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Site Announcement: Possible Outage

Update from site admin: To avoid the outage visit http://fiveouncesofpain.wordpress.com for the next 2 days. After that time you can return to fiveouncesofpain.com to check out the updates. Thanks.

We will be undergoing some maintenance today so there is a chance we might experience an outage that could last from anywhere between 24-36 hours. I apologize for the potential inconvenience but that’s the price of progress.

If you need to reach me you can do so at: SCaplan8@comcast.net

Villasenor expected to replace Vitale on 9/15 EliteXC card

In an article on MMAWeekly.com, Joey Villasenor is quoted as saying he’s preparing to fight Riki Fukuda on EliteXC’s next card on Sept. 15 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

“He’s gonna be tough. We’re just gonna prepare and go at it,” commented Villasenor. “I’ve got five weeks to get ready for the fight. But I’ve been working out [since the Ninja fight in June]. I’ve been training, so the timing isn’t too bad.”

SI.com article comparing fighters to mainstream sports stars

Todd Martin from SI.com has written a really good creative article where he tries to relate MMA stars to mainstream sports stars.

Here’s an example (and what I consider to be Martin’s most uncanny comparison):

Jon Fitch is Marc Bulger. Bulger is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but doesn’t get much recognition. That has a lot to do with playing the NFL’s most glamorous position, where Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Brett Favre get the love. Fitch is in a similar rut: He is one of the best fighters in the UFC, but stuck in a deep and talented welterweight division.

I think the article might have been geared towards novice fans with the goal of giving them perspective on the stature of certain fighters in MMA but the comparisons are so good that I feel it appeals to everyone.

I highly recommend you check the article out, which you can do by clicking here.

MMA Roundup: Carano’s opponent announced; McFedries out 6-8 months; and much more!

It’s time for another edition of MMA Roundup!

* According to MMAOnTap.com, Drew McFedries will be sidelined the next 6-8 months as he recovers from complications due to staph infection. According to the Wrestling Observer, McFedries had to have a chunk of his lower leg removed as a result of the infection. Get well soon!

* FightHype.com is reporting that Brandon Vera has informed the site that he’s close to making his return to the UFC. He’s apparently asked the site to conduct a poll to see who fans would like to have him fight next. My vote would be the winner of Mirko Cro Cop vs. Cheick Kongo.

* UFCjunkie.com and Mickey’s conducted a chat with UFC middleweight fighter Kendall Grove last night. There were some interesting highlights, including Grove saying he’d like a chance to fight Jason MacDonald and that he believes he’s 4-5 matches from being ready for a title shot.

Here are some highlights:

10:05:29 PM: First question:
10:05:32 PM: Owen O – what fighter would you most like to fight?
10:06:08 PM: Kendall – Right now, Patrick Cote. I never looked past a fighter, but after him, probably Jason MacDonald. He says he’s the guy who should have won the TUF show, and I take that as disrespect. I wouldn’t mind fighting him.

10:06:28 PM: Patricia S – Kendall How close do you feel you are to competing for the Middleweight title?
10:06:35 PM: Kendall – About a year and a half. I just want to get more mature in the sport and climb that ladder.

10:06:55 PM: follow up:
10:06:57 PM: aaron w – how many more fights do you think u need before a title shot?
10:07:28 PM: Kendall – I’m guessing it’ll be about 4-5. I’m not in a rush. I’m still young in this sport. I don’t want to get in there too soona nd get knocked. I think I’ll be ready in about five fights.

* There are rumblings that Manny Tapia is off the card for the WEC’s next event on September 5 in Las Vegas. Tapia had been slated to fight Chase Beebe for the WEC bantamweight title. Rani Yahya could drop from 145 lbs. to 135 lbs. and replace Tapia.

* There have been some rumors that Roger Gracie will be fighting Allan Goes at the IFL finals on September 20 in Hollywood, Fla. FiveOuncesOfPain.com has learned that Gracie is not on the card.

* K-1 Hero’s has announced some matches for its Sept. 17 card in Tokyo, Japan. In the semifinals of its 154 lbs. tournament, Caol Uno will fight “Black Mamba” Kultar Gill and Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro will be taking on Gesias “JZ” Calvancanti (awesome matchup!). Ralek Gracie is also slated to fight Ikuhisa Minowa.

* Gina Carano finally has an opponent for EliteXC’s next card on Sept. 15 in Hawaii. According to The Fight Network, Carano will take on Tonya Evinger.

Inside the Cage Radio announces first affiliates

Inside the Cage Radio is pleased to announce the launch of its affiliate network and the first two affiliates that have agreed to join the network. Both Pancrase.org and MMAHQ.com will now carry Inside the Cage.

Pancrase.org is a great place to get fighter previews as well as online video of K-1, Pancrase, and Pride matches.

MMAHQ.com is a good blog for news and insight.

I highly recommend checking out both sites.

If you operate a blog or a web site and are interested in becoming an affiliate, please e-mail me at SCaplan8@comcast.net.

Sherdog.com makes history!

Sherdog has released its first-ever official set of rankings in its history!

You can check them out by clicking here.

Obviously, it’s a long time coming. I’ve been wondering for years now why they didn’t publish rankings considering the amount of attention MMAWeekly.com gets for them. You would think every major site would do it? Heck, I’ve been thinking about publishing my own here for quite some time now (I already submit a list to FIGHT! and then a pound-for-pound top 10 to Yahoo!).

I like Sherdog’s rankings. The criteria is to create a system that ranks the fighters on a basis of accomplishment as opposed to skill. I guess you could say their number one fighters are so much the best pure fighters but more or less who would deserve to be the true champion of the world in their respective weight class based on record, quality of wins, titles held, in-fight performance, etc. They also have rankings for eight different weight classes (heavyweight to flyweight).

Still no women’s MMA rankings. I may have to do that myself when I start publishing my rankings here.

MMA Notebook: New UFC matches announced; fighters changing camps; and much more!

Lots of news to cover this morning and little time. I think it makes sense for another edition of the “MMA Notebook”:

* UFCjunkie.com has broken news about a lot of new UFC fights in recent days. It looks like Jeremy Stephens has preserved his job in the UFC and will be taking on Nate Mohr at UFC 76 on September 22 in Anaheim, Calif.

* Junkie is also reporting that Jorge Gurgel is likely to be facing Doug Evans at UFC 77 in Cincinnati this coming October. Many of Gurgel’s schools are based in the Ohio area, so it will be a home game for him of sorts. All those rumors about him fighting Frankie Edgar are obviously false. They didn’t make sense to begin with. Why would you force one of those guys to not be able to fight in front of a home crowd? It’s not like the UFC has a shortage of lightweight fighters to match up with them.

* Tito Ortiz is back from Iraq and recently did an interview with UFCMania.com. Apparently Tito has been successful thus far in bypassing the chain of command in the UFC and is talking directly to Lorenzo Fertitta about business matters:

“I’m dealing with Lorenzo Fertitta now and he’s awesome to deal with, a great businessman, not like that loser they have as President. What a horrible guy. He’s gonna send the company down the drain because sooner or later the fighters are gonna realize they don’t have to be bullied anymore. They should just get rid of Dana.”

The fact that Tito and Dana White won’t be going to war against each other during contract renegotiations greatly improves the chances of Ortiz re-signing with the UFC. The fact that the UFC is willing to accommodate him in this matter shows they want him back… or, at least not fighting for the competition.

* MMAWeekly.com has confirmed that Fabricio Werdum has officially joined the Chute Boxe camp in Curitiba, Brazil.

* In an interview with MMAWeekly.com, Greg Jackson has confirmed that Diego Sanchez has left his camp and is moving to California. According to the interview, Sanchez is moving further West to reconnect with his son. Sanchez will be working with Rob Garcia in California as he preps for his next fight at UFC 76 against Jon Fitch.

* The archive of my debate with Jordan Breen on his show yesterday is now available on Sherdog.com. The topic was the “Ten Biggest Underachievers in MMA” article that appeared on CBS Sportsline a few weeks back. Some people thought Jordan won and some people thought I won. Listen for yourself and decide.

* If you want to hear more of me on the radio, check out the debut edition of Inside the Cage Radio. Co-host Matt Cava and I interview IFL co-founded and commissioner Kurt Otto and BodogFIGHT analyst Paul Lazenby. Matt and I also discuss the best MMA-related TV show; Sherk and Franca; Liddell vs. Jardine and whether it’s a legit matchup; and much more! We’re cutting our second show tomorrow and Kurt Pellegrino is slated to join us. We’ll be talking about a number of things with him, including his upcoming match in a few weeks at UFC 74 against Joe Stevenson.

Check me out on The Jordan Breen Show today…

I wanted to give everyone a quick heads up that I’ll be on The Jordan Breen Show at 3:30 p.m. ET. You can listen to the show via the Sherdog Radio Network at Sherdog.com. I believe that Jordan and I will be having our long-anticipated debate about some of the issues he had with my “Ten Underachievers in MMA” article on CBS Sportsline. BTW, it looks like my “Ten Overachievers in MMA” article could be appearing next week (I’m still working on it, amidst like 50 other things).

MMA Notebook: Fedor’s manager denies rumors; new EliteXC match announced; and more!

Here’s a bullet point look at some MMA stories that are currently making the rounds:

* Fedor’s manager Vadim Finkelstein has quashed rumors in an article on Sherdog.com that his client has signed a contract. There were separate rumors that Fedor had signed with EliteXC and another claiming he had signed a five fight deal with K-1.

* Various outlets are reporting that Marvin Eastman has claimed he’ll be fighting Demian Maia in a clash of middleweights at UFC 77.

* UFCjunkie.com was the first to report yesterday that Eric Schafer will be fighting Stephan Bonnar at UFC 77.

* The Fight Network is reporting that Niko Vitale will be facing Riki Fukuda in a bout between middleweights during the Sept. 15 EliteXC show in Hawaii. The main event will be Murilo “Ninja” Rua vs. Robbie Lawler for the EliteXC middleweight title with other matches including Jake Shields vs. Renato “Charuto” Verrisimo and Nick Diaz vs. Mike Aina. Gina Carano is also slated for the card. It had been thought that she would fight Shayna Baszler following Baszler’s win over Jan Finney on the ShoXC undercard last month but that doesn’t appear to be the case at the moment.

* Charuto was the featured fighter on TapouT last night. It was another good show as they showed you a little bit of the MMA scene in Hawaii and took you inside B.J. Penn’s camp. I recommend you check out the replay!

* The next ShoXC will take place from Vicksburg, Miss. on Saturday, August 25. FiveOuncesOfPain.com was the first site to report that the main event will be Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett vs. Victor “Joe Boxer” Valenzuela. Combat in the Cage and Extreme Challenge (Northeast) promoter Ed Hsu announced on the Underground forum at MMA.TV that “War Machine” Jon Murphy will be taking on Tony Bonello on the undercard. This will be a good heavyweight clash. Murphy is a beast and Bonello is undefeated. I believe Murphy is looking for sponsors and you can contact Ed Hsu at ecfights@gmail.com if you’re interested.

* Inside the Cage Radio with Matt Cava and myself will return this weekend. We’re currently working on several guests so stay tuned. In the meantime, I strongly recommend you check out our first show by clicking here.