Strikeforce MMA News

Tim Kennedy vs. Trevor Prangley At Strikeforce In L.A. On June 16; Lashley Injured

2010-05-27T05:05:00.001-07:00

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American military hero and up-and-coming middleweight, Tim Kennedy, will be opposed by the dangerous Trevor Prangley in one of the featured STRIKEFORCE Mixed Martial Arts fights at Nokia Theatre L.A. live on Wednesday, June 16, on SHOWTIME.

The first-ever STRIKEFORCE event scheduled for mid-week will take place in the midst of the E3 Expo, the premier trade show for computer and video games. During E3 Expo 2010 at the L.A. Convention Center, EA SPORTS will exhibit its highly anticipated title, EA SPORTS MMA, in which STRIKEFORCE is featured as a premier league.

In other televised fights on SHOWTIME, hard-knocking, hard-hitting "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler (17-5) will collide with former STRIKEFORCE light heavyweight (205 pounds) champion Renato "Babalu'' Sobral, at a catch weight of 195 pounds in the main event and. DREAM welterweight champion Marius "The Whitemare" Zaromskis (13-4) will face Evangelista Cyborg (17-13) in a welterweight (170 pounds) contest.

A previously announced heavyweight match between Bobby Lashley and Ron Sparks will not transpire. Lashley suffered a knee injury during training.

Both 185-pound fighters - Kennedy (11-2), of Austin, Tex., by way of San Luis Obispo, Calif., and Prangley (22-5-1), of Couer D' Alene, Idaho, via Cape Town, South Africa - have been impressive in recent starts.

The 5-foot-11, 30-year-old Kennedy, a United States Army Special Forces sniper with the 19th Special Forces outfit based in San Antonio, has toured the Middle East multiple times, and earned the Army's Bronze Medal Star medal for valor under fire.

Inside the cage, Kennedy has won three in a row and 11 of his last 12. In his last outing, he submitted (north-south choke) Zak Cummings in the second round during a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event on Sept. 25, 2009.

Prangley, a six-foot, 37-year-old former South African national wrestling champion and Olympic alternate who turned to MMA after suffering a knee injury in college, is 11-1-1 in his last 13 fights. A five-fight winning streak ended Feb. 26, 2010, when a STRIKEFORCE: Challengers fight he seemingly was on his way to winning against Karl Amoussou ended in a technical draw at 4:14 of the first round due to an accidental thumb to Amoussou's eye.

Kennedy has split two fights with Jason "Mayhem'' Miller. Kennedy's only other defeat came to Scott "Hands Of Steel'' Smith in his pro debut on Aug. 31, 2001.

"I am fighting full-time and still in uniform, which is what I've wanted all along,'' Kennedy said. "I am looking forward to fighting again against a good, solid wrestler like Prangley, who trains at AKA (American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif.).

"He's got heavy hands and a good chin. This will be a good fight for me.

Kennedy signed with STRIKEFORCE in 2009 after a two-year break the sport due to his military commitments. This will be his third start on SHOWTIME for the San Jose-based organization. Before walking through the previously unbeaten Cummings (10-0 going in) in Tulsa, Okla., Kennedy scored a second-round submission (punches) over former BodogFIGHT champion Nick "The Goat'' Thompson at Kent, Wash.

"I want to keep winning,'' Kennedy said. "STRIKEFORCE has a bunch of guys in my weight class who I match up very well with. I want to fight all of these guys and put on a good show for SHOWTIME and STRIKEFORCE."

Prangley may not be the most feared fighter in MMA, but he is definitely not one many want to enter the cage with. He's capable of besting anyone on any given night.

Since his pro debut (as a light heavyweight) in January 2001, Prangley has met some good ones, including "Babalu,, Jorge Santiago (his last loss) and Chael Sonnen. Prangley's most significant victory may have come against Sonnen.

Prangley has fought for STRIKEFORCE in the past. Besides his last start against Amoussou, he also competed in STRIKEFORCE: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives, the first sanctioned MMA tournament in the state of California on November 16, 2007 and was victorious over Anthony "A Train" Ruiz by way of unanimous decision at the second STRIKEFORCE event at the world-famous Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Sept. 20, 2008.

Doors at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE will open for the event at 5:15 p.m. PT. The first non-televised preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m. and the first main card fight will begin at 8 p.m.

The event will be televised live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

5K Exclusive: Jake Shields primed and ready for superstardom

2010-05-24T05:05:00.001-07:00

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With the exception of world renown MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko, Jake Shields is quite possibly the best fighter not currently competing in the UFC.

After his recent win over former UFC superstar Dan Henderson, Shields (25-4) is now consistently ranked among the top five fighters in both the welterweight and middleweight divisions, boasting notable victories over legends of the sport such as Henderson and Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, current stars like Robbie Lawler, Yushin Okami and Jason Miller; and even up-and-comer's such as Carlos Condit and Paul Daley.

Despite the post-fight controversy which erupted around him after his win over Henderson, Shields maintains a respectful and mild-mannered persona away from the cage. The lifelong vegetarian and proud single father of a nine-year-old little girl has forged a reputation within MMA circles as an extremely hardworking, intelligent and naturally gifted fighter who has worked hard to get the most of his vast potential.

Shields, an accomplished All-American collegiate wrestler and world class Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner under Cesar Gracie, has championed his brand of jiu-jitsu dubbed "American" jiu-jitsu. The form combines the best aspects of both disciplines into a comprehensive grappling style which Shields has used to successfully climb to the top of the MMA stratosphere.

With a pending free agency period expected to begin soon, where Shields goes from here is anyone's guess, but fans of the superstar would like to see a superfight against current UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. Shields may be able to grant that wish if he decides to sign with the UFC over Strikeforce in upcoming negotiations. A decision is expected sometime this summer.

Shields recently sat down with FiveKnuckles.com to discuss his huge win over MMA legend Dan Henderson, give his thoughts on the post fight fiasco, lend some insight into his thoughts about a possible move to the UFC and a match up with Georges St. Pierre, and much more.

FiveKnuckles.com: First of all, congratulations on your huge win over Dan Henderson. Where you at all surprised by how definitely you were able to control the fight with your grappling? After all, Henderson is an Olympic greco-roman wrestler.

Jake Shields: Not really, I knew it would be a tough fight, but I knew it was possible. It was kinda what I expected. I knew he had big power in that right hand, and if he caught me he could knock me out, but I was pretty sure that if I didn't get caught with that big right hand, that I could control the fight.

FiveKnuckles.com: There seemed to be an inordinate amount of trash-talk coming from Henderson's side. He cut you down and downplayed your skills in numberous interviews before the fight. How did that effect the outcome of the fight.

Jake Shields: It just made me want to beat him more just to prove a point. I think he looked past me a little bit. You know, he made a comment saying something like, he's better than me everywhere - saying his jiu-jitsu is better than mine, and saying he could beat me seven days a week in a wrestling match. So I just wanted to prove a point, and just kinda prove him wrong.

FiveKnuckles.com: Speaking of wrestling, it seemed as though you were able to take Henderson down at will, and really control him on the ground. Did you know you were going to be able to accomplish that against someone with Henderson's kind of wrestling credentials?

Jake Shields: You never know what's going to happen in a fight, so you can never say you know something is going to happen, but I was feeling really confident in my wrestling. I spent a tremendous amount of time working on my wrestling for this fight. My wrestling feels better right now than it ever did in college. I'm on top of my wrestling now, and I've been taking out lots of top level wrestlers, so I felt confident that I'd be able to do what I did against Dan.

FiveKnuckles.com: After out-wrestling a legend like Dan Henderson, it's natural that fans might want to speculate about your chances against UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. What are your thoughts about a fight against GSP?

Jake Shields: I think it's a great fight and it has me really excited. I'm hoping that's a fight will come together sometime soon. I think we're both tremendous wrestlers. Even though he never wrestled in high school or anything, to say he's not a tremendous wrestler would be insane. I think my submission grappling is a little better, his standup game is a little better. I've been focusing on my standup a lot though, trying to close that gap.

FiveKnuckles.com: Well it's really seemed to pay dividends judging from the Henderson fight.

Jake Shields: Yeah, the first round I got rocked, but other than that I felt like I was winning the standup. That first round I kinda came in not paying attention, and just kinda walked right into that big right hand that everyone told me to watch out for (laughs). Did exactly what I wasn't supposed to do there.

FiveKnuckles.com: True, but you really showed fans a lot of heart by coming back from getting floored like that to dominate the fight the rest of the way through. Fans love to see guys come back from big shots and there isn't much of a bigger shot than Henderson's overhand right. That thing is a missile.

Jake Shields: Yeah that's true. It's one of the biggest punches in the sport. I'm not gonna say it's positive I got dropped, but I guess on one hand it's good. People like to see heart and people want to know if you can get dropped and come through it. I guess it's good for me to know that I can do that too. I've never been dropped in a fight, or been pushed like that, so now I know I can take a shot like that, recover and keep fighting.

The first part of that first round is just a big blur to me. I was rocked and he rocked me again, and then about halfway through the first round I started slowly getting my wits together, but I was a little disoriented that first round. Not quite sure exactly what was going on. I knew I was in a fight and I knew he was hitting me. I had no idea I got dropped. I just knew he was coming at me hard, and I didn't want to lose. Especially in that first round, it would have been embarrassing. A lot of people were picking him to knock me out in that first round, and to have that happen would have just been completely embarrassing. So all I could do was just keep fighting, keep fighting... and I remember thinking that if I just kept moving the ref probably wouldn't stop it. So I went for a foot lock. I just made sure to keep really active so they wouldn't stop it.

FiveKnuckles.com: The difference between that first round, which some had scored a 10-8 round and the second round, which you clearly controlled was like night and day. How did you flip that switch. What did corner tell you heading into that second round?

Jake Shields: I went back to the corner and I wasn't sure what happened. I think I said something like, "What happened? Did I slip?" And everyone in my corner was like, "Yeah, you slipped man." They didn't want to break my confidence, so I thought I slipped (laughs). So they were kinda trying to keep my confidence together, and just told me the basic stuff, like keep my hands up, and stay lower. Other than that, I was just trying to pull my head together. I knew I had lost that first round in a big way, and I was telling myself, "You gotta get it together. Pull it together right now." So I went out there and took over.

FiveKnuckles.com: How strong was Henderson in the clench?

Jake Shields: He was really strong, but luckily I was expecting that because anyone who's ever fought the guy says he's really, really strong. So I went out there expecting that. Yeah, he was really strong in that clench. He was able to move me around, and has huge power, but that's what I expected. I just stayed composed, and tried to create scrambles to get takedowns.

FiveKnuckles.com: So the fight goes as well as you could imagine aside from that first round. You've just finished beating a legend and your on cloud 9. Enter Jason "Mayhem" Miller. He gets in your face, shoves are exchanges and a brawl breaks out. What happened?

Jake Shields: Well, usually someone calls you out after the [post-fight] interview. You know, they come in in a controlled environment. He just kind of comes in right in the middle of the interview, bumps into me, gets right in my face, and I felt disrespected. That's why I went ahead and pushed him. Which, obviously I shouldn't have done, but that was my natural reaction. The guy just came right in my face and it's like, you know, I wanted him out of my face. Unfortunately that resulted in a small brawl breaking out. But, luckily no one was hurt. It's unfortuate that it happened.

FiveKnuckles.com: The incident was highly criticized within MMA circles, the greater sports world and even on national news levels, but you see brawls in baseball, basketball, and football occur on a fairly regular basis. Emotions run high in every sport, and in a competitive environment that can sometimes spill over and get physical. What are your thoughts?

Jake Shields: Well, it's easy for people to judge from the outside and say, "Oh, you guys are a bunch of thugs," but people don't understand. When you get yourself geared up to fight you're kind of in a different mindset. I mean, you're fighting someone in a cage. They're trying to hurt you. You could potentially be hurt or hurt someone, so it's not like your thinking in a regular state of mind. So people watch from the outside and judge, but they don't understand that.

I know Nick and Nate Diaz got criticized a lot for jumping in, but they're in the same mindset. We're all pumped up, the fight just happened, and they see punches getting thrown, Mayhem's throwing punches. He had people in there as well. And it's just one of those things that got out of control. Of course there are several people to blame overall, but I don't think you can blame any one person for the incident. Even Mayhem, yeah what he did was completely disrespectful, but I don't think he quite thought about it. He's not the smartest guy. He probably thought about it like, "Oh, I'm gonna go call this guy out." He didn't think to wait until after the interview. His mind isn't always the clearest I don't think.

FiveKnuckles.com: What are your thoughts on Mayhem personally.

Jake Shields: Uh... I'm not a big fan. I think the guys kind of a disrespectful prick to be honest, but whatever.

FiveKnuckles.com: Going back to Nick and Nate Diaz. Anyone I've ever spoken with who knows them personally thinks the world of them, but they seem to have a bit of a reputation as thugs within the greater MMA community. What are they like behind closed doors?

Jake Shields: It's just really not the case. Emotions run high. People do things they wouldn't normally do in certain situations. And I know the Diaz brothers get a bad rap, but they are really good guys. It's just when they get into a fight, they try to get themselves pumped up, especially Nick. People always see Nick acting crazy, you know, flipping people off. But, that's his way of psyching himself up to fight. People don't understand. It's not easy to get in there and go fight someone in a cage, and that's kind of his way of dealing with it. But he's got this reputation, and it's really not deserved. Everyone always meets Nick and they're surprised at how nice he is outside the cage.

He'll spend more time with white belts than anyone I know. He'll be there for hours after training helping white belts out with their technique. And he doesn't get anything out of it, it's just he's a helpful guy and he wants to help people get better. It's not very often that you'll see a professional athlete spending hours and hours of his personal time just to help people get better. And not for any gain, just to help people succeed. When was the last time you saw a professional basketball player or football player spending hours and hours of their personal time just to help other regular guys get better?

As far as the incident, I think Nick and Nate (Diaz) and Gilbert (Melendez) get some criticism when I don't think they deserved it. I think they were just there. And people need to realize too, yeah they did jump in, but these guys are like my brothers. We've been training together for eight or nine years now. We've traveled the world together, and we spend a lot of time together on a daily basis, so if they see someone come up to me and disrespect me like that, of course they're going to get defensive.

FiveKnuckles.com: Much has been made about your contract status. Can you fill us in on the current status of your contract with Strikeforce?

Jake Shields: I'm a free agent basically. My agent has told me I'm a free agent now. There was one fight left on my contract, but the way it was written up [Strikeforce] was supposed to notify me of who my next opponent was by April 10, and that's past so I'm a free agent. There's a little bit of time left for talks and stuff, so I'm not 100% a free agent yet, I have another month or so before that passes.

FiveKnuckles.com: Okay, so your 31-years-old, in the prime of your career, you haven't lost a fight in over six years and you've basically proven yourself to be one of the top 5 fighters in the world at both welterweight and middleweight. Can Strikeforce offer you the kind of fights that really excite you at this stage of your career?

Jake Shields: It's tough for them to do that. It's tough, and that will be one of the factors, but I don't want to jump to any conclusions yet. We need to sit down and see what Strikeforce has to offer and what they want to do. Obviously GSP and (Anderson) Silva are guys that I want to fight, but I'm not going to jump to any conclusions at this point.

FiveKnuckles.com: Before moving up to middleweight due to a lack of competition, you were considered one of the best welterweights in the world. Over the past year or so, with big victories over Robbie Lawler, Mayhem Miller and now Dan Henderson, you've proven yourself to be one of the best fighters at middleweight as well. If you do wind up in the UFC, what weight class will you compete at?

Jake Shields: Well, I think you've got to take on one weight on at a time for multiple reasons. With the losing weight, gaining weight, and also the UFC wants you at a certain weight, but if I were to capture a title at one, I'd like to go for the other one as well. I'm always looking for that next challenge. I love competition, so if I was to get a belt at one weight, I'd like to go for that second title as well.

FiveKnuckles.com: Have you held any discussions with the UFC regarding a possible move to the organization.

Jake Shields: Dana [White] and I haven't talked any business. We've talked, and we're on great terms and everything, but they're professionals. They will wait and talk to my manager, and wait until things are clear with the contract.

FiveKnuckles.com: What are your thoughts on the UFC as an organization.

Jake Shields: I'm a huge UFC fan. Have been since 1993 or '94 or so. I've loved the UFC ever since then. I've always been a big fan. I've got nothing bad to say about them.

FiveKnuckles.com: What would your career be like if you never get the opportunity to compete it the UFC?

Jake Shields: It probably wouldn't be quite complete. I think I've had a good run, had a good career. I've probably been one of the most successful fighters outside the UFC. Fedor is obviously the biggest name outside the UFC. But it would be nice to say I fought in the UFC at least once (laughs). It would be a little weird to look back and say I was a top ranked middleweight and welterweight but I never fought in the UFC.

FiveKnuckles.com: Many fans may not know this, but you're a lifelong vegetarian. What's behind that? Have you ever eaten meat?

Jake Shields: I've only tried meat a few times, but I've never eaten it consistently. I just grew up that way. And now that I'm older and I've thought about it, it creeps me out. The whole meat industry is kind of gross, and it's not the healthiest thing to put in my body so I feel pretty good about being a vegetarian.

FiveKnuckles.com: You're also a single father with a nine-year-old little girl. Does she watch your fights?

Jake Shields: Yeah, I let her watch the fights afterwords, but she doesn't get nervous. I've won every fight for the last six years, since she's really been watching, so in her mind it's not like I can lose. I'm just supposed to go out there and win. I come home and tell her, "I won the fight," and she goes, "Yeah, I know. Of course you did." And I'm like, "Geez..." She doesn't look at it like I could actually lose a fight (laughs).

FiveKnuckles.com: That's some serious pressure.

Jake Shields: Yeah, no kidding. I better keep winning (laughs).

FiveKnuckles.com: Would you like to thank any sponsors.

Jake Shields: Yeah, I'd like to thank TapouT, TapouT Sports Nutrition, Rockstar Energy Drink, Full Tilt Poker, EA Sports.

Strikeforce Challengers 8: "Lindland vs. Casey" weigh-in results

2010-05-21T05:05:00.001-07:00

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Strikeforce Challengers 8: "Lindland vs. Casey" is officially set to go down as all 20 fighters competing on tonight's event successfully made weight without incident yesterday at the Rose Quarter in Portland, Oregon.

Strikeforce Challengers 8 take places later tonight, on May 21, at the Rose Garden in Portland, and the event's main card is set to be televised on Showtime beginning at 11 p.m. EST/PST.

Headlining the event is a middleweight bout between veteran Matt Lindland, who is a Olympic silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling, and rising upstart Kevin Casey. Lindland weighed in at 186-pounds and Casey tipped the scales at 184.5-pounds.

In the co-main event, highly touted welterweight prospect Tyron Woodley will look to keep his unbeaten MMA record intact when he faces SportFight champion Nathan Coy. Woodley weighed in right at 170-pounds and Coy was a pound heavier at 171-pounds.

Other bouts on the main card include a welterweight bout between undefeated prospect Roger Bowling and Bobby Voelker. Also, Team Quest's Tarec Saffiedine will face Nate Moore in another featured welterweight bout and well-traveled lightweight Pat Healy will make his Strikeforce debut against up-and-comer Bryan Travers.

Below are the official weigh-in results for Strikeforce Challengers 8: "Lindland vs. Casey":

Televised Main Card:

Matt Lindland (186) vs. Kevin Casey (184.5)

Nathan Coy (171) vs. Tyron Woodley (170)

Roger Bowling (170.5) vs. Bobby Voelker (170)

Nate Moore (171) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (170.5)

Pat Healy (156.5) vs. Bryan Travers (155.5)

Preliminary Card:

Pro Escobedo (205.5) vs. Jason Sharp (203.5)

Blaine Macintosh (155) vs. Ben Morgan (154)

Jay Shaffer (170.5) vs. David Lloyd (169.5)

Patrick Whittington (205) vs. Jason Lambert (198.5)

Lee Flores (183) vs. Hamza Salim (184.5)

K.J. Noons vs. Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett rematch confirmed for June 26 Strikeforce event

2010-05-20T10:42:00.001-07:00

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Lightweights K.J. Noons and Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett are set to reignite their once-heated feud, as they have agreed to a rematch on the televised main card portion of the Strikeforce and M-1 Global: "Fedor vs. Werdum" event in June.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed the rematch with Sherdog.com.

Noons and Bennett first met at EliteXC: "Destiny" in February 2007, where Bennett scored a first-round knockout win over Noons.

Noons (8-2) will be making his Strikeforce debut after signing with the promotion in November. He represented Strikeforce at March's DREAM 13 event, scoring a unanimous decision win over Andre Amade. It was his first MMA fight since June 2008, as he put together a nearly perfect 4-1 boxing record during his time away from MMA.

During his sporadic seven-year MMA career, Noons has fought for other notable promotions such as Superbrawl, Icon Sport and Pro Elite, where he put together a 3-1 record and captured the organization's lightweight title. He has finished all but one of his eight career wins by TKO or KO and holds other notable career wins over James Edson Berto, Yves Edwards and Nick Diaz.

Bennett (22-16-2) is 1-2 in his last three bouts and has not fought since losing to Bobby Green at KOTC: "Fight 4 Hope" in December. He was originally set to face Luiz Azeredo on the Shine Fights 3 card last weekend, however, the North Carolina Athletic Commission pulled the plug on the event at the last minute.

Bennett has competed professionally for over nine years, while fighting for other organizations such as World Extreme Fighting, Gladiator Challenge and Pride. He has scored stoppage wins in 19 of his 22 career victories, including 14 by (T)KO.

"Krazy Horse" holds career wins over William Sriyapai (x2) and Yoshiro Maeda, while suffering defeats to Urijah Faber, Duane Ludwig and Takanori Gomi.

The co-promoted Strikeforce and M-1 event takes place on June 26 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. and is headlined by a heavyweight bout between top-ranked heavyweights Fedor Emelianenko and Fabricio Werdum. In addition, Strikeforce 145-lbs. women's champion Cristiane Santos will make her second title defense against promotion newcomer Jan Finney.

Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza looks towards the future

2010-05-20T05:05:00.001-07:00

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Five-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion and Strikeforce middleweight contender Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza is looking to move into title contention with his most recent win over Joey Villasenor.

Arguably one of Souza's toughest tests to date, Villasenor was overwhelmed from the onset by seemingly unstoppable takedowns from "Jacare". Though the pace slowed for Souza in rounds two and three, the BJJ wizard went on to win an easy unanimous decision, bringing his record to 2-0 in Strikeforce and 12-2-1 overall in his MMA career.

"Mission accomplished," said Souza. "I'm feeling great right now, it was a good win. I did very well in the first round, but I expended a lot of energy. It effected my performance later in the fight, but, as you can see, I fought through it and finished the fight."

Souza may be catching fire at the perfect time given the current shake-up in the Strikeforce middleweight division. With reigning middleweight champion Jake Shields likely high tailing it for the greener pastures of the UFC, the door is being left wide open for the upper echelon in the division.

It would appear that Souza is well aware of this fact.

"I hope to fight again as soon as possible, and that the title dispute doesn't last too long," said Souza."

It remains to be seen what Strikeforce is going to do about the title situation if Shields does decide to jump ship. One thing that seems certain however, is that Souza will likely play a big part in those plans.

Dan Henderson on Jake Shields: "I'd like the chance to fight him again".

2010-05-18T12:20:00.001-07:00

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Dan Henderson hinted at this past weekend's Strikeforce event that his next fight could happen "sometime late summer", but gave no hint as to who his opponent could be. In an interview with MMA Fighting, Henderson noted that he would be interested in a rematch with current middleweight champion Jake Shields.

Henderson added that after one fight, he is happy with his decision signing with Strikeforce.

"It's refreshing to fight for an organization that has my best interest in mind, as well as theirs", Henderson said.

If Shields were to sign with the UFC, Henderson noted he would be a little disappointed.

"I'd like the chance to fight him again, but if he goes....that's the way it is."

Henderson said he wasn't sure if his next fight would occur at 185 or 205. There were discussions that his first fight would have been against Gegard Mousasi at 205 lbs., and that opportunity still exists for the former PRIDE competitors.

"That's a possibility for sure. It was a possibility when I first came here, to fight him. If I go to 205, that fight makes the most sense. And if I stay at 185, there are a lot of guys that could give me a good fight."

Mousasi lost the Strikeforce light heavyweight championship in his first title defense against King Mo by unanimous decision back in April.

Strikeforce Champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos will next be challenged by Jan Finney on June 26

2010-05-16T22:13:00.001-07:00

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Strikeforce 145-pound women's champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos is set to make her second title defense against promotional newcomer Jan Finney at the Strikeforce event on June 26 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

News of the matchup was first reported by MMARising.com.

The Strikeforce and M-1 co-promoted event will be headlined by a heavyweight bout between number one ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko and Fabricio Werdum.

Santos has now won nine straight fights, with seven of those victories coming by TKO. During the impressive streak, she has won her first three Strikeforce bouts. Her first was against Hitomi Akano in her promotional debut, then she defeated the popular Gina Carano to win the vacant Strikeforce 145-pound women's title, and most recently she made a successful title defense by scoring a third-round TKO win over Marloes Coenen at Strikeforce: "Miami" in January.

Prior to being acquired by Strikeforce, Santos went 2-0 in the now-defunct EliteXC organization. She has put together a near perfect MMA record of 9-1 over her five-year career.

Santos suffered her lone career loss in her MMA debut in May 2005, when she was defeated by Erica Paes at a Show Fight event in Brazil. The Chute Boxe product holds other notable career wins over the likes of Vanessa Porto, Shayna Baszler and Hitomi Akano.

Finney (8-7) is currently riding a four-fight winning streak, with her most recent win coming over Adrienna Jenkins at Freestyle Cage Fighting 40 in March. Prior to the wins, she went through a dismal 2-7stretch, which saw her suffer losses to notable females fighters such as Julie Kedzie (x3), Shayna Baszler, Miesha Tate and Erin Toughill.

Finney has been competing professionally for almost six-years, while fighting for other notable promotions such as King of the Cage, Palace Fighting Championship, Bodog Fight and HOOKnSHOOT. She has scored stoppage wins in five of her eight career victories including four by TKO or KO.

Lashley-Sparks, Zaromskis-Cyborg Added To Strikeforce: Los Angeles

2010-05-15T15:20:00.001-07:00

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Former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley (5-0) will square off with fellow undefeated Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) heavyweight Ron "The Monster" Sparks (5-0) when Strikeforce hits Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Wednesday, June 16. Dream welterweight champion Marius "The Whitemare" Zaromskis (13-4) will face Evangelista Cyborg (17-13) in a featured welterweight (170 pounds) contest.

The 33-year-old Lashley, a 6 foot 3, 265-pound native of Junction City, Kan., was overwhelmingly victorious in his Strikeforce debut last Jan. 30, stopping Wes Sims with an onslaught of punches in the first round (2:06) at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla. The popular Lashley enjoyed success with both the WWE and rival pro wrestling league, TNA, between 2005-07.

In his outing before last on June 27, 2009, Lashley scored an impressive first-round (3:17) TKO over 6-foot-5 inch, 350-plus-pound goliath Bob "The Beast" Sapp in Biloxi, Miss.

A resident of Denver, Colo., Lashley was a collegiate wrestling star for Missouri Valley College and member of The United States Army.

"I'm excited about fighting again,'' Lashley said. "I've been working very hard and I am continuing to learn. The guy I am fighting is huge. This will be a great fight.''

The 35-year old, 6-foot-5 Sparks, of Louisville, Ky., is a tough guy with freakish girth and power who brings it each and every time. An equally imposing physical specimen who has been pummeling opponents, Sparks is coming off a unanimous four-round decision over Johnathan Ivey in his last effort on June 3, 2009.

Until then, only one of Sparks' fights had lasted more than a minute. The total elapsed time in Sparks' previous triumphs, all of which he won by knockout, was 184 seconds. He won in 1:07, 0:36, 0:24 and 0:17, respectively.

"I like to get in and get the job done,'' the hard-hitting Sparks said. "My last fight went all four rounds, but there is nothing I enjoy more than knocking a person out.''

Sparks, who has been seeking a major fight against a "name'' opponent, is looking forward to June 16.

"Trust me, we're going to go down swinging,'' he said. "There will be no tap-outs. I am grateful of the opportunity Strikeforce is giving me and I am very confident of a victory.''

Zaromskis is one of the deadliest strikers in MMA and an opponent's worst "Whitemare.'' Until falling to Strikeforce World Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz on Jan. 30, Zaromskis had won five in a row and nine of 10.

In July 2009, the talented, aggressive-minded 5-foot-9, 29-year-old captured the prestigious DREAM 12 Welterweight Grand Prix in Japan by literally booting the daylights out of his last two tournament foes, winning each fight by spectacular, evil head kick, both in the first round.

Zaromskis has consistently produced highlight-reel performances on the big stage since turning pro in February 2000. A member of London's Shootfighters fight team, he is looking to manufacture another one against the hard-nosed Santos.

"This is a very important fight for me,'' Zaromskis said. "I was disappointed in my performance in my last fight but I know I can do better and expect to do better against a very dangerous opponent.''

Santos, the husband of the No. 1 women's fighter in the world, Strikeforce 145-pound champion Cris Cyborg, dropped a split decision to Joey Villasenor in his Strikeforce debut on June 19, 2009. That fight was contested at 185 pounds.

The 5-foot-10, 32-year-old Cyborg, a member of the famed Chute Box Academy, rebounded in his last start to score a 1:41, first-round TKO (head kick and punches) over Daniel Zarate on Dec. 1, 2009.

"My last fight for Strikeforce against Villasenor was a hard, close fight that could have gone either way,'' Cyborg said. "Zaromskis has a great, fantastic reputation and I know what he can do, but I am excited about this fight and putting together a winning streak.''

In the main event on June 16, knockout artist "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler (17-5) will collide with former Strikeforce light-heavyweight (205 pounds) champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral (35-8) at a catch weight of 195 pounds.

The first-ever Strikeforce event scheduled for mid-week will take place in the midst of the E3 Expo, the premier trade show for computer and video games. During E3 Expo 2010 at the L.A. Convention Center, EA SPORTSwill exhibit its highly anticipated title, EA SPORTS MMA, in which Strikeforce is featured as a premier league.

Doors at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live will open for the event at 5:15 p.m. PT. The first non-televised preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m. and the first main card fight will begin at 8 p.m.

The event will be televised live on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Strikeforce: "Heavy Artillery" weigh-in results

2010-05-15T05:05:00.001-07:00

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Strikeforce: "Heavy Artillery" is officially set to go down as all 24 participants competing on tomorrow night's event made weight earlier today from the main concourse level of the Scottstrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

The event takes place tomorrow, May 15, at the same venue as today's weigh-in ceremony with the event's main card to be televised on Showtime beginning at 10 p.m. EST.

Things didn't go quite as planned for four of the 24 fighters, all of whom failed to make weight in their first attempt.

First, main card fighter Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza weighed in at 186.5-pounds, which is half-a-pound over the allowable 186-pound middleweight limit. His opponent, Joey Villasenor agreed to fight Souza at 186.5 pounds.

The rest of the miscues came from preliminary competitors.

Jesse Finney came in at 172-pounds, which is one pound over the 171-pound welterweight limit. His opponent Justin DeMoney also agreed to fight him at that weight. Erik Steenberg agreed to fight Tom Aaron at 157.5 lbs, which is one-and-a-half pounds over the 156-pound lightweight limit, and Lee Brousseau came in heavy on his first attempt, but made weight in his second try, weighing in at 204-pounds for his light-heavyweight bout against Fransisco France.

Headlining the event is a Strikeforce heavyweight title fight between champion Alistair Overeem and challenger Brett Rogers. Overeem came in at 253-pounds, while Rogers weighed in at 264-pounds. In the co-main event, former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski will look to get back on track after dropping two straight, when he takes on Antonio Silva. Arlovski weighed in at 242-pounds and Silva came in more than 20 pounds heavier at 265.5 pounds.

Other bouts on the main card include the aforementioned middleweight bout between Brazilian submission expert Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Joey Villasenor. Also, Roger Gracie will make his highly anticipated Strikeforce debut against former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman in a light-heavyweight attraction.

Rounding out the main card is a light-heavyweight bout between up-and-comers Antwain Britt and Rafael Cavalcante.

Below are the official weigh-in results for Strikeforce: "Heavy Artillery":

Televised Main Card:

Alistair Overeem (253) vs. Brett Rogers (264)

Andrei Arlovski (242) vs. Antonio Silva (265.5)

Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (186.5) vs. Joey Villasenor (186)

Roger Gracie (205.75) vs. Kevin Randleman (205)

Antwain Britt (204.5) vs. Rafael Cavalcante (206)

Preliminary Card:

Justin DeMoney (169) vs. Jesse Finney (172)

Lyle Beerbohm (156) vs. Vitor Ribeiro (156)

Darryl Cobb (184) vs. Booker DeRousse (187)

Mike Chandler (170) vs. Sal Woods (170)

Lee Brousseau (204) vs. Fransisco France (206)

Tom Aaron (157.5) vs. Erik Steenberg (155)

Matt Ricehouse (156) vs. Greg Wilson (155)

(Props to Combat Lifestyle for the pic.)

Brett Rogers: "When Overeem makes a mistake, he is going to pay bigtime."

2010-05-12T20:20:00.000-07:00

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Six of the fighters who will compete on this Saturday's stacked mixed martial arts event at Scottrade Center, including hard-hitting Brett "The Grim" Rogers, who will challenge Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem in the Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery main event, participated in an open media workout Wednesday at Finney's MMA here.

The other fighters were "Smokin'' Joey Villasenor, Antwain "The Juggernaut'' Britt, Jesse Finney, Booker DeRousse and Francisco "Kiko'' France.

The Overeem-Rogers matchup will headline a telecast on Showtime that begins at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). In other televised fights: Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski and Antonio "Big Foot" Silva will clash in a battle of former heavyweight champions, Villasenor will face "Jacare'' Souza, Roger Gracie will take on Kevin "The Monster" Randleman in a light heavyweight scrap and Britt will be opposed by Rafael "Feijao'' Cavalcante at 205 pounds.

In the top non-televised fight, Finney will meet Justin DeMoney. In other undercard bouts, DeRousse throws down with Darryl Cobb at 185 pounds and France faces Lee Brousseau at 205 pounds.

Doors open Saturday at 6 o'clock. The first of 13 action-packed fights will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets are on sale at Scottrade Center ticket office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online and Strikeforce's official website.

Selected quotes from five of the six fighters on Wednesday:

BRETT ROGERS: "I've worked very hard and I am ready to go. I'm in better shape than when I fought Fedor. I'm going to whoop some butt and can't wait until Saturday.

"When Overeem makes a mistake, he is going to pay bigtime. Whether it comes from a right (hand) or a left, he is going to pay.

"I can't help what others say about me; that's their opinion. My job is to work hard and win fights and that's what going down on Saturday.''

JOEY VILLASENOR: "This is a tough fight, but it's great to be fighting again, getting nervous as the day approaches, remaining confident yet humble for what will be such a great experience. I'm excited for the challenge.

"This guy brings a lot of different techniques than most of the guys I've fought the last couple years. They've all been mostly standup fighters. This guy goes for submissions.

"I've been off, but I'm in the gym all the time. I don't believe in ring rust. The fighting is the easy part. Psychologically, getting through the last few days before the fight is the toughest for me.''

ANTWAIN BRITT: "I am super excited and happy to be fighting for STRIKEFORCE on SHOWTIME and getting the chance to showcase my skills and win in impressive style on Saturday.

"I really think our fight is going to be the fight of the night. Feijao is a strong fighter, but he's not strong like me.''

BOOKER DEROUSSE: "This is going to be a tough fight and the biggest of my career. Cobb is a big stand-up, strictly Muay Thai guy but I'll be looking to ground and pound him.

"Although my last fight was at a catch weight of 192, I've been fighting light heavyweight until now. I was a big 205-pounder, but now I'll be a monstrous middleweight. I am really looking forward to my first fight at 185. At this weight I feel faster, just as strong and more limber.

"This is a huge challenge for me, but I want challenges and I am very excited about the opportunity even though I know it won't be easy at all. I believe a good victory for me will put me in the picture to start fighting the very top guys STRIKEFORCE has at 185 pounds. I want a shot at the big dogs.''

JESSE FINNEY: "I truly feel that this fight card, from top to bottom, is the very best one STRIKEFORCE has ever done and I am very excited to be a part of it. All of us are in tough. There are no "gimmes'' on the show.

"It's great to be fighting in my hometown, but I'm fighting a fighter who's 14-2. This is definitely the biggest challenge of my career, but this is why I started in this sport in the first place at such a late stage.

"I am really excited about Saturday. The fans are in store for a real treat and a great night of action.''

Marius Zaromskis vs. Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos likely for Strikeforce: "Los Angeles"

2010-05-12T05:05:00.001-07:00

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A welterweight bout between Marius Zaromskis and Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos is in the works for the Strikeforce: "Los Angeles" event in June, according to report from MMAFighting.com.

Zaromskis (13-4) is the current Dream welterweight champion and his title will not be on the line when he takes on Santos. He most recently suffered a first round TKO loss to Nick Diaz in his Strikeforce debut for the promotion's vacant welterweight title at January's Strikeforce: "Miami" event.

Prior to the loss, Zaromskis won five straight fights, which included three straight head-kick knockout wins over Hayato Sakurai, Jason High and Myeon Ho Bae. The longtime Cage Rage veteran has been competing professionally for 10 years and has finished all but one of his 13 career wins including 10 by TKO or KO.

Santos (17-13) is coming off of a first-round TKO win over Daniel Zarate at Samurai Fight Combat 2 in December. He previously lost two straight fights, which included a loss in his Strikeforce debut against Joey Villasenor last June in a middleweight contest.

Santos, who is the husband of Strikeforce woman's 145-pound champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, has competed all over the world throughout his 12-year career, fighting for other notable promotions such as Cage Rage, Jungle Fight, Pancrese, Pride, Hardcore Championship Fighting and Sengoku. He has scored stoppages in 15 of his 17 career victories.

Strikeforce: "Los Angeles" takes place on June 16 from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California and will be held in conjunction with the E3 Expo, which is a popular video game convention.

The event is headlined by a 195-catchweight bout between Robbie Lawler and Renato "Babalu" Sobral. Bobby Lashley and KJ Noons will also be featured on the card against as of yet unknown opponents.

Fedor returns June 26 live on Showtime

2010-05-04T12:35:00.001-07:00

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After months of anticipation, the world's No. 1 heavyweight and pound-for-pound Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko (31-1), will make his eagerly awaited return to the cage to face two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion and top-ranked superstar Fabricio "Vai Cavalo" Werdum (13-4) in a STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL co-promoted event at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. on Saturday, June 26, live on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

The Fedor-Werdum match will headline an event which will feature up to five televised fights on SHOWTIME and several non-televised undercard bouts that will be announced in the coming weeks.

A special pre-sale ticket purchase opportunity for the event will take place for "STRIKEFORCE Insider" e-newsletter subscribers (http://strikeforce.com/insider.html) from 10 a.m. PT Monday, May 10, until 10 p.m. PT on Thursday, May 13. Insiders will receive an e-newsletter with the pre-sale code.

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. PT on Friday, May 14, at the HP Pavilion box office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) as well as www.strikeforce.com. For more information, please also visit www.M-1GLOBAL.com.

For M-1 GLOBAL's Fedor, it is a means of gaining revenge three and a half years after the 32-year-old Werdum defeated Fedor's brother Aleksander Emelianenko, via submission (arm triangle choke) in the first round (3:24) of a bout in Rotterdam, Holland, on Nov. 12, 2006.

The M-1 GLOBAL superstar is simply referred to as "Fedor" by millions of fans around the world. He stands at 6-foot, 235-pounds and hails from Stary Oskol, Russia. He has become the most dominant MMA fighter of all-time since he began his professional career 10 years ago.

Fedor is one of the founders of M-1 GLOBAL and has competed for the organization since its inception more than two years ago. The 33-year-old has faced and defeated nearly every other rival superstar and champion of this era, including Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Andrei Arlovski and Mark "The Hammer" Coleman.

A master of the Russian military combat system, Sambo, Fedor made his live, primetime network television (CBS) debut in his last start on Nov. 7, 2009, when he faced unbeaten rising star Brett "The Grim" Rogers in a STRIKEFORCE and M-1 Global co-promoted event. After a difficult first round in which he sustained a cut and began bleeding profusely, the Russian suddenly turned the tide in the second round, sending Rogers to the canvas with a right hand and finishing him with a series of punches.

While the fight world still regards him as undefeated, Fedor actually has one official loss on his record, the result of a doctor stoppage due to a cut he sustained seconds into a matchup with Japan's Tsuyoshi Kosaka on Dec. 22, 2000. Fedor avenged the TKO loss with his own first round TKO of Kosaka at a PRIDE Fighting Championships event in Japan on April 3, 2005.

Since joining the ranks of STRIKEFORCE, the 6-foot-4, 240 pound Werdum, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and member of Brazil's vaunted Chute Boxe fight squad, has notched a pair of impressive victories, the first of which came on Aug. 15, 2009 when he quickly submitted Mike "Mak" Kyle with a guillotine choke in the first round (1:24) at HP Pavilion. The following Nov. 7, Werdum battled his way to a close unanimous decision victory over Antonio "Big Foot" Silva in a live CBS primetime televised matchup.

During an eight-year tenure in MMA, Werdum has conquered a number of other superstars, including reigning STRIKEFORCE World Heavyweight Champion, Alistair "The Demolition Man" Overeem; and UFC stars Gabriel Gonzaga and Brandon "The Truth" Vera.

"Babalu" Sobral meets Robbie Lawler in main event of Strikeforce: "Los Angeles" on June 16

2010-04-30T15:05:00.001-07:00

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Knockout artist "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler (17-5) will collide with former STRIKEFORCE Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) Champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral (35-8) at a catch weight of 195 pounds in the main event when STRIKEFORCE Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) hits Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles, Calif. on Wednesday, June 16.

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. PT tomorrow/Saturday, May 1, at STAPLES Center box office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online and STRIKEFORCE'S official website (www.strikeforce.com). Tickets will also be sold at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE box office on days when events take place there.

The first-ever STRIKEFORCE event scheduled for mid-week will take place in the midst of the E3 Expo, the premier trade show for computer and video games. During E3 Expo 2010 at the L.A. Convention Center, EA SPORTS^TM will exhibit its highly anticipated title, EA SPORTS MMA, in which STRIKEFORCE is featured as a premier league.

Sobral's start will be his first since he relinquished his STRIKEFORCE crown to superstar Gegard Mousasi, who stopped the Brazilian fighter one minute into their meeting at San Jose, Calif.'s HP Pavilion on Dec. 19, 2009. Prior to the loss, Sobral had reeled off five consecutive victories.

The 34-year-old Sobral, who resides in Orange County, Calif., has faced and defeated some of the sport's toughest competitors during his 13-year career. On Sept. 6, 2003, he defeated three consecutive, first-rate opponents - Trevor Prangley, Mauricio Rua, and Jeremy Horn - in one night of single-elimination tournament action.

Also slated for action on the card are former WWE champion turned undefeated heavyweight MMA sensation Bobby Lashley (5-0) and lightweight star K.J. Noons (8-2)

Doors at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE will open for the event at 5:15 p.m. PT. The first non-televised preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m. and the first main card fight will begin at 8 p.m.

The event will be televised live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Robbie Lawler, Bobby Lashley and K.J. Noons will be featured at Strikeforce event on June 16

2010-04-29T11:35:00.001-07:00

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Knockout artist and former middleweight world champion "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler (17-5), ex- WWE wrestling champion-turned-undefeated Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) heavyweight star Bobby Lashley (5-0) and former lightweight world champion KJ Noons (8-2) will fight in the featured bouts when STRIKEFORCE hits Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE here on Wednesday, June 16.

A special pre-sale ticket purchase opportunity for the event will take place for "STRIKEFORCE Insider" e-newsletter subscribers (http://strikeforce.com/insider.html) and Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE e-newsletter subscribers from 10 a.m. PT tomorrow/Thursday, April 29, until 10 p.m. PT on Friday, April 30. STRIKEFORCE Insiders will receive an e-newsletter with the pre-sale code.

Opponents for the three fighters will be announced soon.

Lawler and Lashley were overwhelmingly victorious in their last starts, both of which took place at the STRIKEFORCE event at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., on Jan. 30, 2010.

Lawler weathered an early onslaught from Melvin "No Mercy" Manhoef before rallying dramatically to crumble Manhoef with a devastating right hand at 3:33 of the opening round and Lashley stopped Wes Sims with a barrage of punches in the first round (2:06).

Recognized as one of the hardest punchers in the sport, the 28-year-old Lawler, of Granite City, Ill., was discovered and schooled by MMA legend Pat Miletich. Lawler's fight with Aaron Riley

at UFC 37 on May 10, 2002 later became the first MMA bout in history to air on network TV (FOX Sports).

At 6-foot-3, 265 pounds, Lashley, 33, is a monstrous specimen of a man who has stopped all but one of his five opponents in the first round. A resident of Denver, Colo., he soared to stardom while competing on WWE's Raw and Smackdown! series between 2005 and 2007.

Noons is a confident, prolific striker who has won four in a row and is the last fighter to defeat current STRIKEFORCE welterweight champion Nick Diaz. In a thrilling, bloody fight on Nov. 10, 2007, Noons won by first-round TKO when a cageside doctor stopped matters after the first round due to excessive cuts around Diaz' eyes.

The 5-foot-11, 27-year-old Noons' other victories during his winning streak came over Edson Berto (KO 3, knee) on July 27, 2007, Yves Edwards (TKO 1, punches and elbows) on June 14, 2008 and, in his first outing following a near-two-year respite to continue a boxing career, a decision over Andre Armado at DREAM 13 last March 22.

Doors at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE will open for the event at 5:15 p.m. PT. The first non-televised preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m. and the first main card fight will begin at 8 p.m.

The event will be televised live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Roger Gracie to debut vs. Kevin Randleman, "Jacare" Souza vs. Joey Villasenor on May 15

2010-04-23T12:05:00.001-07:00

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Unbeaten Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu sensation Roger Gracie (2-0) will make his long-awaited STRIKEFORCE and United States Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) debut when he squares off with two-time NCAA National Wrestling Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Kevin "The Monster" Randleman (17-14) in a featured light heavyweight (205 pound) contest at STRIKEFORCE St. Louis: Heavy Artillery at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. on Saturday, May 15.

Middleweight (185 pound) superstar and 2008 DREAM Grand Prix tournament runner up "Jacare" Souza (11-2) will collide with hard-hitting sensation Joey Villasenor (27-6) in another featured bout.
The winner of the coveted ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in 2005, the 28-year-old Gracie, a second degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Carlos Gracie, Jr, made history by submitting all eight of his opponents during the tournament, a feat that had never previously been achieved.

The 6-foot-4 Gracie's submission skills have, thus far, proven their worth in MMA competition. In his pro debut on Dec. 2, 2006, he forced Ron "H20" Waterman to tap from an armbar and, on May 18, 2008, he submitted Japan's Yuki Kondo with a rear naked choke.

A native of Brazil, Gracie resides in West London, England where he owns and operates The Roger Gracie Academy.

At age 38, Randleman of Columbus, Ohio will attempt to re-enter the win column after two consecutive defeats and reclaim the glory he achieved more than a decade ago when he was crowned UFC heavyweight champion after scoring a knockout on Pete Williams at UFC 23 on November 19, 1999.

A tremendous athlete with explosive power, Randleman captured back-to-back NCAA Division I national wrestling titles in 1992 and 1993 while competing for Ohio State University. His stellar collegiate career gained him entry into the school's Hall Of Fame in 2004.
On Oct. 22, 1996, Randleman made his professional MMA debut in Brazil where he stopped Luiz Carlos Macial in the first round of action. After amassing a 6-2 record, he entered the

octagon for the first time at UFC 19 on March 5, 1999 and pulled off a stunning upset of MMA and kickboxing legend Maurice Smith.

Randleman enjoyed a lengthy career with Japan's PRIDE Fighting Championships, winning his first three fights with the now-defunct promotion and stopping superstar Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic in one round on April 25, 2004.

The 6 foot Souza, a 30-year-old submission wizard from Brazil, made a splash debut with STRIKEFORCE on Dec.19, 2009 when he forced former Olympic wrestling silver medalist Matt "The Law" Lindland to tap out from an arm triangle choke in the first round (4:18).

Two years ago, Souza made a brilliant run to the championship round of DREAM's single-elimination middleweight tournament in Japan. After submitting Ian Murphy on April 29, 2008 with a rear naked choke in the first round (3:38) of their opening tournament round matchup, Souza went on to earn a unanimous decision over American star Jason "Mayhem" Miller on June 15, 2008 and, then, submitted Zelg Galesic with an armbar on Sept. 23, 2008.

The 35-year-old Villasenor, a seasoned striker and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu player who hails from Albuquerque, New Mexico and is a member of the fearsome fight team led by Greg Jackson, is riding a four fight win streak. He produced his last victory, a split decision over Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, during his STRIKEFORCE debut at ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash. on June 19, 2009.

During the first live, primetime telecast of an MMA event on network television (CBS) on May 31, 2008, Villasenor came out of the gates with guns blazing and overwhelmed notorious brawler, Phil "The New York Badass" Baroni, crushing Baroni with a barrage of punches in the first round (1:11) of their meeting.

Tickets for STRIKEFORCE St. Louis: Heavy Artillery are on sale at the Scottrade Center ticket office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE'S official website (www.strikeforce.com).

In the main event, STRIKEFORCE World Heavyweight Champion Alistair "The Demolition Man" Overeem (32-11) will put his title on the line against heavy-handed knockout artist Brett "The Grim" Rogers (10-1).

In another heavyweight confrontation, former world champions Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski (15-7) and Antonio "Big Foot" Silva (13-2) will face off with each other.

Doors at Scottrade Center will open for STRIKEFORCE St. Louis: Heavy Artillery at 6:15 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 15. The first non-televised preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m.

The event will be televised live on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Shamrock Promotions is assisting STRIKEFORCE with local marketing for the event.

Dana White blames Strikeforce for brawl

2010-04-21T06:28:00.001-07:00

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Who's fault was the Strikeforce brawl? UFC President Dana White has his money on Strikeforce.

Last Saturday, fans watched as Jason Miller entered the cage after Jake Shields' fight and asked for a rematch against the champion. Punches were thrown and a whole fight ensued. But many are still undecided as to who's fault the scuffle was. White has made himself clear.

"Who let Mayhem Miller in there?" he said on Jim Rome. "He had no business being in there. You know what I believe? Mayhem's saying that he didn't. I think Strikeforce let him in the cage to go in there and do that."

White has long had a problem with the way Strikeforce does business, and he believes that Shields' expiring contract was the main reason why the organization baited Miller into the cage.

"These guys let Jake Shields' contract run out," White said. "They basically bet on a fight that, 'Dan Henderson's gonna beat him easily. Oh my God, Dan Henderson lost, and now we don't have Jake Shields under contract. Mayhem - get in there and let's challenge him and make it look like, if he leaves, he's running away from Mayhem Miller.'"

During the brawl, White sent a message out to his fans - a single ":)" via Twitter - to let everyone know that he knows his organization is better than Strikeforce.

"Now, [CBS] is stuck with a bush league, C-level promotion that will probably be out of business next month," White continued. "And what you saw on Saturday is the kind of thing that happens when you put a product like that on national television... What you saw on CBS is an example of what you don't want to see on national television. No one had control and that's what happens."

Scott's Blog: Mousasi vs King Mo - Do the numbers lie?

2010-04-20T05:05:00.001-07:00

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The hype behind the bout between these two light-heavyweights was certainly justified. Both are very dynamic fighters looking forward to long and illustrious careers, barring injury. But, I have a feeling that I may be one of a very few who believe that King Mo may not have won his fight with Gegard Mousasi.

Now, before you start sending me hate mail... let me explain.

I will grant that King Mo did a wonderful job controlling the fight with takedowns, but, (yes, here we go) Mousasi landed close to 50 more strikes than Mo; many from his guard. A major contributor to Mo's victory was control, but if Mousasi was able to land strikes pretty much at will from guard, did Mo truly have control of Gegard Mousasi. If so, how could King Mo be awarded the victory?

Before we get further in figuring out if King Mo really won this fight, let's look at the judging criteria. Judges follow the following criteria in order of priority:

1. The effort made to finish the fight via KO or submission.

I would say this aspect of the fight was pretty even. Mousasi tried to work for multiple submissions from the guard and tried several times to remove Mo's head from his body with upkicks, and Mo was trying to work some serious ground and pound to end the fight.

Advantage: Even

2. Damage given to the opponent.

Mo's left eye was completely messed up. Not sure if he could see out of that eye after the second or third round. But Mousasi didn't come out of the fight unscathed either with a bloody nose and a lot of time staring up at the lights in the arena. For damage, because of the fact that King Mo could barely see out of the left eye.

Advantage: Mousasi

3. Standing combinations and ground control

I give the slight advantage in standing combinations to Mousasi. It looked as if Mo really didn't want any part of Mousasi in the later rounds, and I don't blame him. Mo is an elite wrestler, and I don't begrudge any fighter taking his opponent out of their comfort zone, but in this fight Mo took more damage in Mousasi's guard then standing. So, even though King Mo was in top position, did he really have control of Mousasi? Because of the amount of strikes that Mo took in Mousasi's guard, I am going to say no.

Advantage: Mousasi

4. Takedowns and takedown defense

Here is where Mo completely owned Gegard Mousasi. Mo was able to hit takedowns pretty much whenever he wanted, and Mousasi may have stuffed one or two, but with the amount of time Mousasi spent on his back Mo wins this part of the judging.

Advantage Mo

5. Aggressiveness

I think aggressiveness was equal. Both came to fight and both did everything they could to win. Many may interpret Mo being more aggressive because of all of the takedowns, but with all the strikes that Mousasi landed from the bottom, Mousasi was equally aggressive.

Advantage: Even

After reviewing the 5 criteria listed above, Gegard Mousasi should still be the Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion.

Again, before the hate mail starts rolling in, I should clarify that King Mo fought a good fight. I just find it hard to believe that when someone lands the amount of strikes that Mousasi did in comparison to the amount of strikes Mo landed that the fighter who landed the most strikes didn't win that particular fight.

I would really like one of the judges or a commission official to explain to me while watching the fight why they scored the fight the way they did when Mousasi landed 171 strikes. 121 of those strikes were from Mousasi's back and Mousasi completely owned the clinch.

Compare that to Mo's 125 total strikes, 102 on the ground and 9 in the clinch. According to FightMetrics and their formula, Mo won the fight. I still don't see it.

This should be an interesting conversation in the forum and I will probably get roasted, but I have to go with what I believe.

You can bet this fight and this article will come up on this week's episode of Shambala Sports Radio.

Scott Asnault is a Co-Host for Shambala Sports Radio on FiveKnuckles.com and the Host of This Week in Combat Sports.

Jason "Mayhem" Miller apologizes for Strikeforce brawl

2010-04-19T09:02:00.000-07:00

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Jason Miller has apologized for his actions on the CBS-aired Strikeforce: "Nashville" card last Friday.

On his website, he wrote the following statement:

"I would like to formally apologize to CBS, Strikeforce, and all fans of mixed martial arts for my role in the events following the Strikeforce: Nashville event. In retrospect, my timing could not have been worse to ask for my rematch with Jake Sheilds, and I take full responsibility for entering the cage and setting off a chain of events that cast a dark shadow on the sport. I've been a fighter and a fan of MMA for over 12 years, and would never do anything to intentionally tarnish the sport I've given my life to. In the excitement of the moment I let my emotions run high and made a bad choice that resulted in a debacle, for that, I sincerely apologize."

Following the night's last bout, Miller stepped into the cage as Shields was being interviewed sportscaster Gus Johnson, asking for a rematch. The Shields crew then proceeded to attack Miller, while the CBS quickly switched to a commercial.

Some blame Miller for trying to steal a winner's moment. Some blame Shields (and his camp) for starting the brawl and throwing punches. Some blame Strikeforce for allowing Miller into the cage. Regardless of which party is at fault, fans will not soon forget the fight. And, most likely, neither will CBS executives.

* Photo by Tracy Lee

Cung Le vs. Scott Smith rematch in the works for June 26 Strikeforce event

2010-04-19T05:05:00.001-07:00

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A middleweight rematch between former Strikeforce champion Cung Le (6-1) and Scott Smith (17-6) is under consideration for Strikeforce's planned June 26 event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. News of the bout was first reported by MMAFighting.com.

The two first met at Strikeforce: "Evolution" in December, where Smith scored a third round knockout win over Le.

Le was winning on all the judge's scorecards and looked to be on his way to an easy decision, before Smith pulled off another miracle come-from-behind win sending Le crashing to the mat with a powerful right hand leading to a flurry and eventual stoppage.

Prior to the loss, Le won the first six bouts of his four-year professional MMA career, all with Strikeforce. All six wins came via KO or TKO, with notable wins over Tony Fryklund, Jason Von Flue , Sam Morgan and Frank Shamrock.

The win moved Smith to 3-1 in his last four bouts. He scored back-to-back knockout wins over Terry Martin and Benji Radach in his first two fights with Strikeforce. His lone loss over that span came in his previous bout against Nick Diaz at Strikeforce: "Lawler vs. Shields" in June 2009.

Smith has fought for other notable promotions during his eight-year career such as the UFC, WEC, EliteXC and Gladiator Challenge. He has finished all 17 of his career wins, including 14 by TKO or KO and holds notable victories over the likes of Kyle Noke, Tim Kennedy, Tim McKenzie and Pete Sell.

The June 26 Strikeforce event could be headlined by a heavyweight bout between top ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko and Fabricio Werdum. The bout is far from official though, as Strikeforce is still negotiating with M-1 and Emelianenko over a new re-worked contract.

The Last Brawl

2010-04-18T11:59:00.001-07:00

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Most days, I defend MMA against people who say its stupidity even overshadows its gratuitous violence - ignorant people who take one look at the sport and are disgusted by it. Admittedly, it's not for everyone, but there's more to it than just what they think.

But that's just the fighting; that's what I defend. I defend the discipline, the movement, the athleticism. I defend the non-stop dedication to be good at something that you love. But what I don't defend is hot-tempered fighters going at each other in a I've-got-bigger-balls-than-you schoolyard brawl.

Jake Shields had just out-wrestled, mounted and ground-and-pounded Dan Henderson to earn a unanimous decision victory. During his post-fight interview, Jason Miller popped up - out of nowhere, it seemed - and asked, "Where's my rematch, buddy?" Gilbert Melendez (also a winner that night) came forth to create some distance, it appeared, and Shields pushed Miller. Soon, Nick Diaz attacked Miller, followed by the rest of their camp.

What bothered me most is how asinine it all was. A rematch could have been talked about behind closed doors. And who let Miller in the cage anyway? Yes, he just wanted to ask for a title shot and offer congratulations, but things didn't go down that way. The whole thing could have been avoided.

And the icing on the cake? This was on CBS.

This wasn't a pay-per-view card where only MMA fans saw it. This was a card that was shown live on "America's Most Watched Network." So many people are already pre-disposed to hating this sport and thinking it's some vile form of boxing, filled with idiotic, brutish men. We don't need fighters - no matter who they are - helping them prove their points.

Many of our fighters are educated, kind-hearted, genuine men. And this post-fight brawl showed the opposite. How are people ever going to warm up to MMA - or even the idea of it - if they see things like this on TV? Would it have been different if it was a pay-per-view card instead? Possibly. The rumors wouldn't have spread, and it's quite possible that nobody outside of the MMA world would have even cared.

Before the rule overhaul in 2001, people had a viable reason to hate the UFC. I know this brawl had nothing to do with the UFC, but I'm just using it as an example. The rules were... not really present, and it was all about hitting each other. Back then, most fighters didn't have any discipline in any martial art, and were just there to show off and make their name known.

But we're different now. We all respect Georges St. Pierre because of who he is, not just how he fights. People flock to Wanderlei Silva because of the grace he shows towards people. But the critics don't know this. The critics see what see. They also only see what they want to see. Fueling their vision doesn't help make our case. MMA isn't about a bunch of brutes trying to hurt the other person just for the sake of hurting them. It's about using skill, technique and heart to out-fight your opponent.

Now, throughout it all, UFC President Dana White smiled. He probably laughed to. He probably thought that Strikeforce - like he'd long thought - had turned into a mockery. He made fun of them when they signed Herschel Walker, and even though he has interest in some of their fighters, he said he'll wait for the organization to fold and then sign whoever he wants.

Even Shane Carwin thought that Shields' camp should be ashamed for starting this barnyard brawl. Carwin said it's not a Crips vs. Bloods gang fight. So let me echo those thought: bringing those actions to the event was uncalled for, and it sure as hell doesn't move our sport forward.

*Photo courtesy of Nate Diaz

Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez and Muhammed Lawal score big wins at Strikeforce: Nashville

2010-04-18T08:14:00.001-07:00

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Attendance at the Breakstone Arena was 8,196.

Jake Shields (21-4-1) of San Francisco, Calif., retained his STRIKEFORCE World Middleweight title with a unanimous five-round decision over Dan Henderson (25-8) of Temecula, Calif. Scored: 49-45, 49-46 and 48-45.

"King Mo'' Lawal (7-0), of Carlsbad, Calif., by way of Murfreesboro, Tenn., captured the STRIKEFORCE Light Heavyweight championship with a unanimous five-round decision over defending titlist Gegard Mousasi (28-3-1) of Leiden, Netherlands. Scored: 49-45 three times.

STRIKEFORCE World Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez (18-2) of San Francisco via Santa Ana, Calif., retained his belt with a unanimous five-round decision over DREAM 155-pound champion Shinya Aoki (23-5, 1 NC) of Tokyo, Japan. Scored: 50-45 three times.

Other results:

"Mayhem" Miller (23-7), California, TKO 1 (strikes, 3:09) over Tim Stout (12-9), Newnan, Georgia.

Ovince Saint Preaux (5-4), Knoxville, Tenn., TKO 1 (strikes, 0:47) over Chris Hawk (3-4), Memphis.

Cale Yarbrough (7-1), Atlanta, Georgia, TKO 2 (strikes) over Josh Schockman (6-3), Nashville.

Zach Underwood (6-2), Nashville, unanimous decision over Hunter Worsham (1-2), Nashville.

Dustin Ortiz (2-0), Nashville, submitted (rear-naked choke) Justin Pennington (0-1), Nashville, 4:27 of first round.

Cody Floyd (4-0), Nashville, KO 3 (strikes) over Thomas Campbell (3-1), Nashville

Strikeforce: "Nashville" weigh-in results

2010-04-17T05:05:00.001-07:00

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Strikeforce: "Nashville" is officially set to go down as all but one (Andrew Uhrich) of the 20 participants competing on tomorrow night's event successfully made weight on their first attempt earlier today at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

The event takes place tomorrow, April 17, at the same venue, and the main card of the event will be televised on CBS beginning at 9:00 pm ET.

Headlining the event is a Strikeforce middleweight title bout between current champion Jake Shields and former Pride champion and UFC veteran Dan Henderson. Henderson came in right at 185-pounds, while Shields weighed in at 184.75-pounds.

In the co-main event, Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez will put his belt on the line against DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki. Both fighters weighed in at 154.5 pounds.

The third and final bout on the main card features Strikeforce light-heavyweight Gegard Mousasi looking to defend his belt against challenger Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal. Mousasi tipped the scales at 204.5-pounds and Lawal looked the bigger fighter despite weighing in a little less at 204.25-pounds.

One minor incident of note, preliminary card fighter Andrew Uhrich weighed in 171.5 pounds on his first attempt, which is half of a pound over the 171-pound limit for his welterweight bout with Dustin West. Uhrich was given two hours to cut the additional half of a pound and there has been no word if he made the weight on his second attempt.

Below are the official weigh-in results for Strikeforce: "Nashville":

Televised Main Card:

Jake Shields (184.75) vs. Dan Henderson (185)

Shinya Aoki (154.5) vs. Gilbert Melendez (154.5)

Gegard Mousasi (204.5) vs. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (204.25)

Preliminary Card:

Jason Miller (185) vs. Tim Stout (186)

Ovince St. Preux (205.5) vs. Chris Hawk (205.75)

Andrew Uhrich (171.5) vs. Dustin West (169.5)

Josh Shockman (205.25) vs. Cale Yarbrough (203.75)

Hunter Worsham (180.5) vs. Zach Underwood (179.5)

Justin Pennington (124.25) vs. Dustin Ortiz (125)

Thomas Campbell (145) vs. Cody Floyd (145.25)

Pat Healy vs. Bryan Travers in the works for Strikeforce Challengers 8

2010-04-14T05:05:00.001-07:00

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A lightweight bout between veteran Pat Healy and rising prospect Bryan Travers has reportedly been verbally agreed upon for the televised main card portion of the Strikeforce Challengers 8 card on May 21 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon.

Healy (22-15), who recently signed a multi-fight contract with Strikeforce, is 4-1 in his last five bouts, most recently picked up his second straight win by defeating Sidney Silva at W-1 MMA in March. His lone loss over that span came against Anthony Waldburger at Shark Fights 6 in Sept. 2009.

Healy has fought for an array of notable promotions throughout this eight-year career such as HOOKnSHOOT, Absolute Fighting Championships, WEC, King of the Cage, SportFight, IFL, MFC and the UFC. He has finished 19 of his 22 career wins and holds other notable career wins over Michael Guymon, Tiki Ghosn, Ryan Ford (x2), Carlos Condit, Dan Hardy and Paul Daley.

Travers is currently on a six-fight winning streak, which include wins over Strikeforce veteran Jeremiah Metcalf, current UFC lightweight John Gunderson, and most recently Tom Belt at War Gods 5 in May. He hasn't lost since suffering his first career defeat at the hands of UFC veteran Nate Loughran in October 2006.

Travers is a three-fight veteran of the now-defunct Palace Fighting Championship, however, he has fought the majority of his five-year career with the Gladiator Challenge organization, fighting 10 of his 14 career bouts with the promotion.

Travers has put together a nearly perfect 13-1 MMA record, with seven of those wins coming by stoppage. He holds a notable career win over former Strikeforce light-heavyweight title contender Anthony Ruiz.

Strikeforce Challengers 8 is expected to be headlined by former top ranked middleweight and Oregon based fighter Matt Lindland against a opponent to be determined.

Also featured on the main card will be top welterweight prospect Tyron Woodley taking on SportFight champion Nate Coy, as well as 135-lb women's bout between Kerry Vera and Julianna Pena.

MMA superstar Matt Lindland returns to headline Strikeforce Challengers 8 on May 21

2010-04-13T05:05:00.001-07:00

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Middleweight (185 pounds) Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) superstar and former Olympic wrestling silver medalist Matt "The Law" Lindland (21-7) will return to the cage in the main event of a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event at Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon on Friday, May 21.

Undefeated, rising star Tyron "T-Wood" Woodley (6-0) will face off with fellow welterweight (170 pounds) Nathan Coy (8-2) while 135 pound female prospects Kerry Vera (2-0) and Julianna "The Venezuelan Vixen" Pena (2-0) will collide with one another on the card.

A special pre-sale ticket purchase opportunity for the first STRIKEFORCE event in the state of Oregon will take place for "STRIKEFORCE Insider" e-newsletter subscribers (http://strikeforce.com/insider.html) from 10 a.m. PT on Wednesday, April 14, until 10 p.m. PT on Thursday, April 15. STRIKEFORCE Insiders will receive a special e-newsletter with the pre-sale code.

Tickets for the event go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. PT on Friday, April 16 and can be purchased at the Rose Quarter Box Office, all participating Safeway/ TicketsWest outlets, or by calling 877.789.ROSE (7673), as well as online at ComcastTIX.com and STRIKEFORCE's official website (www.strikeforce.com).

Lindland, who captured the silver medal in Greco Roman wrestling while representing The United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics, is also a former All-American wrestler for University of Nebraska and the 1993 NCAA Big Eight conference champion. The 39-year-old will look to re-enter the win column after two consecutive defeats, the last of which he suffered by way of first round submission (arm triangle choke) to superstar Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza at STRIKEFORCE: Evolution on December 19, 2009.

During his stellar 13 year MMA career, the 6 foot Lindland, who hails from Oregon City, Oregon, has triumphed over a number of all-time greats including former UFC champions Pat Miletich and Carlos Newton.

Two years ago, Lindland entered the world of politics, winning the Oregon Republican Party's nomination for the House of Representatives before being defeated in the general election.

One of MMA's fastest rising stars, the undefeated, 28-year-old Woodley of St. Louis, Missouri is a two-time All-American NCAA wrestler for University of Missouri. His superior wrestling skills have been the foundation of his success in the cage, leading him to submission victories over each of his opponents, including his last victim, Rudy Bears, whom Woodley tapped out with an arm triangle choke in the first round (2:52) of their main event matchup at the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event at Kansas City, Kansas' Memorial Hall on November 20, 2009.

Woodley's opponent, Coy, is also an expert in submissions and a former wrestling star for Oregon State University. Coy will put a three fight winning streak on the line that began with a first round (3:39) TKO of Jesse "J.T." Money Taylor on July 25, 2009.

In his last start, Coy forced Travis Bush to tap out from strikes just 16 seconds into their meeting at Spirit Mountain Casino in Grande Ronde, Oregon on March 12.

The 28-year-old Vera, the wife of MMA star Brandon Vera and resident of San Diego, California, made a splash debut with STRIKEFORCE on November 20, 2009 when she battered Kim Couture with superior striking skills and brought about a TKO in the first round (3:35) of their matchup with an onslaught of punches.

Vera gained the attention of the fight world by winning the Oxygen television network women's Muay Thai fight reality series Fighter Girls in 2007.

Inspired by Bruce Lee movies and The Karate Kid at the age of six, Vera, a tomboy, took up Tae Kwon Do and, later, boxing and kickboxing before turning to world's fastest growing spot - MMA.

The 20 year old Pena, a product of Sik Jitsu in Spokane, Washington, possesses a fast-paced, aggressive fighting style which, oddly enough, mimics that of her boyfriend, undefeated lightweight scrapper Lyle "Fancy Pants" Beerbohm.

In her last start, Pena engaged in an all out slugfest with Stephanie Webber, before submitting Webber with an armbar in the second round (2:54) of action.

Pena, whose pretty smile is a stark contrast to her darker side, has ambitions that extend beyond the cage. To date, she has been using her earnings from competition to further her education at Spokane Community College.

Rose Garden Arena doors will open for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event at 5:15 p.m. The first preliminary card bout will begin at 6 p.m. and the first main card bout will begin at 8 p.m.

The event will be televised live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Jake Shields looking forward to being a free agent with Dana White backing him up

2010-04-06T17:35:00.001-07:00

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Jake Shields will be looking to defend his Strikeforce middleweight title for the first time when he faces former Pride light-heavyweight champion Dan Henderson at Strikeforce: Nashville on April 17.

Shields (24-4-1) won the vacant middleweight title by defeating Jason Miller last November at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers, although he has fought much of his professional career as a welterweight. The "American" jiu-jitsu practitioner is currently riding a 13-fight win streak, and had finished eight straight opponents before beating Miller by unanimous decision.

Despite the success Shields has enjoyed with Strikeforce, his fight with Henderson is the last on his contract with the organization, and he will become a free agent after their match whether or not he is victorious.

According to Shields, it's a situation he's happy with.

"I took the risk," Shields told MMAWeekly radio. "I had the option of course to renegotiate my contract before the fight, and I just felt like it wasn't really that I wanted to leave Strikeforce, I felt like I wanted to be a free agent and take things from there."

Shields has been encouraged in his decision by the very public interest displayed in him by UFC president Dana White, who has said that the UFC would "love" to sign Shields. Regardless of where he lands next, the talented Caesar Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt is sure to generate a lot of interest in the MMA world as a free agent.

"It makes me feel great to have them behind me, especially someone as powerful as Dana White," said Shields. "He's obviously very important in this sport. I still like Strikeforce. I don't have any bad feelings towards them. They've always been good."

Henderson (25-7) is coming off a spectacular knockout of Michael Bisping at UFC 100 last year and will be making his Strikeforce debut when he faces Shields for the belt, and he has proven to be a well-known and popular figure for the organization to build the event around. For Shields, the decision to focus so much attention on Henderson hasn't sat very well.

"By them doing that it's kind of pushing me out, but who knows, nothing's 100 percent at this point still," Shields stated. "I'm just worried about training really hard, and if I go out there and beat Henderson it's really going to shake things up and put me in a really good situation. There's a lot of factors to take in place, but I'm just worried about getting through this fight and take it from there. I know Henderson's a tough fight for the last fight on my contract, but I feel like going for it and taking it from there and see what happens."

Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Tim Stout added to Strikeforce: "Nashville"

2010-04-06T13:35:00.001-07:00

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A late booking has made to the now complete Strikeforce: "Nashville" card, as a middleweight bout between Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Tim Stout has been verbally agreed upon for the event.

According to MMAjunkie.com, the bout is awaiting approval from the Tennessee Athletic Commission. The bout is expected to be the headliner of the seven-fight un-aired preliminary portion of the Strikeforce: "Nashville" card.

However, the bout could air on tape delay during the televised portion of the two-hour CBS broadcast if the main card bouts end in a timely manner.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said today at a conference call with Gegard Mousasi and Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal that the Miller vs. Stout bout will air in some form on the CBS broadcast whether it be the full fight or highlights of it.

Miller (22-7) is winless in his last two bouts, he most recently suffered a unanimous decision loss to current Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields at Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Rogers" in November. Prior to the winless stretch, he put together 5-1 mark, scoring wins over Hiromitsu Miura, Tim Kennedy, Katsuyori Shibata and Kala Hose.

During his nine-year career, Miller has fought for an array of other notable promotions such as Rage in the Cage, UFC, WEC, Icon Sport, SuperBrawl, Extreme Challenge, HDNet Fights and DREAM. Seventeen of his 22 career wins have been via stoppages, including 13 by submission, and he holds other notable career wins over the likes of Falaniko Vitale, Toby Imada, Denis Kang and Robbie Lawler.

The Nashville-based Stout (8-7) will be fighting in front of his home crowd. He is 1-2 in his last three fights and is coming off of a loss against Roger Carroll at a Clash of the Kings event this past October. Stout previously defeated TUF 5 cast member Brandon Melendez at Warriors Collide 3 in May 2008.

Stout has been competing professionally since December 2004, while fighting for other notable organizations such as Full Throttle and Absolute Fighting Championships.

Strikeforce: "Nashville" takes place on April 17 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee and the event's main card will air live on CBS at 9:00 p.m. EST. The event is a headlined by a Strikeforce middleweight title fight between current champion Jake Shields and recent UFC import Dan Henderson.

Other bouts on the main card include a lightweight title bout between Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez and DREAM 155-lb champion Shinya Aoki. Also, Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi will put his title on the line against undefeated prospect Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal.

Video: Strikeforce "Nashville" trailer

2010-04-05T19:05:00.001-07:00

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The battle of champions is coming. On the April 17 card, Strikeforce: "Nashville" boasts three primetime championship bouts, and all will air free on CBS.

In Dan Henderson's first fight with Strikeforce, he will be looking to take the middleweight belt from Jake Shields, who captured the title last November. Light-heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi will also be risking his belt as he takes on the undefeated Muhammed Lawal. Lastly, Gilbert Melendez will be putting his lightweight belt on the line when he introduces Japanese sensation Shinya Aoki to American audiences.

Brett Rogers on Overeem: "I am going to be moving forward the whole time looking for the kill."

2010-04-02T12:35:00.001-07:00

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Brett Rogers will be given a rare opportunity to fight for the Strikeforce heavyweight title when he faces current champ Alistair Overeem at Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery on May 15.

Rogers (10-1) finds himself in the unusual position of getting a title shot immediately following a defeat. The last time he entered the cage was this past November against Fedor Emelianenko at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers, where, despite putting up a game performance against the legendary Russian, he went down with a second-round TKO loss.

Overeem (32-11 1 NC) last fought for Strikeforce back in 2007, when he defeated Paul Buentello to claim the heavyweight title, though he has been keeping a busy overseas schedule with other promotions.

To get a sense of how long it's been since Overeem defended his belt, Randy Couture had just beaten Gabriel Gonzaga to retain the UFC heavyweight title, Matt Serra was the reigning welterweight champ after knocking out Georges St. Pierre, and Jon Fitch had actually finished an opponent.

Yes, it's been a while since Strikeforce has been able to coax Overeem into fighting.

Rogers has been working hard to prepare physically for his up-coming title fight with Overeem, but "The Grim" says that the biggest lesson he took home from his loss to Emelianenko was a mental one.

"Basically, I need to work on not thinking about who my opponent is and their reputation and concentrate on being me, an aggressive fighter with knockout hands," Rogers told PunchDrunkGamer.com. "(Expletive) their names, nicknames and blah, blah, blah...I am going to be moving forward the whole time looking for the kill."

Rogers, who had been undefeated in his MMA career before facing Emelianenko, is hoping to capitalize on lessons he's learned from his loss when he returns to the cage, and believes that his experience against Emelianenko is only going to make him a better fighter in the long run.

"In the first round I just wanted to go in there and bang with him (Emelianenko) to see what he would do and then when I got the top position on the ground, I wanted to finish him right there," said Rogers. "After watching the tapes there were a bunch of small mistakes that I made, and it is just one those things you live and learn to deal with. That fight definitely made me a better fighter because you learn so much more in defeat then you do when you win. So this time I am keeping in mind all my mistakes and also my strong points and working harder than ever before and come May 15th, fans are going to see 'The Grim' return."

Rogers also revealed that he has a little extra personal motivation going into his fight with Overeem.

"I am an emotional fighter and I like to fight people that I don't like, and I don't Alistair because of his cocky attitude and the fact that he thinks he is the shit," Rogers stated. "I don't know if he remembers but I met him about a year and a half ago and it is not something that I have forgotten. I bumped into him on the elevator and I was talking to my manager and he asked me if I knew who that was and I said no. After that Alistair looked over his shoulder at me and was like, "What bitch, you don't know who the (expletive) I am? So my manager told me it was Alistair Overeem and I was like OK. So that whole little situation rubbed me the wrong way and you know what happens (Andrei Arlovski) when you rub me the wrong way. He was talking all kinds of shit about me and so I got in the cage and whooped his ass. Think what you will, I don't like Alistair and when we get in that cage, everyone is going to see the end result."

Hunter Worsham vs Zach Underwood officially added to Strikeforce: "Nashville" prelims

2010-03-29T14:50:00.002-07:00

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Hunter "The Future'' Worsham, a member of the United States Army's 101st Airborne and son of mixed martial arts (MMA) pioneer Cal Worsham, will square off with Nashville resident Zach Underwood in a middleweight (185 pounds) preliminary bout at the STRIKEFORCE Nashville: Henderson vs. Shields mixed martial arts (MMA) event at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday, April 17.

The 26-year-old Worsham, a married father of one, is stationed at Fort Campbell, located an hour away from Nashville. The upcoming matchup represents the biggest opportunity of his career.

"It is an honor to be fighting on this show. The fact that Dan Henderson is headlining (against STRIKEFORCE middleweight champion Jake Shields) is an honor in itself," said the 6-foot1 inch Worsham. "But I believe this is the level I should be at. STRIKEFORCE is where I want to be. They're right in my backyard.''

A four-year high school wrestler, Worsham competed for Cordova High in Rancho Cordova, Calif. for three years and, in his senior year, for Folsom High in Folsom.

"I wrestled throughout high school, but I'd been into cage fighting since I was 13,'' said Worsham, who's father fought in some of the earliest UFC events in the mid-1990's and owned a gym with MMA legend Don Frye. Hunter started doing MMA when he was 17 years old and, before the elder Worsham retired, father and son fought on the same card, each winning by knockout on Aug. 4, 2007.

Worsham, who entered the Army on Sept. 3, 2008, trains three times a day when he is not in the field or is off work.

"This fight isn't a one-time thing. It's a way of life for me (outside of the Army). In school, I didn't know what I wanted to do, but fighting came naturally. I wasn't in a lot of street fights but, with red hair and glasses, I got picked on a lot.''

The bullying ceased almost immediately after a conversation with his father.

"When I told my Dad, he said to ‘never let another kid touch me again.' That's when I started to really train hard. Besides, I'd figured why fight in school or on the streets when I could just go do it and look good in front of a crowd, while making some money and being honest about it.

"I wouldn't be the fighter I am today without my Dad, who won five of seven title fights and fought a lot of the better guys that others wouldn't. However good I am in this sport is because of him.''

Worsham turned pro in April 2007 and fought four times that year. Due in large part to his stint in the service, this will be just his third start in two and a half years and second since donning the army green.

Worsham won his second MMA belt in his last outing when he captured the Gladiator Challenge light heavyweight (205 pounds) title on March 6 with a 2:43, first-round submission (armbar) over Phillip Brown. He captured the Gladiator Challenge 170-pound crown with a crowd-pleasing, five-round unanimous decision over Niko Medina on Aug. 13, 2008.

Worsham hasn't heard officially but he expects to be deployed shortly after the fight on April 17.

"It has all worked out for the best,'' he said. "Everything I do, serving in the Army, fighting in MMA, is for my wife and our 16-month-old. It is definitely tough leaving them behind, but the upside, fighting on this STRIKEFORCE card, or any other, is all for them."

King Mo on Mousasi: "Nobody cares about a well-rounded average fighter."

2010-03-29T14:50:00.001-07:00

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Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal is warming up his well-oiled hype machine in preparation for his April 17 showdown with Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi at "Strikeforce: Nashville."

"I'm going to stand over [Mousasi] after the fight," said Lawal. "Mark my words...I'm not worried about that dude."

This will be a battle between two of MMA's most exciting young prospects and two of the best light heavyweights outside of the UFC. Though a Division I All-American wrestler for the vaunted Oklahoma State Cowboys in 2003 and an international competitor between 2003 and 2008, Lawal has finished five of his six opponents by knockout or TKO, and is undefeated in MMA. He last saw action at Strikeforce: Evolution in December 2009, when he knocked out Mike Whitehead in the first round.

Lawal spent the majority of his career in the Japanese promotion Sengoku, where he amassed four wins and developed the showmanship to thrill the Japanese crowds. After his most recent win, his rambunctiousness got him in trouble when he was fined for spraying energy drink on the cage's canvas.

Mousasi represents a huge step up in competition for Lawal. The unflappable Armenian, just 24 years of age, makes winning seem inevitable. He's has only lost twice in 31 career bouts, and needed a mere 60 seconds to win the Strikeforce light heavyweight strap from Renato "Babalu" Sobral.

Despite the title being on the line, and the fact that Mousasi hasn't lost since tapping to an Akihiro Gono armbar in 2006, Lawal is treating this fight like any other.

"Nothing changes for any of my opponents," said Lawal. "I always have the same people around me. When you start changing things too much, that's when you start having problems. I don't want no problems and they'll be no problems. I'm mentally strong, physically strong and I'm going to win."

Mousasi's 15 fight win streak doesn't impress Mo; in fact, Lawal says nothing about his opponent is particularly impressive.

"The thing is, when you have a well-rounded fighter... he's a boring fighter," he said. "If you're well-rounded you have nothing to fall back on. Where if you're a great striker, average grappler and average take-down defense, you can knock somebody out. If you're a great wrestler, you can take somebody down and ground-and-pound them. Make it exciting. Nobody cares about a well-rounded average fighter."

Mousasi isn't impressed with his foe either, but Lawal isn't bothered by any of his critics.

"A lot of critics are idiots," said Lawal. "I don't care what [Mousasi] says. He'll be impressed with me when I'm standing over him."

Strikeforce Challengers VII: "Johnson vs. Mahe" weigh-in results

2010-03-26T13:05:00.001-07:00

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Strikeforce Challengers VII: "Johnson vs. Mahe" is officially set to go down as all 17 fighters competing on tomorrow's event successfully made weight without incident earlier today at World Sports Café in Fresno, California.

The event take places tomorrow night, on March 26, at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, and the event's main card is set to be televised on Showtime beginning at 11 p.m. EST/PST.

Headlining the event is a heavyweight bout between fast rising prospect Lavar Johnson and unbeaten Hawaiian Lolohea Mahe. Johnson came in at 241-pounds, while Mahe weighed in at 267-pounds, which is a full pound over the 266-pound heavyweight limit. There is no word if Mahe was fined for missing weight or if the bout was accepted at a catchweight.

In addition, light-heavyweights Abongo Hunphrey and George Bush III will meet in the night's co-featured bout. Humphrey tipped the scales at 203.6 lbs and Bush III came in at 206 pounds.

Other bouts on the main card include a very interesting welterweight bout between DREAM veteran Andre Galvao and Luke Stewart as well as a 135-pound women's bout between undefeated prospect Zoila Frausto and Miesha Tate. Also, Justin Wilcox and Shamar Bailey will meet in a catchweight bout of 160-pounds.

Below are the official weigh-in results Strikeforce Challengers VII: "Johnson vs. Mahe":

Televised Main Card:

Lavar Johnson (241) vs. Lolohea Mahe (267)

Abongo Hunphrey (203.6) vs. George Bush III (206)

Luke Stewart (171.2) vs. Andre Galvao (170.4)

Zoila Frausto (132.4) vs. Miesha Tate (136)

Justin Wilcox (160.8) vs. Shamar Bailey (161)

Preliminary Card:

Daniel Cormier (242) vs. John Devine (253.2)

Paul Ruiz (134.8) vs. TBD

Trinidad Valdez (168) vs. Ricky Jackson (169)

Avery Kaleo (143.2) vs. Chris Buron (144)

Strikeforce heavyweight champion Overeem vs. Rogers, Arlovski vs. Silva official for May 15

2010-03-19T13:05:00.001-07:00

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World Heavyweight Champion Alistair "The Demolition Man" Overeem (32-11) will make his highly anticipated return to action against heavy-handed knockout artist Brett "The Grim" Rogers (10-1) in the main event of a STRIKEFORCE mixed martial arts (MMA) extravaganza at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., on Saturday, May 15.

In another heavyweight confrontation, Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski (15-7) will clash with Antonio "Big Foot" Silva (13-2).

An exclusive special pre-sale ticket purchase opportunity for STRIKEFORCE St. Louis: Heavy Artillery will take place for "STRIKEFORCE Insider" e-newsletter subscribers (www.strikeforce.com/insider.html) from 10 a.m. CT on Tuesday, March 23, until 10 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 25. STRIKEFORCE Insiders will receive a special e-newsletter on Monday with the pre-sale code.

All fans that purchase tickets to the event during the pre-sale will receive a limited edition, 17" x 23" high gloss STRIKEFORCE collectible poster.

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. CT on Friday, March 26 at Scottrade Center ticket office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE'S official website (www.strikeforce.com).

Since being crowned the first heavyweight champion in STRIKEFORCE history after he caved in Paul "The Headhunter" Buentello with a series of knee strikes in the second round (3:42) at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. on Nov. 16, 2007, the 29-year-old Overeem, of The Netherlands, has been demolishing foes, finishing seven of eight opponents inside of one round.

The only bout that did not finish in this fashion was a matchup on Sept. 23, 2008 with MMA legend Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic that was declared a no contest after the 6-foot-5 inch, 260-pound Overeem accidentally struck his opponent with a knee to the groin.

Rogers, a resident of Minneapolis, Minn., who also stands 6-feet-5, and weighs 265 pounds, will attempt to return to his winning ways after an admirable effort against the No. 1 heavyweight in the world - Fedor Emelianenko - in the main event on The CBS television Network on Nov. 7, 2009, from Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill. on Nov. 7, 2009. The dangerous-hitting Rogers had Emelianenko in trouble in the early going, opening a cut around the eye and putting continuous pressure on the heavily favored Russian.

Emelianenko, who has met and defeated nearly every great heavyweight rival of this era, turned the tides on the American in the second round, putting Rogers on the canvas with a series of punches to earn a TKO at the 1:48 mark of the round. Prior to the exciting matchup, Rogers had earned his most impressive victory to date by crushing Arlovski in just 22 seconds with an onslaught of heavy punches at Scottrade Center on June 6, 2009.

The 31-year-old Arlovski's start will be his first since an upset defeat to Rogers. A former UFC heavyweight champion, Arlovski had won five-in-a-row in the UFC before suffering back-to-back losses to Emelianenko and Rogers. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound native of Minsk, Belarus, Arlovski captured the UFC belt on Feb. 5, 2005 by submitting (Achilles lock) Tim Sylvia in 47 seconds.

Also a former world heavyweight champion, the 6-foot-4 inch, 260-pound Silva, of Brazil, initiated a six-fight winning streak with a first round (3:49) TKO (strikes) over dangerous brawler Wesley "Cabbage" Correira in Southaven, Mississippi on Feb. 10, 2007. Silva is unbeaten (4-0) in competition in Japan, winning two fights in K-1 and a pair of bouts in Sengoku.

Shamrock Promotions will assist STRIKEFORCE with local marketing for the event on May 15.

Doors at Scottrade Center will open for STRIKEFORCE St. Louis: Heavy Artillery at 6:15 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 15. The first non-televised preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m.

The event will be televised live on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Lyle Beerbohm vs. Vitor Ribeiro likely for May 15 Strikeforce event

2010-03-16T17:35:00.001-07:00

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A lightweight bout between rising contender Lyle Beerbohm and well traveled Brazilian lightweight Vitor Ribeiro is in the works for a May 15 Strikeforce event. News of the bout was first reported by MMAMania.com.

Though not officially announced, the event is expected to take place at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri and will air live on Showtime. Also rumored for the event are two explosive heavyweight bouts; Alistair Overeem vs. Brett Rogers and Andrei Arlovski vs. Antonio Silva.

Beerbohm hasn't fought since defeating Josh Martin at Arena Rumble: "Horn vs. Guida" last September. He's earned a 2-0 record with Strikeforce, scoring a first round submission win over UFC veteran Duane Ludwig in June 2009 and defeating Ray Perales in his Strikeforce debut in February 2008.

Beerbohm has put together an undefeated 13-0 MMA record since making his pro debut in April 2007, scoring stoppage wins in all but one of his those wins. He has fought for other notable promotions such as; King of the Cage, ProElite and SportFight.

Ribeiro (20-3) will be making his long-awaited Strikeforce debut after signing with the promotion back in September. He has lost two of his last three bouts; being bested by Gesias Cavalcante back in 2007 and then Shinya Aoki at DREAM 10 in July of this year. Ribeiro defeated Katsuhiko Nagata at DREAM 8 in his lone victory over the three-fight span.

During his eight-year career, Ribeiro has fought for other notable promotions such as; Rumble on the Rock, WFA, Absolute Fighting Championships, HOOKnSHOOT, Shooto and Cage Rage, where he held the promotion's lightweight title. He has finished 14 of his 20 career wins including 11 by submision, and holds notable wins over the likes of Joachim Hansen, Eiji Mitsuoka, Abdul Mohamed, Daisuke Nakamura, Jean Silva and Mitsuhiro Ishida.

Strikeforce's Trevor Prangley vs. Karl Amoussou "eye poke controversy" continues to heat up

2010-03-11T05:05:00.001-08:00

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The fight ended with an accidental eyepoke, but the battle between Strikeforce mixed martial artists Trevor Prangley and Karl Amoussou continues to heat up - outside of the cage.

Prangley believes he was in control of the live, SHOWTIME televised Strikeforce Challengers middleweight (185 pounds) fight at San Jose, California's Civic Auditorium on Friday, February 26 and that he hurt Amoussou with a strong right hand before the foul. The punch, not so much the eyepoke, Prangley said, may have been a factor in why Amoussou didn't want to continue.

"That right hand is what changed the momentum in the fight," Prangley told Strikeforce.com. "When I hit him with that right hand, it hurt him. I know I was on my way to finishing the guy in the second round."

The fight was declared a technical draw with 46 seconds remaining in the first round after Prangley's left hand fingers jabbed Amoussou in the right eye (According to MMA rules in the state of California, the ringside physician has the discretion to stop a bout in the event that an accidental foul causes an injury).

At the time of the stoppage, the fight seemed fairly even. Prangley had gotten off to a slow start and Amoussou had connected with a few heavy shots in the early going. Both fighters were aggressive and able to land some clean shots to the head.

Amoussou told Strikeforce.com that he believed the fight was stopped too early and, had he been able to continue, he would have beaten Prangley.

"I would say to Trevor that he should stop talking (like I was looking for a way out) and that he should be very happy with a draw against me, because the following round would have been a nightmare for him," Amoussou said. "I think he knows it."

Amoussou said that the doctor never asked him if he was able to continue the fight. When Amoussou asked for more time to recover, the doctor told the referee, "I think we should stop the fight,' and, then, it was over," the fighter recalled.

"Of course I wasn't dying, but I was hurt, unable to open the eye, and needed time to recover," Amoussou said. "Even when you get dust in the eye you need one minute to see normally, so imagine after a finger in the eye, thrown with power."

Prangley, however, sees it a different way.

"I really didn't think the eyepoke was enough to stop the fight," Prangley said. "Normally when you get poked in the eye there is some tearing up and there is some trauma. There were no signs of trauma at all in his eye. I don't know if he was trying to get his five minutes and misunderstood."

Amoussou said he only needed a few minutes to recover.

"I needed three minutes to begin seeing and I'm not stupid to fight with a closed eye due to my opponent's mistake," Amoussou said.

Amoussou said he doesn't like the fact that Prangley is implying that Amoussou possibly used the eyepoke as an excuse not to continue.

"I think it's neither a fighter's, nor a man's attitude, and to be honest I don't think he was that much disappointed that the fight was stopped," Amoussou said.

Although he acknowledged the eyepoke was his mistake, Prangley insists he was firmly in control of the fight.

"I am really a slow starter," Prangley said. "Anyone who has seen me knows that it takes half-a-round and a couple of hits for me to warm up. Most of my fights I have lost the first round, but I usually come back and pound-and-ground in the second."

Both mixed martial artists were clearly disappointed with the outcome.

"It feels like it was a waste of my time," Prangley said of all his training and effort, to have the fight end in a no contest. "It was a disappointing way to end the fight. There was no closure. No one knows who the better man was that night."

Prangley, a former national wrestling champion for his native South Africa who is looking to emerge as a top contender in the Strikeforce middleweight division, said he is ready to fight again soon, no matter who it is.

"I am just going to move on," Prangley said. "I am not going to dwell on it. I really don't care whether it is (Amoussou) or not. It depends on what Strikeforce wants to do, whatever Strikeforce puts together. It was a good, exciting fight until it got stopped. The crowd would have gotten what they wanted out of the fight if it had continued."

Amoussou too said he is ready to get back into the cage against Prangley or anyone else.

"I don't know, but cannot wait to fight," Amoussou said. "Prangley is not the ultimate goal for me, far away from that... I just can tell you one thing: I am going to smash the Strikeforce middleweight division."

CBS and Strikeforce bring MMA back to primetime on April 17 with three title fights

2010-03-03T05:05:00.001-08:00

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CBS SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS and STRIKEFORCE mixed martial arts (MMA) return to network primetime television with a world-class lineup featuring three title fights and five of the top MMA fighters in the world from their respective weight classes, on Saturday, April 17 (9:00 PM, ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network. The event will be broadcast live from the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn.

Dan Henderson (25-7-0), one of the most decorated fighters in MMA history, makes his STRIKEFORCE debut in the evening's main event against champion Jake Shields (24-4-1) as the two battle for the STRIKEFORCE Middleweight Title. Both Shields and Henderson are ranked as two of the top five middleweights in the world.

This event also marks the first time Henderson, who left the UFC and signed a four-fight deal with STRIKEFORCE in December 2009, will fight in front of a network primetime audience. A two-time United States Olympic wrestling team member (1992, 1996), Henderson is also the only fighter in the sport's history to simultaneously hold two different titles in two different weight classes (welterweight and heavyweight) for a major fight promotion (PRIDE Fighting Championships).

"We are excited about returning to CBS Primetime with a card featuring some of the top mixed martial arts fighters in the world, including three title fights and the STRIKEFORCE debut of MMA legend, Dan Henderson," said Scott Coker, Founder and CEO of STRIKEFORCE. "CBS has shown a tremendous commitment to furthering the sport of MMA on network television and we appreciate the home they have given STRIKEFORCE to deliver world class cards for MMA fans everywhere."

In addition to the main event championship bout, the night will also include two additional championship title fights. Gegard Mousasi (27-2-1), arguably the sport's top light heavyweight, will face undefeated King Mo (6-0) for the STRIKEFORCE Light Heavyweight title. STRIKEFORCE champion Gilbert Melendez (17-2-0) puts his lightweight title on the line against DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki (23-4-0) in the evening's third title bout.

"When you have one event with three championship fights and this many top-ranked athletes, it's more than just a great card, it's a big night for MMA," said Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President, Primetime, CBS Television. "Audiences are going to see a great range of mixed martial arts skills, styles and talent on one broadcast."

Last November's CBS SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS, headlined by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers, averaged 4.04m viewers, winning its time period among adults 18-34 and men 18-34, and delivering ratings significantly higher than the Network's season-to-date averages in the time period among young adult and male demos. The ratings include a 1.8/06 in adults 18-49, 1.8/07 in adults 18-34, 2.6/07 in men 25-54, 2.5/08 in men 18-49 and 2.3/09 in men 18-34. The broadcast's main event attracted 5.46 million viewers.

SHOWTIME Sports will produce the broadcast with host Gus Johnson calling the action and MMA legend Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo serving as color analysts.

Alistair Overeem likely to face Brett Rogers in May

2010-03-02T13:05:00.001-08:00

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Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem will likely meet heavy-handed brawler Brett Rogers in a non-title fight scheduled for May 15 in St. Louis, MO. Overeem announced the match-up with Rogers on his Twitter account yesterday, but went on to state that the match was officially unconfirmed as of yet.

The possible upcoming match with Rogers will mark the first time we have seen the champion in action in a Strikeforce cage since his bout with MMA veteran Paul Buentello. Overeem won that fight via submission (knees to the body), en route to becoming the first ever Strikeforce heavyweight champion.

Since that time, Overeem has been mired by injuries. He was forced to withdraw from his first scheduled title defense with Rogers at "Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields" due to a hand injury sustained in a nightclub brawl. Complications with the same injury kept Overeem out of his next scheduled title defense against Fabricio Werdum at "Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg" back in August of 2009.

Overeem, who has remained active in other promotions as well as K-1 events, has made it known that he want to be more active on the MMA front.

"If I can do K-1 after these fights or in between, that's OK, but if not, I will go for Strikeforce," Overeem told MMAJunkie.com. "Its been far too long. Last year was a good year in K-1, but this year, I want to fight in MMA."

Overeem also touched on the topic of fighting top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko who he believes has been avoiding him.

"Fedor doesn't want to fight," claimed Overeem. " His manager doesn't want to fight. That's basically, the message I'm getting out of all of this. The management said, 'Yeah, we want to fight Alistair, but first, Alistair must fight somebody else.' Basically, you need two parties to agree on a fight. Otherwise it's not going to happen."

A fight that will happen however, is Overeem's match up with Brett Rogers. Rogers, who has been known to ruffle some feathers with his penchant for pre-fight trash talk has Overeem chomping at the bit to settle their long standing media battle.

"He is an excellent opponent," said Overeem. "I'm looking forward to smacking his face and his loud mouth. I'm really happy that Strikeforce came to me with this fight so we can settle things once and for all."

Rogers has been overt in his criticism of Overeem in the past, stating on several occasions that Overeem should defend his title or step down as champion. It is a view shared by many in the MMA community, a fact not lost on Overeem.

"If people take the time to look what the situation is, there are no secrets," said Overeem. "There's no strange stuff going on. I can look you in the face and answer your questions. Then they'll see that things turn out the way they turn out. There are no more obstacles for me."

Overeem will look to prove this point, and reaffirm his status as king of the Strikeforce heavyweight division, in May.

Andre Arlovski signs new deal with Strikeforce

2010-03-02T10:50:00.001-08:00

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Andrei Arlovski recently signed a new multi-fight, 16-month contract with Strikeforce. The former UFC heavyweight champion broke the news on his website earlier today. Arlovski will likely step back into the cage for Strikeforce's card in St. Louis, MO, on May 15.

His expected opponent will be former EliteXC heavyweight champion Antonio Silva. Fans last saw Silva at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers against fellow Brazilian heavyweight Fabricio Werdum in November 2009. Silva was defeated by Werdum via unanimous decision.

Arlovski has not fared much better in recent bouts, losing to Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers, both by violent knockouts. Despite the losses, the Belarusian powerhouse is still a very dangerous heavyweight. Arlovski boasts some of the most technical and skilled hands in the heavyweight division, as well as knockout power. Arlovski also has a dangerous and often overlooked ground game, which makes him one of the most well-rounded heavyweights around.

Both Arlovski and Silva will be looking to get back to their winning ways of old when they step inside the cage to meet each other for the first time.

Shinya Aoki vs. Gilbert Melendez for Strikeforce lightweight title on CBS

2010-03-02T05:05:00.001-08:00

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Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez and DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki are now set to face off on the Strikeforce card set for April 17, live on CBS. This clash of champions will be for the Strikeforce lightweight title. Aoki's DREAM lightweight title will not be on the line.

News of this breaking information came via Sports Illustrated's Josh Gross, who made the news public on his Twitter account.

"Multiple sources confirm that Gilbert Melendez will fight Shinya Aoki on the April 17 CBS card in Nashville, TN. The Melendez-Aoki bout will be for the Strikeforce belt. Aoki's DREAM title will go uncontested," Gross wrote.

Melendez is on a three-fight winning streak since his loss to Josh Thomson in 2008. Melendez recently avenged the loss to Thompson in what turned out to be one of the most exciting fights of the year. Since the win, Melendez made it known that he wanted to fight Aoki.

"Aoki," Melendez said in an interview last December. "Give me Shinya Aoki. We've been talking about that earlier and deep in m heart I want that fight. Let's do it Shinya."

Aoki most recently made headlines for his actions after his technical submission victory over Mizuto Hirota at Dynamite 2009, which saw Aoki express his displeasure with Hirota by using the international sign for "you're number one." This move has since cost Aoki his instructing position with Paraestra Tokyo. This makes Aoki no less dangerous, as the judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is riding a three-fight winning streak of his own.

The April Strikeforce card will feature two other title fights as Jake Shields will try to defend his middleweight title against former Pride champion Dan Henderson; and Gegard Mousasi tries to defend his light-heavyweight title against Strikeforce newcomer and wrestling powerhouse Muhammed Lawal.

Fedor Emelianenko will now face Fabricio Werdum in May, not April.

2010-02-27T13:35:00.001-08:00

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The recent uncertainty surrounding Fedor Emelianenko's next bout has now ended - sort of.

When news broke recently that Emelianenko would no longer be facing heavyweight rival Fabricio Werdum at the Strikeforce on CBS event on April 17, rumors began to fly. Speculation that he might finally get to fight champion Alistair Overeem for the belt was widely circulated, but it now seems that fans will have to wait a little longer to see the elusive spectacle of a Strikeforce heavyweight title defense.

According to MMAJunkie.com, Emelianenko will still meet Werdum in a fight that was originally scheduled for the Strikeforce on CBS April event, but the match will now take place at a yet-to-be-announced event in May instead. Of course, as is so often the case with any news about the legendary Russian fighter, time and place for the event remain uncertain.

Unfortunately for those who enjoying following Strikeforce's programming on network TV, it also seems that because of the event change, Fedor's next appearance will be televised on Showtime. Still, there remains plenty of talent to fill the Strikeforce on CBS card. Middleweight champ Jake Shields will defend his belt against Dan Henderson, and light-heavyweight champ Gegard Mousasi seems likely to defend his title against Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal as well.

Emelianenko's fight with Werdum will mark just his second Strikeforce appearance, and only the second time he has fought in a cage. Emelianenko has a career record of 32-1 with one no contest, and last fought at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers, where he defeated Brett Rogers via second-round TKO.

Werdum is 13-4-1 in his career, and has won his last two fights, including a unanimous decision victory over Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva to set up his fight with Emelianenko.

Sarah Kaufman defeats Takayo Hashi; becomes Strikeforce's first women's welterweight champion

2010-02-27T10:35:00.001-08:00

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Rockhold Crushes Bradley, Saffiedine and Medeiros Victorious On SHOWTIME At STRIKEFORCE's birthplace in San Jose.

SAN JOSE, CA (February 27, 2009) -Before a sold out crowd of 2,322, former ballet dancer turned undefeated professional mixed martial arts star Sarah Kaufman (11-0) became the first STRIKEFORCE Women's Welterweight (135 pounds) Champion in history by powering her way to a five round unanimous decision over Japan's Takayo Hashi (12-2) in the STRIKEFORCE Challengers main event at San Jose's Civic Auditorium on Friday, February 26.

Luke Rockhold (7-1) continued his climb up the middleweight (185 pounds) ladder with a stunning first round (2:24) TKO of Paul Bradley (12-2). A middleweight contest between former South African national wrestling champion Trevor Prangley (22-5-1) and France's Karl Amoussou (11-2-2) ended prematurely after Prangley accidentally poked Amoussou in the eye, leading to a doctor stoppage and technical draw being declared.

From the outset, Kaufman pressed the action with a stiff jab and one-two punch combinations, but was unable to finish Hashi who repeatedly backpedaled her way out of trouble. Kaufman landed her best shots in the first round, dropping Hashi with a straight right hand.

In the third stanza, Kaufman sent Hashi reeling back and nearly put the Japanese fighter down for the second time in the bout with a straight right hand. After a Kaufman jab snapped Hashi's head back, Hashi responded by shooting for a takedown that Kaufman stuffed.

A chess match ensued for the remainder of the bout. Kaufman continued to score with her hands and right leg kick while Hashi retreated to avoid imminent danger. All three judges scored every round in favor of Kaufman after the fifth round concluded.

In the first round of their much anticipated matchup, Rockhold dropped Bradley with a right hand to the side of the head. Bradley fought his way back to his feet, but Rockhold quickly went on the attack, scoring a head kick and following up with three straight knee strikes to the body.

Badly battered from the series of blows, Bradley turned his back, prompting the referee to immediately stop the action.

As expected, Amoussou came out of the gates firing punches at Prangley, who covered up and countered the Frenchman's assault with his own hands. Prangley scored a takedown, but was unable to advance his position from half guard

After the referee stood up the fighters, Prangley, with an open left hand, accidentally poked Amoussou in the right eye. The ringside physician immediately entered the cage and examined Amoussou, who was unable to open his eye, and declared the fighter unable to continue at the 4:14 mark of the first round (According to MMA rules in the state of California, the ringside physician has the discretion to stop a bout in the event that an accidental foul causes an injury).

In other action Yancy Medeiros (5-0) of Waianae, Hawaii dominated Raul Castillo (6-1) at middleweight with continuous flurries throughout the matchup between the pair of unbeaten fighters.

Medeiros stuffed Castillo's repeated takedown attempts and continued to pour on the punishment with both hands, putting Castillo on the canvas with a right hand in the third round. After an exchange of shots brought the bout to a close, all three judges awarded the fight to Medeiros.

Like Medeiros, Tarec Saffiedine (8-2) maintained an all out stand up offensive in a welterweight (170 pounds) fight with James Terry (7-2) for three straight rounds, opening a cut on Terry's lower lip and bringing about a welt under Terry's left eye.

Terry repeatedly attempted to bring the fight to the mat, but Saffiedine defended the takedowns well and responded with more strikes. After three rounds, Saffiedine was declared the winner by all three judges scoring the bout.

Amongst those in attendance at Civic Auditorium, was MMA's newest star, football legend Herschel Walker, as well as STRIKEFORCE World Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz, and STRIKEFORCE World Lightweight Champion Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez.
During an interview with STRIKEFORCE Challengers host Mauro Ranallo, Walker said, "(MMA) is the toughest sport there is. To step in the cage and go mano-a-mano, there's nothing like it. It is the toughest training I've ever done."

Regarding his future in the sport, the 47-year-old Walker said, "I will leave that up to my team at AKA (American Kickboxing Academy, San Jose) when I get back in the gym, we'll see if they say I am capable of going again, we'll do it again."

Complete STRIKEFORCE Challengers Results:

Main Card:

Yancy Medeiros def. Raul Castillo - Unanimous Decision (3 Rounds) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Tarec Saffiedine def. James Terry - Unanimous Decision (3 Rounds) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Luke Rockhold def. Paul Bradley - TKO (knees to the body) - 1st Round (2:24)

Trevor Prangley - Technical Draw - Karl Amoussou (doctor stoppage after unintentional foul ) - 1st Round (4:14)

Sarah Kaufman def. Takayo Hashi - Unanimous Decision (3 Rounds) (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)

Preliminary Card:

Ronald Carillo def. Anthony De Los Santos - submission (armbar) - 2nd Round (1:20)

Steve Dickie def. Alan Lummel - TKO (punches) -1st Round (:33)

Renee Robinson def. Lilia Salas - TKO (punches) - 1st Round (1:06)

Jesse Tobar def. Johnson Nguyen - Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) - 2nd Round (1:24)

Tristan Arenal def. George Miller - TKO (punches) - 2nd Round (:30)

Samuel Bracamnonte def. Chris Stewart - TKO (punches) - 3rd Round (:59)

Wayne Phillips def. Eric Lawson - Submission (armbar) - 1st Round (4:27)

Strikeforce Challengers VI: "Kaufman vs. Hashi" weigh-in results

2010-02-26T11:50:00.001-08:00

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Strikeforce Challengers VI: "Kaufman vs. Hashi" is officially set to go down as all 24 fighters competing on tomorrow's event successfully made weight without incident earlier today inside the Almaden Ballroom at the Hilton San Jose.

The event take places tomorrow night, on Feb. 26, at the San Jose Civic Auditorium in San Jose, Calif., and the event's main card is set to be televised on Showtime beginning at 11 p.m. EST/PST.

Headlining the event is a women's 135-lbs. title fight between Sarah Kaufman and Takayo Hashi. Both fighters made weight for the first-ever Strikeforce women's welterweight crown in front of California State Athletic Commision officials, as Kaufman came in at 133.8 pounds and Hashi tipped the scales at 132 lbs.

In addition, middleweights Trevor Prangley and Karl Amoussou will meet in the night's co-featured bout. Prangley hit the scales at 185 lbs. and Amoussou weighed in at 184.5 pounds.

Other bouts on the main card include a very interesting middleweight bout between prospects Paul Bradley and Luke Rockhold. Also, DREAM veteran Tarec Saffiedine will make his Strikeforce debut against James Terry in a welterweight tilt. Up-and-comer Raul Castillo will battle it out with fellow prospect Yancy Medeiros in a middleweight contest.

In a late change to the preliminary portion of the card, which features six of the seven bouts as amateur fights, Johnson Nguyen replaced Phil Baldacci, and will face Jesse Tobar in a featherweight bout. Baldacci was reportedly forced off the card due to paperwork issues.

Below are the official weigh-in results Strikeforce Challengers VI: "Kaufman vs. Hashi":

Televised Main Card:

Takayo Hashi (132) vs. Sarah Kaufman (133.8)

Karl Amoussou (184.5) vs. Trevor Prangley (185)

Paul Bradley (186) vs. Luke Rockhold (185)

Tarec Saffiedine (170) vs. James Terry (169)

Raul Castillo (183) vs. Yancy Medeiros (185.5)

Preliminary Card:

Eric Lawson (185.5) vs. Wayne Phillips (183.5)

Samuel Bracamnonte (180) vs. Chris Stewart (182.5)

Tristan Arenal (156) vs. George Miller (155.8)

Jesse Tobar (141.5) vs. Johnson Nguyen (144.8)

Renee Robinson (141) vs. Lilia Salas (145)

Steve Dickie (242.8) vs. Alan Lummel (253)

Ronald Carillo (132.8) vs. Anthony De Los Santos (136)

Trevor Prangley on fighting in the UFC: "There is too much pressure."

2010-02-24T12:35:00.001-08:00

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"My goal has always been to hold a legitimate world championship before I retire. I have a bunch of titles with some smaller organizations, but I want to hold a title in one of the bigger organizations. I'd be happy if that was in the UFC or Strikeforce, it doesn't matter to me. I love the UFC, but there is too much pressure, if you lose one fight, you have to be worried about your spot. It's difficult for fighters, especially the younger ones to compete under those conditions. At this point in my career it wouldn't bother me, but I just want to go out there and fight."

Strikeforce veteran Trevor Prangley talks about his desire to win a championship in a major organization as well as the pressures to fight and keep a spot on the UFC roster. Prangley is doing the rounds with press to hype up his fight against Karl Ammoussou, which takes place at Strikeforce Challengers VI: "Kaufman vs. Hashi" on Friday February 26.

Prangley has yet to capture a title in a major promotion such as UFC or Strikeforce but has earned several titles in smaller organizations during his nine-year career such as the BoDog Fight Middleweight Championship, MFC Light Heavyweight Championship and most recently Shark Fights Light Heavyweight Championship in November.

Achieving a championship in a major promotion may not be far-fetched for Prangley, who is on a five-fight winning streak and may be on the cusp of a Strikeforce middleweight title shot if he scores an impressive victory over the talented Frenchman, Ammoussou. He sports a 3-1 record in four fights with Strikeforce, scoring wins in the promotion over Falaniko Vitale and Anthony Ruiz (x2).

Prangley is right about the UFC sometimes letting young fighters go early, as the promotion generally cuts younger fighters after just one or two losses, which often seems unfair, but fighters are often brought back after gaining more experience in smaller organizations and putting a winning streak together. To be fair, the UFC also grants fights to young fighters after a loss if they looked good and impressed in defeat.

However, established veterans like Prangley, who have often had previous stints with the UFC, would normally get another fight in the UFC after a loss, as seen recently by veterans like Mark Coleman, Frank Trigg, Phil Baroni and Dennis Hallman.

Prangley has put together an even 2-2 record in two previous stints with the UFC. He defeated Curtis Stout at UFC 48 in June 2004 in his first stint with the promotion. The South African mixed martial artist was then brought back to the UFC in August 2005, where he defeated Travis Lutter at UFC 54. However, Prangley would leave the UFC after losing back-to-back fights against Jeremy Horn at UFC 56 in November 2005 and Chael Sonnen at UFC Fight Night 4 in April 2006.

5K Exclusive: Roxanne Modafferi is the toughest teacher you know, and she's only getting better

2010-02-23T09:35:00.001-08:00

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Roxanne Modafferi is the third-ranked bantamweight fighter in the world, and throughout 2007 and 2008, she didn't lose a single match, going on a six-fight winning streak. On Jan. 30, she defeated Molly Helsel by rear-naked choke to win "King of the Cage: Dragon Gate" in Japan. Not bad for a language teacher, right?

Modafferi studied Japanese Language and Literature at the University of Massachusetts, and then moved to Japan in 2005 to pursue a career in teaching. Last year, she made her Strikeforce debut on the promotion's "Fedor vs. Rogers" card in a rematch with Marloes Coenen.

With a 14-5 record, and the introduction of a ladies 135-lbs. tournament to Strikeforce, Modafferi is looking to cement her name in the world of women's MMA.

FiveKnuckles.com caught up with the jiu-jitsu specialist to talk about Mark DellaGrotte, Matt Serra, Dragonball Z, and women's MMA.

FiveKnuckles.com: When you saw the UFC for the first time, you were 18, and said that it was too violent. Do you remember what event it was and who you saw fight?

Roxanne Modafferi: I don't remember if it was the very first one or if it was just one of the first ones. But I think I remember seeing Caol Uno fight, so it was one of those early ones. A lot of blood and smashing.

FiveKnuckles.com: What made you change your mind and give it a shot? Was it the Power Rangers, like you wrote on your Twitter page?

Roxanne Modafferi: Yeah, that was the original thing that started me training, but later I was really more motivated by Dragonball Z. It was really an inspiration to me, actually, just to get stronger and train. But back to your question, the guys at my gym started ‘closing the distance' drills - like jabs, hooks, clinching and then going for the take downs. And then we worked at the ground and pound, and started doing stuff like that. I started getting into that. Everyone was doing it already, and I didn't want to be left out. And I ended up loving it.

FiveKnuckles.com: And now you're 14-5 as a pro, and you just won King of the Cage: Dragon Gate. Congratulations!

Roxanne Modafferi: Thank you very much!

FiveKnuckles.com: How did that feel?

Roxanne Modafferi: It feels great! Because after my previous loss, I was really bound and determined to win this fight. I got to do a few things I was working on, like the back fist and the Superman punch, so I was psyched about that.

FiveKnuckles.com: Like you said, you were coming off your Strikeforce debut with a loss against Marloes Coenen. But you had beat her two and half years ago by split decision. What had changed between the first fight with her and the second?

Roxanne Modafferi: I'm not really sure. She had said that she wasn't feeling well at the time. I don't know. It could be a number of things, of course, but maybe I just got caught. That's how I prefer to think of. Stuff happens in a fight, you never know what's gonna happen. I got the better the last fight; she got the better this fight. So I don't know if anything really happened. It's just the way it is...

FiveKnuckles.com: Would you be looking for a third fight with her - a rematch - to settle it?

Roxanne Modafferi: Yeah, of course. I hope so. I want a rematch. I don't know when it's going to happen because we're in different weight divisions. But someday.

FiveKnuckles.com: In 2005, you moved to Japan. Why did you go there - was it because you were interested in teaching English there like you're doing now?

Roxanne Modafferi: I moved here to further my career. I want to get a job using Japanese because I studied that in college. But my skill isn't high enough yet to really get a paying job doing that, so I'm kinda using English teaching as my ‘in,' so to speak. But I love it, so I think I'll stick with it for a while.

FiveKnuckles.com: Is there anything you miss about America? I've heard you like ‘South Park' and ‘24.' Do you get those shows over there or do you miss watching them?

Roxanne Modafferi: No, I actually regularly download stuff. But I don't really miss TV. I miss... mainly food and medical care.

FiveKnuckles.com: What are some of the differences there?

Roxanne Modafferi: I feel like doctors aren't as specialized, and you're discouraged from getting a second opinion.

FiveKnuckles.com: I've heard that movies are a big thing for you, too, and saw that you had listed ‘Million Dollar Baby' as one of your favorites. Do you see any similarities in Hilary Swank's character and you?

Roxanne Modafferi: Maybe. Just the determination, you know, to train really hard and get out there - and that is in myself, too.

FiveKnuckles.com: You've trained in a lot of different fighting style and at a lot of different schools. Like with Mark DellaGrotte and at Amaral's BJJ. What was it like to train in those gyms?

Roxanne Modafferi: Yeah, it was just a different experience to see how those different schools and styles work. So while Taekwon-Do didn't really prepare me for my fighting career, it gave me a perspective. I'd say the perspective is valuable. I love Brazilian jiu-jitsu the most, I think, so I hope to do that more.

FiveKnuckles.com: You started in Taekwon-Do... what made you go from a traditional martial art to overall training in MMA?

Roxanne Modafferi: I think I was 12 when I started Taekwon-Do, and I started it just because it was fighting. I said, ‘Mommy, I wanna try karate!' And she said, ‘Alright, then look up some karate schools.' And we found Taekwon-Do. And then in high-school, I said, ‘Mom, there's not enough physical contact. I wanna try something else.' She laughed at me, and we looked up a judo school. So I started judo, and then went to Brazilian jiu-jitsu from there. So I just wanted more, you know? It wasn't hard core enough, basically. And I just went on from there.

FiveKnuckles.com: And this is coming from the same girl who thought it was too violent.

Roxanne Modafferi: Yeah, I know!

FiveKnuckles.com: What was it liking to work with Mark DellaGrotte?

Roxanne Modafferi: He was really a master. He knew exactly what he was doing. He oozed confidence. I could feel myself getting better, and his advice was great. He was really an excellent trainer - an excellent trainer. I only went there for summer vacations for the three years I was in college. Yeah, I love that place, it's great.

FiveKnuckles.com: And now you're friends with Kenny Florian on MySpace.

Roxanne Modafferi: Yeah! We actually met there. He used to train there, so we met when he was still training there. Sometimes we message each other, but not much anymore.

FiveKnuckles.com: Kenny's a really well-liked fighter. Did you watch his most recent fight against Clay Guida?

Roxanne Modafferi: I haven't. I gotta do that, actually. I'm behind on my MMA because I don't watch it live, I have to search for it.

FiveKnuckles.com: Have you seen any recent fights? Are there any that you've liked?

Roxanne Modafferi: I just YouTubed Coenen vs. Cyborg.

FiveKnuckles.com: What'd you think?

Roxanne Modafferi: Have you seen Dragonball Z? There's a character, Nappa, he's this huge muscle guy. And there's this little child character, Chaozu. And Chaozu punches Nappa, and he just makes him laugh. So I compare it to that. Coenen really punched Cyborg, but Cyborg was like, ‘Oh, was that a fly?' And Coenen's really good, she hits really hard - she knocked me down twice. It was excellent technique. That was really high-level fighting right there. Anyone who says women can't fight has their heads up their butts because that was really a good fight.

FiveKnuckles.com: What do you think of Cyborg in general?

Roxanne Modafferi: She's one scary lady! She's a lady, we've gotta get used to that. Sometimes we wonder, but she's awesome! Good for her.

FiveKnuckles.com: Do you have any favorite fighters?

Roxanne Modafferi: Matt Serra. I just love his personality. And he was one of my jiu-jitsu role models. Oh, yeah. I watched one of his earlier fights: him vs. Shonie Carter. Even though he lost by back fist, I thought, ‘He's so cool!'

FiveKnuckles.com: After all the training you've done in America, do you ever plan on coming back here?

Roxanne Modafferi: You mean permanently or just temporarily?

FiveKnuckles.com: Either.

Roxanne Modafferi: Well, I'm not making enough money to support myself with fighting. Some of my friends are telling me, ‘Roxy, you only have a short fighting career, and you can teach English later. You should go back to the States and train.' So what you're telling me is that I should be dirt poor and sleep in the gym and train and get hurt. I don't know. I love my full-time job here and I'm able to still coordinate my training, so in the meantime, I feel like I have a good life.

FiveKnuckles.com: What do you think of women's MMA now and where do you fall into the mix?

Roxanne Modafferi: That's a deep question. I think it's certainly coming up. The women are getting more air time. I think that's what it lacked before. They were always good fighters, but there was not enough publicity. And I think that finally with the high-profile fights that women are getting more chances because of that. So that's awesome. I wish in Japan people do have publicity, but it's also limited my social constraints of women and their expectations. So even though the fighters are good, women aren't supposed to fight. It's the culture, you can't change that, no matter how hard the athletes work, it's just the way it is. But I think the situation is improving in the States.

FiveKnuckles.com: So is that the biggest difference between the sport in Japan and the sport in America?

Roxanne Modafferi: I think so.

FiveKnuckles.com: Do you think you can challenge for a title soon? And what are you doing to improve to get there?

Roxanne Modafferi: Yeah, absolutely, I'm waiting for the opportunity. I'm just training really hard in everything, all around. In striking, especially, because my strengths are still ground fighting, so I've gotta even out my skills. And I think I've learned a lot this year.

FiveKnuckles.com: In 2004, you beat Jennifer Howe, who was considered to be one of the best female fighters at the time. Would you like to face Cyborg, who is clearly the best female fighter right now?

Roxanne Modafferi: You know, that question is bothering me a lot. Because one of my personal goals is to beat every woman ever in MMA. And that would technically include Cyborg. But I was watching her fight, and she's huge, and if you screen-capped her head off, her body looks like that of a guy. I'm sorry, it does. I don't know if I wanna fight her. I do and I don't at the same time. Luckily, I don't have to make that choice because she's way out of my weight division. And if she can pick up Coenen and throw her on the ground... I just don't have the physical power and body to face her, I don't think. But, you never know, I could always pull off a submission or something!

FiveKnuckles.com: So that's why you've been working on your jiu-jitsu, huh?

Roxanne Modafferi: Would you like to fight Cyborg?

FiveKnuckles.com: Not in particular, no. How about the new 135-pound tournament that's coming into play?

Roxanne Modafferi: Don't ask me. I have no idea. Nobody's called me. I know that it's still in the process of being set up. I don't have an official offer. We're just waiting and seeing what they have planned right now. I'm under contract, so I'm assuming I'll be there, but we'll see.

FiveKnuckles.com: So you will come to America at some point?

Roxanne Modafferi: Yay! I'm looking forward to going back to the States to fight. But I associate this as my home - in Japan. Home is where the heart is. And home is where you hang your sweaty gym clothes after a work out.

FiveKnuckles.com: If you could come back to the States and fight full-time, making enough money to live there solely being a fighter, would you leave Japan?

Roxanne Modafferi: That's a really hard question. I think... aw, that's really tough. It would depend on a lot of factors, actually. But if you want an answer, probably yes. Because I only have a short fighting career. And I can always come back to Japan when I'm older. But it's tough. I often wake up in the morning and think, ‘Gee, I'm so glad I'm not fighting full-time.' If I'm hurt, I can limp to work. So I frequently count my blessings that I have this great job here. And I love Japan. So yeah, it'd be tough.

Takayo Hashi looking to "crush" Sarah Kaufman's pride at Strikeforce: Challengers

2010-02-22T15:05:00.002-08:00

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Strikeforce will continue to expand its increasingly popular women's MMA coverage when Canadian Sarah Kaufman faces Japan's Takayo Hashi for the vacant 135-lbs. title at Strikeforce: Challengers.

When the two face-off on February 26, they will bring a level of success and experience into the cage that is rare among female MMA competitors. Kaufman has a perfect 10-0 record, while Hashi is 12-1 in her career, with her single loss coming back in 2005.

With the first-ever Strikeforce 135-lbs. women's title on the line, fans can look forward to an exciting contest, and Hashi is determined to live up to expectations.

"I am honored that I was given an opportunity to fight for the world title," Hashi told MMAWeekly. "As a representative of Japan, for sure, I want to bring that 135-pound belt back to Japan. I've had a dream of fighting in the world title fight for a long, long time, and finally, I can be in that stage. So what I have to do now is to use my own strength to get my dream, that belt, around my waist. I will carry not only just the Rising Sun on my shoulder, but also everything about my life, that is how I am going to fight. Also I am going to fight with a pride where every women's MMA fighters in the world can be proud of our sport."

Hashi is an experienced grappler, placing third in her division at the ADCC world championships in 2007, while Kaufman is a dangerous striker. Eight of her ten career wins have come by way of TKO. It seems like this bout should be a classic grappler vs. striker match-up, but Hashi says she plans to impose her will wherever the fight takes place.

"I am fully aware that she is very strong and dangerous," Hashi stated. "She is aggressive and she doesn't back paddle, and strikes hard. She has got a stamina too, so I think she is a very tough fighter. As you can see from her professional record, she is a tough fighter to beat, but that also became my motivation because I am always looking forward to face a strong fighter. I imagine, overall, it's going to be a striking battle. If she has got a pride in her striking ability then I would like to crush that pride by striking against her. If this fight hits the ground, then I will show my pride in the ground game. In all aspect of this fight, I will not back off. So, for sure, this is going to be an extremely tough fight. Just as like my other fights, my approach is to break my opponent's heart."

Hashi may be a relative unknown among North American MMA fans now, but she hopes to change that with a strong performance against Kaufman.

"First of all, I want the American fans to remember 'Japan's Takayo Hashi'," said Hashi. "That is why I definitely want that belt. I will be aggressive in both standing, and on the ground, and would like to provide a very exciting fight. I want to show that Japan's Hashi is going head to head against world's top fighter in the cage. And if the fans says, 'I want to see Hashi's fight again!' after the fight, then I would be very happy."

Video: Babalu accidentally chokes out reporter during demonstration.

2010-02-22T15:05:00.001-08:00

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10 Questions with Trevor Prangley

2010-02-21T12:50:00.001-08:00

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After a tweaked meniscus in training took him out of a scheduled match against "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler, former South African national wrestling champion and Team AKA member Trevor Prangley returns to the cage on Friday, Feb. 26 for STRIKEFORCE Challengers at San Jose Civic Auditorium. Prangley, 37, will fight 24-year-old Frenchman Karl "The Psycho" Amoussou.

Prangley, who relocated from South Africa to Idaho years ago in order to further his wrestling career, is on a five-fight winning streak, with two of those wins by rear naked choke and one by knockout. Prangley, a strong wrestler with 27 wins, spoke with STRIKEFORCE.com about his upcoming fight, his recent winning streak and his plans in 2010 and beyond.

STRIKEFORCE.COM: How are you preparing for your upcoming fight?

I am down at the American Kickboxing Academy. We have a stellar team. I am taking it day-by-day. I am intending to win this fight and get back on the big card. I am doing my sparring three days a week and my cardio every day. I really believe that I am going to impose my game plan in the fight.

I don't want to change a winning formula.

STRIKEFORCE.COM: You have been very successful in your recent fights. What's behind your current winning streak?

I am pretty good, I guess (laughs). It would be nice to be on this winning streak and against top level guys. I want to get back on the main show and get a winning streak against top guys.

STRIKEFORCE.COM: How did it feel to have to pull out of the Robbie Lawler fight?

That was a hard pill for me to swallow. There was a lot of back-and-forth discussion about it with my coaches.

I am always willing to fight. We are fighters. We want to fight. It took me a while to get over the feeling that I (ran away) from something. In the end we decided it was really not worth it to take a risk with a top fight like that. Looking back it was probably a good thing. That was probably the smartest decision. I really believe it was for the best.

STRIKEFORCE.COM: What was the injury?

It was meniscus injury. It happened grappling. It was just a fluke. In the sport you are put in precarious situations all the time. You try to power out and whatever happens, happens.

STRIKEFORCE.COM: You have competed in many organizations during your MMA career, what is it like working for STRIKEFORCE?

The main advantage of being with STRIKEFORCE is you are not restricted to fighting just for them. They take care of me, but I am able to make a living. They might not need me for awhile, but I am able to fight and stay active in other organizations. They allow me to fight other fights.

STRIKEFORCE.COM: What kind of outcome are you expecting in your upcoming fight?

I am looking for the victory. I want to get him out of there before it goes the distance. A lot of my fights have been finished earlier. I like it that way.

STRIKEFORCE.COM: Why did you choose to compete in MMA?

I have had a few jobs in my life. I just never wanted to be a 9-to-5 jobber, you know? God blessed with me with great strength. I have wrestled since I was 5 years old. My main goal is to get as good as possible at it.

When I took a break it was just murder for me not to compete for a year-and-a-half. It is just something I really enjoy doing.

STRIKEFORCE.COM: What is your strength as fighter?

I am well-versed in grappling. I'm not afraid to stand, but if I ever got into trouble (wrestling) would be where I would go. It's a lot easier for a wrestler to learn how to strike than a striker to learn how to wrestle.

STRIKEFORCE.COM: What role does your family play in your career? Do they watch your matches?

I am married and I have two little boys. They are the motivation. I think of them when I am in the fight. They sacrifice too. I leave home for four or five weeks before a fight. My wife raises the kids while I am gone. We tackle this as a family. We all make sacrifices.

I don't really like to have them at the fights to be honest with you. That last week before the fight is a real selfish time. I am not that pleasant to be around the week before the fight. I have to get myself focused on what I have to do and the job at hand. My wife and kids never watch my fights until we know the outcome.

STRIKEFORCE.COM: What are your final thoughts leading up to the fight?

I want to thank both of my teams, both in Idaho and American Kickboxing Academy. I couldn't do this by myself. I just want to, as always thank my Lord Jesus Christ for turning my life around. Everyone deserves respect. I am no better than anyone else no matter what I accomplish in life. Those are the main lessons I have learned from being a Christian.

Visit Strikeforce.com for more information

Ricardo Arona talks about possible Emelianenko vs. Werdum match up

2010-02-19T12:50:00.001-08:00

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Ricardo Arona, one of the most respected and prolific Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners in MMA, recently had a few things to say when asked about the likely upcoming fight between Strikeforce heavyweights, Fedor Emelianenko and Fabricio Werdum.

"I believe that to beat Fedor, you have to be explosive," Arona told Tatame. "If you stay in his range too long, he'll hit you and you won't have time to get away. You have to anticipate him and move very quickly."

In addition, Arona also said that using speed and the highest level of skill were also key to winning a fight against Emelianenko.

"You have to work your jiu-jitsu and be explosive," he said. "You have to get in and out."

Arona faced Emelianenko at "RINGS: King of Kings 2000," only having two previous professional MMA fights. Emelianenko went on to win by unanimous decision, handing Arona his very first loss - and his only loss during his stay with that promotion.

Sadly, Arona is probably most well-known for his knockout loss to Quinton Jackson, which came by way of a brutal power-bomb slam. Nonetheless, Arona is a dangerous fighter, and holds notable wins over Dan Henderson, Kazushi Sakuraba, Murilo Rua, and current Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.

Arona (14-5) will look to continue his winning ways inside the Octogon, when he makes his debut later this year.

Herschel Walker looking to fight again soon, could return in April

2010-02-05T09:05:00.001-08:00

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It's been less than a week since Herschel Walker won his Strikeforce debut by third-round TKO over Greg Nagy, but the 47-year-old is already talking about plans to return to the cage.

Walker plans on returning to American Kickboxing Academy to prepare for his next bout, which could happen at the highly-anticipated Strikeforce event that will broadcast in April on CBS. Although both Strikeforce and CBS confirmed to Sherdog.com that an April fight for Walker was a possibility, Walker said that the ultimate decision would rest in the hands of his coaches.

"Yes, I'd love to fight again," said Walker. "I'm going get back into the gym and say I'd love to have another fight, and I'm gonna work hard, but I'm leaving it my trainers and coaches' hands and the fighters at the gym. If they think I'm not ready, they gotta tell me, and I will swallow my pride and not do it."

The staff at AKA apparently feel Walker is quite capable of making the quick turnaround to return to action. Javier Mendez, one of Walker's primary trainers who helped him prepare for his match with Nagy, said he had no doubt that Walker could be ready for an April fight.

"If he could devote the same type of training as he did in his first fight, 100% yes," Mendez said. "Because he would improve again at an amazing rate. He truly is one of a kind."

Walker said that he still has a lot of work to do to improve as a fighter, but he is determined to train hard and keep getting better. He noted that there were several things he could have done differently in his first fight that he will need to work on before returning to the cage.

"My thing is: go out and perform at the highest of levels," said Walker. "I'm not there to be a circus act. I want to be a pure fighter. You want to win whatever you set out to do, but I know I made some mistakes in it. On the ground-and-pound, I didn't do it as well. I could've sat back on him a little bit more to keep his legs from coming up... I could have stood away a little more. I didn't have to go to the ground. I could have stayed on my feet a little more."

For the future, Walker recognizes that there are a lot of fighters whose talent and years of dedication to the sport make them more deserving of recognition than himself. But he's also a realist and knows that his prior fame will bring attention to his MMA career, and he's determined to use that as a good thing. Many people questioned the inclusion of Walker's fight on the main card of Strikeforce: Miami, and Walker admits that he questioned that decision himself.

"I probably didn't deserve to be on it because there were a lot of great fighters on that card that probably deserved to be there more than me," said Walker. "But I want to try and bring some more recognition to this sport. If I can come into the sport and maybe use my fame to promote it a little bit and get more people to watch and maybe bring it a little more into the mainstream, I don't know why anyone who's an MMA fan would object to that."

Herschel Walker on Jose Canseco: "I will hurt him. This is not a joke."

2010-02-03T10:35:00.000-08:00

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"Canseco wanted to fight me, and what's strange about it is that what I do is not a circus. Not going in there playing, trying to make money. My money went to Pastor Evans at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. All my proceeds went there. I didn't get into this to make money. I got into it for the competition. Jose is doing this for the money and my thing is: if he wants to fight me and thinks it's going to be a circus, I will hurt him. This is not a joke, I will hurt him. I don't do things as a joke, as entertainment. When we go out there and play a flag football game, that's entertainment, that's having fun. But this MMA fighting is real. You can get hurt and he doesn't understand this. I'm doing this as a fighter, not as a joke." - Herschel Walker

Yesterday, Jose Canseco called out Herschel Walker and all but challenged the Heisman trophy-winner to a fight.

On his Twitter account, Canseco wrote: "I guess I may have to show Herschel Walker who the real bad Boy of the Sports industry is. If the powers that be are reading, I want in."

Speaking on BobandDan.com's radio show, Walker responded to Canseco's post, insinuating that while he would not disagree to the fight, he does not want to fight for the wrong reasons.

On Jan. 30, Walker defeated Greg Nagy via third-round TKO at Strikeforce: "Miami" in his MMA debut, which gives hims a 1-0 record. Canseco, on the other hand, is 0-1 after losing his debut to Hong Man Choi last May at Dream 9.

While this fight between the former baseball player and former football player is not being talked about by Strikeforce, fans and MMA critics have since voiced their opinion that they would not like to see this fight take place. While the two long-time athletes would produce a fight that would be a huge money-maker for the organization, due to name recognition and pure interest, fans have said that the promotion should not waste their time with thie type of fight.

Jose Canseco calls out Herschel Walker for fight

2010-02-02T18:35:00.001-08:00

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Herschel Walker's Saturday night win has caught the attention of another professional athlete-turned-MMA fighter: Jose Canseco.

The former baseball player must have watched the former football player's bout at this past weekend's Strikeforce: "Miami" event, as he yesterday left the following post on his Twitter account:

"I guess I may have to show Herschel Walker who the real bad Boy of the Sports industry is. If the powers that be are reading, I want in."

He later commented that he had received many responses to his tweet.

As fans remember, Canseco made his transition into MMA in May 2009 at Dream 9 where he took on Hong Man Choi and suffered a submission loss due to strikes in the first round. He has not fought since. His other two fighting experiences have both come in the form of boxing. In January 2009, he took on actor Danny Bonaduce, which ended in a draw; and in November 2009, he earned himself a win over Todd Poulton.

Walker, on the other hand, survived his MMA debut over the weekend, beating Greg Nagy by TKO in the third round. He had been training at American Kickboxing Academy since October in order to prepare for his first fight.

Strikeforce executives have not commented on Canseco's request, but it seems unlikely that a Walker vs. Canseco fight will happen. Currently, it is unknown whether or not Walker will return for a second fight.

According to Pat Miletich, Frank Shamrock bout on the horizon if Shamrock is willing to step up

2010-02-01T18:05:00.000-08:00

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Two legends and former champions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship could potentially square off inside the Strikeforce cage. According to "The Croatian Sensation" Pat Miletich, both he and Frank Shamrock have verbally agreed to compete. However the former welterweight title holder and UFC 16 lightweight tournament champion claims that Shamrock is being reluctant in finalizing a deal.

"Frank Shamrock and I have verbally agreed to fight each other, but from what I understand he's being difficult in the negotiations" Miletich told fiveouncesofpain.com. "For whatever reason he may have, I think it's too bad because I think it's the type of fight that would draw a lot of attention. It would be two guys that were UFC champions and have done a lot for that organization, and now they're involved with Strikeforce.

I think it just made sense. But for whatever reason I think he's having trouble pulling the trigger. He may be nervous about getting slapped around, but that's the way it sits right now. Hopefully I can find someone else to fight if he doesn't want to do it. I want to get in there before Summer."

Critics will undoubtedly shrug this bout off as nothing more than a battle between two aging fighters, but these two MMA pioneers may just prove the doubters wrong. There's no questioning that both athletes best days in this sport are behind them but there recent outings aren't that terrible.

The 40 year old Miletich came out of retirement in 2008 finishing Thomas Denny with a powerful second round knockout. Shamrock on the other hand, is coming off of a brutal defeat at the hands of newly crowned Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz but entered the cage with a severe rib injury. Prior to the Diaz loss, "The Legend" fought a close fight with former champion Cung Le and suffered a broken arm in the second round losing the fight by TKO.

Neither fighter has been overly impressive since the late 90's-early 2000's but they still train hard and show up ready to fight. Also, a clash between two legends of Shamrock and Miletich's caliber could be very interesting and would be a wise decision for Strikeforce to set up.

Regardless of whether or not the two former champions are still relevant in the grand scheme of things, it seems like it's all up to Shamrock if this fight actually happens or not.

Nick Diaz wants Georges St. Pierre

2010-02-01T13:50:00.001-08:00

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Most newly-minted champions look within their own organizations for their next challenge.

Not Nick Diaz.

The newly minted Strikeforce welterweight champion, who seized the vacant title with a first round victory over Marius Zaromskis on January 30, wasted little time in discussing whom he wished to face next in the cage.

In the press conference following the event, Diaz showed little enthusiasm for a potential match-up with Strikeforce welterweight contender Jay Hieron, who also emerged victorious Saturday night with a decision over Joe Riggs.

"I'd rather fight somebody that's a little more important than Jay Hieron," Diaz stated. "(His) fight wasn't even on the main card, so why am I going to fight him? Nobody saw it. Nobody even knows who he is. They keep bringing me these guys nobody knows."

Following his dismissal of Hieron, Diaz was clear about is one fighter he would like to face: reigning UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. However, given the unlikelihood of that match-up taking place anytime soon, Diaz also seemed resigned to the fact that, at the end of the day, he is fighting for a paycheck.

"I want to fight Georges St. Pierre," said Diaz. "If they give me an option, that's the only fight I'm talking about. I want to fight the best. I want to fight the people that everybody thinks is the best out there. There's people in the world to fight. I'll do whatever is going to pay me. I need money so I can take care of my family. I'll fight whoever you want me to. Just pay me more money. Whoever you can pay me the most money to fight, I'm going to fight."

Diaz, who has a career record of 21-7-1, has a current 6-fight win streak including wins all 3 of his Strikeforce appearances. He last fought in the UFC in 2006 when he defeated Gleison Tibau at UFC 65.

Wes Sims calls Bobby Lashley a "turd" and a "big juiced up monkey;" accuses him of cheating

2010-01-31T20:35:00.001-08:00

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Last night, Wes Sims lost to Bobby Lashley via first-round TKO at Strikeforce: "Miami." But Sims does not agree with how the fight was handled - especially the stoppage.

"I ain't no rookie," Sims told Yahoo Sports. "I've been in this sport for a long time. I've got one hell of a high pain threshold, and it's bogus. A bogus stoppage. They're just trying to prep this... turd. Turd!"

The Ultimate Fighter 10 alum said that if he had had more time to prepare for the fight - instead of taking it on one week's notice - he would have fares a lot better against Lashley. He also believed that Lashley had an unfair advantage over him.

At one point, it appeared that Sims was verbally tapping out. However, he explained that he was trying to tell the ref that Lashley was putting his thumb over his throat to impair his breathing.

"Hell no. Have you seen one of my fights? I haven't tapped - period. I've got limbs broke, I've been rendered unconscious. But I ain't tapped. Why'd the ref do it? It was two on one tonight. They didn't want me to beat him. He need to go back to being a security guard. 'Cause he ain't got the skills to be a pro wrestler. He ain't got the look. He's just a big juiced up monkey. He should go back to being a security guard. He ain't got the MMA skills."

Sims continued to say that they did not have a drug test, and that other wrestlers had made him aware that Lashley was "juiced." Sims would not not confirm who gave him the information, but he said that it was wrestlers that had been around Lashley before.

Strikeforce: Miami - 10 Things We Learned

2010-01-31T05:05:00.001-08:00

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1. That One Round Was a Great Fight

A round of applause for Nick Diaz and Marius Zaromskis. In under five minutes, the two combatants for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title put on quite a show, with Diaz emerging victorious after coming out solid, getting dropped and coming back even better.

Points to Zaromskis for standing in there; he got caught early, kind of shook it off and managed to floor Diaz at one point, but in the end, the Stockton, California native had too much length and too precise boxing for his Lithuanian opponent to handle.

2. Nick Diaz: Best Non-UFC Welterweight

Jay Hieron might have a thing or two to say about this, but for right now, before they meet, Diaz has staked his claim to the title of "Best Non-UFC Welterweight" with his title-winning effort in Miami. While some will argue being the best outside of the top organization in the sport is akin to being the smartest kid in the remedial class, Diaz is a legit Top 10 welterweight, regardless of where he fights.

Look at it this way: Does Nick Diaz beat Carlos Condit? Martin Kampmann? Paulo Thiago, Paul Daley and Mike Swick? What about Dan Hardy?

I'm taking Diaz in each of those fictional fights, even after picking Zaromskis last night. Consider me converted. He's got the boxing to stand with each of those To[ 10 UFC welterweights (and probably Josh Koscheck too) and the skills on the ground to dominate all of them if need be. Outside of the powerful Thiago Alves and Jon Fitch's suffocating wrestling, their isn't a contender in the UFC Diaz isn't any worse than a coin flip against.

3. A Cyborg Indeed

Cristiane Santos is like the Energizer bunny - she just keeps going and going and going. Many people thought taking her into the later rounds would be advantageous for Marloes Coenen.

Wrong. Santos simply keep coming forward, and improved as the rounds went on; she found her distance, didn't get sucked into going to the floor with her Dutch opponent and showed no signs of fatigue at all.

She is, without question, a female fighting machine and one who may not have any challengers. Yes, there are tough women out there that "Cyborg" has yet to face - Erin Toughill immediately comes to mind - but she's dominated the last two "tough tests" she's faced in impressive fashion. Until someone beats her, there are no "yeah, buts" that apply to Cristiane Santos.

She's a machine, period.

4. Herschel Walker Wins

First off - congratulations to Walker for earning his first career win and continuing to accomplish more than I would be willing to try in my lifetime.

With that out of the way, you've got to be kidding me. There are so many things wrong with this bout that I'm not sure where to start.

First, the announce team heaping praise for his "skills" and the "promise he shows" is ridiculous. He beat up a human punching bag, and looked amateur in doing so... because he's an amateur.

Second, Strikeforce needs to take a good long look in the mirror for putting this fight in the middle of a major MMA show. Yes, Walker is a name that brings in fans - especially football fans in Miami preparing for Super Bowl week - but he and Greg Nudge had absolutely no business being on the main card of this event.

Third, let's be honest with each other, okay: Herschel Walker gets smoked by anyone with a morsel of experience and/or talent, save for maybe Wes Sims. Strikeforce has a tough decision to make if Walker decides to keep fighting: do they give him more cans like Greg Nagy or do they risk a loss with a real opponent?

For the integrity of the sport and the hard work countless athletes have put in long before Herschel Walker wanted to test himself in MMA, I hope they choose the latter.

5. One Punch, One Win

Whenever someone asks me why I love MMA so much, my automatic response will now be to direct them to the 3:33 Robbie Lawler spent in the cage with Melvin Manhoef.

For about three minutes, Lawler was getting owned six ways from Sunday; Manhoef had his leg all jacked up, was throwing bombs and looked on the verge of earning a first round victory.

Then Lawler ended the fight with one punch. Done. Over. Goodnight. He's going to be walking funny all day today, but he'll be doing so as the victor, and a very early candidate for Knockout of the Year.

6. This Isn't Professional Wrestling - Enough with the Squash Matches, Bobby Lashley

No one should have expected much from Wes Sims.

When you take a fight on a week's notice, just being at the event on time is a small victory. Lamenting that he was out of shape and ill-prepared is like complaining that the snot-nosed kid jockeying the cash at the gas station didn't give you optimum service.

What, you were expected something different?

Regardless of the plans Bobby Lashley has crafted in his head and laid out to Stephen Quadros after the fight - something about eight fights before competing for a title - fight number six needs to be a big step up the competition ladder.

No more MMA-equivalents of Barry Horowitz or The Brooklyn Brawler; give him someone like Shane Del Rosario, where we can actually see if he's got the skills to be something in this sport, rather than just the guy who is clearly the better man and a solid marketing tool.

7. Jay Hieron Continues to Win, Remains Cursed

As he said he would do when we spoke a couple weeks back, Jay Hieron went out and handled his business against Joe Riggs, earning a Unanimous Decision for his seventh-straight win. He also remained unavailable for viewing, as EASports MMA had an epic failure with their live stream of the fight.

What could make things all the more maddening for Hieron is that Scott Coker is apparently interested in lining up Hayato "Mach" Sakurai with the newly-crowned welterweight champion, Nick Diaz. Apparently, the promises of an immediate title shot for Hieron disappeared the minute he signed his contract.

8. Dear Announcers: Please Stop

I know that it is the job of announcers everywhere to make the events they are covering more exciting and more interesting, but the over-extension by the Strikeforce announce team had me thinking about jamming freshly-sharpened pencils into my ears.

Melvin Manhoef is not the Dutch Mike Tyson. The comparison ends at explosive punching power. Manhoef hasn't been the champion of anything and was never considered the most dominant fighter of his era. Additionally, he has no facial tattoos, did not sing "In the Air Tonight" in The Hangover, isn't the star of the best Nintendo game not named Tecmo Bowl, and was never married to Head of the Class star Robin Givens.

Dear Frank Shamrock - if Nick Diaz's punches don't hurt and only confuse you, why did you fold up like a cheap tent when those non-hurtful punches kept connecting with various parts of your body? Additionally, turning around six minutes later to sing the praises of Diaz, his boxing prowess and how he hurt Zaromskis is just plain redonkulous. As are your braces. I'm all for good teeth, but c'mon.

9. Team Cesar Gracie Has 3 Champions

Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez and now Nick Diaz all have championship gold around their waist.

For all the accolades we bestow upon teams like Greg Jackson's crew, ATT, and even Black House, this is the most titles under one roof in quite some time, and makes me think back to the days of Miletich Fighting Systems stomping the hell out of everyone in the UFC.

For all those people who want to say, "Yeah, but it's three Strikeforce titles," name a single squad in the UFC with three titles in their possession. You can't.

Give "The Scrap Pack" credit - they deserve it.

10. Strikeforce is Improving, But Still Have a Long Way to Go

Outside of the Hieron - Riggs fight, does anyone care what happened on the undercard?

Isn't there someone in the production booth who can figure out when to accurately cut to the fighter being introduced, instead of going a minute early every time and letting us see them standing there awkwardly waiting to hear their name?

Herschel Walker was just the biggest draw on your first event of 2010.

Jimmy Lennon Jr. made no mention of "Cyborg" being the Women's 145-pound champ when she walked to the ring looking like a dude... and a douchey dude who wears sunglasses indoors at that.

Maybe I just missed it because I was tweeting like a madman (@ESpencerKyte), but I didn't see the customary "wrap the belt around the waist of the new champion" moment when Diaz was announced as the winner. Showing the new champ with his belt is kind of important.

Although, Strikeforce seems to be okay with Alistair Overeem keeping the heavyweight title far from sight in Japan or Holland or wherever, so maybe they just don't care if you see the belt or not.

Herschel Walker: Can you really beat time?

2010-01-30T12:05:00.001-08:00

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For most 47-year-old's, the idea of beginning a professional sports career would be pretty laughable. When that sport happens to be MMA, with violent physical confrontation against men less than half your age the order of the day, it threatens to move from laughable to simply bizarre.

Unless your name is Herschel Walker.

Walker has always walked to the beat of his own drum, and in doing so has lead quite an extraordinary life. He is considered one of the greatest college football players of all time, and achieved enduring success in the National Football League where his career statistics still rank him at or near the top in several categories.

Walker was born in 1962, one of seven children in a poor southern family. Unable to afford conventional weights he developed a personal calisthenics routine as a teenager to keep fit - a routine that eventually led up to 2,000 push-ups, 3,000 sit-ups, 1500 pull-ups, and 1000 dips per day. Every day. 365 days a year. For 30 years. Think about that for a minute, and you begin to get an idea of the level of physical conditioning that Walker has maintained into his 40's.

Walker has kept an iron focus on the sort of simple, hard-working lifestyle that many people talk about, but very few are able to put into practice. Starting in college, when he felt pressed for time, he began to eat just a single meal every day, a basic dinner usually consisting of bread, soup, and salad, a routine he still continues. For more than twenty years he has followed a largely vegetarian diet devoid of red meat.

In today's environment of high-tech training routines, carefully calibrated diets, and brand-name supplements tailored to enhance muscle recovery and performance, such an attitude may seem overly simplistic. But maybe that's the way Walker likes it. Asked by the Academy of Achievement in Washington, D.C. about his unique personal training regimen, Walker said simply, "In the olden days, that's what people used to do."

It's a lifestyle that may not sound appealing to most, but for Walker, it has been deeply fulfilling. According to Walker, the path from his humble beginnings to athletic excellence has been an intensely personal experience that is not easy for others to understand.

"It takes a lot of hard work," Walker told Sherdog.com. "I'm talking mentally, physically, it takes a lot of hard work. You've just got to dedicate yourself. I think that's why I never let anyone read my poetry, I never let anyone see it. I don't think they could ever understand it. When I speak about this, people think I'm absolutely crazy. I don't drink, I've never tasted alcohol, I don't smoke, I never did any of that, but I can get so high off my belief and my will, that it's almost like you're invincible."

Although Walker is best known for his achievements in football, there is another physical pursuit which has been a passion of his for decades - the martial arts. Walker holds a fifth-degree black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do under Grandmaster Kim Kwan Kyun who served as chief instructor of the U.S. Army 2nd Infantry Division and also team instructor for the R.O.K. (Republic of Korea) Army Marine Corps. It is probably not surprising that given Walker's background and desire to continue testing himself, he would eventually seek to try his hand at MMA though, despite his background in traditional martial arts, he is quick to point out his novice status in the sport.

"It's the ultimate test," said Walker. "I love martial arts, I've loved it since I was a little boy. This is a once in a lifetime dream. I think this is a test, a test to prove where I'm at. I'm still green, I'm still learning. When you come in here you're coming here to learn. I don't want to embarass the champions here in this gym."

Reactions to the news that the 47-year old Walker would be making his MMA debut at the Strikeforce: Miami event on January 30 were probably typified by the characteristically blunt Dana White, President of the UFC.

"Which athletic commission is going to let this guy fight?" White asked. "Who the (expletive) are they going to find to fight Herschel Walker? A guy in a wheelchair?" Of course, this may seem a little ironic coming from White, considering that a week after Walker enters the cage for Strikeforce, UFC 109 will be headlined by a fight between two men, Randy Couture and Mark Coleman, whose combined age is nearing the century mark.

According to Yahoo! Sports, the answer to the first part of Dana's question is simple: the Florida Boxing Commission subjected Walker to extensive physical testing before licensing him to fight, and their results were surprising. Dr. Allan Fields, who oversaw the testing, stated the results pretty plainly. "He's in as fine a shape as (a prime) Muhammad Ali or any of these people we've had under our care," said Fields, a former physician for the U.S. Olympic boxing team. "This guy is 47 going on 22, as far as his physical fitness goes."

That's all fine and good, but how far will physical conditioning carry a fighter inside the cage? For the answer to that question, it's best to ask the people Walker has been training with at American Kickboxing Academy, home to UFC stars such as Cain Velasquez, Mike Swick, Josh Koscheck, and Jon Fitch. According to trainer Javier Mendez, Walker is the second best-conditioned heavyweight he has ever trained, behind only young star Cain Velasquez.

"I don't know how he does it, but just throw the age thing out the window," Mendez stated. "He is the best student I've ever had. Every day he comes to practice 10 to 15 minutes early. He's never late. Every day he gets better. And he keeps right up with Cain. I've only had him for seven weeks. When he started, he didn't even know how to throw a punch correctly. He had terrible footwork for boxing. But he picked it up that quick. It would take a normal pro fighter one year to two years to progress as fast as he has."

So with Strikeforce: Miami looming, where should this leave people's expectations for Walker in his MMA debut? There seem to be two widely divergent schools of thought on the matter.

The first, and possibly more widely-held view, was summed up pretty plainly by the comments of retired MMA star Don Frye.

"I tell you what," Frye told MMAJunkie. "Anybody who fights an (expletive) like James Toney or Herschel Walker or Jose Canseco or any of them other (expletives) that come into our sport at their age should be required to take them down and break as many bones as possible on them and keep them crippled for six to eight weeks."

The second possibility is clear in the words of Walker's AKA trainer, Javier Mendez.

"He's not an elite fighter," Mendez said. "When he spars, right now he can just edge out guys who have had about six fights. But, if I had three years with him, he could be an elite fighter."

In the end, maybe Walker himself says it best. "To dream, it takes work," Walker told the Academy of Achievement. "To have a nightmare takes nothing. I think if you are going to dream, you've got to be willing to work, because then it can be possible. If you're going to dream, you've got to make an effort to get out and do something."

Whatever the outcome of Walker's foray into MMA this weekend, one thing seems certain: once again he has accepted the challenge to test himself, this time to prove that age puts no limits on dreams.

Strikeforce: Miami Punch Drunk Predictions

2010-01-30T10:50:00.001-08:00

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Tonight marks the first fight card since officially joining the team here at Five Knuckles, and to celebrate the occasion, I'm giving myself a clean slate.

Over the eight months of making picks at Keyboard Kimura (R.I.P. Dear Friend... Gone But Not Forgotten), I was able to amass a record of 143-106-2, which works out to 56.9% accuracy with my picks. Is that great? Of course not, but it's a little better than "Smooth" Jimmy Apollo and there is room to improve.

Said improvements begin here, today, with Strikeforce: Miami. In part to save myself some unnecessary losses, but also because the information available on them is minimal, I'm going to rattle off reasoning for six fights - the five main card bouts and my man Jay Hieron taking on Joe Riggs.

The Breakdown

"The Thoroughbred" Jay Hieron (18-4-0) vs. Joe "Diesel" Riggs (32-11-0, 1 NC)

The winner of this most likely faces the winner of tonight's main event for the Welterweight title. Hieron was promised that same opportunity when he signed with the promotion after the fall of Affliction, and while he's saying all the right things heading into this fight, there is no question that the Xtreme Couture member wants that title shot.

Riggs has the power to knock just about anyone out. The one-time heavyweight (it's true - look it up) looked in solid shape at the weigh-ins (always a concern with Riggs), and will be a difficult challenge for Hieron. Unfortunately, Riggs is kind of trading on his name these days. His last fight with a "name" opponent was a decision over Phil Baroni.

No offense to "The New York Bad Ass," but if you're going a full 15 with a guy who has a notoriously small gas tank, the chances of you emerging victorious over the always well-conditioned Hieron aren't so great.

Hieron is faster, more technical and, perhaps most importantly, hungrier than Riggs, and should be able to come away with a win... and hopefully his long-awaited title shot.

Herschel Walker (N/R) vs. Greg Nagy (1-1-0)

There really isn't much to break down.

Walker is a marketing goldmine making his debut, and Nagy is the guy who will be able to get a free drink or two out of being "the guy who lost to Herschel Walker in his MMA debut." What more do I need to say?

Bobby Lashley (4-0-0) vs. Wes Sims (22-12-1, 2 NC)

The third time was the charm in finding an opponent for the former WWE and current TNA superstar. Unfortunately, "the charm" is Wes Sims, fresh off his appearance as part of TUF 10: The Heavyweights.

Sims is an interesting personality and used to have some promise. Not the use of past tense. Now, he's fresh off a first round submission at the hands of Justin Wren during the "elimination round" of The Ultimate Fighter. In that bout, Wren wrestled Sims to the ground, threw on an arm triangle and had his hand raised.

Bobby Lashley is a better wrestler than Justin Wren. He also carries his 250-plus pounds in a different way than "The Viking," going with more of a muscular approach to Wren's "thick throughout" look.

A little more dangerous than the Herschel Walker fight, but nowhere near "this could be an upset" territory.

Melvin Manhoef (24-6-1) vs. "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler (18-5-0, 1 NC)

Two things are certain to me in this fight: (1) it's not getting out of the first round, and (2) in the words of 50 Cent, "Somebody gon' get laid the *&$@ out."

Lawler has a distinct advantage on the ground; think of the advantage Usain Bolt has in the 100m dash... against me. Everyone and their mother knows that Manheof is tough on his feet and suspect on the ground, which means taking him down and earning a win should be Lawler's plan of attack.

Something tells me that isn't going to happen. Robbie Lawler likes to trade. He likes to bangs. It might even be fair to say that he likes getting punched in the face. The problem with that course of action against the debuting Dutch striker is that he has dynamite in his hands.

One of those fist-sized powder kegs will connect, and Lawler will be left looking up at the lights.

Cristiane Santos (8-1-0) vs. Marloes Coenen (17-3-0)

Coenen has more wins, a better ground game and is more attractive by conventional standards than the female "Cyborg."

Unfortunately, this fight has nothing to do with records, isn't a grappling match and, as witnessed last August, looks don't win you a fight. Especially not against Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos.

Until further notice - and I recommend this for everyone - if "Cyborg" is fighting, pick her. She is unquestionably the most devastating female fighter on the planet. Megumi Fuji may be collecting submission wins, and Sarah Kaufman is on a tear of her own, but "Cyborg" simply overwhelms her opponents and leaves them broken.

The 145-pound title will remain around her waist for the foreseeable future.

Nick Diaz (20-7-1, 1 NC) vs. " The Whitemare" Marius Zaromskis (13-3-0)

Here's a question for you: Why does Nick Diaz get so much love? While he is unquestionably entertaining and a tough kid, the elder member of the Fightin' Diaz Brothers hasn't beaten any on top-tier talent.

Not to play Revisionist History Professor or anything, but his five-fight winning streak is made up of a self-professed journeyman (Scott Smith), an over-the-hill former champion (Frank Shamrock), a regional journeyman who lost to Pat Miletich in 2008 (Thomas Denny), a guy who can't buy a win in the WEC Lightweight division (Muhsin Corbbrey) and Katsuya Inoue.

Zaromskis may not be the top of the heap either, but he's been putting people to sleep as of late, utilizing his devastating head kick to finish Ho Bae Myeon, Jason High and Hayato "Mach" Sakurai in his last three contests.

While Diaz is certainly the more recognizable name, he's never been a knockout artist, and Zaromskis is tough enough to stand in front of Diaz and take his best offerings. Then he'll load up a head kick and have Scott Coker wrap the Strikeforce Welterweight title around his waist.

Punch Drunk Predictions
Record: N/R

Jay Hieron over Joe Riggs - TKO, Round 2
Herschel Walker over Greg Nagy, TKO, Round 1
Bobby Lashley over Wes Sims, TKO Round 1
Melvin Manhoef over Robbie Lawler, TKO Round 1
Cris Cyborg over Marloes Coenen, TKO Round 1

And in the Main Event of the evening...

Marius Zaromskis over Nick Diaz via devastating head kick in Round 2.

Knuckle up - it's fight night!

NFL Legend Herschel Walker Among the Top 10 Most High-Profile MMA Debuts

2010-01-30T05:05:00.001-08:00

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Tonight, live on SHOWTIME, NFL legend and former Heisman trophy winner Herschel Walker will make his long anticipated mixed martial arts debut. The 47-year old will step into the cage against Greg Nagy as part of the Strikeforce: Miami main card.

Let's take a look at where Walker's debut will rank among the top 10 most high profile debuts in MMA history.

10. Latasha Marzolla

Marzolla isn't exactly an A-List celebrity but she is a former Playboy model and even had a brief stint with the WWE. Believe it or not, this voluptuous blonde has been enthralled with martial arts for most of her life. She took up wrestling in high school and eventually transitioned into Muay Thai under the world famous Master Toddy.

The beautiful kickboxer's entrance into the world of MMA opened several eyes considering she has appeared in multiple Playboy Special Editions series and was chosen as the 2004 Model of the Year. In May 2009 the blonde bombshell made her amateur debut stopping her opponent in the first round with strikes.

As an amateur, Marzolla is 2-0 and establishing the reputation for being one of the top prospects in Women's MMA.

9. Mariusz Pudzianowski

At 6'1, 320-lbs Pudzianowski is recognized as the strongest man on the face of the earth. The monstrous pole has won more Worlds' Strongest Man championships than anyone else who has ever competed in the event.

With his immense power and massive frame, MMA fans pondered how Pudzianowski would fair inside the cage.

Well in 2009, "The Dominator" answered those questions with a huge exclamation point. In his homeland of Poland, Pudzianowski pounded on opponent Marcin Najman with punches until Najman submitted from the strikes.

Before the fight Pudzianowski said: "Ta r?ka niesie za sob? smierc, a tej drugiej sam si? boj??" Which in English translates to "This hand brings death, but the other one even I am afraid of."

8. Satoshi Ishii

North American fans might not be familiar with Ishii but in Japan he is a very big deal. Noted for winning a gold medal in Olympic Judo at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, a silver medal at the 2006 Asian Games and two All-Japan Judo Championships, Ishii is highly regarded for being one of the best Japanese athletes in the world.

After winning the gold medal, Ishii expressed his desire to transition into MMA. Despite rumors of a UFC signing, Ishii made his debut as part of the Dynamite!! 2009 card in Japan. He would end up losing a unanimous decision to fellow Judoka gold medalist and MMA veteran Hidehiko Yoshida.

7. Jason David Frank

When Frank-who is best known for his role as the Green Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers-announced he would be making his professional MMA debut he was met with mixed reactions. Some critics believed that the movie star was looking to use MMA's popularity to get his name back out there after his acting career went down the toilet.

What those critics fail to realize is that before being a Power Ranger, Frank was a dedicated martial artist. He is a sixth degree black belt in Shotokan karate and has been involved in martial arts for most of his life. Nonetheless, whether fans support him or not, everyone is interested to see what the Green Ranger can accomplish in MMA.

Frank will make his much anticipated MMA debut against Jonathon "the Mack Truck" Mack January 30th at the Houston Arena Theatre at Lonestar Beatdown.

6. Bobby Lashley

Working under Vince McMahon, Lashley became a household name in the predetermined world of the WWE. He was a main event level superstar and most remembered for shaving McMahon's head at Wrestlemania 23 after defeating the late Umaga in a "battle of the billionaires" match.

Soon after leaving the WWE, Lashley announced his plans to debut in MMA. With a solid collegiate wrestling background, Lashley transitioned into the sport quite successfully. He is now 4-0 and looking to score his fifth straight win against UFC veteran Wes Sims at Strikeforce: Miami.

5. Jose Canseco

If you look up the term "Major League Idiot" in the dictionary you will see a picture of Canseco getting his face smashed in from the 7'2 "techno Goliath" Hong Man-Choi.

Canseco figured that since he's already inflicted enough embarrassment to his own sport (baseball), he would try to make a mockery out of another in MMA. Canseco's preparations leading up to his bout against the gigantic Choi included a lot of talking and barely any training at all.

The joke was on him in the end though as Choi brutally defeated him in the first round.

4. Kyle Maynard

The story of Kyle Maynard is truly one of the most inspirational tales that can ever be told. Maynard was born with congenital amputation of the forearms and lower legs. However that did not stop him from defying all odds and having a very successful high-school and college wrestling career.

The 2004 ESPY winner for "best athlete with a disability" officially made his MMA debut in 2009 losing a lopsided unanimous decision to Bryan Fry. Luckily Maynard wasn't seriously injured in his efforts otherwise the sport could have gone under fire from the mainstream media.

3. Kimbo Slice

Kimbo Slice is the guy that became an internet sensation seemingly over night thanks to his unsanctioned street-fight videos that were posted on YouTube. Millions of people watched Slice compete in bare-knuckle brawls outside of Taco Bell and Walmart and instantly fell in love with the Miami brawler.

Slice left the underground fighting scene in 2007 and signed a professional MMA contract with now-defunct EliteXC promotion. After the demise of Elite XC, Slice joined the cast of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights and helped break an all time Spike TV ratings record for the series.

The heavy-handed brawler is now 1-0 in the UFC after a victory over Houston Alexander and is rumored to be facing fellow TUF 10 castmate Matt Mitrione at UFC 113 in Canada.

2. Brock Lesnar

Lesnar was an accomplished amateur wrestler, winning the 2000 NCAA heavyweight wrestling championship before gaining prominence as a WWE superstar. He was built up as "The Next Big Thing" for the WWE and was quickly pushed into the main event.

In 2004, Lesnar left the WWE due to a contract dispute. After a brief stint with the NFL, Lesnar decided he would jump into MMA. He made quick work of his opponent Min Soo Kim and then shortly after signed a contract with the largest MMA promotion in the world: The UFC.

Fast forward two years later and Lesnar is now the UFC heavyweight champion, one of the most popular fighters in the sport and is currently ranked as the No. 2 heavyweight in the world by a majority of MMA outlets.

1. Herschel Walker

Walker is highly regarded for being one of the greatest athletes that has ever lived. But at 47 years of age it's difficult to imagine the NFL legend to be a competitive fighter. Still, he brings a ton of media attention with him and has done a great job promoting this fight on ESPN.

His teammates and coaches at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California speak very highly of Walker and his performance in training. In fact, Javier Mendez told reporters that Walker is the best student he has ever had and is able to keep pace with top ranked UFC heavyweight contender Cain Velasquez.

Time will tell if Walker will live up to the hype but one thing is for sure, he is the most high profile athlete to ever make the cross-over into MMA.

Strikeforce Challengers VII announced for March 26 in Fresno, California

2010-01-29T05:05:00.001-08:00

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Six months ago, Lavar Johnson lay in a hospital bed, clinging to his life after he was gunned down while attending a family barbeque during the July 4 holiday. On Friday, March 26, the 32-year-old will enter a new chapter in his incredible recovery when he restarts his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career in the main event of a STRIKEFORCE Challengers fight card at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California on Friday, March 26.

The heavy-handed Johnson (13-3), a 6-foot-4 inch, 250-pound resident of nearby Madera, will face off with another highly touted prospect, undefeated Lolohea Mahe (4-0-1) of Wailua, Maui in the STRIKEFORCE cage.

Tickets for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event, priced from $30, go on sale on Monday, Feb. 1, at the Save Mart Center box office and select Save Mart Supermarkets, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online and STRIKEFORCE's official website.

"My health is great and I'm almost back to where I was," said Johnson. In his last start in the cage, Johnson crushed Carl Seumanutafa in just 18 seconds with a single punch at the first-ever STRIKEFORCE Challengers event at Save Mart Center on May 15, 2009.

After being struck down by the gunfire that also led to the death of a cousin, Johnson, a father of two boys, ages eight and five, spent one month in hospital care and lost approximately 60 pounds.

Months of physical rehabilitation followed and, one month ago, Johnson was cleared by a physician to return to training with trainer Jasper Tayaba and Team Buhawe in Fresno

"(The experience) made me realize how fragile life is and that every day I'm here is a blessing. It has also made me take MMA more seriously."

In other action on the STRIKEFORCE Challengers card, "Abongo" Humphrey (5-1) of Atlanta, Ga., will square off with George Bush III (5-1) of Columbus, Ohio, at light heavyweight (205 pounds).

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Luke Stewart (6-2) of San Francisco, California will make his long-awaited return to action against Andre Galvao (3-1) of Brazil in a welterweight (170 pounds) contest.

Unbeaten Zoila Frausto (2-0) of Fresno will face off at 135 pounds with another one of the top prospects in the women's field, Miesha "Takedown" Tate (7-2) of Olympia, Washington.

American Kickboxing Academy bred wrestling stud Justin "The Silverback" Wilcox (8-3) of San Jose, Calif., will do battle with Bryan Travers (13-1) of Bakersfield, Calif., at lightweight (155 pounds).

Save Mart Center doors will open for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event at 6 p.m. PT. The first live, non-televised, preliminary bout will begin at 6:45 p.m.

The live SHOWTIME® telecast will begin at 11:45 p.m. ET/ PT (delayed on the west coast).

Gegard Mousasi moving to heavyweight in 2011, plans on six to eight fights in 2010

2010-01-28T12:35:00.001-08:00

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At just 24 years of age, reigning Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi has already had an extraordinarily busy and successful MMA career. But if his recent comments on his future plans are any indication, this may just be the beginning.

Mousasi is looking forward to a busy schedule over the next few years, with plans to move up to the heavyweight division in 18 months. Mousasi has spoken before of eventual plans to compete as a heavyweight, but this may be the first time he's laid out his goals for the new weight class so clearly, and he plans to prepare methodically.

"It's going to take a lot of time," Mousasi told MMAJunkie.com. "I have to take it step by step. I cannot put so many pounds on in a short time. First, I will be a small heavyweight, and slowly I want to put more pounds on. It will take two, three years before I'm a solid heavyweight."

Mousasi will begin his Strikeforce title defense with an April fight against Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal, but he plans to fight a total of six to eight times this year - an almost unheard-of pace for most fighters.

In addition to his Strikeforce commitments, Mousasi also fights in Japan's DREAM promotion, and is looking to participate in a rumored DREAM light-heavyweight tournament planned for this summer.

"I'm going to try to stay very busy," Mousasi stated. "It's better to stay in shape the whole year, fight a lot, than fight and be fat again and train hard again. I don't like it. I like to be in shape the whole year, be in top shape, and then I'm going to take a break for one or two months (at the end of the year). It would be awesome if I could win the (DREAM) light-heavyweight title."

Mousasi, who is currently in the US training with UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, also revealed that he plans to move to the US from the Netherlands to train full-time starting next year. Beyond that, his goals are simple: financial security, and retirement from the sport at the age of 30.

"I don't want to fight for too long," said Mousasi. "(At) 30, I'm finished. In my mind, (I just want) the amount of money that (would give me) a good life. Anymore than that, I don't need. Until I don't have the money that I want to have, I'm basically fighting to get there. Once I'm there and I'm one of the best, maybe I will fight for a place in the sport, remembered as one of the best. Until then, I'm basically fighting for money."

Melvin Manhoef training hard at American Top Team to improve ground game

2010-01-28T12:05:00.001-08:00

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Melvin Manhoef will make his Strikeforce debut on January 30 when he enters the cage against Robbie Lawler in what promises to be an exciting middleweight match-up.

Manhoef began his training as a Muay Thai fighter in his native Netherlands, and when he made the transition to MMA competition he quickly became known for his vicious knockout power. This is evidenced by the fact that 23 of his 24 career wins have come by way of knockout or TKO.

Unfortunately for Manhoef, his focus on striking has also been his Achilles' heel. He has shown throughout his career that he is vulnerable whenever the fight goes to the ground. Manhoef has only lost 4 times in his last 22 fights, but all have come by way of submission.

He is determined to correct his lack of grappling skills, and talked about his recent training at American Top Team as well as past and future fights with Tatame.com

You can view the transcribed version of the interview in English below:

What do you expect from your fight against Robbie Lawler?

It will be a tough fight, he is great in the standup and I will stand and trade with him. He is going to the top, he is going to be really good, a big fighter.

Who are the standouts in your class in Strikeforce?

I think all the fighters are good. I have problems with ground fighters, and Jacare (Ronaldo Souza) and (Matt) Lindland are strong there. They will be tough opponents; you never know what will happen. I need to improve my ground game. For that I have turned to American Top Team, and I want to train here for a whole month. By doing that my ground game will improve, and it will be easier for me to avoid being beaten on the ground.

Are you waiting for a chance at the belt?

I hope so. I saw that (Dan) Henderson will be facing Jake Shields, so I'll be waiting. As soon as they want me, I'm ready to fight. I always want belts. I want to take lots of belts home.

What's training at American Top Team like?

The ground training there is very good. Everyone there is helping me, Gesias (Cavalcante), Thiago (Alves), and (Ricardo) Liborio. My wrestling and takedown defense is improving, and I'm learning how to escape on the ground. I need to train more and get better though. I won't be taken down.

I saw that the Pitbull (Thiago Alves) is working on striking with your coach...

Yes, we train together a lot. He is really cool, we trained a lot on striking and learned a lot from each other. Sparring with him is very good, he's fast, and hits hard. It's always good to train with him.

How is your Jiu-Jitsu training coming?

It is not easy, the guys (at ATT) are very good. They are tough, but the coaches are teaching me and I learn more every time, and I think I'm getting better. I'm not going to say I'm improving myself, but if Thiago and Gesias say I'm improving, it's because they see it. Ground work is always challenging for me.

Who else is helping you?

Everyone. Liborio always helps me and gives me lots of advice. Gesias always makes me work, and tells me to do this or that. The rest of the wrestling guys also help me. ATT is very good, I'm honored to be here. There is a very good team spirit, with everyone working together.

And the standup practice?

Katel (Kubis) and Thiago help me, but I also brought my own coaches. Katel helps me, Howard Davis helps me, everyone helps me here. My team is coming here, we are training hard for this fight.

Who do you think has the best standup at ATT?

I think the Pitbull is one of the best, I like his style. Everyone is good standing, Gesias also, but Thiago is very skilled.

Your last loss was to Paulo (Filho) in Dream. What are your thoughts on that fight?

I tried to keep it standing, because I'm better there. Overall it was going pretty well, but he is very good. He took me down and took my arm, but before that I thought I was winning. I was doing fine, but you know, he is very good on the ground. He showed he was the best that day, but I hope I face him again.

What would be different in a rematch (with Filho)?

I don't know, we would fight differently and I know it would be exciting. I'd do what I always do, but I'd hope to do better on the ground now and make it harder for him. His ground game is very good, that is the thing. His standup is good and his ground game is good, and it will always be that way. It's not easy, but I would try to do everything in the standup. I took a lot of guys (to train in Jiu-Jitsu) to the Netherlands, and maybe one day I will do well on the ground.

You and Cyborg (Evangelista Santos) fought once in the past in Cage Rage, and he is also in Strikeforce.

He is in the 185 lb weight class and that is a hard class. The match-up is important to make a good fight, and he is very good. People would expect a lot (if we faced each other again) and I think it would make the fight even tougher. I hope that it would be even harder than before.

Adam Smith Has Tested Positive For Steroids

2010-01-27T10:27:00.001-08:00

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The following appears courtesy of mmajunkie.com:

The California State Athletic Commission today announced that Adam Smith, who dropped a unanimous decision to Dewey Cooper last month at a Strikeforce show, has tested positive for anabolic agents with metabolites for both Nandrolone and Stanozolol. In addition to those steroids, the CSAC announced earlier this month that Smith also tested positive for cocaine and marijuana.

Smith becomes the first athlete in the state of California to test positive for anabolic agents and drugs of abuse at the same time.

With the two failed tests, Smith is now suspended a total of 21 months and fined a total of $4,000.

According to paperwork filed with the CSAC, Smith earned just $500 for the fight.

“Strikeforce at the Playboy Mansion” took place Sept. 29 in Beverly Hills, Calif. The event was streamed online at Yahoo! Sports, though Smith’s bout appeared on the un-televised undercard.

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Mahood Admits Steriod Use, Will Likely Retire

2010-01-27T10:26:00.002-08:00

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Bill Mahood tested positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanalone in wake of his light heavyweight bout at Strikeforce “Strikeforce at the Playboy Mansion” on Sept. 29 in Beverly Hills, Calif., according to a report released by the California State Athletic Commission. Mahood released a public statement Tuesday on the Internet admitting he had used the non-approved substance to aid in the recovery of a hip injury. Mahood also indicated that he will likely retire from competition due to reoccurring injuries.

Source: thefightnetwork.com

Cung Le Claims That Frank Shamrock Backed Out Of Fight

2010-01-27T10:26:00.001-08:00

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The following has been provided courtesy of our friends over at MMANews.com:

Earlier today MMANews.com spoke with Strikeforce Middleweight Cung Le and he confirmed that he will be fighting on the November 16th Strikeforce card at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA. Who his opponent will be has yet to be determined but Cung made mention of the fact that Frank Shamrock backed out of a possible match-up. Both fighters made mention of it during the Strikeforce at the Playboy Mansion show so it can be assumed it will most likely happen down the line. Cung also stated that there have been about a dozen names thrown at him but it hasn't been narrowed down yet. The show is still well over a month away so it should be announced who his opponent will be over the next few weeks.

After an impressive showing in his last about against Tony Fryklund, Le upped his record to 4-0 in MMA competition and will look to go 5-0. A rumored bout between him and Shamrock has been discussed for quite a while now but it looks as if it will not be happening anytime soon.

With a tournament on the slate and Cung Le main eventing, along with Daniel Puder and Paul Buentello confirmed to be on the card - the next Strikeforce show is starting to shape up nicely.

MMANews.com will be speaking with Cung in-depth to discuss this among other things later today or possibly later in the week. Be sure to check back here for that.

Strikeforce Set To Hold Tournament, Chun Le To Headline Main Event

2010-01-27T10:25:00.002-08:00

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Strikeforce has announced the first one-night tournament ever in California, which will be a four-man middleweight tournament featuring Joe Riggs and Falaniko Vitale on 11/16 in San Jose at the HP Pavilion. According to the Wrestling Observer, Promoter Scott Coker said it will be streamed live on Yahoo! like the Playboy Mansion show. Cung Le is said to be participating in the non-tournament main event.

FiveKnuckles.com Exclusive Interview: Frank Shamrock Part III

2010-01-27T10:25:00.001-08:00

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Frank Shamrock is set to face off against Cung Le this Saturday at 6:00 PST. He was kind enough to grant Five Knuckles.com a last minute interview just days before he ventures into the cage at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. Shamrock spoke very candidly about his demeanor leading into the fight, his thoughts on the EliteXC-CBS deal, Kimbo, and much more.

FiveKnuckles.com: What is your reaction to the backlash about comments you made regarding your brother Ken Shamrock's steroid abuse.

Frank Shamrock: I just thought it was common knowledge, you know. Someone asked me a question and I just told the truth. I just answered the question.

FiveKnuckles.com: How do you feel right now going into the fight with Cung Le just days away?

Frank Shamrock: I feel fantastic. I just had my last media day and now the rest of the time I'm just kinda laying around hanging out...I actually look forward to this time because it's kind of like the quite before the storm. I watch a lot of movies, read books. I'm excited man. I'm ready to go out and do battle.

FiveKnuckles.com: How's your confidence level? Do you feel good about you game right now?

Frank Shamrock: It's the usual [laughs]. I have a really high level of confidence because I train hard and I study really hard. I think Cung Le's got a lot to work out and work with, but for me...I've fought everybody in the world, fought every style. I just look at it as a good test and it's gonna be an exciting fight. I look forward to testing my standup skills against Cung.

FiveKnuckles.com: There's been a lot of talk about your brother, Ken Shamrock's, loss and what that might mean to a possible fight between the two of you. Some have said that the fight may be off. If so, what's next for you after the Le fight?

Frank Shamrock: I hope we're still doing the Blood Brother fight [laughs]. I still think there's a lot of value in it. You know, the story itself. Beside that fight, I think CBS is gonna build me some nice stars. I think that's a huge vehicle that's gonna make these guys overnight MMA sensations. I'm looking forward to that. You know, the sad part about fighting Cung is that there are very few guys left that are superstars that have that persona, that image people love. I'm kinda running out of guys but I'm sure they'll come out.

FiveKnuckles.com: Some have mentioned Tito Ortiz as a possible opponent now that he may be leaving the UFC. What are your thoughts on a possible match up with Ortiz?

Frank Shamrock: I think Tito is definitely a possibility. He's coming to the end of his contract with the UFC and I think he'll be a free agent so I've been in talks with him and I think that one will be really good. There'll be some heat to that fight. And Anderson Silva, I'd love that fight. I think it's a great match up it'd be a good test if the UFC were willing to do a co-promotion or something; that would be wonderful.

FiveKnuckles.com: You mentions Silva, some are calling him the greatest pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world. What are your thoughts on Anderson Silva's game?

Frank Shamrock: Well he's a great fighter. He's got good stand up skill. I think his hands are just a little bit weak. But he makes up for it with reach and hight. You know, good kick knee combinations. I think his ground game is a little unsound. There are some holes in that could be exploited definitely. I think his transitional game is a little bit off. Which I would definitely work to exploit, but I think Anderson is the perfect guy to stand up with. I just think that sport of MMA is very young in the striking arts and I've been making that my focus for eight or nine years now so I just have so much confidence in my stand up and I'd love to test it against a guy like Anderson Silva.

FiveKnuckles.com: Is your striking superior to Silva's?

Frank Shamrock: I think so. We'll test it out on Cung first and see [laughs].

FiveKnuckles.com: ProElite and CBS recently reached a deal to show EliteXC events on CBS in primetime. What are your thoughts on the deal?

Frank Shamrock: I think it's a huge deal. You know, it's a huge oppertunity to be on network television and on primetime. And it's important to have quality athletes to fill that role. You know, my one knock on EliteXC and ProElite in general is that they're kind of embrasing the whole freak show side of it. And while I think that can be a great initial shocker to people and liven up the fan base, I think it will hurt in the long run. Much like the UFC did when they first came out, they went for the shock and awe factor and people are going to be turned of by it. They don't look like professional athletes because they are not professional athletes.

FiveKnuckles.com: So is that how you see Kimbo? In that role?

Frank Shamrock: Yeah. Kimbo...I mean, God bless him, he's obviously got some business sense. I mean, he made himself famous by fighting people on the internet; which is technically illegal and definitely not a good example of what martial arts should be. And now that you make him the star of your organization, now all the nine and ten year old kids are gonna put a camera up and beat up there friends because they think there gonna be the next superstar in MMA. You know, that says something about the image of our sport and the professionalism of our athletes. It's kind of sad because I've been here toiling, working hard and trying to show what an athlete should be and represent myself as a good martial artist and unfortunately when a company embraces something like that it's like a big slap in the face to the rest of us. It's just how I feel. I know if I had a ten year old son I wouldn't have him watch it. But if it was a martial artist who represents himself in the right way and stands for something I think I could get behind that.

FiveKnuckles.com: Have you had a chance to meet Kimbo in person?

Frank Shamrock: I actually did meet him socially. He's actually a really nice guy.

FiveKnuckles.com: There's been some backlash amongst MMA insiders about the face of mainstream MMA being represented, at this point moving forward by basically a reformed street fighter. What are your thoughts?

Frank Shamrock: It's kinda scary because this is where we were in 1993 when we got kicked off of cable, but at that time it was Tank Abbott leading the way fearlessly.

FiveKnuckles.com: Are you going to fight on any of the CBS cards.

Frank Shamrock: I don't know, I haven't had any discussions with them yet. I've been really focused on training at this point. It would make a lot of sense to me. I have a lot of name value.

FiveKnuckles.com: Do you think we'll see the UFC step in and start co-promoting events?

Frank Shamrock: Much like boxing I think it's eventually inevitable that we get to that point, but at the same time I can understand the UFC keeping there door closed and protecting their brand more than anything and sensoring their media. That's a certain way to do business and while I don't agree with it, it's out there.

Don't forget to tune in to Showtime this Saturday night to catch Frank Shamrock take on Cung Le in a highly anticipated battle of two of the worlds most exciting strikers.

FiveKnuckles.com Exclusive Interview: Frank Shamrock Part II

2010-01-27T10:24:00.002-08:00

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Frank Shamrock is an MMA legend. He is the UFC's first middleweight champion and left the organization, at the height of his popularity, undefeated inside of the octagon.

Shamrock has been very busy lately and is preparing for a big 2008 with a fight slated against Cung Le this Saturday and a proposed fight against his his brother Ken Shamrock still on the horizon.

Shamrock was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to sit down with us and discuss a variety of issues including his upcoming match up against Cung Le, his strained relationship with his brother Ken, his triumph over a difficult childhood and much more. In part two of our three part interview with Frank Shamrock, he discusses a variety of topics including his sordid upbringing, his strained relationship with brother Ken Shamrock and his street fighting encounters.

FiveKnuckles.com: Can you tell us a bit about your relationship with your brother Ken.

Frank Shamrock: Sure, I met Ken when I was thirteen years old we were in a group home together he'd actually moved on from the group home by the time I'd gotten there and the group home Dad and our adopted Dad, Bob Shamrock adopted him and he was like the poster child of reform and everything. Ken was nine years older so I definitly looked at him as an older brother. He was also my first teacher in fighting and the submission wrestling style. He was my first mentor in Martial Arts.

FiveKnuckles.com: Really? How did you come to train with Ken?

Frank Shamrock: Well, in the old days we did the traditional tryouts which was a mixture of old Japanese and sportsman like team tryouts, but it was crazy. It was like 500 squats, push-ups and leg lifts so by the time your done with that your pretty much done. And then you have to spare with someone for twenty minutes. You basically just get the stuff beat out of you. And I don't know if it was because Ken liked me or didn't like me but Ken went with me for twenty minutes and totally smashed me. They didn't even tell me I could tap. I had no knowledge of anything. All you could do is just keep fighting and just don't give up [laughs]. And after that I was accepted. I cleaned equipment, carried bags and learned the ropes from the bottom up. I was basically a punching bag for a long time.

FiveKnuckles.com: When did you feel that you were finally accepted by your brother as a fighter?

Frank Shamrock: For me it was the first time I fought professionally. Our relationship changed and it changed for the better. He definitely showed me more respect and my level of acknowledgment and support from him changed. That's when I first felt that I was his brother was after I fought. Fightline.com: How old were you when you started fighting?

Frank Shamrock:For me is was accidental, Ken's always been a fighter. He's always been a wrestler, he grew up wrestling; but for me I was 22 years old when I started fighting. I was just kinda bouncing around, in and out of jails and wasn't doing a whole lot. I was in community college and I wanted to drop out and hang out and I was living with my Dad at the time and he told me I had to wrestle. He saw that I was just hanging out and up to no good so he told me to go down to the gym and try that wrestling thing out that my brother was doing and I never left.

FiveKnuckles.com: Up to no good? Can you elaborate?

Frank Shamrock:I was in trouble since I was eleven. When I was eleven I threw rocks at a train and I had shoplifting charges and other things that kids get into but the big one was that I threw rocks at a train which is a felony. I got busted for it and they sent me to juvinile hall. And that was the beginning of my life as far as being a ward of the state...group homes, foster homes, that kind of stuff. When I was eleven I was living with my Mom and my step Dad and my original family, but by the time I was twelve I was a ward of the state. The state was my Mommy. And Ken was the same. Ken was a ward of the state. We both grew up on the wrong side of the law. But that group home experience and meeting Bob Shamrock was a turning point for both of us because he made us both get into sports and he didn't take no crap from us.

FiveKnuckles.com: Do you still stay in contact with your biological family?

Frank Shamrock: Oh yeah, they come to all my fights. I have an older brother besides Ken and older half brother and an older sister and a younger sister. There all married and having kids so we've got a pretty good sized family...my original family. And I have the Shamrock family as well.

FiveKnuckles.com: What a story. It's amazing how well you've done considering all that you've been through.

Frank Shamrock: That's what's so unique about Ken and I, what most people see are these fighters and we've been able to be successful with that but where we came from and what we did...the whole story behind us getting there adds just a whole other level. And most people don't know the story.

FiveKnuckles.com: Tell us a little more about the early days at the Shamrock household.

Frank Shamrock: Well, I'd been to three homes by the time I meet Bob at the Shamrock Boys Ranch. They had a twenty-kid home and it was up in the country...it was like a medium security home. Each one has levels and every time you screwed up you sort of worked your way up to another level. This place was for rougher boys and rougher kids so we both lived there, but Ken was always fighting I was just a little kid. He was always getting into fights. He's just more of a fighter kind of guy.

FiveKnuckles.com: How did Bob react to that?

Frank Shamrock: Bob always let us fight. He used to encourage us, you know. If you had a beef then you go into the living room and everyone would stand in a circle and you'd box each other until somebody cried uncle, gave up, got tired, or got a bloody nose. He was old school about that. But at that time I was never much of a fighter. Ken was the fighter. I liked to read and I was more artistic. I didn't have much for sports or fighting at the time.

FiveKnuckles.com: So what changed? What made fighting interesting to you?

Frank Shamrock: When I got into it, I took more of a scholastic approach to fighting. I looked at it as a schooling process and during that process I learned that what we were doing was an art form; and our art is to do the most damage with the least amount of effort while sustaining the least amount of damage to yourself. That's the baseline of the art. And your body is the canvas. You should be able to make your body do anything. I don't get mad or angry about it. I wouldn't want to get into a street fight. This is what I do and I really enjoy it as an art.

FiveKnuckles.com: Can you talk a little bit about your personal relationship with Ken?

Frank Shamrock: We don't really have one, we never have. I've never had a heart to heart conversation with the guy. He was never available and I was never a good communicator. We were too guys that never got past working out together. It's totally bizarre. I know more about the guys I train with today than I've ever known about Ken. I think when we were younger Ken was a very closed off dude and I wasn't a good communicator. Now, that's changed for me and Ken's changed as well but we never grew together. I've had more serious conversations with Ken about our upcoming event than about anything else. I think this is the event that will bring the family together and I don't know why but we're just a weird family. Isn't that bizarre. But that's how I meet all of my friends at the school and that's how I got respect from people and even to this day that's how I get respect from people. We throw down and then we get respect from each other.

FiveKnuckles.com: That's interesting. So, have you and Ken fought before?

Frank Shamrock: I was never competitive against Ken. Ken would just crush me, always. He was bigger than me and he had way more knowledge than I ever did at that time.

FiveKnuckles.com: Do you feel that you can beat Ken now?

Frank Shamrock: I think so, I think I can beat anybody now. My knowledge of fighting and my skill is better than it's ever been in my entire life. I look at this as a chance to show that. Ken's still a formidable guy and he won't give up so I'm gonna have to put an ass whipping on him. Ken's son will definitely be on the card as well. We'll have the whole family on it [laughs].

FiveKnuckles.com: Ken came out in a few interviews and voiced his discontent about your relationship with your adopted Dad, Bob Shamrock. Can you elaborate on where your relationship went wrong with Bob.

Frank Shamrock:Bob and him were very close, very intertwined and when I felt that it was time for me to leave and it was my time to go...they didn't think I was a fighter. They thought I was too nice. They wanted me to run the gym and just be a supporter kind of guy. But I felt I had the skill and ability to make it. But whether they wanted to protect me or jealousy or whatever, they didn't want me to go and be my own man. But it came time for me to leave and they didn't take that well. First Bob was really upset and then Ken got really upset and they kind of traded back and forth and they had a very close relationship. When I left there they made it very clear that if I went that I couldn't come back and that I wasn't part of the family anymore and that was it. I took my blue pair of boxing gloves and I left. I was twenty-four. I was at that borderline position where I was ready to be serious about the sport.

FiveKnuckles.com: Have you every had to use your MMA skills in a street fight?

Frank Shamrock:I've been in three street fights. Two as a pro. I got into a fight with Tank Abott's crew one night and I beat up there big guy. They wouldn't leave me alone. We were in Alabama and after one of the UFC events and we all went out partying, I'm sure it was at a club or something. It was about four in the morning and we came back to the hotel and the big guy from Tank's crew got out and picked a fight with me, started chasing me around our taxi and wouldn't leave me alone so I beat him down and knocked him out and then they were all nice to me. But he came up to me the next morning and apologized and we were cool after that.

The other one was at a fight with a guy outside of a hardware store in Los Angeles. The guy cut in front of me in line and I asked him politely not to and he told me basically where to go so I asked him one more time, he told me where to go so I followed him out to the parking lot and told him I can't believe you did that...whatever...whatever, and he told me where to go once more so I kicked him in the stomach, kneed him in the face and gave him the right hand of death. And then he got up and pulled a knife on me...and I ran [laughs]. But I felt pretty justified about it when it was all over.

FiveKnuckles.com: Who are some of the best young fighters in the UFC today in your opinion?

Frank Shamrock: I haven't seen too many, but I like what Georges St. Pierre's doing from an athletic and technique stand point. BJ Penn's finally got his head screwed back on. A lot of these talent guys just want to hang out and have a good time but they forget about the hard training.

FiveKnuckles.com: You've received a lot of commendation for creating special programs to help out your community. Can you talk about what your doing down at the gym in this regard?

Frank Shamrock: We call it the Shamrock Way. It's our apprentice program and anyone can apply for it and anyone can get accepted really. So if you can't pay dues, you don't have money or whatever your thing is. If you have a desire we have a program for you. And you start at the bottom like I did carrying bags, cleaning mats and learning the basics of respect and honor and work your way up. We provide a lifestyle and a way to have a future.

Shamrock vs. Shamrock: Blood Brothers Off?

2010-01-27T10:24:00.001-08:00

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According to Frank Shamrock, the financial backers behind a proposed fight between he and his brother Ken Shamrock are very concerned about Ken's loss to unknown Robert Berry on March 8.

Apparently, Ken Shamrock was offered money not to fight Berry, but took the fight because he saw very little risk. As it turned out his defeat may have killed the fight. The younger Shamrock feels that the casual fan that would have bought into the brother vs. brother concept would be less likely to do so after watching Ken's last fight.

Cung Le: "This is my biggest fight ever."

2010-01-27T10:23:00.003-08:00

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Cung Le held a media event today at his new gym in Milpitas, CA to promote his up coming fight against Frank Shamrock on March 29th for the Strikeforce middleweight title. The event consisted of a light work out and then a brief interview session with the local media outlets.

“This is my biggest fight ever in my whole career, whether it’s an amateur fight to a professional fight. This is the biggest.” Le said after a short but intense workout that consisted of abusing a heavy bag with kicks that would rival a swing from a baseball bat, throwing a dummy into the air as if it were weightless, sparring with a grappling partner for several minutes, and then sparing with hand pads in the cage.

NBC And Strikeforce Strike A Deal

2010-01-27T10:23:00.001-08:00

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NBC and Strikeforce is apparently set to announce a deal for a weekly show on network TV.

While a formal announcement isn't expected for at least a week, the deal appears all but done with the first highlights show coming in mid-April and is expected to follow "Saturday Night Live".

Actual live Strikeforce events may follow, though nothing is confirmed at this time.

Five Knuckles Exclusive Interview: Alistair Overeem

2010-01-27T10:22:00.003-08:00

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Alistair Overeem is the current Strikeforce heavyweight champion. He recently sat down with our Brazilian content partners over at Planet Tatame to update us on his current and future plans.

Planet Tatami: You are considered a very good fighter, but a lot of people say that your cardio isn't very good, because in the second or third round you tire fast. Do you agree with that statement? Are you working on your cardio?

Alistair Overeem: I was to light for my weight and I do not think I will have this same problem in the heavyweight division. I also went though some difficulties within my private, which resulted in bad karma and not the best preparations for a fight.

Planet Tatami: How is your Jiu Jitsu training going ? Who is your BJJ coach ?

Alistair Overeem: Martijn de Jong from Golden Glory.

Planet Tatami: How many fights do you have in your contract with Strikeforce and K-1 ?

Alistair Overeem: I have one more with K-1 with an option of two more. Strikeforce, my management is negotiating!

Planet Tatami: Do you have any fight planned?

Alistair Overeem: I will maybe fight on march 15th of the new Dream organization and I signed a deal to fight at its showtime events in the Amsterdam Arema on April 26th against Gilbert Yvel.

Planet Tatami: Would like to have a rematch against someone in special ?

Alistair Overeem: I am a heavyweight now and Kharitonov is with our team, its funny we even trained together after I lost that fight at the hero's show its 1-1!

Planet Tatami: In which weight division do you prefere to fight, Heavyweight or Light Heavyweight?

Alistair Overeem: Heavyweight .

Planet Tatami: What did you think about the Pride's 'end'?

Alistair Overeem: My manager bas Boon told me this would happen long before Fuji TV pulled the plug. I am happy with my management, he really knows what's going on in this industry and also made it possible form me to fight for the title in Strikeforce despite my poor performance that year!

Planet Tatami: Feel free to send messages to your fans, sponsors ...

Alistair Overeem: I am really serious with the MMA Sport again hungry to win more belts and defend the Strikeforce belt! AO is back!!!! For more information go to www.goldenglory.com

"Strikeforce At The Dome" Quick Match Results

2010-01-27T10:22:00.001-08:00

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The following are quick-match results from Strikeforce's"Strikeforce At The Dome" show which took place this past Saturday:

-Nathan Coy def. Dave Courchaine via KO (punch) at 1:46 of Round 1.

-Zach Skinner def. Scott Shaffer via Unanimous Decision after 3 Rounds.

-Mike Hayes def. Matt Kovacs via Unanimous Decision after 3 Rounds.

-Lyle Beerbohm def. Ray Perales via Submission (guillotine choke) at 1:19 of Round 3.

-Mychal Clark def. Josh Bennett via TKO (doctor stoppage) after Round 2.

-Jorge Masvidal def. Ryan Healy via Unanimous Decision after 3 Rounds.

-Eddy Ellis def. Steve Berger via Unanimous Decision after 3 Rounds.

-Maurice Smith def. Rick Roufus via Submission (kimura) at 1:53 of Round 1.

-Cory Devela def. Joe Riggs via Submission (injury - slam) at 1:22 of Round 1.

-Jan Nortje def. Bob Sapp via TKO (strikes) at 0:55 of Round 1.

Strikeforce At The Dome To Air Tonight On HDNet

2010-01-27T10:21:00.003-08:00

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The following is the final card for tonights "Strikeforce at the Dome" show in Tacoma, Washington. The event will air live on HDNet:

-Bob Sapp vs. Jan "The Giant" Nortje

-Maurice Smith vs. Rick Roufus

-Brad Blackburn vs. Ray Perales

-Steve Berger vs. Eddy Ellis

-Jorge Masvidal vs. Ryan Healy

-Andrew Pedersen vs. Mychal Clark

-Zach Skinner vs. Scott Shaffer

-Nathan Coy vs. Chris Davis

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Exclusive Interview: Frank Shamrock Talks Cung Le, Couture-Fedor, And Why He Left The UFC

2010-01-27T10:21:00.001-08:00

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Frank Shamrock is an MMA legend. He is the UFC's first middleweight champion and left the organization, at the height of his popularity, undefeated inside of the octagon.

Shamrock has been very busy lately and is preparing for a big 2008 with a fight slated against Cung Le and a fight against his his brother Ken Shamrock on the horizon.

Shamrock was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to sit down with us and discuss a variety of issues including his upcoming match up against Cung Le, his strained relationship with his brother Ken, the reason why he left the UFC at the height of his fame, his triumph over a difficult childhood and much more. In part one of our three part interview with Frank Shamrock, he discusses his upcoming fight with Cung Le, the reasons he left the UFC as well as his thoughts on the current state of the worlds most popular MMA organization.

FiveKnuckles: You're participating in one of the most anticipated MMA matchups of the year when you take on Cung Le this April. What are your thoughts on how the fight will go down?

Shamrock: I think he'll stand up and run and I think he'll take me down after I hit him a few times, try to hold me down. Unfortunately, from his side it's probably not going to be the most exciting fight in the world. There'll be a lot of running, shooting, grabbing but we'll see.

FiveKnuckles: Do you see him avoiding the stand up game with you?

Shamrock: I think he'll stand for distance and kick on me and stuff, but he won't exchange with me...at least I don't think so.

FiveKnuckles: How would you rate his ground game?

Shamrock: He's a good wrestler. I don't know about his submissions skills. I know he can't submit me...I mean there's not too many guys that can submit me.

FiveKnuckles: So do you think he poses a threat to you at all?

Shamrock: Sure! You know, anybody that's a half decent striker...the striking games dangerous and he's definitely got the striking skills. He could land a shot. The only people that are gonna beat me are gonna be the guys that can knock me out. We'll see if he's one of those guys. I don't think so, but you never know.

FiveKnuckles: There is a whole generation of fight fans that never got to see you fight for the UFC in your prime. Can you tell these fans why you left the UFC?

Shamrock: Sure. At the time the sport wasn't going anywhere and I really knew that the sport was going to be huge. And the business side of me didn't think it was smart to keep banging myself up for nobody to see and keep breaking up my body when we were in the dark ages. You know, I just didn't see much point to that so I got out. If no ones gonna see your art then you shouldn't keep doing it like that. I also felt that I'd done what I could in the UFC, there was certainly no one that could, at the time, beat me. And it was just time for me to do the next thing. You know, I had a family and I was running my own business and I needed to expand my own brand.MMAFightline: Have you spoken with Dana White lately about the possibility of returning to the UFC?

Shamrock: No I haven't talked to him for a while. I just don't believe in what they're doing unfortunately. You know, I've been there since the beginning and they've taken up a wonderful sport and made it bigger and they worked hard to start it, you know. But they erased anyone who wouldn't support them or sign a contact with them. Basically you're either with them or you're against them. They took a big business approach to what I though was an art form and I don't know...it just didn't jive well with me.

FiveKnuckles: Will we ever see Frank Shamrock fight in the UFC again?

Shamrock: I can never say never because the moment I do something always happens, so I don't know. But I don't see it in the near future. It's certainly not on my plans of things to do.

FiveKnuckles: The UFC has seen its share of PR issues in the past year. What are your thoughts about some of the problems they've been facing?

Shamrock: What comes around goes around and unfortunately when you monopolize anything eventually the cracks start to appear and the walls break down. And their running into all of those problems that all big businesses run into and all large companies that try to take control of everything. But, they'll get through it. They've got a very popular brand in a very popular genre of combative arts and they have the largest market share. They're not going anywhere. They'll weather it, it's like any other business.

FiveKnuckles: The UFC has obviously had issues with two of the best heavyweights in the world in Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianeko. Couture left because he wanted to face Fedor. Do you think this fight will happen?

Shamrock: I don't think that's ever going to happen...I don't think so. I could be wrong, but I think Randy's getting toward the end of his career and I think that the people that are representing Fedor are realizing that the talent is the most important thing. The brand and the talent are the most important things. The show's not the most important thing. The UFC promotes their business model that the show is all important and only the UFC is important and nothing else. And that's just not the case, people don't follow companies they follow stars and they follow stories.

FiveKnuckles: How have you been able to achieve the level of success you've achieved to where you are still such a draw outside of the UFC? What do you attribute your success to?Shamrock: Well, I attribute it to standing by my brand. I'm a businessman and I'm honest about the things I want and the things I want to do. When you work for the UFC they control you. Anything and everything, they want to capitalize on you and make as much money as they can until their done with you. They're not concerned about your legacy, they're not concerned about your brand, there not concerned about your fan base. They're concerned about their brand, their fan base. I've just been successful because I'm an honest person, you know. I do what I think is right, I represent myself well and I fight my heart out. And I think that's what the fans what to see; someone that they can relate to and somebody that fights hard.

FiveKnuckles: How have things been different with the current companies that you fight for, Strikeforce and EliteXC?

Shamrock: With Strikeforce and Elite when I do a fight or an event it's a collaborative thing. They ask me what I think about marketing ideas. They ask me for my ideas and allow me input in both direct and indirect marketing. They allow me to exercise my brand. They don't tell me what my brand is going to be inside of their company. And that's a big difference [from the UFC]. When your in the UFC they tell you, ‘Well your gonna fight that guy and then your going to fight this guy and we're going to do the marketing for you the way we want to' and for me I believe in my brand and I know what I want to say and I know what I think is the most impacting. I go with my gut and EliteXC and Strikeforce let me do that.

What is the future for companies like ProElite and Strikeforce?

Shamrock: Well, I think all companies have a chance. Especially companies that are managed well, run well and do good business. I think it depends on how much of the market share you want to try and grab. ProElite and Strikeforce...all the companies have a chance to do a lot of good if you run a tight ship. As soon as you start cutting corners and taking advantage of talent, people and other businesses, you know, that's when you run into trouble.

Be sure to check back for part two of our interview with Frank Shamrock as he goes in depth on growing up with his brother Ken, their up coming fight and thier strained relationship.

Alistair Overeem: "Fedor and Lesnar are on my list. Mir as well."

2010-01-27T10:20:00.003-08:00

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Alistair Overeem has been extremely impressive as of late. After dispatching of four of his past five opponents the current Strikeforce heavyweight champion may have caught the eye of Dana White and the UFC.

My management is in negotiations now; I might visit the UFC in Ireland on January 17th[...]" Overeem told Dreamfighters. "My management has been in contact with Affliction as well as the UFC. I am a fighter and I concentrate on fighting."

As for who he'd like to fight next, Overeem was a bit more direct.

"Fedor and Lesnar are on my list," Overeem said. "Mir as well."

One fighter now off of Overeem's list appears to be Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. The two men battled in a public war of words before their fight late last year which Overeem dominated before the fight was stopped due to low blows. The fight was ruled a no contest and Overeem had hoped for a rematch on New Years Eve, but the fight never materialized.

"He did not want to fight me for NYE," stated Overeem. "So, I am passed that now."

Alistair Overeem Interview: Talks Cro Cop, Badr Hari

2010-01-27T10:20:00.001-08:00

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Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion and DREAM fighter Alistair Overeem was the guest on the most recent edition of PWB's Official Podcast Hotline with Lex and Ian, located at http://www.pwbpodcastlive.com.

In a candid interview, Overeem discussed his controversial fight with Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovi? in September, and his upcoming fights with kickboxer Badr Hari.

On “Cro Cop’s” invitation to fight him in his “personal cage” in Poland:

“I don’t take that seriously at all…We’re professionals, and what we do is we want to show the fans a great fight, and we’re gonna get paid for that. And what we don’t do is we don’t scuffle on the street and send each other invitations to fight in each other’s basements. I mean, are we professionals, or what?”

“If he wants to talk, let’s just talk in the ring…Accept the fight, let’s just go in the ring and settle this once and for all and not make such strange, unprofessional requests…”

On “Cro Crop’s” injury during their fight:

“I did land some knees in his groin. I believe two. I received a caution from the referee. Basically, Mirko didn’t continue to fight because he stated one of his balls was injected into his stomach. But, I don’t know about that…he didn’t go to the hospital after the fight. He said that, and he didn’t continue to fight, but I don’t know. I have my doubts about it, although I do respect him as a fighter. I think he’s great. I love his fights in the past. He’s showed great fights, great technique, but I don’t know about this injury. I just don’t know.”

On his upcoming kickboxing and MMA rules fights against Badr Hari:

“To be quite honest, I think I have more chance of beating him in a K1 rules fight than he has to beat me in an MMA rules fight.”

YouTube clip of Overeem’s comments about “Cro Cop”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soJL3kOx6ko

For the full interview, including more of Overeem’s thoughts on his upcoming fights with Badr Hari, Strikeforce, and the future of the Dream promotion, check out pwbpodcastlive.com, or search “pwb podcast” on ITunes and subscribe today.

Babalu vs. Southworth At The Playboy Mansion

2010-01-27T10:19:00.003-08:00

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Strikeforce World Light Heavyweight (205 lb. limit) Champion Bobby Southworth (9-5) will face the greatest challenge of his nine-year mixed martial arts (MMA) career when he puts his belt on the line against superstar Renato "Babalu" Sobral (30-7) at the world-famous Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Saturday, September 20th.

"He is the protector and I am the hunter," said the 32-year-old Sobral, a former UFC world championship challenger and Brazilian national wrestling champion. "I am already in shape and prepared to take it from him. I want to be the new Strikeforce world champion and , if I could become champion while fighting at a venue like the Playboy Mansion, that would make a good win even better."

A student of Ruas Vale Tudo, the hybrid combat system created by MMA legend Marco Ruas, Sobral is coming off a convincing, unanimous judges' decision triumph over Mike Whitehead on July 19th. The bout marked Sobral's third straight win, a streak that he kicked off with his second round submission of David Heath at UFC 74 on August 25, 2007.

"It was a good performance for me and helped prepare me for this championship fight ahead," said Sobral.

Prior to being stopped by then-UFC champion Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell in the main event of UFC 62 on August 26, 2006, Sobral had reeled off 10 consecutive victories, including decisions over fellow superstars Trevor Prangley and Jeremy Horn and submissions of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Chael Sonnen.

The 38-year-old Southworth retained his title during Strikeforce's "Melendez vs. Thomson" world championship card at San Jose's HP Pavilion on Friday, June 27th, by fighting off a determined Anthony "A-Train" Ruiz for five, five-minute rounds before being awarded a unanimous judges' decision.

The win provided Southworth with a sense of bittersweet revenge after he had initially faced off with Ruiz in a non-title bout on November 16, 2007 and sustained a cut around his eye that required the referee to stop the fight at the 52 second mark of the second round.

One of the original members of San Jose's fearsome fight squad, Team AKA, Southworth introduced himself to the masses as a contestant on Spike TV's inaugural season of "The Ultimate Fighter."

"Strikeforce At The Mansion II" will also be highlighted by a showdown between 2006 PRIDE Fighting Championship Grand Prix winner and world top 10 ranked, Kazuo "Grabaka Hitman" Misaki (20-8-2), and 25-year-old former UFC star, Joe "Diesel "Riggs (28-10). Newly crowned Strikeforce World Lightweight (155 lb. limit) Champion Josh "The Punk" Thomson will also return to action against an opponent that has to be named. The event lineup will be comprised of 10 bouts.

In addition to a full night of MMA action, all "Strikeforce At The Mansion II" guests will be entitled to a top-shelf, open bar; buffet-style, gourmet dinner; and wine-tasting party featuring the spirits of various California gold medal wineries.

Strikeforce wrote a new chapter in sports history when it produced the first-ever MMA event at the Playboy Mansion last September. Amongst the host of celebrities who attended the affair were Hefner and "The Girls Next Door;" comedians Gary Shandling and Joe Rogan; actress and model Jaime Pressly; actors Michael Duncan Clarke, Christina Fulton, Ethan Suplee, Ernie Hudson, and Page Kennedy; MMA legends Royce Gracie and Bas Rutten; and superstars Cung Le, Frank Shamrock, Josh Barnett, and Andrei Arlovski.

Press Release: Joe Riggs vs. Kazuo Misaki Set For "Strikeforce at the Mansion II"

2010-01-27T10:19:00.001-08:00

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Former PRIDE Fighting Championship Grand Prix winner, Kazuo "Grabaka Hitman" Misaki (22-8-1) will take on fellow middleweight wonder Joe "Diesel" Riggs (28-10) at Strikeforce mixed martial arts’(MMA) highly-anticipated return to the world-famous Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Saturday, September 20th.

"I am looking forward to making my debut for Strikeforce at The Playboy Mansion, an incredible venue that is well-known throughout the world," said Misaki, the winner of Pride’s 2006 welterweight Grand Prix elimination playoff. In his last effort, a meeting with rising star Logan Clark in Saitama, Japan on June 8th, the 32-year-old Team Grabaka star secured his second straight win by earning a nod from all three judges scoring the matchup.

"Joe Riggs is a tremendous competitor. His style is aggressive like mine so I have no doubt that our fight will be an exciting and memorable one."

To arrive at the winner’s circle of the highly coveted tournament produced by the now-defunct Pride organization, Misaki defeated both "The NY Badass" Phil Baroni and then-reigning Pride welterweight champion, Dan Henderson.

Misaki was eliminated in the tournament’s semifinal round of action by Paulo Filho, but a knee injury Filho sustained during the contest precluded the Brazilian from advancing to the championship round. Misaki replaced Filho and capitalized on the opportunity, taking a split judges’ decision from Denis Kang.

The 25 year-old Riggs of Phoenix, Ariz. is coming off a second round submission of Matt Dempsey on July 26th. The victory marked a successful comeback for Riggs after a back injury he sustained from being thrown by Cory Devela at Strikeforce’s debut in Tacoma, Wash. on February 23rd, left Riggs ailing on the canvas and forced him to verbally submit only a little over a minute after the matchup began.

"The back’s great. It’s 100 percent," Riggs said. "I’m really excited to be healthy again and looking forward to getting back on top."

To help him prepare for what is arguably his toughest challenge in nearly two years, Riggs is bringing in to his camp a host of heavy hitters, including MMA legend Ken Shamrock, as well as former UFC Middleweight Champion, Rich Franklin; Jeremy Horn; and Edwin Dewees.

Riggs insists that this will be his final fight at 185 lbs. "I’m dropping to 170 lbs," he proclaimed, "and gonna jump into the top 10 in that division."

In a featured matchup with Eugene "The Wolf" Jackson at Strikeforce’s inaugural Playboy Mansion-hosted event on September 29, 2007, Riggs overpowered the ageless brawler and finished Jackson at the 3:56 mark of the opening round with a ground and pound offensive.

During his seven-year professional career, Riggs has defeated a number of rival standouts, including Nick Diaz; Joe Doerksen; Chris Lytle; and "The Ultimate Fighter 3" winner, Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove.

The showdown between Misaki and Riggs is the first confirmed "Strikeforce At The Mansion II" matchup. The lineup will be comprised of 10 bouts.

MMA Quick Hit: Cung Le To Face Misaki In The Fall?

2010-01-27T10:18:00.005-08:00

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“You know, it’s a possibility he might wind up fighting (Kazuo) Misaki, who we were hoping he’d fight last November, but there was scheduling conflicts on Misaki’s side, so it didn’t happen. Misaki’s a fighter that we recently signed, so Cung may wind up fighting him or he may just go back and fight Frank (Shamrock) again for his next fight, but he’ll be back.”

-Strikeforce VP Mike Afromowitz, during an appearance on MMAWeekly Radio. Afromowitz also confirmed that the organization supports Cung Le in his pursuit of an acting career.

Frank Shamrock Vs. Cung Le Officially On For March 29

2010-01-27T10:18:00.003-08:00

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It's finally official. Frank Shamrock will face Cung Le on March 29. The bout will be the main event of a Strikeforce promotion emanating out of San Jose's HP Pavilion. It will be shown live on Showtime as a prime time special according to Dave Meltzer.

Interestingly the fight between Frank and his brother Ken which was originally planned for March 31 has been pushed back a full year according to this website

Cung Le On Fighting Frank Shamrock: "We will be fighting March 29th."

2010-01-27T10:18:00.001-08:00

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Cung Le recently caught up with our friends over at PunchDrunkGamer to update the status of his fight with Frank Shamrock, give his thoughts on a Shamrock vs. Shamrock showdown and much more.

Cung Le On The Finish Of His Last Fight Against Sam Morgan:

Not only was I delivering kicks but towards the end of one of the rounds he came at me and I caught him with a right hook. When he went to the ground we both kind of stumbled and I ended up on top of him. That's when he tried to get me in the triangle choke. I was able to put his head down and get out and get the fight back up standing. Then later on in the fight when we were both on the ground again I was able to pin his arm between my legs and unload several punches to his face. That is the first time in my whole career I thought to myself "Man this Sport is Violent".

Cung Le On His Upcoming Fight With Frank Shamrock And Some Inside Info On The Shamrock vs. Shamrock Battle:

As far as I know we will be fighting March 29th. The fight with his brother is slated for next year. Why would they have that fight on a Monday night? I think that our fight will be bigger anyway because it's not like Ken has had a lot of success lately with his two losses to Tito Ortiz. Fans will watch that fight because of the drama between the two but I believe that our fight will be better.

Cung Le On The Youtube video Released By Frank Shamrock Mocking Le's Skills.

Yes I have seen that Youtube video. It's only about 30 seconds long. You should ask him to post the whole unedited video and then people can make up their own mind. That video only contained the first round of our warm-ups but that's fine because now fans can have something to watch that will help build up the fight. Personally, I laughed at the video. When we were sparring that time Frank had his video camera and I did not have one, so he is the only one that has the whole unedited version. So unless Frank posts the whole video, fans will just have to wait until March to see what really happened during that sparring session.

Cung Le On Training For Frank Shamrock:

Now that I believe that the Frank Shamrock fight is going to happen in March, I will be updating the double-day workouts and keeping my body fresh. The fight is almost three months away so I will just be concentrating on my training.