UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II Extended Preview video

We’ve not even been treated to the latest UFC on FOX card, and the proper promotion for UFC 150 has started, not that many people will be shelling out for a PPV hedlined by lightweights.

Those that won’t tune in will be missing out, as the main event is a rematch of one of the best fights of the year so far, perennial fight-of-the-year contenders Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar. This fight has received little to no hype thus far, but this should be nothing shourt of thrilling once again. Also featured in the video is Jake Shields’ return to the middleweight division against Ed Herman.

How many times in 1 minute does Joe Rogan want to say Ed ‘Short Fuse’ Herman?

I’ll have more preview stuff for this event closer to fight weekend.

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UFC on FOX 4 preview: Shogun vs. Vera Road to the Octagon

The last time the UFC promoted an event on FOX, it was awesome, but no-one watched it. This time, I guess they’re pulling out all the stops to make sure people are aware of what is going on with UFC on FOX 4, and they’ve put together a rather nice programme called Road to the Octagon.

It’s a pretty nifty piece of promotional material, allowing all of the fighters to chat for a bit, and not just spout the same old canned quotes that are featured in so many pre-fight packages. Also, Brandon Vera, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, Lyoto Machida and Ryan Bader are all shown in plenty of highlights that really show off each guy ar their best, while also pulling no punches and showing where they have stuttered in their career. If anything this allows a stronger narrative to be created as these men are show to have fought back from adversity and all that.

The whole package even had me going for a second, and made me think that the main event is a great, competitive match up. In fact, it is a poor fight, that Shogun should COMFORTABLY win, probably inflicting some serious damage on Vera, who really has not looked like a top calibre fighter since beating Frank Mir in 2006. Two thousand and six! The rest of the card is pretty good though, and should deliver some pretty good action.

If you’re as familiar with all of these fighters as I am the show starts to drag a bit (I’ve literally seen some of these highlights hundreds of times by now), but to the less initiated fan, it is essential viewing really.

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Who is the next middleweight title contender?

Things are far from straight forward in the middleweight division right now. Anderson Silva is the clear #1, having defeated just about all comers over the last 6 years, and that helps to create a problem in determining who should be the next challenger for his title. There is an issue with every single fighter in the top 10 in terms of qualifying as a legitimate challenger for ‘The Spider’, having been beaten by him already, suffered too many losses recently, or they’re too inexperienced.

Here’s a quick look through the rest of the top 10 fighters in the middleweight division according to Sherdog.com (the source of the most well-thought-out and accurate MMA rankings) and, and the case for each of them challenging the p4p king for his belt.

#2 Chael Sonnen

Obviously Sonnen just lost to Silva pretty convincingly, so it’s unfortunate that he’s not going to be getting another crack at his great rival. It’s unfortunate because I still think he is the most compelling foil for the champ at 185lbs.

It looks like Sonnen’s future is at light heavyweight now, in much the same way as Rich Franklin after he lost to Anderson twice. You can hear some hints at his future plans in this video of an interview on Spike TV’s MMA Uncensored programme form earlier this week.

#3 Chris Weidman

A spectacular win over then #3 ranked Mark Munoz earlier this month has earned this young man as the division’s new hot property and new #3 ranked fighter in my opinion. There is no-one else with more buzz about them, on such a hot-streak with wins over such legitimate opposition in the weight class.

Dana White was quick to play down any title-shot talk after the Munoz fight, despite Weidman’s enthusiasm for such an opportunity. The UFC prez was much more focused on the possibility of Hector Lombard showing his capabilities at UFC 149, but we all know how that turned out.

Vitor Belfort requested a fight with the young Serra/Longo student for the UFC’s return to Brazil, but that was denied. Now, with all of the other top ranked fighters tied up, I believe that Weidman may in fact be being lined up for a shot at Silva. At 9-0 in his pro career I think that he is inexperienced and another big win would have helped his cause, but that would have meant a lengthy spell on the sidelines for Silva, and in all honesty all I really want is to see that man fight.

#4 Michael Bisping

Britain’s premier mixed martial artist is coming of a loss, but he finds himself still very much in the conversation for a title shot. There a a couple of reasons for this

• His loss was to Chale Sonnen, the #2 fighter at 185lbs
• The fight was close, so close in fact that many observers thought that Bisping actually won the fight
• Bisping is a draw, and could generate a lot of interest, both in the U.S and the U.K.

He has a fight lined up with Brian Stann, and he believes that a win should allow him the opportunity for a fight with Silva, but he may need one more high-profile win before he actually gets that chance. Unfortunately, I fear he will get the thrashing of a lifetime if that happens.

#5 Tim Boetsch

‘The Barbarian’ is now 4-0 in the UFC at middleweight, and could have really thrust himself into the limelight last week by beating Hector Lombard at UFC 149. It was a great opportunity for the Maine native, as heavoided an almost certain decision loss to Michael Bisping before he picked up an injury. I picked Boetsch to beat the Cuban slugger, and while he did get the nod from the judges, the fight was one of the most boring I’ve seen in quite some time, and the win did not really raise his stock any further, leaving a fight with the champ well out of reach, at least until he can KO another top contender.

#6 Mark Munoz

His loss to Weidman has taken ‘The Filipino Wrecking machine out of any contendership talk for the time being. He has a good record and he can easily get himself back into the mix with some big wins. He has the advantage of having never fought Silva there is the opportunity for the UFC to create a bit of intrigue about that fight if it ever materialises, though if it does, Munoz’s glass jaw makes him the most ideal cannon-fodder for the current middleweight kingpin.

#7 Vitor Belfort  

Belfort recently called out Chris Weidman for a fight on the August Brazil card. It was smart thinking form Belfort, who’s days appear to be numbered at 185lbs, and a win over such a highly ranked fighter could have secured him one last title that he had dangled so tantalisingly in front of him once before. Instead, he will be fighting Alan Belcher, who is coming off an excellent victory over Rousimar Palhares that cemented him as a force to be feared in the weight class.

Belfort has a tough test ahead of him, and a win will most likely put him into immediate title contention, but despite his earlier loss to Silva, I believe he could be one of the leading candidates for such an opportunity over the next 12 months if he can stay healthy. He is one 0f the most famous fighters in Brazil, and surely a rematch with Anderson would generate $$$ as a headline fight in Rio?

#8 Yushin Okami

Okami is out of the frame. It took him ages to get a title shot, and he was embarrassed, and then knocked out again by Tim Boetsch in his next fight. He’ll more than likely stick around in the upper reaches of the middleweight rankings for years to come as long as he stays healthy, but he has had his chance and the lack of a fan-friendly style should hold back his progress for another opportunity at the 185lb prize.

#9 Luke Rockhold

Now here’s an interesting prospect. It is unfortunate that Rockhold is tied down to a Strikeforce contract as he is a fighter with a close to unblemished record, well rounded skills and a championship belt. It is also hard tto say just how good he actually is. While he has performed well against his Strikeforce opposition they are not quite the division’s very best, and who knows how well he would do in the UFC. He is improving all the time after all (though lets be honest, he’d likely be smoked by Andy Silva inside of 2 rounds).

 #10 Brian Stann

Now we’re reaching the less likely contenders. Stann refcovered from a convincing defeat to Chael Sonnen with a KO of Alessio Sakara, he is one of the most marketable guys in the promotion (he’s a proper American hero) and a win over Michal Bisping in his next fight would be HUGE (if unlikely). It not that far fetched to imagine Stann in a title fight in the future. but I think the possibility is remote, and he is tailor made to get blown up by the best fighter of all time.

Other possibilities pedalled in recent weeks

Rashad Evans could be interesting. He might need a fight at 185 before he is thrust into a title fight, but he has name value, legitimacy as a former champion and most importantly he is a great fighter. He’d get creamed by Silva though.

Rich Franklin. Come on Ed Soares, Franklin has no business being in the cage with Anderson at this point, and I don’t care how much he respects him.

Georges St Pierre shgould be tied up for the foreseeable future with Carlos Condit and the Johny Hendricks/Martin Kampmann winner waiting in the wings for a crack at his welterweight belt when he returns from a long-term injury. Let’s not forget about Nich Diaz too. Speaking of which…

Nick Diaz. Let’s get real now shall we?

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Bellator 72 results and highlights – Amoussou wins welterweight tournament

Bryan Baker taps to Karl Amoussou’s brilliant inverted heel hook in the main event of Bellator 72 last Friday

Although far from brilliant, Bellator 72 was certainly a more satisfying viewing experience this past weekend than the UFC’s efforts. The season 6 welterweight tournament finally wrapped up as well as the match-up for the light heavyweight tournament final in a month’s time. Highlights of the main card are featured in the video below.

In the main event Karl Amoussou became the welterweight tournament champion, won the $100,000 prize and booked himself a shot at Ben Askren’s title with a fantastic 1st round submission victory over Bryan Baker. The fight appeared to be pretty even without either fighter really doing anything to stand out. The finish came in the blink of an eye as dived for a leg when he looked like he could take the back of his opponent. Baker was completely unprepared, and was forced to tap almost instantly.

this proves that Amoussou has some dynamic submission skills to complement his punching power, but I would imagine we probably won’t get to see him take advantage of either as he gets out-wrestled for 25 minutes later in the year when he challenges for the title.

Paul Daley picked up an easy win in his Bellator promotional debut, proving that he was far too good for the likes of Rudy Bears. He hammered his unfortunate victim with knees qand his patented left hook throughout the opening minutes of the 1st frame to get the stoppage. Bellator should be an ideal fit for Daley. He will get to fight and be paid regularly, and at a level where he should beat most of his opponents and look exciting doing so, which is great for the promotion as they try to grow their brand in the coming months. Look forward to him making a run at the welterweight tournament  title next season.

I’ll continue to give the light heavyweight tournament about as much coverage as I feel it deserves. Very little. Attila Veigh and YAMMA Pit Fighting champion Travis Wiuff defeated Emanuel Newton and Tim Carpenter respectively by decision to advance to the tournament final. The official Bellator website reads: “Travis Wiuff continues to amaze with another completely dominating performance.” Hardly.

In the opening bout of the main card, Marius Zaromskis did what he probably should have done in his first 2 fights with Waachim Spiritwolf and defeated him via a comfortable decision, or at least as comfortable as a decision can be when it is rendered split by one idiot judge. he landed strikes and defended takedowns throughout the fight that was enough to win him the fight in any sane person’s mind, even if we weren’t treated to a slugfest that this fight had the potential to be.

One would imagine Ben Saunders will be joining Paul Daley in the welterweight tournament next season after his win that was reminiscent of his vintage form in the UFC before he started exclusively fighting wrestlers. Gif of that stoppage, and full results are listed below.

Main Card

Karl Amoussou def. Bryan Baker via submission (inverted heel hook) – Round 1, 0:56 – welterweight-tournament final
Paul Daley def. Rudy Bears via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:45
Attila Vegh def. Emanuel Newton via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28) – light heavyweight tournament  semi-final
Travis Wiuff def. Tim Carpenter via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – light-heavyweight tournament semi-final
Marius Zaromskis def. Waachiim Spiritwolf via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

Prelims

Paul Barrow def. Jason Carapelluci via submission (rear-naked) choke – Round 3, 0:46
Ben Saunders def. Brian Warren via TKO (knees) – Round 1, 0:22
Raul Amaya def. Kenny Moss via verbal submission (injury) – Round 2, 0:30
Matt McCook def. Shannon Slack via split decision
Julien Williams def. Ryan DeRocher via technical submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 1:32

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UFC 149 results – Barao snatches interim title, Lombard/Boetsch bore everyone half to death

Renan Barao catches Urijah Faber during the main event of UFC 149

I didn’t get round to writing a preview for UFC 149 on Friday/Saturday, which I was a bit disappointed with because I thought that this would be one of the highlights of the year. An event decimated by injury, but surely one that could rise above expectations (as is so often the case with these much-maligned events). There was to be a 5 round war between 2 of the top 3 bantamweights in the world and 2 of the hardest hitting middleweights throwing down for a chance to fight Anderson Silva. Elsewhere there was the potential for fireworks between heavyweights and a pair of exciting welterweights.

Boy oh boy was I wrong about all  of this.

Renan Barao def. Urijah Faber via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 50-45, 49-46) – wins interim UFC bantamweight title.

Now this was by no means a bad fight by any means, but in no way lived up to the hype, and my own very lofty expectations. The issue was that Barao fought very intelligently and simply did not allow Faber to get very much offence going all night. After he controlled the first round, I was reminded of the José Aldo fight, I thought that that was the way the fight was going to play out for the remaining 4 rounds.

Barao kept his distance kepping any possibility of a takedown threat out of the equation, and he used a combination of leg kicks and the odd flurry of punches to score points and wear down ‘The California Kid’ to the point that he looked completely helpless in there.

Just because Faber was more competitive with Dominick Cruz, I don’t think that means Barao should be the favourite for their unification bout, whenever that will take place. With that said, it should be a very close, competetive fight that I can’t wait to see

Tim Boetsch def. Hector Lombard by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Wowo, just wow. This was one of the worst fights I’ve seen in a long time, and after all that hype too. I’m not even going to break this down because to be perfectly honest, I pretty much tuned out somewhere towards the end of the 1st round due to the complete absence of any action.

This fight could have cemented Hector Lombard and the next challenger for the middleweight champ, but instead neither of these men will be anywhere near a title fight for some time.

Cheick Kongo def. Shawn Jordan by unanimous decision (30-28, 30-27, 30-27).

Another snooze-fest. THe only way there was ever going to be any action in this contest was if Jordan took it to Kongo early and scored a quick KO. As it turned out the Jakson’s MMA prospect is still just a little too inexperienced to be competing with the heavyweight elite, or even gatekeepers in this case.

This was another convincing, if a little lacklustre win for Kongo, in his 17th (!) UFC fight. He really is the archetypal gatekeeper for the division, beating anyone who doesn’t belong in the UFC, and losing to mostly top fighters. It is also worth mentioning how good of a job the UFC has done in cultivating an image for Kongo as this unstoppable KO machine. He likes to grapple (often up against the fence, grabbing shorts and kneeing fools in the nuts) and wins a lot of fights by decision. The fact that he is now the UFC heavyweight with the most cage time in the promotion provides credence for this fact.

James Head def. Brian Ebersole by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Another terrible fight. I don’t know whether Brian Ebersole had began to cut down to 155lbs before this fight, but he seemed weak and small in comparison to James Head, and a shadow of the fighter that had won 4 straight in the UFC’s welterweight division. Credit to James Head though, he did what he had to do, landing strikes and defending submissions when he had to for what should have been an easy UFD win had one clearly insane judge not awarded the fight to Ebersole (seriously, what the hell was that?)

Matt Riddle def. Chris Clements by submission (arm triangle choke) at 2:02 of round three – wins $65,000 submission-of-the-night bonus

Ah, the only bright spot on the main card. Matt Riddle continued to fight to his detriment by trying to put on a show for the fans and brwling with Chris Clements, but he eventually saw sense and the necessity to actually win fights, implementing his grappling to win rounds and tire out his opponents. In the end Clements telegraphed a horrible spinning-back-elbow that Riddle capitalised on for an arm-triangle, sweeping him for the finish.

Despite the fact that it was presented to him, it was a nice finish, deserving of the sub bonus award, and a great way to provide closure for an entertaining back-and-forth fight.

So the main card was a bit of a bust, but at least the guys on the prelims brought it. Well, with some exceptions.

Nick Ring def. Court McGee by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Yawn. And McGee probably should have got the nod from the judges. Please don;t say we have to have a trilogy fight.

Francisco Rivera def. Roland Delorme by knockout (punch) at 4:19 of round one.

Beautiful, crisp boxing from Rivera put away a clearly outclassed Delorme early.

Bryan Caraway def. Mitch Gagnon via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:39 of round three – win $65,000 fight-of-the-night bonuses

Super fight, and a great performance by Caraway who seems to have really put his issues with nerves behind him. He is now 2-0 coming off TUF and who knows, maybe he’ll become better know for being a decent UFC bantamweight rather than just Mr. Miesha Tate

Ryan Jimmo def. Anthony Perosh by knockout (punch) at :07 of round one – wins $65,000 KO-of-the-night bonus

An emphatic finish from Jimmo, previously regarded as the most boring light heavyweight in MMA! So much for that. Surely Anthony Perosh won’t stick around the UFC much longer. I feel sorry for him when he is presumably fed to the lions in his next fight.

Antonio Carvalho defeated Daniel Pineda by knockout (strikes) at 1:11 of round one.

The Daniel Pineda hype train has well and truly come off the rails now, as Antonio Carvalho scored another impressive prelim KO combining kicks and some pretty crisp boxing.

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Bellator 72 Preview

It’s summer, and that time of the month when Bellator holds another event in it’s 2012 summer series, and this one has some promising contests on tap for sure. Let’s break down some fights for Bellator 72!

Finally, tonight, the season 6 welterweight tournament will be wrapped up as Frenchman ‘Psycho’ Karl Amoussou takes on former middleweight finalist ‘The Beast’ Bryan Baker. Amoussou was fortunate to book himself a spot in the final with a razor-thin decision victory over David Rickels that many people thought should have gone the way of Rickels. Now that he is in the final though, I fancy him to go all the way.

Baker is a pretty duarble fighter, and he can grind Aoussou down the way he has done against his previous tournament opponents. However, he is susceptible to being KOd early, and he has been against the better opponents he has faced in Bellator, and in the finals of the last 2 welterweight tournaments. Amoussou is definitely capable of rushing out of the gate and getting a similarly quick KO to secure 25 minutes of being dry humped by Ben Askren.

In further welterweight action, Paul Daley will make his promotional debut against Rudy Bears, and the result of this fight is definitely in ‘Semtex’s’ court. His Achilles heel in the past has generally been his lack of motivation (not his defensive wrestling which really isn’t that bad), and he has gone life and death with some guys that he really should have dispatched with ease. Bears is certainly an inferior to fighter to Daley, his 2-4 Bellator record and the 1/6 odds against him are a testament to that, so if Daley is really up for this this should be an early KO for the Nottingham native. He made weight yesterday at least (which has often an issue), so that has at least reassuredd me slightly that we should be seeing something approaching the best Paul Daley possible.

The light heavyweight semi-finals also go down tonight. Emanuel Newton takes on Attila Vegh and Tim Carpenter will face off against Travis Wiuff. I still have really no interest in this tournament, and it should continue to be a procession to the finish for Wiuff, who is claerly the best and most experienced in the field, and who has already beaten current Bellator 205lb champ Christian M’Pumbu in a non-title fight.

Opening the main card will be the 3rd fight between Waachiim Spiritwolf vs. Marius Zaromskis. Usually the 3rd fight in a trilogy would be a rubber match, though it is hard to define this fight that way as the 1st 2 fights were so inconclusive. I’ve already covered this in the fights to watch in the July fights to watch post, so check that out for some more background on what could be the fight-of-the-night. Just pray for a little closure and a clean stoppage this time.

Full prelim line-up below, featuring the likes of Ben Saunders and Raul Amaya, who one would assume will be fighting for a place on next season’s tournament and therefore their future in the promotion.

• Paul Barrow vs. Jason Carapelluci
• Ben Saunders vs. Brian Warren
• Raul Amaya vs. Kenny Moss
• Matt McCook vs. Shanon Slack
• Ryan DeRocher vs. Julien Williams

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UFC 149 preview – Urijah Faaber and Renan Barao fight videos

Continuing the trend that they started with the Anderson Silva/Chael Sonnen rematch a few weeks ago, the UFC has made a couple of fights available to view for free on YouTube featuring UFC 149‘s headliners Urijah Faber and Renan Barao.

For Faber, a couple of videos from his WEC 145lb days, including his victory over current bantamweight champ  Dominick Cruz, and his 2nd victory over former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver. It’s a shame they couldn’t have made Faber’s rematch with Mike Brown available, as I think that is really the best example of what a truly great fighter ‘The California Kid’ is, seeing as he fought the vast majority of the fight with 2 broken hands. However, he lost that fight so it is understandable that they wouldn’t want to show that particular fight.

As for Barao, you get the pleasure of seeing the absolute pasting he put on Cole Escovido and Brad Pickett. The Pickett fight in particular shows off the kind of savagery Barao is capable at the highest level. The way he flurries on the Brit, and then takes his back like a ninja (and I use that analogy literally) before choking him for the tap is pretty special.

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Countdown to UFC 149 video

3 videos for the new Countdown to UFC 149 video, giving fan a closer look at the fighters involved in the extended preview video from the other day.

Seeing this is a countdown, get ready for the usual overdose of  hyperbole. Renan Barao is  the best fighter in the world that doesn’t have a title? A grand statement for a fighter in a developing weight class ahead of the likes of contenders from other divisions. However, I guess the important message is that this guy is a cracking fighter, exciting, and completely deserving of the opportunity to fight Urijah Faber for the interim bantamweight title. the show does a great job of showing what a complete savage this dude is for those that may be unfamiliar with his handywork (which I would imagine there a quite a few, given that he is a Brazilian bantamweight). There’s less time devoted to Faber, but the UFC obviously still recognise that he is an essential part of hyping this fight. Charismatic, popular, exciting and a great fighter, he is worthy of taking up time on any broadcast.

The fight between Tim Boetsch and UFC newcomer Hector Lombard has the most time dedicated to it, despite the lack of footage of Lombard. I’m sure the reason behind this is that if the former Bellator 185lb champ wins in impressive fashion, the UFC brass will be inserting him straight into a title fight with Anderson Silva, and this countdown show is an ideal opportunity to introduce him to new fans. A little extra focus on ‘The Barbarian’ Boetsch is nice too, as he’s a hard working fighter who has just come off the biggest win of his career against Yushin Okami, finding himself deservedly in the spotlight for the first time. Also, we should all appreciate any opportunity to see David Heath getting  thrown onto his head like a rag-doll. One of the most awesome KOs in UFC history for sure. This should be an excellent fight.

Finally, Countdown… previews the heavyweight clash between Cheick Kongo and Shawn Jordan. I don’t have the same amount of superlatives for this fight as I do for the others, but it should be an entertaining scrap between 2 athletic, heavy-hitting heavyweights, and a chance to get an introduction to Jackson’s MMA product Jordan for the first time.

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UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao preview

The UFC is back AGAIN this coming weekend with UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao from Calgary, featuring a main event for the interim bantamweight title between Urijah Faber and Renan Barao. Bantamweight fights rule, 5 round bantamweight fights are even better, and a 5 round bantaweight fight between the #2 and #3 guys in the world should be nothing short of spectacular.

Also featured on this preview is the explosive co-feature involving Tim Boetsch and Hector Lombard (for whom unfortunately, they have zero fight footage of since he fought in Bellator for the last few years), and the heavyweight fight between Cheick Kongo and Shawn Jordan.

This event has been a little under the radar because of the amount of recent events, including the goliath UFC 148, but it should be paid attention to for this promising trio of fights.

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Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy preview

Strikeforce limps back into action this weekend with a whimper, whixh is a shame because there’s some pretty damn fine match-ups on tap for tonight’s event.

The story of this event so far has been nothing to do with some fights themselves. The most discourse has revolved around the fact that basically no-one gives a damn about Strikeforce any more.; Coverage from major MMA sites and publications has been minimal at best, and non-existent on smaller blogs. One could appreciate a reduction in coverage given the presence of the year’s biggest UFC card the previous week and another UFC FUEL card 3 days prior, but its is really sad to see reporting on this Strikeforce event reduced to the tiny amount that there is.

Main event fighter Tim Kennedy was particularly vocal at this week’s press conference, bluntly expressing the reality of the situation the promotion and its fighters find themselves in. Via Cagepotato:

“Take a picture. There’s not a single goddamn reporter here. There’s four of you guys. This is two title fights for Strikeforce. It’s crystal clear that nobody gives a [expletive]. They don’t. I knock Rockhold out on Saturday night? Changes nothing for me. Nothing in, like, what media publications are going to cover me, who talks about me, sponsors I’m going to get. Do you know how much money I didn’t make in sponsors for this fight because nobody cares about Strikeforce? It’s insane.

“I’m fighting one of the best fighters on the planet. Not top 10 — like top five. I’m very confident that both Luke and I would clean house all the way to the top one or two guys in the UFC that could finally give us a fight, and nobody cares. It doesn’t make any sense. Just the ignorance of the sport and the athletes, there’s no way we can change that unless you let us fight other guys outside of the organization, and that’s just not going to happen.”

It is a real shame that it has come to this. Although I think that Strikeforrce is becoming redundant. They still employ some really good fighters, and a Strikeforce main card is nearly always filled with exciting fights, with tonight’s event being no exception. Unfortunately, with the vast, vast majority of the world’s top fighters fighting in the UFC and Bellator promoting 2 seasons of weekly shows a year compared to Strikeforce’s 8 shows, it looks like these guys will just be rotting in combat sports purgatory until the Showtime contract runs out in 2014.

Anyway, as I mentioned there’s a pretty good card tonight, which I’m going to quickly break down before I have to get on with my Saturday.

Main Card

Strikeforce Middleweight Championship – Luke Rockhold (c) vs. Tim Kennedy

Strikeforce’s middleweight division has probably been its strongest division since the ProElite merger, and that has not really changed as this title fight features 2 of its top competitors fighting for a title in a 5 round fight that would comfortably fit in towards the upper end of a UFC on FOX or PPV show.

Both fighters have been pretty inactive over the last couple of years, but of what I have seen Rockhold should come out on top. Kennedy is going to make it very difficult (he lasted 5 competitive rounds with Jacare after all), stuffing takedowns and displaying a competitive striking game, but I think Rockhold’s speed should just about give hi the advantage. I think he’ll be more effective in all areas, but don’t be surprised if a couple of flashes of superiority from Kenned in some close rounds leave this one hanging in the balance when the judges deliver their decision.

Strikeforce Welterweight Championship – Nate Marquardt vs. Tyron Woodley

Potentially a very dull fight, this will depend on Nate Marquardt’s defensive wrestling in his debut at 170 lbs. We’ve seen before that ‘Nate the Great’ can get worn down consistently by strong wrestlers. Wodddley is just that, and God help us if he can double-leg his way to a turgid 5 round win.

if Marquardt can stay on his feet, he can deliver the kind of heat that Woodley has never encountered before and turn this into a much more compelling contest. I don’t like to show favouritism but let’s hope that Marquart starts firing (or I suppose Woodley could altes his game-plan to such a detrimental level) so that this fight is is a lively one.

Roger Gracie vs. Keith Jardine

Possibly the best grappler of all time drops in weight to fight the butt of so many jokes. Gracie’s jiu jitsu is obviously second to none, but he is hardly a dynamic fighter, so Jardine could actually find some success. I hate to describe Jardine’s striking as ‘unorthodox’ seeing as every commentator does, but his ‘unorthodox striking could catch Gracie off guard.

Lorenz Larkin vs. Robbie Lawler

This should be a fun scrap. Larkin should provide cannon fodder for Lawler, who as we know, comes to throw 100mph fast-balls at his opponents and leave them in an unconscious heap on the ground. Don’t expect this to last too long.

Prelims

Jorge Masvidal vs. Justin Wilcox
Pat Healy vs. Mizuto Hirota
Jordan Mein vs. Tyler Stinson
Jason High vs. Nate Moore
Ryan Couture vs. Joe Duarte

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