Josh Samman
Samman’s Prizefighting Chronicles: Brawling a Barbarian Part III – The Aftermath
If a loss makes us question ourselves, two in a row makes us rethink everything. Small sample groups can do that to a person. Double L’s, and both times my own actions have been my undoing. At some point, it’s hard not to wonder if self-sabotage isn’t an innate character trait. After the fight I […]
Samman’s Prizefighting Chronicles: Brawling a Barbarian Part II – The brawl
My bouts are customarily preceded by pre-fight naps in the locker room. My placement on the card dictates that I won’t be shuttled to the venue until late and my nap is done at hotel instead of arena. There is an element of business-as-usual to the day, and I wonder for a moment if I’m […]
Samman’s Prizefighting Chronicles: Brawling a Barbarian Part I – The lead-up
I’m propped up on a chair near the water fountain and the room is spinning. I’m not drunk, though a cold beer does sound nice. I’m in muggy Miami, surrounded by Brazilians in a warehouse that’s been home to my training camp for the past six weeks. The walls are red, with pictures of our […]
Read the first chapter of Josh Samman’s memoir ‘The Housekeeper: Love, Death, & Prizefighting’
“I just want to scream, ‘Hello! My God, it’s been so long. Never dreamed you’d return.’ Now here you are, and here I am.” -Eddie Vedder “Crack!” I woke from my daydream by the sound of a cue ball breaking a rack on the table behind me. It wasn’t so much of a daydream as […]
TUF veteran Clint Hester joins Blackzilians, will fight at light heavyweight
It is commonplace for cast members of The Ultimate Fighter to change weight classes after filming, and for one member of season 17, he’ll be doing it conjunction with a location change for camp. Clint Hester (4-2 UFC) confirmed with Bloody Elbow that he has a matchup at 205 lbs, although the date and opponent […]
UFC on FOX 17: Josh Samman’s Fight Week Blog (part 3)
Waking up on fight day can mean any number of things. Most recently, it’s been a chance at redemption, after long arduous times away from the sport. Today I wake up intent on leaving all of that behind me. I try to learn even in victories, and my last contest, against Caio Magalhaes, taught me […]
UFC on FOX 17: Josh Samman’s Fight Week blog (part 2)
Sunlight shines through the blinds Thursday afternoon and wakes me up. It feels good to have slept in, and I’m able to relax for a couple hours before the day’s tasks. There isn’t much on the itinerary aside from media at 3, and a final workout sometime in the evening. I head downstairs, into a […]
UFC on FOX 17: Josh Samman’s Fight Week blog (part 1)
The week is off to a rocky start. I’m on the side of the road on I-75, with a flat tire. I’ve got no spare, and it’s midnight. Roadside assistance tells me it’ll be at least an hour before a tow truck makes it to me, and my itinerary for the week begins at 8:30 […]
Bellator 145: Solid action, and a strange future
Bellator 145 begins with an English lesson. Vengeance, we are told, is retribution exacted for a wrong, and three of these mofos need it tonight. I’m watching with an unusual lack of skepticalness, considering the promotion’s recent televised outings. Most of tonight’s scheduled bouts have an element of competitiveness, and a few have an actual […]
Interview: UFC anti-doping rep Novitzky says NAC got Diaz case wrong
Two weeks ago, former Strikeforce champion and UFC contender Nick Diaz was delivered a five year suspension and $165,000 fine for an alleged marijuana metabolite failure following his UFC 183 bout with Anderson Silva. Diaz, a Stockton, California native, and frequent figure of controversy, found himself with the overwhelming support of the MMA community. That’s […]
Outrage in Nevada: An Ode to Nick Diaz
“Do you read English? Do you understand English?” -NSAC commissioner Pat Lundvall, speaking to former Strikeforce World Champion, former UFC #1 contender, and Pride Veteran Nick Diaz The culmination of a several year long battle pitting sensibility vs. Draconian marijuana regulation laws in mixed martial arts came to a boiling point today. The Nevada Athletic […]
From the Inside: UFC Fight Week Conclusion, Samman vs Magalhaes fight
The town is empty, and it’s hard not to feel like the TUF 21 finale is an afterthought. It should have been an appetizer, but is instead served cold, and disguised as dessert. The fans had scraped the plate and gotten their fair share of violence the night before, and most are heading home before […]
From the Inside: UFC International Fight Week – Part Three
“Molly and Cocaine, wooooohhh!” It’s Friday morning, and these are the first words I hear as the elevator doors open and I’m greeted by two shirtless Irish fans, playing music out of a speaker attached to a cellphone. They look like they’ve been up all night, beating the crowd of their countrymen that will be pouring in […]
From the Inside: UFC International Fight Week – Part Two
I forget to put the “do not disturb” sign on the door handle the night before, and housekeeping wakes me for day two in Las Vegas. It begins with a trip to Whole Foods, to purchase food for the week. I call down before leaving my room and ask for a refrigerator to be sent […]
From the Inside: UFC International Fight Week- Part One
The day begins early, with little sleep, as travel days often do. I have a habit of waiting until the final hours before a flight to prepare everything I’ll need for the week. My plane departs at 7:00 AM, and I‘m still stuffing things into my bag at 6:05. I finally get it together, and […]
‘Tip-A-Fighter’ looks to peacefully solve pay gripes
Disclaimer: I was reached out to by Tip-A-Fighter Brand Ambassador Bubba Jenkins to be included as a fighter endorsing his company’s services. I told him I’d be more interested in voicing my first impression on an open forum, while getting a consensus of opinion from fans and the public. Jenkins, also a professional Mixed Martial Artist, […]
From the Inside: Josh Samman shares his UFC 181 experience
612 days. That’s how long it’s been since I’ve last seen the inside of the Octagon. I’m half asleep, wondering to myself whether I’m in the exact locker room, or a next door replica. The familiarity helps, and comforts me knowing that the last time I’d made that walk to the cage in the Mandalay […]
Here We Go: Josh Samman breaks down Reebok unveiling
In May, I penned a piece voicing my thoughts on the Reebok deal, and what it may mean for the fighters affected by it. While many on the UFC roster were immediately critical of the AOP, citing decreased sponsorship wages as a cause for concern, the consensus among many of us was that we simply […]
Bellator 138: Further down the rabbit hole
“I’m still asking myself what I just watched. I doubt I am alone.” -Former Bloody Elbow Editor-in-Chief Luke Thomas Bellator 138 has come and gone, and in it’s wake we’re left scratching our heads possibly even more than before this whole thing happened. Scott Coker took us further away from mainstream MMA as we know […]
Gloves Off: Gilbert Melendez talks Eddie Alvarez, Reebok
For years Gilbert Melendez ruled the lightweight division in Strikeforce, with many fans wondering how he would fare against the upper echelon of his weight class in the UFC. Two of his three fights with Zuffa have been for the lightweight championship, with one closely contested split decision loss, and another bout widely recognized as […]
Bethe Correia: How far is too far?
Vale Tudo- (IPA: [ˈvali ˈtudu]; English: anything goes) The date was December 7th, 2013. Bethe Correia was making her UFC debut Down Under, facing veteran and WMMA pioneer Julie Kedzie at UFC Fight Night 33. She would go on that evening to eek out a split decision, looking nowhere near a fighter close to title […]
From the Inside: A look at Reebok fighter pay
Last month, Joe Lauzon engaged the reddit community regarding an article the Boston Herald published on a reported email “signed by UFC CEO Fertitta and the organization’s president, White.” He scolded those reporting it as actual journalism, saying nothing was confirmed, and sounding generally hopeful about the deal. While he was right about it not […]
UFC 189 World Tour Recap: A closer look into the Conor McGregor Show
“Jose and Conor take over the world” read the UFC official newsletter sent out to their mailing list on Tuesday, as their eight city, five country tour concluded in the kingdom of the challenger. Dublin, Ireland was the scene to what would be the grand finale, drawing to a close nearly two weeks of one […]
Gloves Off: Roy Jones Jr. tells Josh Samman about playing air hockey with young Dana White
Human highlight reel and former multi-division title holder Roy Jones Jr. will be stepping into the ring on Saturday night for the 69th time in his professional career when he faces cruiserweight Paul Vasquez for Island Fights 33rd event. Island Fights, originally one of Florida’s largest amateur MMA organizations, has partnered with Jones’ Square Ring Promotions […]
State of the Union: UFC Lightweight Division
What does it mean to be top 10? Who are the competitors, how do they fight, how do they match up? It’s a question asked a lot of analysts and fans, but not quite so much of the competitors themselves. What does a division look like from inside the UFC rankings? Champion: Anthony Pettis Mr. […]
Opinion: UFC fighters should accept new Zuffa drug testing policies with open arms
Open arms: that is the manner in which each and every fighter on the UFC roster should be welcoming the newly planned PED drug testing policy. Instead, the whole day, MMA media raged with updates and emerging details of an announcement that may end up having the heaviest impact to the sport we’ve yet to […]
State of the Union: The UFC middleweight landscape
What does it mean to be top 15? Who are the competitors, how do they fight, how do they match up? It’s a question asked a lot of analysts and fans, but not quite so much of the competitors themselves. What does a division look like from the inside? Josh Samman, coming off a highlight-reel […]
One Step at a Time: One Fighter’s Homage to Running
There’s a six mile stretch from my home in Hollywood, Florida to I-95. There’s nothing particularly special about it; it’s merely sidewalk along Sheridan Road. At certain times of day there’s heavy traffic and the exhaust makes it unpleasant to be near the interstate. Most days I wait until it’s not even day anymore, until […]
The Ultimate Fighter 17: Cast Follow-Up
The cast of contestants for season 17 boasted over 200 wins between competitors, as well as 7 undefeated fighters, and a wealth of talent that The Ultimate Fighter had not seen for a long while. The following are the ones who made it all the way, signing a contract with the largest organization in the […]