Category — Strikeforce

Things just got messy in the battle between the UFC and Strikeforce and for once, it’s the UFC that looks bad.

UFC president Dana White has confirmed that the promotion will hold Fight Night 22 on Spike TV on April 17 – the same night that the biggest card in Strikeforce history airs on CBS.

Strikeforce has the option of moving the event to April 24, a date it had previously avoided because it would put it head-to-head with the WEC’s first pay-per-view card.

Zuffa, which owns the UFC and WEC, has thrown down the gauntlet with this latest bit of counter-programming and the whole thing could backfire. And I’m not just talking about Strikeforce conceding the date and going up against the WEC PPV, a battle – in terms of eyeballs – that Strikeforce easily wins.

I understand the desire to crush your enemies, to eliminate the competition no matter how weak a challenger you consider them to be. No mercy, sweep the leg, winner takes all, and all that.

But what does the UFC gain by stealing a little of Strikeforce’s thunder? Not only does this move by the UFC smack of egoism and pettiness, it could bite them in the ass. Set aside the entirely valid “competition is good in a free market society” argument. Never mind the fact that any MMA event getting mainstream exposure on an American TV network is good for the sport in general and thus good for all promotions. Forget about the bad PR that might waft up from the smell of such a dirty move.

Think about this: would you rather watch a free UFC card featuring Kimbo Slice and Matt Mitrione (the rumoured headliner or co-headliner) or a free Strikeforce card featuring title bouts between Gegard Mousasi and “King Mo” Lawal, Jake Shields and Dan Henderson, and Gilbert Melendez and the long-awaited North American debut of DREAM champ Shinya Aoki?

From a fan’s perspective the answer is a no-brainer. If you even have to think for a second about which card you’re watching then you’ve less sense than Junie Browning.

Sure, the UFC will shore-up the card with some other notable bouts. They tried – and failed – to lock in Matt Serra vs. Mike Swick, who pulled out with an arm injury. And I haven’t forgotten that the UFC just signed boxing champ James Toney and there’s speculation he’ll face Kimbo Slice out of the gate. Except Toney says he plans to box at least once more before making his UFC debut sometime in June or July. Still, the UFC has a big stable to draw from.

Does. Not. Matter. Free or not, I’m watching Strikeforce. Does not matter that Fedor Emelianenko isn’t on the card, that Alistair Overeem isn’t defending the longest undefended border, er, belt in all of combat sports, that Cris “Cyborg” Santos and Gina Carano aren’t on the card.

The three title fights the Strikeforce card is offering is enough to trump even the best UFC Fight Night. On that count, I’m all in.

Does Brett Rogers deserve a title shot? His last fight was a KO loss to Fedor Emelianenko. Before that he literally turned new Strikeforce fighter Andrei Arlovski into the punchline of a joke that took all of 22 seconds to tell. And before that he flattened a few cans. Nine of them, to be precise.

But is that enough to earn him a shot at Alistair Overeem’s long-undefended heavyweight belt? Especially when the man who beat him, Fedor, is far more deserving?

There’s something more to the rumour that I reported on a couple of days ago that Rogers will get exactly that when Overeem makes his return to Strikeforce in May after more than two years spent fighting for other promotions.

I’d understand if Rogers was just a tune-up fight for Overeem and not a title fight. Okay, I wouldn’t. It’s not as though Overeem hasn’t been active. He’s fought seven times since winning the Strikeforce championship in 2007 and has packed on a ton of suspicious muscle.

Overeem should be defending his belt. I just don’t see why Rogers gets the call. I’m sure wanting to keep his name in the spotlight is part of the reason. And a loss to Fedor is no black mark on anybody’s record. But to come off of a huge loss to face one of the most-feared striker’s in the sport for a belt? That doesn’t sit right.

Meanwhile, Fedor is getting two tune-up fights (he’ll face Fabricio Werdum, possibly on the same card as the Overeem-Rogers tilt) before a title shot. It’s smart in terms of milking the Russian’s marketability and building up expectations, but in the MMA game it’s about giving the fans what they want when they want it.

Look at the UFC – folks wanted to see Brock Lesnar fight for a title so he gets his shot in just his fourth bout. Vitor Belfort was a more marketable match-up for middleweight champ Anderson Silva than any of the other contenders so he gets a shot, even though Belfort had never fought at 185 pounds in the UFC.

Fans want to see Fedor fight for the title. He’s 32-1 (1) and he beat Rogers. It’s ridiculous to keep him on the sidelines. Maybe this has something to do with it.

Jeremy Botter over at Brawl Sports asks whether or not Fedor Emelianenko is really worth all the trouble. He explains that Fedor’s management at M-1 Global are “currently at an impasse with Strikeforce” and are trying to renegotiate the fighter’s contract to get more money.

Pretty normal stuff in the world of pro sports – an athlete’s stock  rises and he tries to cash in. But as Botter points out, Fedor has Strikeforce over a barrel. Strikeforce’s TV deal with CBS hinges on having Fedor in its stable – Fedor is the promotion’s biggest, most-marketable asset at the moment (especially with Gina Carano off making movies).

In all likelihood Strikeforce will cave, or at the very least the two sides will come to a compromise considering the promotion can’t afforf to lose its franchise fighter. Maybe the UFC dodged a bigger bullet than we thought when it refused to give in to Fedor’s demands when he was on the market last summer.

Shinya Aoki – minus those magic grappling pants of his – will make his highly anticipated Strikeforce debut in a lightweight title bout with champ Gilbert Melendez on the promotion’s April 17 card. Aoki’s DREAM title will not be on the line, although bragging rights will be. Aoki has made it clear he believes he’s the top 155-pounder on the planet and the way he snapped Mizuto Hirota’s arm in two during Dynamite!! 2009 on New Years Eve certainly solidified his reputation as a stone-cold killer.

Aoki vs. Melendez is the third title bout scheduled for that particular Strikeforce card. Gegard Mousasi will put his light heavyweight title on the line against “King Mo” Lawal and Jake Shields will defend the middleweight belt against Dan Henderson.

If you tuned in to Friday’s Strikeforce Challengers card you probably heard commentator Mauro Ranallo hyping a huge announcement to be made on Monday. Turns out the big news is that Strikeforce has signed glass-jawed former UFC heavyweight champ Andre Arlovski.

What? Oh, Arlovski inking a multi-fight deal starting with Antoinio “Big Foot” Silva on May 15 isn’t the big Strikeforce news?

Nope, turns out that heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem, who’s been MIA from Strikeforce for a couple of years now while he fought in Japan and Europe, has confirmed to MMA Junkie that he will defend his title on that same May 15 card and his likely opponent of Brett Rogers. Good news if it’s true. I won’t believe it until I see the cage door shit, er, shut behind Overeem.

As for Arlovski, laugh if you want but I’m not as quick to write the Bellarusian off no matter how suspect his chin. Sure, he lost his last two MMA fights. Okay, he got freight-trained by Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers (in that order). But before that he’d won five in a row. And he still only 31 years old. He may never be champ, but he’s a great gatekeeper and a recognizable (i.e. marketable) commodity. Strikeforce could use that right about now, Overeem or no Overeem.

Sarah Kaufman is the newly crowned Strikeforce women’s 135-pound champion. No surprise there. Anything but a win would have been considered a huge upset. Kaufman seriously out-struck the challenger, Japanese grappling phenom Takayo Hashi, for five full rounds en route to the unanimous decision win at Friday’s Strikeforce Challengers event.

She shrugged off Hashi’s few (and feeble) takedown attempts, and while Kaufman is no slouch on the ground, she had no interest in swimming with the shark, preferring to let Hashi get back up every time she was knocked down (which was often). The result was, well, it was a smart gameplan perfectly executed by Kaufman, although watching from home it reminded me of Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites. It was a little on the dull side.

Hashi was clearly powerless on her feet yet Kaufman seemed reluctant to go in for the kill. She played it safe. Safe doesn’t mean exciting but it is smart, especially when there’s a title on the line. I don’t blame Kaufman at all. She showed cage intelligence, never allowed Hashi an opening to mount any sort of serious assault.

Yes, it’s her third straight decision win after eight consecutive KO or TKO victories. As a fan, I want to see knockouts and submissions, especially from a fighter like Kaufman, who’s fully capable of pulling off both. What I got was a striking clinic – stiff, head-snapping jabs, sharp rights and inside leg kids as she stalked Hashi for 25 minutes.

After the fight she apologized to fans for not being able to finish Hashi as she’d hoped. This morning, she went for her traditional day-after-battle run. Think about that – she goes five dominating rounds (that didn’t exactly leave her unbloodied) and less than twelve hours later she’s hitting the pavement. Nothing to apologize for if you ask me.

There were a couple of other notable fights on the rather lackluster card. Rolles Gracie look-alike Luke Rockhold scored an impressive first-round TKO over Paul Bradley in their middleweight tilt. Right hooks and kicks did all the damage to the seriously outclassed Bradley. Meanwhile, the co-main event between wrestler Trevor Prangley and striker Karl Amoussou ended with a poke in Amoussou’s eye and a technical draw due to doctor’s stoppage. Too bad, too, because Amoussou looks like one dangerous cat.

For the record, I’m predicting Kaufman by first-round TKO in tonight’s Strikeforce Challengers women’s 135-pound title bout.

Strikeforce continues to baffle with its scheduling skills. The heavyweight bout between Fedor Emelianenko and Fabricio Werdum thought to be on tap for the promotion’s April 17 card airing on CBS has been moved to a yet to be scheduled May event (that will likely air on Showtime, considering there’s little chance CBS will air back-to-back cards).

That leaves Jake Shields to defend his middleweight belt against Dan Henderson and a still-rumoured bout between light heavyweight champ Gegard Mousasi and Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal to entertain on CBS. While it makes sense not to put all their eggs in one basket, having Fedor on that card with Henderson, Shields and Mousasi would have been must-see TV. Oh, and still no sign of heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem. Maybe Strikeforce should put out an APB.

I’m going to pimp this again: Sarah Kaufman vs. Takayo Hashi at Friday’s Strikeforce Challengers VI. It’s for the inaugural women’s 135-pound title. Sherdog has an interview with Kaufman that does a decent job of breaking down the match-up, especially if you’re unfamiliar with either fighter. I can understand if you don’t know the Japanese fighter – even though she’s ranked top-three in the division this is her North American debut. But Kaufman is one of the top pound-for-pound female fighters in the game. And she’s deserving of the title shot and the headlining berth on the card.

Toronto BJJ regular Andre “Dida” Amade will be back in action at DREAM 13 on March 22. The Chute Boxe-trained striker will face former EliteXC lightweight champ KJ Noons.

Dida will be looking to end a three-bout losing skid that last saw him fall to DEEP lightweight champ Katsunori Kikuno at DREAM 10. Noons, meanwhile, recently signed with Strikeforce and is on a three-fight winning streak, although he hasn’t fought since he knocked out Yves Edwards at EliteXC: Return of the King two years ago.

Also on the DREAM 13 card are Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Jimmy Ambriz, Ryo Chonan vs. Andrews Nakahara and Kikuno vs. UFC vet Kuniyoshi Hironaka.

In other TBJJ-related news, Murilo “Ninja” Rua, brother of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (who’s pictured above working out with Dida), will face Falaniko Vitale at May 15’s Shine Fight III.

Rua (18-10-1) is a PRIDE vet with a pair of knockouts in his last two bouts for the Brazil-based Bitetti Combat promotion. Vitale is a 35-fight workhorse who hasn’t competed since a loss to Frank Trigg under the Strikeforce banner two years ago. Ricardo Mayorga and Din Thomas will headline the Shine event.

Not only is Sarah Kaufman fighting on Friday’s Strikeforce Challengers VI card, not only is she on the main card, where she will square off with Takayo Hashi for the promotion’s inaugural women’s welterweight title, she (and Hashi) are the main event of the evening.

Sounds great to me. I love seeing women’s MMA getting the higher-profile treatment, especially when the bout doesn’t involve the obvious glamour factor of a Gina Carano. Watching these two 135-pounders have at it should be a blast.

Now, I can’t speak for Hashi. I know little about the 12-1 Smackgirl vet and Strikeforce newcomer. But Kaufman – wow. She’s 10-0 with some of the sharpest striking in the game, strong takedown defense and some serious submissions skills. No joke.

As for the rest of the main card, expect Karl Amoussou vs. Trevor Prangley; Paul Bradley vs. Luke Rockhold; Tarec Saffiedine vs. James Terry; and Raul Castillo vs. Yancy Medeiros.

Oh, Josh Barnett, how you vex me. I don’t mean your doping scandal that killed your bout with Fedor Emelianenko and led to Affliction folding. Bygones, I say. Anyone who thinks you’re alone – or even in the minority – when it comes to steroid use in MMA is kidding themselves. There’s doping in the Olympics, and it’s widespread despite the advanced testing procedures and the sense that the Games are holier, more sacrosanct than other sports. So don’t tell me there’s not a lot of steroid use in MMA. No need to crucify you for it.

No, my problem is I just want to see you fight, and not in those fake Japanese wrestling shows or small-time grappling tournaments (as you did last weekend). I want to see you in a cage with five-ounce gloves and a glare and a desire to moidah somebody.

That’s why I’m confused by an interview you’ve given to Hardcore Sports Radio in which you say that your drug issue is behind you and you can now fight “anywhere in the world and [in] any state in the union.” Seems you’re just waiting for a promotion (the UFC or Strikeforce, presumably) to “come correct” and “throw me an opponent” who you feel isn’t “a slap in the face or ridiculous.”

From that I’m to believe that you’ve been approached by a promotion (I would bet on Strikeforce given that it would be an opportunity to finally stage the showdown with Fedor), and that promotion has either not offered an opponent you deem worthy (Fedor) or haven’t trucked out enough cash to convince you to fight. You’d rather wrestle for big yen and grapple for peanuts, it seems.

And that’s what vexes me. If you want to fight – fight. Stop the talk and just walk the walk.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with Hitler: Gegard Mousasi’s decision to drop M-1 Global as his management his a horrible omen for Strikeforce. It means Mousasi’s recognizing his value, both as a fighter and (increasingly) as a brand.

Sure, he wants “lifetime security,” a clause in his M-1 contract that the company nixed, and with good reason – who, in this or any economy, has lifetime security? Fedor Emelianenko has it but he’s also the greatest fighter ever and is part owner of M-1. In essence, he is M-1 Global. But beyond that? I’m not even sure Michael Jordan at his peak would’ve had a lifetime security clause in any of his contracts and that’s when he wasn’t just Mr. Basketball but also one of the most-famous people on the planet (like, bigger-than-Jesus famous, to borrow a phrase from John Lennon).

Below the furious Fuhrer you’ll find an excerpt of a piece I wrote for MMA HQ on what Mousasi’s decision really means.

Gegard Mousasi is coming to the UFC. No, the deal hasn’t been signed. There hasn’t even been discussions, as far as I know. The Dutch-Armenian fighter is still under contract with Strikeforce, where he holds the light heavyweight belt. He’s expected to put that belt on the line against wrestler Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal in April. And by all accounts he’s very happy with the promotion and the way he’s been treated.

I’m just making a little crystal ball prediction based on a Sherdog report that Mousasi has fired his M-1 Global management team. M-1 Global is the Dutch/Russian company that has a co-promotion deal with Strikeforce. It was M-1’s demand for this kind of deal that prevented its biggest star, Fedor Emelianenko, from signing with the UFC last summer.

With M-1 out of the picture it clears the way for Mousasi to go wherever he likes. Obviously, the UFC is where the biggest fighters make the biggest money. Seems like a no-brainer. Mousasi, who has been Fedor’s training partner, has recently been training with UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre, who – surprisingly – was cageside at last month’s Strikeforce: Miami event (that couldn’t have sat too well with UFC president Dana White no matter the public face he put on).

The only thing about Mousasi signing with the UFC that gives me pause – and likely gives him pause, too – is that the UFC doesn’t allow its fighters to compete in other promotions. It makes sense. You don’t want your fighters to lend their name, their popularity, to the competition and also take the risk of getting injured while doing it.

Strikeforce has no such issue. They foolishly allow their fighters to fight wherever and whenever they want with no regard for their Strikeforce obligations. Alistair Overeem is exhibit A in this regard – he hasn’t fought for Strikeforce since he won the heavyweight title two years ago although he’s fought seven MMA bouts and five kickboxing bouts for other promotions in that same time period. Strikeforce even has an “exchange” program with the Japanese-based DREAM organization. That’s good for Mousasi, who’s a DREAM champion and who plans to compete in the DREAM light heavyweight grand prix in May.

Still, the upside of being in the biggest and most-widely known promotion in the world – and fighting against the best fighters, which Mousasi obviously wants to do – will be too hard to resist.

Everybody’s calling out Georges St. Pierre. Even fighters who aren’t in the UFC. Especially fighters who aren’t in the UFC. Makes it easier to take on the welterweight champ when you’re in a different promotion. Kind of like taunting the lions at the zoo.

Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields has Dan Henderson in his headlights but has expressed a desire to move down to his natural 170 pounds. That would put him on a collision course with newly crowned Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz, who also happens to be Shields’ Cesar Gracie training partner. So that fight’s not likely to happen. Instead, he’s floated the idea of fighting GSP, which of course requires he leave Strikeforce for the UFC, which is not unlikely at all.

Diaz, meanwhile, says he wants to fight GSP next. Presumably he’s aware that they’re in different promotions, although you never know given Diaz’s penchant for smoking pot.

A little closer to home (as in, a fighter who’s actually currently signed to the UFC), Diego Sanchez has his sites set on the welterweight belt. After three fights a 155 pounds, including one of the most lopsided beatings in UFC history at the hands of lightweight champ BJ Penn, Sanchez has decided to move back up to a 170 pounds in hope of an eventual encounter with GSP. He’ll start down that path at UFC 114 (likely scheduled for May 29) against John Hathaway, a 3-0 UFC undercarder.

Okay, and while he’s expressed no interest in fighting GSP, Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem says he’d happily sign with the UFC as soon as they show him the money. That would be a huge loss for Strikeforce, which has a fairly solid heavyweight division. Then again, since he hasn’t defended his belt in two years it really wouldn’t be much of a loss at all.

It’s easy to judge when you’re not in the cage. If you’ve never gotten in the ring, never put on the gloves or a gi, hit and been hit, then you really don’t have any business discussing MMA, Muay Thai or jiu-jitsu in any serious fashion. I’m not saying you have to be a professional fighter; you just have to know what you’re talking about from the inside. Fast forward to the 4:10 mark of this MMA Prime TV interview with Fabricio Werdum (who talks about his upcoming fight with Fedor Emelianenko), you’ll see reporter Aaron Tru get a taste of what the sport’s really like. Better put some ice on that, Aaron.