Kim Couture/Miesha Tate off, Irresponsible Reporting and WAMMA

by Beer Monster on Apr 29, 2009 3:31 PM EDT Comment 95 comments

Promoted from the FanPosts by KidNate.

Kim Couture is out of her fight against Miesha Tate on May 15th. Strikeforce didn't give a reason, but Miesha sure did (which she's since deleted from her MySpace), and it's pretty funny:

So Kim 'Sugar Free' Couture is pulling out of the fight supposedly cuz her and Randy are getting a divorce... I'm so pissed right now... Sugar Free my ass!!

The hilarity doesn't end there. Guess who's got the scoop on the Couture family fallout? The COO of WAMMA, Sam Caplan! You know, that guy who said he was taking a leave of absence from his website because of his WAMMA commitments? The guy who now works with a conglomeration of competitors to the UFC? Yes, that Sam:

It is uncertain whether Tate's claims are valid, however, sources have informed Five Ounces of Pain in recent weeks that the Coutures have been living separately as of late.

I think the funniest part of the whole thing is that, as stated on another recent fanpost, Sam is in Japan right now working on a co-promotional event between some WAMMA members. Do you see the problem here? A guy, in the middle of putting together a huge event involving multiple UFC competitors, is fanning the flames on the marital problems of one of the UFC's biggest stars? And a Strikeforce fighter with whom WAMMA has a relationship? And no one is talking about WHY he's writing this?

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.

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Well said. Rec’d.

(formerly TheFightJournal)

by Lucas2 on Apr 29, 2009 12:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

All of this so-called news is gossip until it's proven first hand.

It’s a shame that Sam Caplan has resorted to this kind of reporting. I’m glad I didn’t sign up for membership when he created a user account system for his website.

It’s Piss poor journalism at its best.

by JAYGK95 on Apr 29, 2009 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I also think it’s funny how about half the sites reporting this spell Tate’s name “Meisha”.

"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR

by Rundownloser on Apr 29, 2009 1:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You Say A Conglomeration of UFC Competitors...

I say MMA.

Plus, Strikeforce hasn’t necessarily said they were working with WAMMA yet…

by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 29, 2009 1:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Also,

I think its silly to think that Caplan is somehow attacking the UFC or one of it’s star.
Hes just doing his job which is reporting and filling in as an interim for Lynch’s departure.

by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 29, 2009 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I take more of an issue with...

the gossip type reporting of “kim and randy aren’t living together” than with any attack on the UFC or it’s fighters.

I have all kinds of problems with WAMMA but don’t see anything too out of bounds by Sam here

Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/

by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 29, 2009 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Aside from the fact that he shouldn’t be (and said that he wouldn’t be) breaking news on his blog while acting as the chief operating officer of an alleged sanctioning body for mixed martial arts?

by Chris Nelson on Apr 29, 2009 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Yeah, I think there’s a gray area here and we don’t really know what’s going on here.
He may be obligated to still produce some stories for them, although 5OzOfPain and MMAJunkie are known to be on friendly terms with WAMMA, so who knows.

by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 29, 2009 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He owns 5Ounces, does he not? Wouldn’t he be the one deciding what his own obligations were?

http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com

by Beer Monster on Apr 29, 2009 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I am actually not sure about that.

by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 29, 2009 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

According to the press release...

Caplan is the founding owner and president of Combat Sports Media, LLC., the parent company of the popular MMA web site FiveOuncesOfPain.com

http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com

by Beer Monster on Apr 29, 2009 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

So what you’re saying is he has no excuse.

by subo on Apr 29, 2009 3:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not, so I’ll assume you meant this. Yes, it would appear that he has no excuse for writing when he said he wouldn’t.

http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com

by Beer Monster on Apr 29, 2009 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I did

Should I start adding disclaimers when I’m fucking around?

by subo on Apr 29, 2009 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’ve had trouble detecting your sarcasm in the past, that’s why I said it.

http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com

by Beer Monster on Apr 29, 2009 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Whenever you think I’m wrong, I’m being sarcastic ;-)

by subo on Apr 29, 2009 4:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The sword cuts through thought

The wit is too sharp brother, you must spare us sometimes.

by asa on Apr 29, 2009 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thank you.

http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com

by Beer Monster on Apr 29, 2009 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That is a fair point

I don’t know…Sam has become a bit of a parody of himself so…whatever

Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/

by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 29, 2009 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pretty much. I don’t even read 5oz., so I don’t know why this even bothers me. :P

by Chris Nelson on Apr 29, 2009 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Because it’s corrupt, and that shit rubs you (and most decent people) the wrong way

by subo on Apr 29, 2009 3:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And it reflects badly on MMA media in general, since he is one of the most well-known contributors.

http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com

by Beer Monster on Apr 29, 2009 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I actually don’t check out the site, either.

by Cannon Jacques on Apr 29, 2009 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I stopped going when my comments kept getting deleted. What’s the point of having a comments section for articles if you are going to delete people’s comments?

by who me on Apr 29, 2009 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I posted a comment on that article regarding Sam writing again and the conflict of interest. It was worded very nicely, no bashing at all. Obviously a mod had to okay it for it to make the page.

It was deleted within 5 minutes.

http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com

by Beer Monster on Apr 29, 2009 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I had a couple of post disappear that weren’t about the site I was just commenting on the article and didn’t agree with all their points. I also had one disappear because I posted a link to another article that corrected a mistake in what they wrote which I thought was funny. I just had some odd experiences there that made them seem less trustworthy to me.

by who me on Apr 29, 2009 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I got turned off with Caplan’s analysis regarding EliteXC. He sort of advocated promotions staying private so they could avoid the “junior business analyst” bloggers. I wasn’t a staff member here at the time although I wrote a FanPost about that particular article. He was cozy with ProElite, and I thought it showed. That’s my take.

by Cannon Jacques on Apr 29, 2009 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Didn’t he work for ProElite?

by who me on Apr 29, 2009 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes.

He was the lead writer and editor of ProElite.com.

by Chris Nelson on Apr 29, 2009 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I thank Fightlinker for this – once I heard the site referred to as ‘5 Oz of Vagina’ (mind you, this was well before the WAMMA whatnot), it was hard to disagree.

by subo on Apr 29, 2009 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Personally, I don’t care for the “separation” angle. I suppose it’s interesting, but that’s all it is. I just hate to get all in people’s personal lives, but that’s just my take. It’s a slippery slope toward really shallow issues.

by Cannon Jacques on Apr 29, 2009 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Gossip happens but it probably isn’t the best place for organization VP to go (or a want to be legit MMA writer for that matter).

by who me on Apr 29, 2009 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Strikeforce is listed on WAMMA’s page under “promoters”, so even if they’re haven’t officially worked together yet, they’re promoting a relationship between the 2.

My point is that his two jobs directly interfere with each other. How can we expect him to be an objective writer when he has a job that is somewhat influential in non-UFC MMA? This isn’t about him attacking either Couture – it’s about him doing what he said he’d do and stepping aside from writing. Especially gossip writing.

http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com

by Beer Monster on Apr 29, 2009 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree With You...

But objective writing is pretty much something ideal that is pretty much impossible to accomplish since fan boys will disagree with the writer depending what their views are and will label that writer as siding with the other party.

Reference ESPN and Boston, Yankees, Cubs, etc.
Reference FOX News and Republicans, etc.
Reference Yahoo and UFC, etc.

Sam, in my opinion, is one of the best MMA writers that breaks news all the time.
Although he is not perfect and has pretty murky associations which may skew his perspective, he is still one of the best for MMA.

by MMASuPreMaCy on Apr 29, 2009 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think Sam’s jumped the shark. Everything he now produces is tainted by bias.

by subo on Apr 29, 2009 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

According to a Tuesday MySpace bulletin posted by Tate, Couture may be pulling out of the fight due to marital problems with her husband, UFC heavyweight Randy Couture. However, on Wednesday, Tate issued an apology and said she received the information second-hand.

“I forget how famous they are and didn’t even think how that might [affect] them and their personal life, which was immature,” Tate wrote in a subsequent bulletin. “[I] stress my apology to them and who ever else it may concern”

http://mmajunkie.com/news/14722/meisha-tate-kim-couture-out-of-may-15-strikeforcesho-mma-fight.mma

by who me on Apr 29, 2009 2:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

No denial

just an apology that she said it. Thats a damn shame, I hate to see them break up. Just the romantic in me I guess.

by Nick Travaglini on Apr 29, 2009 2:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

She admits that she only heard it second-hand and she did apologize for it. Taking a shot at someone’s marriage issues over a prize fight is sort of a low blow.

by who me on Apr 29, 2009 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rec'd

Good Article. Everyone gets in a tizzy when the UFC smears Randy, Lindland, and other fighters that leave the organization, and they should. But where are the people when Sam Caplen is running a “legit” MMA News site while setting up fights in Japan that are compettiors to the UFC? What is stopping Mr. Caplen from producing more TMZ reporting that smears UFC stars? He should either step down from Wamma or seperate himself completely from his former website.

by EVeezy on Apr 29, 2009 2:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

How is the report that Randy may be getting a divorce a "smear?’ Are fighters expected to be happily married, on top of everything else?

by madiq on Apr 29, 2009 6:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Does randy now have more divorces from wives or the UFC now?

Keep firing Assholes!
Akiyama is the Japanese word for Sexify.

by Ubernoober on Apr 29, 2009 2:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't know if we should come down that hard on Sam ...

… given that we’re on a Web site whose proprietor also does work for a promotion.

Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion

by The Kittitas Kid on Apr 29, 2009 3:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Sam doesn’t work for a promotion. He works for a sanctioning body that does a lot of work with promotions. They’re entirely different.

http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com

by Beer Monster on Apr 29, 2009 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, but if it’s true and it benefits him in some way top pipe up about it… then he’s just using the truth to his advantage. And that should happen more often. It beats the alternative, anyway.

by penxv on Apr 29, 2009 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That sounds pretty immoral to me. Especially in a field (actually 2 fields) where character and credibility are important.

http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com

by Beer Monster on Apr 29, 2009 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t follow. Could you elaborate on why it appears immoral? And character is always important, I think.

by penxv on Apr 29, 2009 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe I misread what you’re trying to say. Are you saying he should just get to the top (as a writer and businessman with WAMMA) by reporting the truth at all times, even where there’s a conflict of interest there?

http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com

by Beer Monster on Apr 29, 2009 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

In what ways is that different, in terms of conflict of interest?

The subtlety seems to be lost on me.

Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion

by The Kittitas Kid on Apr 29, 2009 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Does Luke run UWC? Does he make business decisions for UWC? Sam Caplan is the COO of WAMMA a sanctioning body that’s stated goal is to oversea and regulate all MMA promotions. Sam Caplan has worked for WAMMA for a long time as the head of the ranking committee and people didn’t say a lot about it but now he is in charge of WAMMA and that does make a difference.

by who me on Apr 29, 2009 3:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

"Does he make business decisions for UWC?"

My understanding was he made marketing and PR decisions for them. Is that not correct? Does that somehow not count?

Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion

by The Kittitas Kid on Apr 29, 2009 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No, that is not correct.

by Luke Thomas on Apr 29, 2009 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

With the exception of going on local TV once before big fights to talk about MMA and mention the event with Mike Easton. I do that.

by Luke Thomas on Apr 29, 2009 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Its not a fair comparison either, if Luke were to break a story about a fighter who fights for a rival Washington promotion having personal problems then you could at least make a comparison.

I dislike Matt Hughes.

by MonkeyCHops on Apr 29, 2009 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And – I will probably never do any original reporting on the UWC again. I did it when Chase Beebe no showed for the weigh-ins, but I only want to do color commentary for the UWC. That’s it. I want out of the reporting business personally. It’s extremely important for me to keep BE separate from what Luke Thomas does with the UWC or anyone else for that matter. I’ll talk about upcoming shows and link up press releases, but that’s all you’re going to see from me.

As for competitors to the UWC, I’d be happy to talk about more MMA in DC. And if I don’t, others are free to as well. I honestly don’t care about that stuff at all.

Besides, you guys do a pretty good job of keeping us honest. So, keep on doing it.

by Luke Thomas on Apr 29, 2009 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions 5 recs

Spoken like someone more interested in aggrandizing the sport than himself. Rec’d all the way.

by subo on Apr 29, 2009 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

"I want out of the reporting business personally."

Me too. Doesn’t seem to be much of a future in it, especially in print.

Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion

by The Kittitas Kid on Apr 29, 2009 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

and Luke discloses

the problem isn’t interest its conflict of interest.

As in Sam has a conflict of interest between what’s best for WAMMA and what’s best for 50z as a “reputable” news site.
There’s no conflict between Luke’s interest in UWC and Bloody Elbow covering the event — especially when he discloses his employment.

"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"

by Kid Nate on Apr 29, 2009 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I've more than made my peace with Luke's arrangement.

Obviously, since I’m still reading the news here. I’m just saying I don’t know how you can get all incensed about Caplan if you don’t get incensed about Luke. Seems comparable.

What’s the WAMMA/5oz. conflict?

Again, I’m a devoted BE reader and pretty much hate 5 Oz. I’m just saying.

Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion

by The Kittitas Kid on Apr 29, 2009 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sam Caplan is running WAMMA (a group that wants to regulate the entire sport) and reporting on the sport, it would be like the president writing and reporting his own news coverage.

by who me on Apr 29, 2009 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Then Luke covering UWC would be like Robert Gibbs writing his own news coverage.

Is that somehow less partial?

Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion

by The Kittitas Kid on Apr 29, 2009 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I thought Luke did color commentary for their shows, so no it’s not the same thing at all.

by who me on Apr 29, 2009 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Correct. I did a post that was a wrap-up, but I do not go in as credentialed media. I go in as Luke Thomas. That’s all.

by Luke Thomas on Apr 29, 2009 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry for misunderstanding.

Apologies. Thought you were PR/Marketing Director there.

Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion

by The Kittitas Kid on Apr 29, 2009 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It seems like Luke is more worried about it than anyone else. He goes out of his way to disclose it anytime UWC comes up. Besides, Luke bumping UWC at every opportunity is only going to help the small, good quality shows that they put on the and fighters involved. UWC is not in direct competition with most of the organizations that are reported on by this site.
Its a totally different story than a guy who works for a shady group like WAMMA taking a dig at the personal life of one of the biggest stars of their biggest competitor. The UFC is not just a competitor of WAMMA’s, they are in fact the single largest reason that WAMMA is ridiculous sham.

I dislike Matt Hughes.

by MonkeyCHops on Apr 29, 2009 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also I think its been quite a while since anyone well informed read Caplan looking for objective reporting and analysis.

I dislike Matt Hughes.

by MonkeyCHops on Apr 29, 2009 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with all of these points.

That’s why I say I don’t have a problem with it.

I also don’t have a problem with Caplan’s sitch. I just don’t understand the outrage over the one and the serene calm with the other. I feel like it’s not consistent.

Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion

by The Kittitas Kid on Apr 29, 2009 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Everyone has a problem with this because WAMMA is a shady organization. They set themselves up with the premise of offering unbiased rankings then exclude many of the consensus top fighters. It seems like they are desperate to make themselves and their titles seem legitimate. It doesn’t seem like a big leap to spreading negative stories about the competition’s fighters.

I dislike Matt Hughes.

by MonkeyCHops on Apr 29, 2009 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Is a potential split between a fighter and her husband/trainer a “negative story” in the classical sense, though?

by madiq on Apr 29, 2009 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It’s a bias issue because Caplan has a monitary reason for pushing positive stories on WAMMA and burying negative ones and he has the ability to write and control the stories because he runs both companies.

by who me on Apr 29, 2009 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That’s not to say he does that just that it is a journalistic issue.

by who me on Apr 29, 2009 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

My problem is really with the fact that Caplan stated he was taking a leave of absence from the site when he got on board as COO of WAMMA less than two weeks ago. The fact that he’s reporting gossip from unnamed sources about whether or not the Coutures are living together is secondary.

by Chris Nelson on Apr 29, 2009 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Fair enough.

Does seem a bit tawdry that he’ll only stop in when he’s got really tawdry, juicy personal stuff on fighters.

Pick a job and stick with it.

I’ll buy that.

Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion

by The Kittitas Kid on Apr 29, 2009 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

To be fair, mentioning that a marriage might be on the rocks isn’t terribly “tawdry” or “juicy.” Compare the details of, say, Chuck Liddell’s book, which talks about his post-fight activities, and love of the nightlife.

by madiq on Apr 29, 2009 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

So if he just passed along the story to one of his site’s reporters, you’d be okay with it?

by madiq on Apr 29, 2009 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Would we even know if he did? Him calling sources and following leads and digging for information for the story is a issue when he is supposed to be on a leave of absence.

by who me on Apr 29, 2009 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Then I wouldn’t give a shit because I don’t care whether or not the Coutures are living apart. :)

by Chris Nelson on Apr 29, 2009 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Caplan worked for WAMMA and his site for a long time now the difference is that he isn’t working for WAMMA now he is WAMMA’s Chief Operating Official. Sam was supposed to be taking time off from 5oz so he could run WAMMA.

by who me on Apr 29, 2009 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well, one can make the argument that a fighter’s personal life is newsworthy in and of itself, but I’ll take it a step further:

Randy Couture’s split from Team Quest was due to personal issues, the nature of which has been speculated, but not confirmed. This split led to him creating a brand new gym, fight camp, and business venture, with his wife, who eventually became a fighter herself. Assuming a divorce is forthcoming, that has ramifications not just for Kim Couture’s fighting career (could she continue to be trained and cornered by a soon-to-be ex?), but for the future of Xtreme Couture.

Sorry if that puts it on the level of “TMZ-level” reporting for some, but it is as important as anything else we discuss in the MMA Blogosphere.

by madiq on Apr 29, 2009 3:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It’s still rumor mongering, this is based on hearsay. If the Couture’s announced they were getting a divorce it would make things different from the TMZ-level.

by who me on Apr 29, 2009 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

If there is any conflict of interest here it is between Caplans involvement in both Wamma and 5Oz……in any capacity, not just that he is posting. I mean, even if he were to never post at 5Oz again, he could influence what goes up or even have others post on his behalf. Do we really want to have him disassociate himself from 5Oz? Force Caplan to post news stories on a Wamma blog or something or perhaps have him be an anonymous source to other writers at 5Oz. Seems like a lot of messing around for not a whole lot of gain.

The piece on the Coutures was pretty benign. Better it be written directly by Caplan on 5Oz than have it come to us from him through various other avenues.

by GeeDub on Apr 29, 2009 4:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You would think that with him running WAMMA he wouldn’t have the free time to be calling sources to check on Randy Couture’s home life and writing stories on it. I don’t think this story is specifically a problem it’s just that it points to the potential of future problems. One would hope that Sam would be above a conflict of interest but it is something that should be noted.

by who me on Apr 29, 2009 4:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Perhaps being the COO of Wamma doesnt take as much time as one would think. A few weeks back, just days before he announced his resignationg, Michael Lynch offered to phone me up in response to an email I sent him!?!?! wtf?!?!

My take is, the conflict of interest, albeit a relatively minor one in the greater scheme of things, has been disclosed and Sam is putting his name to things he writes not anonymously getting his views into the public arena by other means. Short of completely separating himself from 5Oz, I dont know what more he could do? And hey, if he has time to chase stories and make comments on issues, more power to him. His comments will be scrutinized more now with his position at Wamma so it just increases the pressure on him to provide legitimate, credible, accurate pieces.

This piece is a perfect example. I dont think he made any crazy claims or slammed anybody or anything yet the suggestion is that he is somehow pushing his Wamma agenda. If he wanted to push a Wamma agenda, he could just pick a pseudonym and run around the web spewing as much pro Wamma stuff as he could. Nobody would be the wiser and he would get his messages across without the criticism.

Do people have a problem with Caplan expressing his opinion or just that he expresses his opinion on 5Oz?

by GeeDub on Apr 30, 2009 4:16 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think he was pushing the WAMMA agenda with this, with the exception of checking sources to find out about Couture marital problems TMZ style and the fact that he said he wasn’t going to be doing reporting when he took the WAMMA job I didn’t see a lot wrong with it. It does raise the question about future conflict of interest problems though and people should pay attention to that issue. I mean I thought that was why he was taking a sabatical from 5oz to start with.

by who me on Apr 30, 2009 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly. The sabbatical was to avoid these kinds of issues, but he’s gone back on his own word.

http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com

by Beer Monster on Apr 30, 2009 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Gone back on his word? All I read was that he was taking a “leave of absence from his editorial duties”. I never read anything that said he was never going to post at 5Oz again.

Plus, at this stage, his position as COO may only be temporary. Hasnt he said that he will make a decision in 3 months as to whether or not he accepts the COO role moving forward??

Surely we can at least let him decide whether or not he wants to accept the role before we start throwing all these conflict of interest accusations at him.

by GeeDub on Apr 30, 2009 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

A female fighter at my gym has contacted Strikeforce to offer to step in against Tate; they hope to hear back soon. Either way, Tate should have a new opponent inside the week from what I hear.

"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."

by AJB on Apr 29, 2009 5:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Perhaps, someone who was set to fight for Elite before they went kaput? If I’m correct in my speculation, that would be a much better match than the proposed Tate/Couture bout.

by Cannon Jacques on Apr 29, 2009 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Everyone knows who I hang with (by hang with, I mean “pester like a kid brother”).

And it would be a much better match up.

"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."

by AJB on Apr 29, 2009 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I hope it comes to fruition.

by Cannon Jacques on Apr 29, 2009 8:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

What’s the over under on one of the fighters not being able to make weight for first weigh in?

by natyong on Apr 30, 2009 7:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Does anyone really go on that site that much?

I find that its way behind on information and has the same articles up for days at a time. Plus, him ignoring his duties as a reporter to remain somewhat bias went out the window when he went with Wamma

by Brian Bobby on Apr 29, 2009 9:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I just dislike the two sections of “Breaking News” and “5 Oz. Exclusive”. Everything just seems like a pissing contest with them now. It started for me with that whole Brett Rogers manager releasing an exclusive statement thing where Sam was after the head of anyone who quoted anything from it.

Come Christmas time there will be “Merry Christmas from Five Ounces Of Pain!” under the 5 Oz. Pain Exclusive

by SamCupitt on Apr 29, 2009 9:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It started for me with that whole Brett Rogers manager releasing an exclusive statement thing where Sam was after the head of anyone who quoted anything from it.

Now that you mention it, that’s right around when I stopped looking at the site. Man was that silly.

by Chris Nelson on Apr 29, 2009 9:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs