Figueroa, Volkmann early winners at UFC on Versus 5

MILWAUKEE — Jacob Volkmann and Edwin Figueroa took early victories at the UFC on Versus 5 card at the Bradley Center on Sunday night.

Volkmann wins decision

Jacob Volkmann took a grappling filled-decision on the second fight of the card, earning 29-28 on all three judges cards.

Castillo set the tone early in the first round with leg kicks, but then Volkmann stopped them with a takedown directly into a tight choke. Somehow, Castillo escaped. They returned to their feet, and Castillo hit Volkmann with a nasty kick to the ribs.

The second round was dominated by wrestling. Volkmann stopped Castillo’s takedown attempt, and though Castillo showed flashes of control, Volkmann controlled. Again, he twisted Castillo into a choke, but was unable to finish before the fight ended.

Volkmann’s wrestling again dominated the third, as did his inability to apply a proper choke. He finished out the fight in definite control, but at the same time, his lack of finishing power was showcased.

This win marks Volkmann’s fourth in a row, while the loss stops a winning streak for Castillo.

Figueroa gets TKO

After a bizarre start to the fight, Edwin Figueroa took over for a TKO.

Early in the first round, Reinhardt motioned for Figueroa to engage, the Texan did that, cracking Reinhardt with a knee and then grabbing him in a guillotine. Reinhardt responded by getting out and taking Figueroa’s back, but he was unable to secure a choke. That allowed Figueroa to come back with strong striking and finish the round out in control.

In the second, Figueroa took over, quickly securing full mount. He finished with a bevy of punches, ending the bout just 50 seconds into second round. This is Figueroa’s first win in the Octagon, as he lost his UFC debut to Michael McDonald.

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The UFC put on one of its most exciting fight cards of the year with UFC on Versus 5 tonight in Milwaukee, but the event was overshadowed by the sad news that renowned mixed martial arts trainer Shawn Tompkins passed away earlier on Sunday. Tompkins was just 37.

Multiple fighters confirmed the passing and the UFC made an announcement concerning Tompkins’ death during the live show on Versus.

The reaction from fighters has slowly begun to trickle out:

MMA fighter John Gunderson today told MMAjunkie.com that Tompkins “didn’t wake up,” but he was still unclear on the details surrounding his passing.

A native of Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada, Tompkins spent many of his recent years in Las Vegas as the head coach at Xtreme Couture. He worked with former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Randy Couture. In recent years, Tompkins also worked the corner of fighters like Wanderlei Silva, Forrest Griffin and Vitor Belfort.

In 2009, Tompkins left Xtreme Couture to move his team just a few miles away in Las Vegas to the TapouT Training Center. He was currently working with UFC fighters Mark Hominick, Chris Horodecki and Sam Stout. Tompkins was married to Stout’s sister Emilie.

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FOX deal with the UFC announced tomorrow? Report says GSP, Evans and Edgar all headed to L.A.

All signs point to something big going down in Los Angeles tomorrow. FOX has announced a major press conference set for 1 p.m. PT in Los Angeles. Is FOX revealing a new deal with the UFC?

Sports Business Journal broke a story on Tuesday stating FOX  won the sweepstakes to lock up the UFC for the next 7-8 years.

UFC president Dana White is already in Los Angeles and MMAWeekly reports that some of the promotion’s biggest stars are heading to the Golden State as well:

[…] names including UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and current top light heavyweight contender Rashad Evans.

If you’re a longtime fan of mixed martial arts, the potential deal that would place the UFC on several FOX-owned channels, has to get the juices flowing. The sport has come a long way.

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The UFC fighters recently made headlines by declaring performance-enhancers a rampant problem. Soszynski went so far as to say 85 percent of fighters use them.

To prove that statement wrong, Harris now plans to take drug testing into his own hands as he prepares for his overseas debut in Japan at DREAM.17.

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