Earlier this week I had the opportunity to go visit Brad Daddis’ Daddis Training Centers location in Philadelphia. I was able to get a glimpse of EliteXC heavyweight Jon Murphy’s training routine as he gets ready to face Brett Rogers in a swing bout scheduled for EliteXC: Primetime on CBS on May 31.
After Murphy [...]
A published report surfaced today making the claim that a match between James Thompson and Jon Murphy has been confirmed for EliteXC’s next major show on Nov. 10 in Corpus Christi, Texas.
While FiveOuncesOfPain.com has confirmed that there have been discussions for Thompson to appear on the card, we can report that Murphy has not been signed as an opponent.
When contacted by FiveOuncesOfPain.com, Murphy indicated that no one with EliteXC has contacted him about the possibility of fighting Thompson. He went on to add that he’s currently suffering from a serious shoulder injury and does not believe he’d be able to take the match even if it is offered.
Murphy went on to indicate that a match with Thompson is one he’d welcome in the future and that he hopes it’s a bout available to him once he’s healthy again.
The same report that claimed Murphy would be fighting Thompson also stated that Murphy defeated Scott Bickerstaff at XFO 20 on Oct. 9. That report is also not entirely accurate. Murphy’s last fight was on Aug. 25 on a ShoXC card when he defeated Dave Huckaba via knockout at 0:19 of round 2. The fighter who fought Bickerstaff is a different fighter with the same name that competes in a different weight class.
It will be interesting to see if Thompson is in fact added to the card. Kimbo Slice confirmed to us several weeks ago that Thompson was a candidate to be his first opponent in EliteXC but Mike Bourke was eventually signed to fight Slice, whose birth name is Kevin Ferguson.
FiveOuncesOfPain.com contributing writer Matt Kaplan spoke with EliteXC live events president Gary Shaw on Monday during the M-1 Global press conference in New York and Kaplan reported that Shaw hinted at another big name being added to the Nov. 10 show. The fighter Shaw was hinting at could be none other than Thompson.
Here are the quick results for tonight’s Combat in the Cage show in Trenton, NJ at the Sovereign Bank Arena:
1. Tinh Tupy won a unanimous decision over Rick Desper in a bantamweight match
2. Baba Shigeyashu won a split decision over Anthony Montaro in a lightweight bout
3. Mike Shenk looked very impressive in submitting Steve McCabe with a rear naked choke at 2:25 of round 1
4. Aaron Miesner defeated Chris Reedy via TKO at 1:25 of round 1. Miesner dominated the fight and had a tremendous size advantage. Reedy took the fight on short notice and agreed to the fight at 185 lbs. even though he normally competes at 170 lbs. Miesner cuts from 200-plus and appeared to be about 195 lbs. for the fight. Reedy didn’t take the loss well as he stormed off before the official decision was announced.
5. Pat McGreal won via TKO (ground strikes) over Mike Groves at 0:42 of round 2. Groves trains out of the Fight Factory in Philadelphia and I believe Eddie Alvarez was in his corner.
6. Wilson Reis improved his pro record to 2-0 with a submission victory via rear naked choke against Diego Jimenez at 2:00 of round 1. Jimenez is a strong fighter who trains out of Anthracite Combat Club in Minersville, PA. Anthracite is the same school where Shane Ott and Jon Murphy train out of. The win by Reis was impressive and he really worked the choke in even though Jimenez was defending it well. Jimenez didn’t tap and instead allowed himself to go to sleep.
7. Tim Carpenter submitted Sean McCaan with a triangle choke at 1:43 of round 1 for the Combat in the Cage Light Heavyweight Title. This match ended in controversy because Carpenter had McCaan in a full triangle but the ref stopped the match because of a cut on McCaan’s head. The doctor cleared him and the referee re-started the match with McCaan in a full choke. It appeared as though as he tapped but he was disputing the outcome. I’m not completely positive, but I think he was complaining that the choke was in much deeper than it was prior to the re-start. Crowd heavily booed the outcome.
8. Jim Bova won the Combat in the Cage lightweight title when he submitted Mark Getto with a rear naked choke in round 1. I do not have the official time but I believe it was at about 1:45 into the round. Bova trains out of Anthracite.
9. Zach Makovsky won a unanimous decision over Emerson Souza to claim the Combat in the Cage Bantamweight title. Makovsky trains out of the Fight Factory and had Eddie Alvarez in his corner.
Jon Murphy was supposed to fight Jason Dolloff in the main event but the match was scratched from the card after Dolloff’s medicals did not check out. Apparently he had a pre-existing medical condition and didn’t follow the doctor’s recommended course of treatment. The NJ State Athletic Control Board had some questions about Dolloff’s medical records and called his doctor. They must have not liked what they heard.
Murphy attended the show and looked ready to fight. He’s hoping to return to action sooner rather than later.
Also, there was some talk backstage about the cancellation of CFFC 6. A lot of people are unhappy with how things played out and word is that CFFC promoter Felix Martinez could face an uphill battle in being able to promote a card in New Jersey again.
If you’re jonesing for some live MMA and are within driving distance of Trenton, NJ, get your ass to the Sovereign Bank Arena for Saturday night’s Combat in the Cage event. 5 Oz of Pain is going to be there, so if you’re going, let us know, Sam will buy you a beer.
Jon Murphy will be headlining the event (see the full card here). Murphy is a hot prospect in the Heavyweight division, recently winning his debut in ShoXC in late Aug against Dave Huckaba by a vicious KO.
Here is fight video of another Murphy KO from earlier this year against Sherman Pendergarst at Extreme Challenge 75
FiveOuncesOfPain.com has learned that EliteXC heavyweight fighter Jon Murphy will be defending his Combat in the Cage Heavyweight Title vs. Wade Hamilton on Oct. 6 in Trenton, NJ at the Sovereign Bank Arena.
The promoter of Combat in the Cage is Ed Hsu, who is also the promoter of record for a lot of Monte Cox’s Extreme Challenge shows that take place in the Northeast.
In addition to Murphy vs. Hamilton, the card is stocked with a lot of up and coming fighters that you’ll be seeing on the big shows in the future. You can check out the full card on the promotion’s web site (CombatInTheCage.com) but some of the matches I’m looking forward to include:
- Dominic Tafuri vs. Mark Getto (that one is too close to call and will be a war)
- Aaron Miesner vs. Travis Roesler in a battle between Philly MFS/Daddis FC and Fight Factory schools (where Eddie Alvarez trains). Miesner is a lethal Muay Thai striker who is undefeated since converting to MMA and is definitely a guy who I can easily see fighting for a big promotion very soon.
- John Doyle vs. Tim Carpenter. When Doyle is in shape, the dude is no joke.
- Matt Makowski vs. Colin O’Rouke. I don’t know much about O’Rouke but I know Matt from when I trained at Philly MFS/Daddis FC. My wife still trains there and they are on the Muay Thai team together. Matt’s another kid that I think will be on the big shows sooner rather than later. He’s an exciting fighter with tremendous striking skills and a good sprawl. I remember sparring with him briefly over a year ago and he pretty much clowned me. He can work angles out of his stance like a pro boxer. He also usually does some cool entrances. I’m hoping he has something fun planned for this show. I think he might be my son’s favorite fighter after he did one entrance where all of his corner guys came out wearing clone trooper masks from Star Wars and he was sporting a Darth Vader mask. He also had some remix from “March of the Empire” as his intro music. It was very Jason Miller-esque. I think more fighters need to do that type of stuff because it really gets them noticed.
- Lester Caslow vs. Alejandro Nerreu. I saw Caslow at an Extreme Challenge show a few months back and was really impressed. I think he’s fighting at 150 lbs. but if he could cut to 145 lbs. he’d be another guy that I think will be fighting on the big shows.
- Wilson Reis vs. Diego Jimenez. Ries is a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu and his ground skills are just sick. He trains at both Philly MFS/Daddis FC and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu United (where I occasionally train now). If he tightens up his striking, he’s the type of guy who could easily be fighting in the WEC. He reminds me a bit of Rani Yahya, although his BJJ might be even better (yeah, he’s that damn good).
- I also read on a Underground forum post that Mike Groves might be making his pro debut on the card. He trains at the Fight Factory but used to train at Philly MFS/Daddis FC. I sparred against him a few times last summer. He probably doesn’t remember it but I do because he kicked my ass. He’s a relentless fighter who is constantly trying to finish a guy. Yet another guy who has the potential to be fighting on a big show or maybe a ShoXC card.
I’ll be at the show and if you’re in the Philly, Jersey, or New York area, then I really recommend you check it out. If you’re going, let me know.
EliteXC heavyweight fighter Jon Murphy’s next fight will be for the Extreme Challenge promotion on October 6 in Trenton, NJ at the Soverveign Bank Arena (the same venue BodogFIGHT ran a show at earlier in the summer). Murphy will be defending his Extreme Challenge Northeast heavyweight title on the card.
We’ll have more details about the card as they become available.
I wasn’t able to see the entire replay last night on Showtime Extreme because I was helping host the Dan Henderson chat at UFCjunkie.com but I was able to tune in just after the start of the second bout on the card between Hector Urbina and Ray Lizama.
First, I felt the production took a step backwards. The volume on the pre-match promos was a little off. With the sound quality, it sounded like some of the guys were whispering. I’m also not a big fan of the small background set they’ve used for the first two shows. They need to come up with something that is a little more impressive. I realize that it’s not easy because unlike big shows, the promos they tape with the ShoXC fighters are done on location a day or two before the fight but it might be worth trying to come up with something a little different. Hell, interview the fighter in the lockerroom a few minutes before he goes on.
The producers also need to help Mauro Ranallo out. There was a lot of uncomfortable silence between bouts. There’s not much Mauro can do in that situation besides talk to himself since Stephen Quadros has to head up to the cage and interview fighters. With Quadros in the cage, there’s nobody for Mauro to work off of. Now I understand why the UFC has so many pre-recorded spots so that they can address the lull between fights when Joe Rogan is not around for Mile Goldberg to work off of.
Without Quadros there, the easy answer is to just run more promos. I think they could have promoted the 9/15 card a lot better (I almost felt like they promoted the October ShoXC a little more, but maybe I’m wrong?). Why not show some outtakes from the upcoming barker show and give us a sneak peak at what Robbie Lawler or Ninja (via a translator) had to say? Why not some comments from Nick Diaz? Why not some Jake Shields highlights? They could also fill time with some ProElite.com promos. A lot of money is being pumped into the site so they might as well they and maximize their traffic output. Bottom line, they need better filler between bouts.
I’m also not a big fan of shows in non-MMA hotbeds like Mississippi. They were at a small arena yet it felt like the crowd was miles away from the cage. One of the big advantages of having smaller venues is the intimate feel but I didn’t get that impression last night. I remember hearing a lot more catcalls for the ring girls than I heard cheers for the fighters.
I’m probably wrong though because promoter Gary Shaw has been doing live events for years now and he probably ran at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez and in Vicksburg over the weekend because he has good relationships with the people in charge and can keep overhead low.
In general, finding good locations must be tough because you can’t run shows in fighting cities like Philly, New York, or Boston and you can only promote in California so much. There’s always Vegas, but unless you’re the UFC it’s really hard to get people excited about MMA on a large scale basis there. In Vegas, the UFC is kind of considered the hometown sports team. A lot of hardcores also travel out there for shows that might not be eager to travel for other promotions. I still think EliteXC should look into doing shows in Atlantic City. AC has been on the comeback trail for a long time and it’s a great location for drawing fans from New York and Philly. Cage Fury Fighting Championships did a strong crowd for their last show featuring Kimbo Slice vs. Ray Mercer.
I also thought the trophy presentations afterwards came off a little campy. It kind of reminded me of the inter-school Smoker matches I used to fight in at Philly MMA. Smokers are low-level amateur bouts so I don’t think they want to give off that vibe to the audience. Yes, I realize Pride used to make awards presentations after bouts but they gave out serious hardware in front of tens of thousands of fans so it had a different feel. It was cool though to see Turi Altavilla on camera. Altavilla has a great reputation in the industry and did good work for Pride. It’s just strange to see him on camera considering Pro Elite never did send out a press release formally announcing his hiring. His hiring is something an MMA company should tout because he’s the kind of guy who could work for any promotion he wanted to.
One thing I’d also like to see the show focus on is what exactly is at stake for fighters. For example, before the fight between Jon Murphy vs. Dave Huckaba it would have been cool if there was some conversation about how there really is no heavyweight division in EliteXC right now. It would have been interesting if they mentioned that Jon Murphy is on a three fight contract with the company and what a win would do for his stock in the company (could he be someone that is a contender for a title shot if the division gets built up?).
Or, in regard to Seth Kleinbeck, who dropped from light heavyweight to middleweight, what does his second consecutive win in EliteXC do for his career? Might he be a future contender for Ninja Rua’s EXC middleweight title?
Also, what about Hector Urbina and Umar Love? Are they under contract to EliteXC? If not, do their wins guarantee them another match with the promotion? Where does Brendan Tierney go following the first loss of his pro career? Did he show enough for a second chance? And what will be the repercussions of Ray Lizama’s lackluster effort? Is it back to the local shows for him?
The concept of the show is to create new stars and to be a proving ground. Well, what do wins by Umar Love, Hector Urbina, Jon Murphy, Seth Kleinbeck, and Victor Valenzuela prove? By breaking down what a win or a loss for a fighter means, it adds a lot to the drama of the outcome. If someone doesn’t know who Murphy is, they know enough to be happy for a guy who has overcome a lot of personal problems and now can move onto bigger things in his career after a big win.
Here’s my match-by-match breakdown (sans one match):
Hector Urbina vs. Ray Lizama - This match looked like a clash between two guys who aren’t full-time fighters and simply don’t have the resources to focus on their conditioning. I was intrigued by Urbina because the kid is just 19 but I really didn’t feel like I was watching some teenage phenom. I felt more like I was watching a slightly above average fighter in his mid-20s. As for Lizama, he really had cardio issues and just couldn’t do much to push the pace and seemed like he was just trying to go the distance. I would have liked to seen a greater sense of urgency from him. Urbina tried to come on during the middle of the second round and did his best to push himself going for high leg kicks, flying knees, and superman punches so you have to give him credit for looking for the big finish. We didn’t get the finish and we didn’t get a real good match. Mauro and Quadros stood out though during this match because they had the editorial freedom that a lot of MMA announcers don’t have and were able to crap on the match. Whenever an announcer fails to point out the obvious it’s just insulting. That’s why I’ve always been a Larry Merchant fan because it didn’t matter whether the fighter was without an HBO contract or an HBO fighter with a lucrative deal; if they failed to bring it, he didn’t hesitate to rip them. It’s a lot easier to be patient when the announcers acknowledge what’s going on because it sends the message that what’s taking place is not up to the promotion’s standard and gives you hope that the next match will be better.
Jon Murphy vs. David Huckaba - In addition to being featured on our site, Murphy has gotten a lot of press recently by other outlets such as The Fight Network. He’s a good person and a good fighter so it was nice to see him perform so well underneath the spotlight. We’re going to be hearing a lot more from him in the future. He showed some nice grappling skills and even some solid wrestling. When I spoke with him he mentioned that wrestling was the biggest area where he could stand to improve. Well, he threw one hell of a modified German suplex. Murphy really put his strength on display and showed some solid boxing by working the high/low game against the cage and then putting Huckaba down. Huckaba deserves credit though because he took this match on almost no notice.
Showtime deserves a lot of credit for how they covered Huckaba’s knockout. It looked like he was hurt bad and medical officials had to be called into the cage. The camera was fixed on him the whole time he was down and they didn’t pull a UFC where they try and act like what just happened didn’t happen. Mauro and Quadros did a good job covering it like a news event and treated Huckaba with the respect he deserved (not like some disposable fighter that gets thrown away after a brutal knockout). Instead of having to wonder if a guy is still alive, you got to see him get back on his feet and walk out and it’s a much better feeling. The way Showtime covered the situation is exactly how the UFC should cover it.
Seth Kleinbeck vs. Jaime Jara - Both fighters are high-character guys so I was looking forward to this. Jara, 38, is a tough cat who has fought and won titles in just about every weight class. His plan now is to drop to welterweight and compete for a title at 170 lbs. That says a lot considering he’s a former Gladiator Challenge heavyweight champ. Jara is also a good wrestler but didn’t show it during the first ShoXC vs. Jeremiah Metcalf and didn’t show much of it vs. Kleinbeck. I know he’s proud of his improved boxing skills and from watching his last two bouts, it’s obvious he wants to put that on display. I’m just not so sure standing with Kleinbeck was a good idea in hindsight. Kleinbeck has competed a lot at light heavyweight so by fighting at middleweight, he brings a lot of power to the table. He worked some great lower leg kicks during the fight. The kicks were compact enough that it didn’t allow Jara a good opportunity to shoot for the takedown. Kleinbeck let his hands go in the second and scored a vicious knockout. It looked like Kleinbeck put him out with one punch and put him out again with the combo shot.
Victor Valenzuela vs. Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett - Bennett looked terrible. He scored a nice knockdown of Valenzuela early in the first but just came in all crazy and didn’t have the technique needed to finish a downed opponent. A guy like Valenzuela isn’t intimidated by Bennett so he didn’t panic. In fact, it made him pissed and he took every advantage of his second chance. Bennett was gassed early, even earlier than usual so I guess his training routine has stayed the same? Valenzuela took the fight to him and Bennett was so tired he wasn’t keeping his hands up. Man, if it wasn’t for that early knockdown, it might have looked like Bennett was looking to take a fall. He was just letting Valenzuela pick him a part. Even with the knockdown of Valenzuela he still looked like a guy who just wanted to pick up his paycheck and go home.
Valenzuela hit him with a combo near the cage and Bennett went down. Valenzuela had Bennett’s back and could have cinched in the choke but decided to reign in some big shots. Bennett didn’t really show a lot of heart and tapped from punches.
More credit goes out to Mauro and Quadros because they were very critical of Bennett. Promoter Gary Shaw is a big fan of Bennett’s so coming out so strongly against him might not have been an easy thing to do. I’m not saying anyone told them they had to be complementary towards Bennett on the telecast, but they still know how Shaw feels about him and they said what they felt anyway. I agreed with everything they said. I’ll take it a step further and just ask if Shaw is still a fan after Bennett’s performance? They aren’t paying the guy chump change and he really didn’t give the promotion their money’s worth. I still don’t understand what the attraction is to Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett?
I’m not sure what’s next for the 155 lbs. division in EliteXC. All the guys have kind of beaten each other. I think the next course of action might be to have Bennett vs. Edson Berto and Victor Valenzuela vs. K.J. Noons. Mauro mentioned that there’s a rematch clause for Valenzuela vs. Bennett but he asked if there was a need for the rematch and I really don’t think there is because Valenzuela beat him so decisively.
“Bring the Pain” is a new feature on Five Ounces of Pain that will be a regular series featuring profiles and interviews with top fight prospects that are flying under the radar that I believe will be major players on the MMA scene in short order.
Remember back in the day when MTV used to spotlight new bands that they believed were about to break out? Well, my vision for “Bring the Pain” is similar.
My hope is that when you start hearing from these guys on a mainstream level that FiveOuncesOfPain.com and “Bring the Pain” will either be the first place you heard about the fighter or at least a place where you got to learn a lot more.
The first fighter I selected for this new feature is 30-year old heavyweight prospect Jon Murphy. Murphy is a bruiser from Minersville, PA that I initially became familiar with because of his ties to the local fight scene in the New Jersey area. I became aware of Jon while I trained at the MFS-affiliate in Philly when several guys from the school that were fighting on the same cards would come back raving about him.
Jon is unique for the heavyweight division in that he brings more athleticism than your typical heavyweight fighter. But you have to be a good athlete in order to go to Syracuse on a football scholarship as a middle linebacker.
Murphy utilized his outstanding strength, speed, quickness and agility to build a 3-0 record in his first three fights. His third win was especially impressive, as he defeated former UFC fighter Sherman Pendergarst and claimed the Extreme Challenge Northeast Heavyweight Title by recording a TKO at 2:16 of round one during EC 75 in Trenton, NJ this past March.
Soon after the win over Pendergarst, Murphy agreed to participate in a heavyweight tournament at Extreme Challenge 76. It was an eight day turnaround after the Pendergarst win but the promise of a Pride contract for the winner was too much to pass up. He ended up facing current UFC fighter Houston Alexander in the opening round and suffered the first loss of his amateur and pro MMA career following a knockout at 0:56 of round one.
Murphy then suffered his second loss on a King of the Cage card , losing a two round unanimous decision to Chase Gormley in April.
Coming off two consecutive losses, Murphy is poised for a comeback. Bouncing back successfully is nothing he hasn’t done before, as Murphy is ten months clean and sober after seeking treatment for alcoholism late last year.
He’ll look to get back to his winning ways on August 25 against undefeated heavyweight prospect Tony Bonello in Vicksburg, Mississippi. It will mark the first time Murphy has fought on live national television, as the card will be televised on Showtime as EliteXC’s second-ever ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series event.
Following a recent training session in Philadelphia in preparation for Bonello, Murphy took time out to do an interview with me…
Sam Caplan: You went to the University of Syracuse on a football scholarship. Were you there at the same time as Donovan McNabb?
Jon Murphy: Yes I was.
Q: Did you have a chance to get to know McNabb as a person?
JM: I got to know him reasonably well for the short period of time that I was at Syracuse. He’s a real personable guy and was very open, no matter who you were. Right away he was cool. He’s a prankster; he was always smiling. During the time I was there I didn’t notice a time when he wasn’t smiling. He’s a hard worker, a true gentleman, and a class act.
He was Mr. Syracuse when I was up there. Everybody was talking about Donovan McNabb, and not necessarily because of his athletic ability — which was a huge part of it — but just the fact that he’s a good person. He’s a fun person to be around and a very likable guy. From the moment I met him I knew he was a good person to be around.
Q: I know you’re from PA, are you an Eagles fan?
JM: I’m an Eagles fan. The fact that Donovan went there made me more of an Eagles fan. I was a fan during the days of Andre Waters, Randall Cunningham and Reggie White. I’m actually a Chicago Bears fan by heart but Donovan made me more of a fan of the Eagles. So I do follow the Eagles now more than I ever have.
Q: Have you kept in touch with him at all? Does he know what you’re up to these days?
JM: No, I haven’t. I would love to get to meet up again with him some time and just say “what’s up.” Once I left Syracuse that was the last contact I had with him. Would he know me if we met up again? I would venture to say that yeah, he would probably remember me and we’d probably be able to kick it off again and greet each other with a handshake and a smile.
Q: Is it true that you took a break from MMA to do some pro boxing?
JM: Yes, I did. I took a break from MMA and I had an injury a week out before my fight — actually nine days before my first professional fight was supposed to happen. I injured my back and it put me out. I was almost crippled as my back was all contorted and all out of place. I could barely stand up let alone throw a punch. That was back in 2005, my first fight was going to be in September of that year. So I took a little bit of a break and I had fought Golden Gloves prior to that and was 10-1 as an amateur.
I’m a licensed professional boxer in the state of Pennsylvania but I’ve never had a pro fight. I’d still like to box professionally and I’ll probably do so later this year if contractual obligations will allow it.
Q: Your next fight will be for Showtime on Aug. 25 against Tony Bonello in Vicksburg, Miss. Have you signed a contract with Pro Elite?
JM: Yes I have. I’ve signed a contract with Pro Elite/EliteXC.
Q: Is it a multi-fight deal?
JM: Yes, it’s a three fight deal.
Q: Do you have other fights already lined up for after ShoXC?
JM: I’ve had two opponents pull out on me so I don’t know who my opponent is but I’ll be fighting September 14 in Mexico City for Extreme Combat in the Cage, a promotion run by Ed Hsu and another group. First and foremost though I’m looking forward to the fight with Bonello.
Q: My understanding is that you’ve spent some time recently at the Fight Factory in Philly where Eddie Alvarez trains and at the MFS Philly affiliate where guys like Aaron Miesner and Matt Makowski train. Are you looking at changing camps?JM: I’m just looking for extra training right now. I have a great camp with the Anthracite Combat Club. I have a camp where more than just the physical side of training is stressed. I have a lot of friends at Anthracite and guys that I’m close enough to that I consider them brothers. I don’t plan on leaving them but it’s also understood that we’re in an area where heavyweights aren’t that prevalent. We’re a rare breed up there (Minersville, PA) and my trainer understands that I need to go other places.
Q: For the benefit of novice fans out there who might not be familiar with you, can you name a fighter whose style you feel is similar to yours?
JM: I think my style is unique but there are some fighters out there I might be comparable to. Andrei Arlovski comes to mind but I’m not going to play the dance and boxing game. I mean, I do like to box but I’m not going to go in there and dance for three rounds. If I see an opportunity to take the fight to the ground then I’ll try to go to the ground and finish my opponent there. So I feel that there are some similarities as far as the athletic ability and the speed and quickness but I like to think I’m going to push — and I’m not saying that he doesn’t — Andrei is a great fighter but it seems like he’s changed his gameplan the last few fights and his aggressiveness is not there. I would like to say that I’m like Andrei Arlovski with a lot more aggression.
Q: You hold a win over UFC veteran Sherman Pendergarst. Is that your most satisfying win to date?
JM: Actually my most satisfying win — and that was a great win — but my most satisfying win to date is my fight December 9 of last year against Carlos Cline. Carlos basically beat the snot out of me for three rounds on the ground. I had spurts on the feet where I opened up and laid into him. At the time of the fight I had been away at rehab from October 18 to November 20 and I wasn’t going to take the fight because I had gone away to take care of that and the main objective up there was to get myself well. I came out of there (rehab) on a new spiritual level and when I came out of there I felt that the next thing I needed to do was get in the cage and take that fight.
I took that fight maybe on two weeks training and I pulled off a rolling kneebar about mid way through the third round and tapped Carlos out. So that was really a satisfying win because I felt like a changed person and the win was evidence of that. I had changed, and not that I couldn’t have beaten him before but I did it on two weeks training.
Q: During this interview you’ve alluded to some of the substance abuse problems in the past, which you’ve been open about in other interviews. Was there anything instrumental in helping you overcome those hurdles?
JM: First and foremost would be god. I think god works through people and I really believe that the people put around me, my mother and my father, they saw the degradation that was going on in front them. Their son was struggling and chopping himself down, and for what? They saw all this potential with intelligence and athletic ability and I was just wasting it. They pretty much steered me in the right direction.
Making that decision (to get help) is something that you have to do but god surrounded me with good people. They loved me and love can move mountains and I saw that love. But to see the hurt and pain in their eyes that was pretty much all the steering I needed.
Q: Where would you like to be a year from now in MMA?
JM: A year from now in MMA? I’d like to be the EliteXC heavyweight champion. From what I’ve seen this is a top organization and this is an organization I want to fight for. They run a show from what I’ve seen to be very professional and they treat fighters well. I trained with Frank Shamrock at one point and I know him well and I saw him fight Baroni and it seemed like a great organization to fight for.
If you’re interested in sponsoring Jon for his next fight, you can request more information by sending an e-mail to: ecfights@gmail.com
“Bring the Pain” is a new feature on Five Ounces of Pain that will be a regular series featuring profiles and interviews with top fight prospects that are flying under the radar that I believe will be major players on the MMA scene in short order.
Remember back in the day when MTV used to spotlight new bands that they believed were about to break out? Well, my vision for “Bring the Pain” is similar.
My hope is that when you start hearing from these guys on a mainstream level that FiveOuncesOfPain.com and “Bring the Pain” will either be the first place you heard about the fighter or at least a place where you got to learn a lot more.
The first fighter I selected for this new feature is 30-year old heavyweight prospect Jon Murphy. Murphy is a bruiser from Minersville, PA that I initially became familiar with because of his ties to the local fight scene in the New Jersey area. I became aware of Jon while I trained at the MFS-affiliate in Philly when several guys from the school that were fighting on the same cards would come back raving about him.
Jon is unique for the heavyweight division in that he brings more athleticism than your typical heavyweight fighter. But you have to be a good athlete in order to go to Syracuse on a football scholarship as a middle linebacker.
Murphy utilized his outstanding strength, speed, quickness and agility to build a 3-0 record in his first three fights. His third win was especially impressive, as he defeated former UFC fighter Sherman Pendergarst and claimed the Extreme Challenge Northeast Heavyweight Title by recording a TKO at 2:16 of round one during EC 75 in Trenton, NJ this past March.
Soon after the win over Pendergarst, Murphy agreed to participate in a heavyweight tournament at Extreme Challenge 76. It was an eight day turnaround after the Pendergarst win but the promise of a Pride contract for the winner was too much to pass up. He ended up facing current UFC fighter Houston Alexander in the opening round and suffered the first loss of his amateur and pro MMA career following a knockout at 0:56 of round one.
Murphy then suffered his second loss on a King of the Cage card , losing a two round unanimous decision to Chase Gormley in April.
Coming off two consecutive losses, Murphy is poised for a comeback. Bouncing back successfully is nothing he hasn’t done before, as Murphy is ten months clean and sober after seeking treatment for alcoholism late last year.
He’ll look to get back to his winning ways on August 25 against undefeated heavyweight prospect Tony Bonello in Vicksburg, Mississippi. It will mark the first time Murphy has fought on live national television, as the card will be televised on Showtime as EliteXC’s second-ever ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series event.
Following a recent training session in Philadelphia in preparation for Bonello, Murphy took time out to do an interview with me…
Sam Caplan: You went to the University of Syracuse on a football scholarship. Were you there at the same time as Donovan McNabb?
Jon Murphy: Yes I was.
Q: Did you have a chance to get to know McNabb as a person?
JM: I got to know him reasonably well for the short period of time that I was at Syracuse. He’s a real personable guy and was very open, no matter who you were. Right away he was cool. He’s a prankster; he was always smiling. During the time I was there I didn’t notice a time when he wasn’t smiling. He’s a hard worker, a true gentleman, and a class act.
He was Mr. Syracuse when I was up there. Everybody was talking about Donovan McNabb, and not necessarily because of his athletic ability — which was a huge part of it — but just the fact that he’s a good person. He’s a fun person to be around and a very likable guy. From the moment I met him I knew he was a good person to be around.
Q: I know you’re from PA, are you an Eagles fan?
JM: I’m an Eagles fan. The fact that Donovan went there made me more of an Eagles fan. I was a fan during the days of Andre Waters, Randall Cunningham and Reggie White. I’m actually a Chicago Bears fan by heart but Donovan made me more of a fan of the Eagles. So I do follow the Eagles now more than I ever have.
Q: Have you kept in touch with him at all? Does he know what you’re up to these days?
JM: No, I haven’t. I would love to get to meet up again with him some time and just say “what’s up.” Once I left Syracuse that was the last contact I had with him. Would he know me if we met up again? I would venture to say that yeah, he would probably remember me and we’d probably be able to kick it off again and greet each other with a handshake and a smile.
Q: Is it true that you took a break from MMA to do some pro boxing?
JM: Yes, I did. I took a break from MMA and I had an injury a week out before my fight — actually nine days before my first professional fight was supposed to happen. I injured my back and it put me out. I was almost crippled as my back was all contorted and all out of place. I could barely stand up let alone throw a punch. That was back in 2005, my first fight was going to be in September of that year. So I took a little bit of a break and I had fought Golden Gloves prior to that and was 10-1 as an amateur.
I’m a licensed professional boxer in the state of Pennsylvania but I’ve never had a pro fight. I’d still like to box professionally and I’ll probably do so later this year if contractual obligations will allow it.
Q: Your next fight will be for Showtime on Aug. 25 against Tony Bonello in Vicksburg, Miss. Have you signed a contract with Pro Elite?
JM: Yes I have. I’ve signed a contract with Pro Elite/EliteXC.
Q: Is it a multi-fight deal?
JM: Yes, it’s a three fight deal.
Q: Do you have other fights already lined up for after ShoXC?
JM: I’ve had two opponents pull out on me so I don’t know who my opponent is but I’ll be fighting September 14 in Mexico City for Extreme Combat in the Cage, a promotion run by Ed Hsu and another group. First and foremost though I’m looking forward to the fight with Bonello.
Q: My understanding is that you’ve spent some time recently at the Fight Factory in Philly where Eddie Alvarez trains and at the MFS Philly affiliate where guys like Aaron Miesner and Matt Makowski train. Are you looking at changing camps?JM: I’m just looking for extra training right now. I have a great camp with the Anthracite Combat Club. I have a camp where more than just the physical side of training is stressed. I have a lot of friends at Anthracite and guys that I’m close enough to that I consider them brothers. I don’t plan on leaving them but it’s also understood that we’re in an area where heavyweights aren’t that prevalent. We’re a rare breed up there (Minersville, PA) and my trainer understands that I need to go other places.
Q: For the benefit of novice fans out there who might not be familiar with you, can you name a fighter whose style you feel is similar to yours?
JM: I think my style is unique but there are some fighters out there I might be comparable to. Andrei Arlovski comes to mind but I’m not going to play the dance and boxing game. I mean, I do like to box but I’m not going to go in there and dance for three rounds. If I see an opportunity to take the fight to the ground then I’ll try to go to the ground and finish my opponent there. So I feel that there are some similarities as far as the athletic ability and the speed and quickness but I like to think I’m going to push — and I’m not saying that he doesn’t — Andrei is a great fighter but it seems like he’s changed his gameplan the last few fights and his aggressiveness is not there. I would like to say that I’m like Andrei Arlovski with a lot more aggression.
Q: You hold a win over UFC veteran Sherman Pendergarst. Is that your most satisfying win to date?
JM: Actually my most satisfying win — and that was a great win — but my most satisfying win to date is my fight December 9 of last year against Carlos Cline. Carlos basically beat the snot out of me for three rounds on the ground. I had spurts on the feet where I opened up and laid into him. At the time of the fight I had been away at rehab from October 18 to November 20 and I wasn’t going to take the fight because I had gone away to take care of that and the main objective up there was to get myself well. I came out of there (rehab) on a new spiritual level and when I came out of there I felt that the next thing I needed to do was get in the cage and take that fight.
I took that fight maybe on two weeks training and I pulled off a rolling kneebar about mid way through the third round and tapped Carlos out. So that was really a satisfying win because I felt like a changed person and the win was evidence of that. I had changed, and not that I couldn’t have beaten him before but I did it on two weeks training.
Q: During this interview you’ve alluded to some of the substance abuse problems in the past, which you’ve been open about in other interviews. Was there anything instrumental in helping you overcome those hurdles?
JM: First and foremost would be god. I think god works through people and I really believe that the people put around me, my mother and my father, they saw the degradation that was going on in front them. Their son was struggling and chopping himself down, and for what? They saw all this potential with intelligence and athletic ability and I was just wasting it. They pretty much steered me in the right direction.
Making that decision (to get help) is something that you have to do but god surrounded me with good people. They loved me and love can move mountains and I saw that love. But to see the hurt and pain in their eyes that was pretty much all the steering I needed.
Q: Where would you like to be a year from now in MMA?
JM: A year from now in MMA? I’d like to be the EliteXC heavyweight champion. From what I’ve seen this is a top organization and this is an organization I want to fight for. They run a show from what I’ve seen to be very professional and they treat fighters well. I trained with Frank Shamrock at one point and I know him well and I saw him fight Baroni and it seemed like a great organization to fight for.
If you’re interested in sponsoring Jon for his next fight, you can request more information by sending an e-mail to: ecfights@gmail.com