8 win over Chris Camozzi came as the result of a soul-sucking Arm-Triangle Choke, “Jacare” made sure to mix things up beforehand instead of simply shooting for takedowns. After the victory, he explained why to the Fuel TV broadcast team, saying, “I threw a couple of punches, so I gave him my business card. I wanted to show him that I’m a complete fighter and I did that.”

The win improved Souza’s overall record to 18-3 and was his fourth straight, setting the widely-respected grappler up for a potential run at the title. While Souza recognizes he’ll need to score a few more instances of in-ring success before staking his claim on contendership, he’s happy to have at least shown he has what it takes to compete inside the Octagon after extended runs in Japan and Strikeforce.

“It means a lot to me,” admitted Souza. “I came in here to do my job, and that’s exactly what I did. I showed them that I can perform very well.”

The full interview with Souza can be seen below:

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UFC lightweight Josh Cholish calls it a career

Brendhan Conlan — Sun, 19 May 2013 16:30:15 +0000

It looked like lightweight John Cholish was in position to be a divisional player for the next few years with an 8-3 record, a history of finishing foes, and his 30th birthday more than six months away. However, shortly before his UFC on FX 8 fight with Gleison Tibau, Cholish went online to reveal the rumble would be the last of his career.

Cholish, who ultimately lost the bout by way of submission, spoke to MMAJunkie after the match-up where he admitted the cost of competing was too steep for the pay involved.

“I give a lot of these guys credit that fight at this level. I think they could be compensated much better based on the income that the UFC takes in. Fortunately, I can just walk away and I’m OK with it. By no means do I mean it disrespectfully toward any other fighters because I think they do a great job. But hopefully Zuffa and the UFC will start paying them a little better,” explained Cholish who has a degree from Cornell University and works as a commodities broker.

“At the end of the day, it’s hard,” he continued. “I have great coaches that take time off and travel. They deserve money, as well. To be completely honest, on a fight like this, I’m losing money to come down here. Flights, hotel rooms, food – and that doesn’t even cover the cost of the time I have to pay for my coaches for training.”

Though Cholish’s reasoning might relate to financial compensation, that’s not to say he’s bitter about his time in the UFC or as a Mixed Martial Artist in general.

“I had a great ride fighting from little shows all the way up. I never thought I’d get to the UFC, so it’s been a really cool experience,” the 29-year old concluded. “I love mixed martial arts…Maybe one day I’ll compete again. I don’t know. We’ll see. It’s been a really cool experience, a fun ride. I have no regrets.”

Cholish’s loss to Tibau was his second straight. Prior to the slide he’d won eight straight including seven featuring some form of stoppage.

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Renan Barao out of UFC 161 title-defense due to injury

Brendhan Conlan — Sun, 19 May 2013 16:00:45 +0000

UFC bantamweight Renan Barao has won thirty straight tilts since stumbling in his professional debut including dominant showings against some of the sport’s best but, as the MMA world learned this weekend, he’s still a mortal man. Though not officially announced, it appears Barao suffered an undisclosed foot injury while training for a June 15 defense of his interim belt against Eddie Wineland and has been forced to withdraw as a result.

Brazilian outlet TATAME was first to report the matter, while MMAJunkie was told Barao would “probably” be unavailable for UFC 161 by one of the organization’s representatives but was undergoing additional testing on Monday before any additional moves were made.

The 30-1 Barao has notched seven wins under the Zuffa banner including success in the Octagon against Scott Jorgensen, Brad Pickett, Michael McDonald, and Urijah Faber.

It is unknown if the UFC will find a replacement in the rumble or re-schedule it for a future date. If pulled from the card, UFC 161 is still set to feature bouts between Tyron Woodley-Jake Shields, Pat Barry-Shawn Jorgan, Mauricio Rua-Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and Dan Henderson-Rashad Evans.

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UFC on FX 8 Bonuses: Vitor Belfort wins Knockout of the Night for finish of Luke Rockhold

Brendhan Conlan — Sun, 19 May 2013 05:00:00 +0000

UFC middleweight Vitor Belfort wasn’t given much of a chance in his match-up with Luke Rockhold at UFC on FX 8 outside of the opening round. Though it’s possible “The Phenom” would have faded as the fight went on, history will never know how things would have unfolded beyond the midway point of the first frame when Belfort landed a beautiful spinning kick to Rockhold’s jaw. The 36-year old followed the scintillating strike up with a series of shots to the grounded Rockhold’s chin, sealing the deal while also earning Knockout of the Night in the process and the attached $50,000.

To the surprise of few who follow the sport, Ronaldo Souza scored Submission of the Night honors after putting opponent Chris Camozzi to sleep in the first few minutes of their co-headlining rumble. The finish came by way of a beautiful Arm-Triangle Choke that gave Camozzi little time to tap before the end was in place. “Jacare” improved his overall record to 18-3 with the win and was his fourteenth via submission. Like Belfort he too won $50,000 for the distinction.

Fight of the Night went to the preliminary pairing between Lucas Martins and Jeremy Larsen. The action was back and forth in the bout with Martins picking up a knockout in the third stanza despite being rocked earlier on. Each man received $50,000 for their role in the rumble.

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UFC on FX 8 Results: Vitor Belfort blasts Luke Rockhold into la-la land

Brendhan Conlan — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:30:34 +0000

What started as a simple scrap between ranked middleweights turned into a match-up ripe with rivalry, as UFC fighters Vitor Belfort (22-10) and Luke Rockhold (10-1) butted heads figuratively (and almost literally) since being named as opponents at UFC on FX 8. Each had a chance to settle the score tonight when they collided in the evening’s main event, though in the end only one man emerged with a victory in tow.

After an evenly matched start to the scrap Belfort landed a beautiful spinning head-kick sending Rockhold to the mat. The beloved Brazilian wasted little time following up the shot, landing a series of stiff strikes to knock the former Strikeforce champ out.

Other tilts on tap in Brazil included Hacran Dias-Nik Lentz and Chris Camozzi-Ronaldo Souza. Lentz was able to control Dias for the most part with his wrestling, also landing some solid strikes along the way, and picked up the decision nod as a result. Meanwhile, Souza secured a submission in the first frame of his clash with Camozzi, putting his foe to sleep thanks to a slick Arm-Triangle Choke. After the win “Jacare” called out the winner of Belfort-Rockhold, hoping to secure a bout with “The Phenom”.

Read below for a full rundown of UFC on FX 8 results:

Lucas Martins def. Jeremy Larsen via Knockout Round 3 (Strikes)
Jussier da Silva def. Chris Cariaso via Unanimous Decision
John Lineker def. Azamat Gashimov via TKO Round 2 (Strikes)
Fabio Maldonado def. Roger Hollett via Unanimous Decision
Yuri Alcantara def. Illiarde Santos via TKO Round 1 (Strikes)
Paulo Thiago def. Michel dos Prazeres via Unanimous Decision
Gleison Tibau def. John Cholish via Submission Round 2 (Guillotine Choke)
Francisco Trinaldo def. Mike Rio via Submission Round 1 (Arm-Triangle Choke)
Nik Lentz def. Hacran Dias via Unanimous Decision
Rafael Natal def. Joao Zeferino via Unanimous Decision
Rafael dos Anjos def. Evan Dunham via Unanimous Decision
Ronaldo Souza def. Chris Camozzi via Technical Submission Round 1 (Arm-Triangle Choke)
Vitor Belfort def. Luke Rockhold via Knockout Round 1 (Strikes)

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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Mark Hunt “still waiting” for visa

Brendhan Conlan — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:30:15 +0000

During a conference call with media last week, a UFC official expressed confidence heavyweight Mark Hunt would receive clearance for a visa in time to take on Junior dos Santos at UFC 160 with the “Super Samoan” offering similar sentiments. Hunt has been stuck at home in New Zealand for the past few weeks based on a decade-old arrest interfering with his ability to travel to Las Vegas for the May 25 match-up.

Though it was initially thought Hunt might be on a plane as early as this weekend, the 39-year old recently revealed he wouldn’t be departing for a few more days if not longer.

“I’m still waiting. I think I should be getting one on Monday. Hopefully Monday,” said Hunt in a conversation with the Nevada Athletic Commission captured by MMAFighting.

Also noteworthy, Roy Nelson was licensed to fight Dos Santos at the same NAC meeting in case he’s called upon to fill in for Hunt. However, he is said to be holding out for more money before completely committing to the tilt.

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Dana White delivers backstage look at UFC on FOX 7

Brendhan Conlan — Sat, 18 May 2013 18:30:42 +0000

Less than a month ago the UFC served up a delicious dish of MMA action on free television thanks to the most recent FOX event. Not only did lightweight champion Benson Henderson successfully defend his title in a closely-contested meeting with Gilbert Melendez, but the card also featured eight knockouts in addition to efforts involving Frank Mir-Daniel Cormier and Josh Thomson-Nate Diaz.

As he’s been known to do in the past, UFC President Dana White had his team film action behind-the-scenes to capture fighters’ reactions after their respective rumbles. In the video, Team Alpha Male basks in the glory of picking up wins in a trio of tilts, Diaz reacts angrily to the referee’s stoppage in his scrap, and Joseph Benavidez tells White why he loves finishing foes with body shots.

Check out all the UFC on FOX 7 fun below:

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