BELLATOR 16 RESULTS

Quarter-finals results from BELLATOR's Middleweight Tournament.

Jared Hess def. Ryan McGivern via Guillotine Choke. Round 2 - 1:54.

Alexander Shlemenko def. Matt Major via Unanimous Decision.

Eric Schambari def. Luke Zachrich via Arm Triangle. Round 1 - 3:34.

Bryan Baker def. Sean Loeffler via TKO. Round 1 - 2:34.

The bracket is set for the next middleweight installment on May 27th. The semi-finals will feature the following bouts:

Jared Hess vs Alexander Shlemenko

Bryan Baker vs Eric Schambari

Winners face each other in the final and the tournament champion gets a shot at Middleweight Champion, Hector Lombard.

*FYI - Jared Hess was defeated by Lomard for the title in the 185 lb final. Lombard picked up the win by Doctor's Stoppage in Round 4.

DREAM 14 Tournament Cancelled, "Kid" Out of Strikeforce

An eight-man light heavyweight tournament scheduled for May 29th has been cancelled.

DREAM is left with one month until the card and only 4 scheduled fights.

This also affects the May 15th Strikeforce card. Norifumi "Kid" Yamamato just announced he will not compete at Strikeforce. He will most likely hold off until May 29th to compete again.

Here's what both cards look like thus far:

Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery - May 15th

-Heavyweight Title Fight-
Alistair Overeem vs Brett Rogers

Andrei Arlovski vs Antonio Silva
Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza vs Joey Villasenor
Roger Gracie vs Kevin Randleman
Antwain Britt vs Rafael "Feijao"


DREAM 14 - May 29th

Hayato Sakurai vs Nick Diaz
Joachim Hansen vs Hiroyuki Takaya
Hideo Tokoro vs Akiyho Nishiura
Kazuyuki Miyata vs Takafumi Otsuka

Making Your Own Funeral Arrangements...

Hayato Sakurai is a legend of Mixed Martial Arts. While not as well known stateside, "Mach" has done was serious damage in MMA and all over the world. On May 29th Sakurai will face Strikeforce 170 lb. Champion - Nick Diaz - under the DREAM promotional banner. This is the next installment of fighter-swapping between the U.S. based Strikeforce and the Japanese based DREAM.

Recently the DREAM event producer, Keiichi Sasahara, revealed that the fights on tap for DREAM 14 would take place within the confines of a cage and over the course of three, five minute rounds. His decision was thanks in part to "Mach" who insisted on fighting the "'cage fighting champion' inside a cage."

Sakurai has accomplished a lot throughout his career. With a record of 35-10-2, (11 wins by [T]KO and 10 by Submission) the former SHOOTO 167 lb. Champion has been around the block. He has fought: Caol Uno (W), Frank Trigg (W), Anderson Silva (L), Matt Hughes (L), Jake Shields (L), Dave Menne (W), Shinya Aoki twice (2W), Jens Pulver (W), Joachim Hansen (W), Takanori Gomi (L), Mac Danzig (W) and Marius Zaromskis (L) to name a few.

Frankly, "Mach" already proved he was once great in the fight game. Unfortunately, you need to look no further than his two most recent performances to see where he stands among today's top talent. He was knocked out by Zaromskis with a beautiful high kick and submitted via armbar by Gono. (Note: Zaromskis was completely outclassed by Diaz in January losing by TKO in Round 1.)

So why would "Mach" want to fight Diaz in a cage? Simple, if he wins he reminds Japanese MMA fans that the talent from the East is just as strong as they once thought. (No thanks to you Shinya Aoki.)

That's all well and good, if he wins. But what if the more predictable outcome occurs? Diaz peppers him with boxing like he has never seen - mixing quick, crisp punches with hammering blows - leading up to a dramatic finish where Diaz walks away virtually unscathed and "Mach" lay on the mat a beaten man.

I don't think fighting in a cage or a ring or a hot air balloon would make any difference in this fight. Diaz has been evolving and "Mach" has not; that is a recipe for a highlight reel finish.

Mr. Sasahara also mentioned implementing rule changes in future events based on viewer opinion, including the additional use of elbow strikes and the inclusion of soccer kicks and stomps to a grounded opponent (a la PRIDE). Also mentioned in the online press conference was the need to improve the "White Cage" which was used at DREAM 12. No specifics were divulged however.

Ortiz Arrested

Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz was arrested Monday morning. Rumors are that he assaulted girlfriend, Jenna Jameson, pushing her to the ground.

Ortiz is held on $25,000 bail, which as of Monday afternoon had not been posted. Jameson stated that she would press charges.

UFC President Dana White spoke to TMZ.com saying, "We're going to be fair, but we could cut him."

Ortiz has not fought since November 2009 when he dropped a Split Decision to Forrest Griffin.

BELLATOR, ASTRA & WEC 48

Lots of catching up to do after a solid weekend of MMA action. Let's start with last Thursday's tournament bouts. No descriptions, results only.

BELLATOR

Welterweight Tournament:

Dan Hornbuckle def. Tyler Stinson via Triangle Choke. Round 1.

Ryan Thomas def. Chad McClintock via TKO. Round 1. Thomas moves on to fight Hornbuckle.

Steve Carl def. Brett Cooper via Split Decision. Carl moves on to fight Ben Askren.

Featherweight Tournament:

Patricio "Pitbull" def. Will Romero via Heel Hook. Round 1. Pitbull fights Georgi Karakhanyan.

ASTRA

Jung Hwan Cha def. Ryo Chonan via KO. Round 2.

Enson Inoue def. Antz Nansen via Armbar. Round 1.

Michihiro Omigawa def. Micah Miller via Unanimous Decision.

Kazuhiro Nakamura def. Hidehiko Yoshida via Unanimous Decision.

WEC 48

Tyler Toner def. Brandon Visher via TKO. Round 1.

Takeya Mizugaki def. Rahi Yahya via Unanimous Decision.

Chad Mendes def. Anthony Morrison via Guillotine Choke. Round 1.

Brad Pickett def. Demetrious Johnson via Unanimous Decision.

Anthony Pettis def. Alex Karalexis via Triangle Choke. Round 2.

Leonard Garcia def. Chang Sung Jung via Split Decision.

Scott Jorgensen def. Antonio Banuelos via Unanimous Decision.

Shane Roller def. Anthony Njokuani via Rear Choke. Round 1.

Manny Gamburyan def. Mike Thomas Brown via TKO. Round 1.

Benson Henderson def. Donald Cerrone via Guillotin Choke. Round 1.

Jose Aldo def. Urijah Faber via Unanimous Decision.

*Both Henderson & Aldo retain their titles in dominant fashion. Chang Sung Jung is a badass and was ripped off in the decision.

BELLATOR - Featherweight Tournament

The final quarter-final match up of BELLATOR's featherweight will take place tonight from Mohengan Sun in Connecticut. Will Romero takes on Patricio "Pitbull" Freire.

Romero, of Tiger Muay Thai, is 5-0 with four finishes to his credit. Pitbull is 12-0 with ten finishes total, four consecutive and training with Team Nogueria. The winner will meet Georgi Karakhanyan in the semi-finals.

The second semi-final features the wrestling prowess of Joe Warren and the incredible jiu jitsu of Wilson Reis. I predict a Freire vs Reis final.

BELLATOR is serving up quality MMA with consistency. Let's hope the last few semi-final match ups go smoothly and the quarter-finals kick off with a bang in May.

BELLATOR - Welterweight Tournament

It's Thursday and do you know what that means? More BELLATOR! Featured tonight on Fox Sports Net is more MMA action from Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Fighting tonight will be star-on-the-rise, Dan Hornbuckle. Facing off against Tyler Stinson in the welterweight tournament quarter-final, Hornbuckle carries with him a 19-2 record and a four fight win streak, all of which have been finishes. Hornbuckle has not lost in nearly two years.

Tyler Stinson, winner of the Kansas City open tryout, holds a 16-5 record and a three fight win streak, all of which have been finishes. At only 24 years old, Stinson has great potential and could turn out to be a great acquisition for BELLATOR.

This fight could steal the show tonight. Hornbuckle is always game to trade. His head kick KO of Akihiro Gono was unbelievable and I think most fans are looking for something similar.

Two other welterweight tournament bouts will be taking place tonight as Brett Cooper and Steve Carl face off in a quarter-final match up. The final welterweight tournament bout pits Ryan Thomas (handed a loss against Ben Aksren thanks to Referee Dave Smith) against Jacob McClintock.

I predict semi-finals of Askren vs Cooper and Hornbuckle vs McClintock. I think the finals come down to Ben Aksren vs Dan Hornbuckle which has the potential to be F.O.Y.

Shields' Future

Jake Shields in an unlikely champion. Fighting most of his career at 170 lbs, Shields has looked great since moving up to 185 lbs, a feat which not many Mixed Martial Artists have been able to successfully pull off.

Shields is undefeated in his last fifteen fights, he has finished eight opponents during that stretch. The competition he has beaten is impressive. He has pulled off wins against Sakurai, Imada, Menne, Okami, Condit, Daley, Lawler, Miller and most recently Dan Henderson. He has not lost over five years when dropped a December 14th, 2004 decision to Akira Kikuchi.

While he may not be hunting for a knockout every time he steps into the cage he uses his skill set perfectly to his advantage. Shields is able to find opportunities and smother opponents from the top position before finding an opening. In true black belt fashion, Shields knows exactly how and when to use his energy. In his last performance he looked to get stronger with every round. After the initial onslaught from Henderson, he fought hard where he was comfortable - on the mat.

The fight on Saturday was the final commitment on his Strikeforce contract and now the Middleweight champion is a free agent, one who the UFC would do well to pick up before it's too late. Picking up Shields has one big pay off, a new threat for the divisional kingpin - Georges St. Pierre.

St. Pierre has been nothing short of outstanding in the UFC welterweight division. If the UFC is able to add Shields they have an immediate threat to GSP. It makes for a nice story line - another promotion's champion moving to the UFC, dropping back down to his original weight class to try and outpoint the golden boy.

I think that Shields would be the most likely candidate to beat St. Pierre at this point. Shields' technical prowess may be too much for St. Pierre to handle at this point.

.

Wrestling: The wrestling could go either way. St. Pierre looked unstoppable against Dan Hardy hitting all eleven takedown attempts. Although, it seemed like Hardy didn't know the meaning of the word sprawl. On the other hand, Shields' wrestling against Henderson looked unbelievable. Taking down a two-time Olympic wrestler on five of nine attempts is pretty impressive.

.

Striking: I feel the striking could also go either way in this one. Shields did out strike Henderson 232-61 on Saturday night with the slight majority being ground strikes. (180 to be precise) However, on the feet Shields was hurt badly in the first round and knocked down twice. St. Pierre out struck Hardy 174-42, the large majority of which came on the mat. (164 to be precise)

.

Grappling: On the mat, Shields held eleven dominant positions to Henderson's goose egg, in addition to eight submission attempts compared to Henderson's two. St. Pierre attempted six submissions on Hardy but only had two very close. He also took Hardy's back five times and the mount twice.

.

This would be an interesting match up for the UFC. It would be great to watch because St. Pierre has never faced a technician like Shields. I would expect a full five rounds with both fighters hitting takedowns and numerous scrambles ensuing. Whichever fighter is able to push the pace and able to inflict more damage from top position wins this fight.

It is a smart business move for the UFC to pick up Shields. They can't cultivate contenders for St. Pierre's title fast enough, so they might as well hire some outside help to knock off GSP, providing him with an exit strategy before he decides to move up and dethrone Anderson Silva.

Thomas Back In BELLATOR Welterweight Tournament

Ben Askren didn't quite have the choke locked in. Ryan Thomas closed his eyes, waiting for the right moment to pull his head free. Then, the Askren let go of the choke and Referee Dave Smith was left standing over Thomas, waving the fight off.

Without tapping to the choke the referee stopped the contest. This is quite possibly the worst outcome a fighter can imagine...getting close to escaping a choke, only to be handed a loss.

Well there is some good news for Thomas. Because of the volcanic ash cloud hanging out Great Britain, Englishman Jim Wallhead will not be able to travel to Connecticut for his U.S. debut. Thomas (12-4) will take on Jacob McClintock (6-0) of Arizona Combat Sports.

All of McClintock's wins have come by way of first round stoppage. The fight will be a first round tournament bout, with the winner advancing in the welterweight bracket.

Strikeforce Nashville Brawl

In an event that put on three title fights, all of which went to decision, the final moments tainted the entire broadcast.

During Jake Shields post-fight interview MTV's Bully-Beatdown host (and fighter), Jason "Mayhem" Miller, interrupted Shields. Miller, who lost a decision to Shields for the vacant middleweight title last November, got between Shields and commentator Gus Johnson and asked the visibly upset Shields , "Where's my rematch buddy?"

Shields, who has had problems with Miller in the past, pushed Miller and started a domino effect within the cage. Jake's teammates, Strikeforce Welterweight champion Nick Diaz looks to have thrown the first punch. His brother and UFC fighter, Nate Diaz and Strikeforce Lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, all joined in the scuffle and began to throw punches and kicks at the grounded Miller.

The brawl continued as Gus Johnson tried to alert everyone involved, "Gentlemen, we're on national television." Commentator Mauro Ranallo had only a few words for the incident, "This is ridiculous." The younger Diaz brother, Nate, can be seen on the above shot kicking Miller as he hits the ground, while his brother Nick, Melendez and others throw punches.

This sort of occurrence hurts the sport and the publics' perception of MMA. Being offered a chance to display the sport in prime time, on CBS no less, is an invitation to public acceptance and this sort of behavior negates any positive outcomes from last nights event.

Miller had no business being in the cage. And he especially had no business interrupting the main event winner and defending champion after dominating the favored Henderson. However, Shields lost his cool and should not have pushed Miller. Fighting words are entertaining, but losing your composure and instigating a fight out of anger is not cool.

Shield's teammates acted as poorly as possible last night. Rather than restraining both men and letting cooler heads prevail, they escalated the situation and tempers flared. This will surely have influence on whether or not Strikeforce airs on CBS once again. Stay tuned for more news on suspensions and reactions in the coming days.

Check out video of the post-fight altercation.

STRIKEFORCE: Nashville Review

Well, the three championship fights all went to decision. I'll spare the lengthy details and just give a quick run down.

Muhammed Lawal vs Gegard Mousasi:

Although King Mo got his eye closed in the first he dominated the four of the five rounds with consistently powerful wrestling. So much for Mousasi only getting taken down "one maybe two times." King Mo is a dominant wrestler and I expect more victories of the same caliber from him. It would've been nice to see some finishing power, but with only six fights on his resume until last night, his strategy made sense.

Winner: Muhammed Lawal by Unanimous Decision.

Gilbert Melendez vs Shinya Aoki:

In what was marketed as American MMA vs Japanese MMA it was USA ALL THE WAY! "El Nino" simply shut down the talented grappler. Aoki had nothing to offer standing and was being controlled and hit with some decent shots from above. If this fight was representative of Japanese MMA then it was embarrassing. Nice work from Melendez.

Winner: Gilbert Melendez by Unanimous Decision

Jake Shields vs Dan Henderson:

Henderson loaded up that right hand from the get go. The first shot dropped Shields and the whole round was all Henderson. Probably 10-8. However, that was not enough to win it. Superior conditioning and suffocating control got Shields the nod over the battle-tested Henderson. Shields took down the two-time Olympian multiple times over the last twenty minutes and transitioned from full guard, to half, to side control and finally to the mount. Another dominant performance from Shields, now undefeated in 14 fights.

Winner: Jake Shields by Unanimous Decision

BELLATOR 14 Results

Run down of the tournament bouts from BELLATOR 14 which took place on Thursday in Chicago.

Pat Curran vs Mike Ricci:
LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT --The cousin of former WEC title contender, Jeff Curran, Pat showed some real skill on his feet. Ricci trained with GPS leading up to the Hardy fight so he had a good camp. Ricci is considerably taller and Curran is stalking him around the cage. He lands a body kick but it's blocked. Ricci not doing much of anything. Curran throws a low kick and then a lead right hand, straight down the pipe. Ricci is out, Curran lands five more on the ground before Dave Smith can intervene.

Winner: Pat Curran by KO, Round 1

Shad Lierly vs Wilson Reis:
FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT -- Entertaining fight here. Lots of top pressure from Lierly and a slick guard game from Reis. Shad lands his jab and Wilson swings for the fences. Reis gets a takedown and transitions from half guard to side control to mount. Lots of scrambling. Lierly gets a nice suplex but Reis takes top position to end the round.

More of the same on the feet. Shad landing more often and Reis swinging for the KO. Lierly gets a takedown and is immediately swept from half guard. Reis continues to pass from full guard, to half, to side control and mount. Very slick transitions.

Lierly lands a nice left hook and the crowd responds. So does Reis, taking Lierly down once again. He passes, but Lierly regains his guard. Another pass and Reis is in position to let his fists fly. He unloads a few shots from the mount, Lierly rolls to protect himself and Reis locks in the rear choke.

Winner: Wilson Reis by Rear Choke, Round 1

Ben Askren vs Ryan Thomas:
WELTERWEIGHT BOUT -- Askren comes out looking to trade. He eats a one-two, shoots and gets the takedown. Askren falls right into a triangle but fights his way out of it. Askren grabs head control and looks like he's setting up either a Peruvian Necktie or an Anaconda choke, he loses his grip on the roll and goes for what looks like an arm-in guillotine. Thomas's eyes are closed but he doesn't tap or go out. Referee Dave Smith waves the fight off. Terrible Stoppage.

Winner: Ben Aksren by Guillotine Choke, Round 1

Toby Imada vs James Krause:
LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT -- Both guys swinging away and not even close to connecting. Finally Krause lands a body kick. Imada trips Krause to the mat. He tries to pass but gets swept. In the scramble Imada ends up on top in half guard. Krause gets on Imada's back and tries to roll forward. Imada looks for an omoplata. Krause has none of it and stands. Imada looks for a heel hook, but Krause strikes the body and head. He misses a huge right hand. Imada threatening the leg again. Round ends.

Krause is landing shots from his feet. Imada gets a body lock and muscles Krause to the mat. Krause sweeps and grabs a single. Imada isolates an arm looking for an omoplata, then transitions to an armbar. Very slick.

Winner: Toby Imada by Armbar, Round 2

The Demolition Man

Ladies and Gentlemen...meet the Demolition Man, Alistair Overeem.

Overeem is a Dutchman, training out of Team Golden Glory. He is the current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion and a PRIDE veteran. Overeem won the title back in 2007 with a KO of Paul Buentello and has not competed in the US since. However, Overeem has been very active over the last two and a half years fighting in seven MMA bouts and six K-1 bouts. In the last six months, Overeem has fought six times - three under MMA rules and three under K-1 rules.

Approaching 30 years old, Alistair believes he is now in his prime and wants only to fight the best competition available. On May 15th, Overeem will defend his title for the first time against Brett Rogers in St. Louis, Missouri.

Overeem carries a 32-11 MMA record with twelve wins by TKO or KO and nineteen coming by submission, with only one decision victory. He has been finished by TKO or KO six times, submitted twice and lost two decisions.

Standing 196 cm (or 6'5") tall and weighing 118 kg (or 260 lbs.) having fought as a light heavyweight was a struggle for Overeem. He stated that during his training in the past he was not even able to do body weight resistance conditioning because he would get too bulky and wouldn't be able to make weight. Since making the move to heavyweight he has not lost an MMA fight and looks to be more destructive than ever before.

In a recent interview with MMAmania.com Overeem discussed his fight with Rogers, his desire to fight Brock Lesnar and why Fedor Emelianenko and M-1 are ducking him. Check out the full interview here.

What to do with Silva?

Well Dana White was upset to put it mildly. The UFC was putting on the first MMA event in Abu Dhabi, headlined by the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world who has decimated the competition in the past with incredible acts of athleticism and creativity...and what happened? A confusing display of taunting from the champion and refusal to engage by both fighters in the later rounds.

Long story short, the main event was an embarrassment.

On ESPN's "Rome is Burning" Dana White announced that the middleweight kingpin, Anderson Silva, will face off against Team Quest fighter, and Oregon State legislative District 37 candidate, Chael Sonnen. The bout is tentatively scheduled for August 7th in Salt Lake City, Utah.

White, who was clearly frustrated by Silva's performance last Saturday, told Jim Rome that "Silva would be cut" if he produced another performance like the ones against Maia or Leites. While cutting the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world seems like a bad idea, it is a testament to how badly Silva damaged his reputation. While I believe they are just fighting words from White, and maybe it will motivate Silva to inflict a little more damage on his next opponent.

Sonnen's resume is not lacking much, he was a Division I All-American at University of Oregon, a two-time Greco Roman National Champion, and holds wins over Dan Miller, Jason Miller, Yushin Okami, Paulo Filho and most recently Nate Marquardt.

He has also been outspoken about his dislike of Silva, claiming that Silva speaking through his manager/interpreter, Ed Soares, is his way of avoiding contact with fans and that Silva, in fact, speaks perfect English. Sonnen will surely have lots to say leading up to this fight, so I think we will be in store for a quality display of violence from Silva.

Bellator Strikes Again

Bellator's Season Two opener delivered another night of high quality fights. In the lightweight tournament bracket UFC veteran Roger "El Matador" Huerta moved on beating Chad Hinton by kneebar in Round three and Greg Jackson trained Carey Vanier stopped Joe Duarte by TKO in Round three.

In the featherweight tournament Joe Warren of Team Quest was able to avoid a dangerous triangle attempt and grind out a decision against Eric Marriot. In the second bout former professional soccer player, Georgi Karakhanyan put veteran striker Bao Quach to sleep with a perfect pair of knees to the chin.

For tonight, Bellator 14 has two lightweight title bouts, and one for the featherweight tournament and the welterweight tournament. Let's first look at the two lightweight bouts, followed by the featherweight and welterweight bouts.

Mike Ricci (5-0) vs Pat Curran (9-3):

At 5-0 with three wins by TKO and one by submission Ricci has potential. I haven't seen him fight yet, so I am anticipating this match up.

Curran, the cousin of veteran Jeff "The Big Frog" Curran, has finished five of his opponents, two by [T]KO and three by submission. Again, this is another fighter I have yet to see compete so this match up should be entertaining.

Toby Imada (23-13) vs James Krause (11-2):

Toby Imada has won fourteen times by submission but is probably best known for his inverted triangle choke win over Jorge Masvidal which won Submission of the Year in 2009. This guy has been around the block having fought Eddie Alvarez, Hermes Franca, Jake Shields, Jason Miller, Joe Stevenson, and Dave Strasser.

Standing 6'2" and fighting at 155 lbs gives James Krause a significant reach advantage against most lightweights. Those long limbs have come in handy in the past. Krause secured four of his eleven victories by way of triangle choke. This one should be fast paced and gritty.

Shad Lierly (5-2) vs Wilson Reis:

Lierly's fight against Chris Horodecki in the now defunct IFL, was one to be remembered even though he lost. He's also been finished by Wagnney Fabiano, but he has shown considerable skills and is a great addition to the Bellator line up.

Coming off six straight decisions, Reis will definitely be looking to prove that he is a danger to opponents health and personal safety. His lone loss is to Bellator featherweight champion, Joe Soto, who is no joke. A jiu jitsu specialist, this fight will be a nice match up if Lierly can get the takedown and go to work from top position.

Ben Askren (3-0) vs Ryan Thomas (10-3):

Ben "Funky" Askren was a two-time national champion at University of Missouri, ending his collegiate wrestling career on a stellar 87-match win streak. He also competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He has shown considerable skills in his limited time in the sport and a willingness to acquire the skills he is missing, racking up one KO and two submissions.

Out of his ten wins he has finished all of his opponents, seven by submission and three by TKO or KO. Thomas got a shot in the UFC but couldn't hack it and dropped two bouts, both by armbar to Matt Brown and Ben Saunders. (Interestingly, his only other loss was by armbar also.)

When asked about Askren's wrestling ability Thomas said, "Ben's a great wrestlers, but this isn't a wrestling match...so we’re gonna find out if he’s a real fighter or if he should just stick to wrestling.” To which Askren fired back, "The last person to talked about my wrestling got put to sleep."

Should be a good night of fights. Tune in to FOX Sports Net at 8 PM to watch the fights live.

Preview: Strikeforce: Nashville

Hey ya'll!

Strikeforce heads to Nashville this weekend and puts on three - count them 1, 2, 3 - title fights! And...it's FREE on CBS. Here's a quick run down of what Scott Coker & Co. have in store for the fans.

Gilbert Melendez (17-2) vs Shinya Aoki (23-4-1):

"El Nino" is the reigning Strikeforce lightweight champion. At 17-2, Melendez is riding a three fight win streak. In 2009, Gil avenged both of his losses with a devastating TKO of Mitsuhiro Ishida and a decision victory over Josh Thompson. Melendez also holds victories over Tatsuya Kawajiri, Clay Guida and Rumino Sato. He has never been finished and brings with him a gas tank like no one else in the division. His ability to push the pace may be the deciding factor in this fight.

Shinya Aoki may not be as well known in America as he is in Japan, but believe me when I say he is a dangerous fighter. A Judo black belt and DREAM lightweight champion, Aoki has won 14 of his 23 bouts by submission. In his last bout, Aoki showed his tenacity when he was forced to break Mizuto Hirota's arm with a hammer lock. Aoki holds wins over Joachim Hansen, Vitor Ribeiro, Eddie Alvarez, Caol Uno and JZ Cavalcante.

Aoki's rubber guard is incredible and in his last outing he looked stellar, but the competition was not "El Nino." While Aoki is an amazing technician on the mat I don't believe he will be able to handle the pressure Melendez will bring over the course of five rounds mixing in takedowns with potent and varied striking.

My prediction: Gilbert Melendez by TKO, Round 3.

Dan Henderson (25-7) vs Jake Shields (24-4-1):
The only man to simultaneously hold two PRIDE titles, Henderson has fought the best in the world including wins over Mike Bisping, Rich Franklin, Wanderlei Silva, Mirko 'Cro Cop', Vitor Belfort, Rodrigo Nogueira, Ricardo Arona, Renzo Gracie, Renato 'Babalu' Sobral, Gilbert Yvel, and Carlos Newton. To put it bluntly, the guy has fought everyone and made out pretty well. He's been finished before, but only by the Nogueira brothers and Anderson Silva. (All from Team Black House...strange.)

Jake Shields is the reigning Strikeforce middleweight champion and an accomplished jiu jitsu black belt. He won the title with a decision victory over Jason 'Mayhem' Miller in November. Shields' resume is also a Who's Who of MMA elite including wins over, Robbie Lawler, Paul Daley, Carlos Condit, Yushin Okami, Dave Menne and Hayato Sakurai. He is riding a thirteen fight win streak and has not be finished since March 2000.

This is an interesting match up because if Hendo gets the takedown, Shields will be a threat off his back. If Shields can get the takedown, expect a smothering top game and slick transitions. Hendo will surely be loading up the bomb of a right hand, so Jake...circle right! (See: Mike Bisping) As good as Shields has been, I don't know if he'll be able to get past the hard-nosed Hendo.

My prediction: Dan Henderson by Unanimous Decision

Muhammed Lawal (6-0) vs Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1):
Although "King Mo" only has six fights to his credit, he is dangerous. He was an All-American wrestling standout at Oklahoma State, winning the Big 12 title in 2003. He is a talented athlete and deserving of a title shot, especially with his star potential. As Mousasi put it, "He comes from wrestling and has put in his time in combat sports." With five of his six victories coming by way of TKO or KO, Lawal has dangerous hands. His athleticism is impressive and his desire to fight top competition is admirable. Plus, he is an entertainer. His trash talk leading up to the fight has been priceless. Check out the "So Much Excitement" post for a link to a little exchanged between Mo and Gegard.

Gegard Mousasi is outstanding at only 24 years old. Riding a fifteen fight win streak, the Dutch-Armenian fighter has been unstoppable. With seventeen wins by TKO or KO and nine by submission he is dangerous everywhere. He has fought at heavyweight and said he reached 230 lbs during camp. Very focused and relaxed in the cage, Mousasi is dangerous for any opponent.

This one has Fight of the Night written all over it. Although King Mo has the edge in wrestling Mousasi doubts that will be a factor. "I don't think he'll take me down more than once or twice," he said during a recent interview. Personally, I expect fireworks. Mousasi's striking in technically superior but Lawal is athletic enough to give it right back. I believe Mo will get too confident and make a mistake, giving Gegard the opportunity to close it out.

My prediction: Gegard Mousasi by TKO, Round 4.

Strikeforce has lined up a nice card for the 17th. Hopefully all the fights go well and are entertaining. They need to follow up somewhat quickly after this event with another good card because the frequency has not been high enough. The deal with CBS is huge for MMA and Strikeforce and all of its' athletes would be well-served to pay respect to the Central Broadcasting Station and put on quality fights - for the good of the sport.

Start to Finish

Two words: Let Down.

I ordered the last two UFC PPV's and the main events left me disappointed. In the St. Pierre/Hardy fight, I was entertained for half the fight. The armbar and kimura had me on edge. I appreciate a dominant display of technique but what if that performance isn't exciting?

On Saturday night I expected big things from Silva and Penn. After round one it was clear that Penn was not at the top of his game. Holding out for the finish, I waited for the BJ I'd seen rip through the division. By the fourth round, it was clear that Edgar was going to win. His pace and activity level secured it. Penn looked stuck - cut up, out hustled and not looking impressive. I was disappointed with his performance, but now that the title has changed hands, things get a little more interesting.

Silva, on the other hand, had me beaming for the first two rounds. He picked apart Maia with precision, he taunted and I loved it. I was thinking he was going to finish spectacularly - then...nothing. No one engaged, Silva begged Maia to basically sacrifice himself. I began to realize that the KO wasn't coming. The remainder was dreadful. Silva has the ability, but he did not finish.

These champions are skilled enough to finish fights. By riding out decisions on the way to victory they are hurting their reputations. After Leites, everyone blasted Silva. Then he was given a challenge, moving up to fight Forrest and he delivered. Now a similar situation, lackluster against Maia and St. Pierre is the rumored challenge. Let's hope Silva delivers because boring fights are hurting his potential legacy.

When the title is on the line, the stakes are high. Strategic fights are great, but at the expense of excitement? I'd like to see champions like St. Pierre and Silva hold titles for years. But do I want to see St. Pierre takedown his opponent and not submit him for another five rounds? Or watch Silva taunt and dance around while not revoking his opponent's consciousness? No, it makes me want to see the title change hands.

My first recommendation, utilize the Yellow Card system for inactivity that PRIDE implemented. Referee's will need to have some standard protocol for measuring the duration of inactivity, but it might be the spark that sets off the fireworks. Taking money out of fighters' hands will surely kick that killer instinct into high gear.

Second, a new performance based pay scale. The UFC hands out significant bonuses for Fight of the Night, Submission of the Night and Knockout of the Night - but what if everyone who finished their opponent got a bonus? If the fight goes the distance and the crowd roaring, both fighters split a bonus for their performance. That might encourage some more risk taking.

This is just something to think about. This sport is still developing and it is very exciting to watch the transformation. I am able to find something admirable in most champs, whether it be their determination, technical prowess, raw power or the intangibles. I hope that the UFC champs get a stern talking to from Dana White. I want to see champions dominate, but I want to see them start to finish.

What's for Breakfast?

My words. I'm eatin' them...and bad! So last night's event was decent. The televised undercard bouts were pretty solid.

Mark Munoz vs Kendall Grove:

What a fight. Rogan mentioned how Grove had lost focus, regained it and lost it again. Now, he was focused...with his new daughter in mind...we should be seeing a revitalized Grove. For the first round that looked to be the case. Grove stunned Munoz with a perfectly timed uppercut. He attacked with several chokes that really looked like they would be the end of the fight, but Munoz hung in there.

Round 2 - Munoz comes out with a huge right hand. Grove gives back a knee as Munoz shoots. Grove starts threatening on Munoz's back, then transitions to an armbar. Munoz escapes and starts landing some heavy leather. Munoz on top is dangerous.

Winner: Mark Munoz by TKO, Round 2.

Terry Etim vs Rafael Dos Ajnos:

Etim showing nice footwork, he locked in an arm-in guillotine and held on for a while. Dos Anjos shows the patience only a black belt has and finally escapes. Etim threatened with an armbar and Rafael had none of it. Marc Goddard warns Rafael about "elbowing the spine" but he's referring to the knees. One more knee from Rafael and Goddard stood up the action. Dos Anjos goes for a heel hook but Etim had none of it and spun free.

Round 2 - Etim showing nice crisp kicks standing. Dos Anjos gets the takedown and starts to transition smoothly from knee on the belly, to mount to side control and back to knee on the belly. Big elbows from Dos Anjos distract Etim and he moves to north-south. He grabs a hammerlock and looks for a kimura, transitions to the armbar

.

Winner: Rafael Dos Anjos by Armbar, Round 2

Phil Davis vs Stefan Gustavsson:

Davis, a former PSU wrestling standout, has shown great potential lately and this fight was no different. Although it seemed like he was having a bit of trouble securing a takedown (which Gustavsson defended beautifully to his credit) he did finish very nicely with a perfectly timed Anaconda choke. He had the head and arm, locked in his grip and hit the roll at the precise moment he needed to. Gustavsson had no choice but to tap.

Winner: Phil Davis by Anaconda Choke, Round 1.

Matt Hughes vs Renzo Gracie:

Something smelt fishy. It looked to me like Hughes wasn't allowed to engage too much. Granted, both guys are pretty old, but the action was sparse. It felt like Hughes could have ended this fight whenever he felt like it. Gracie landed a few nice punches but nothing that hurt Hughes. Hughes landed a lot of low kicks, that seemed to do most of the damage. Renzo looked as proud as ever and got to his feet each time he fell, but in the end Hughes was too game, putting his hands on Renzo in the final frame and forcing Herb Dean to stop the bout.

Winner: Matt Hughes, TKO Round 3.

Frankie Edgar vs BJ Penn:

Aaaand...I'm an idiot. I bought into the hype of "The Prodigy" after a few solid performances. I should have stayed true to my Jersey roots. (Let that be a lesson I will never forget.) Edgar came out hustling and his strategy worked perfectly. He utilized great footwork and unpredictable movement around Penn, moving in and out at will. "The Answer" also hit a nice takedown midway through the fight but couldn't keep Penn down.

BJ looked tired. Edgar never seemed to lose any pep in his step and that made all the difference. The judging may have been slightly skewed (I dont know how you could score Edgar winning every round) but that's how it goes in MMA, if you leave it to the judges then it is out of your hands. No surprise to me when Edgar's hand was raised. Even though the FightMetric stats point towards Penn as the winner, I think that the damage done by Edgar and the pace he set gave him the win. Let's hope Frankie can back it up in his first defense. Who's it going to be? A third title shot for Kenflo? A rematch with the only man to defeat Edgar, Gray Maynard? We'll see.

Winner: Frankie Edgar by Unanimous Decision.

Anderson Silva vs Demian Maia:

I've got a theory that Anderson Silva doesn't want to beat up his countrymen. He's only fought two Brazilians in the UFC, Thales Leites and Demian Maia, both of whom he toyed with and taunted through a full five rounds when he could have put them away at his discretion. I was excited through the second round of this fight - Silva taunting, pounding the mat, slapping his face, chasing Maia around the cage - it was all coming together so nicely.

It would have been on the SportsCenter Top Ten if he had done what everyone expected. He threw nice techniques and looked like he was on his way to a fantastic finish. But what happened? Maybe he gassed, maybe it was the adrenaline dump from all the taunting, maybe it was simply Maia's unwillingness to engage in the first three rounds, or the hot and humid U.A.E air, whatever it was - no one was happy about it.

Dana White is putting him on the plank for this one. I imagine Mr. White will be telling Georges St. Pierre to mangle Silva if they meet at 170. Although, I believe that fight will turn out much like the Forrest fight (although slightly longer). Silva was coming off the Leites fight, being told he wasn't that great and needed a good win and what did he deliver? A one-sided beating I'm sure Forrest Griffin will never forget. Now, another snoozefest from the P4P king and what's next? A big challenge - one worth taking seriously...I hope.

Winner - Anderson Silva by Unanimous Decision.

So much excitement...

I can hardly contain myself. Big UFC card this weekend and what do we have to look forward to next weekend?

Strikeforce: Nashville! Forget about country music, how about the fights on this card? Dan Henderson vs Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez vs Shinya Aoki, and Mohammed Lawal vs Gegard Mousasi. Check out some the the trash talk at a presser from a few weeks ago...priceless. The dialouge is something to this effect:

King Mo: You like to sleep?

Mousasi: Sleep? In my free time, yes, I like to sleep.

King Mo: Well, you're going to have plenty of free time on April 17th!

Well played King Mo, well played.

UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi

Two title fights and a Hall of Fame match up taking place at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. Let's take a look at the card and see what's on tap for Saturday.

Anderson Silva (25-4) vs Demian Maia (12-1):
No one is giving Maia a chance and either am I. Watch the Silva/Griffin fight and you will see the crisp, beautiful athleticism that he is known for. Add the 10-0 UFC record with 8 title defenses and you have a real champion. Maia is a whiz on the mat, but look at his KO loss to Nate Marquardt (who Silva thoroughly trounced) and I think we have a nice picture of what will occur Saturday night.

Aside from the possibility of another highlight reel KO, there is another scenario looming. When Silva fought Thales Leites, the champion looked boring. A few flashy and strange moves, but neither fighter wanted to engage and the result was a snoozefest. Will this match up of striker vs grappler play out the same way? Hopefully not, but I'm sure Maia doesn't want it ending like any of Silva's other UFC appearances.

My prediction: Anderson Silva by KO, Round 2.

BJ Penn (15-5-1) vs Frankie Edgar (11-1):
Again, lots of people are counting out Frankie in this one. BJ is a great champion and an amazing fighter. Looking at his last few performances (aside from his welterweight tussle with a physically larger GSP) he has put on dominant performances in his last five lightweight bouts - all stoppages - simply outclassing the opposition.

Edgar is a gamer, and a Jersey resident at that. I do have a soft spot for Jersey fighters but I just don't see it happening. BJ is phenomenal. His balance, flexibility, dexterity, added with a black belt in jiu jitsu and potent fists makes him the fighter he his. Boxing trainer, Freddie Roach stated that Penn has the best hands out of any of the mixed martial artists he has worked with. After a few rounds of eating 1-2's Edgar wears down and Penn capitalizes.

My prediction: BJ Penn by Rear Choke, Round 3.

Matt Hughes (44-7) vs Renzo Gracie (13-6-1, 1 NC):
Both men are getting older and age is not kind to mixed martial artists. However, they are both legends of the fight game and this fight is a throw back to their glory days. Hughes used to bulldoze people to the mat, using his superior wrestling and conditioning to wear out opponents. Gracie was a pioneer in MMA using his family's art and racking up wins against some great competition.

I think this fight goes one of two ways. 1) Hughes hits takedown after takedown and doesn't mount much offense from top position, not trying to pass, and remaining content with all of his limbs and faculties intact. 2) Hughes makes one mistake and Renzo grabs whichever opening he sees first and gets the tap.

Hughes long time trainer, Pat Militech, fought Renzo a few years back in an IFL superfight. Win by tapout due to a standing guillotine from Renzo was the result. Old or not, the man has jiu jitsu skills.

My prediction: Renzo Gracie by Guillotine Choke, Round 1.

FIGHTING Out of the Red Corner...

"The Veteran Voice of the Octagon" is a star.

Bruce Buffer was once looked at as the brother of Michael "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" Buffer but over the course of the last thirteen years Bruce has staked his claim as one of the great ring announcers in combat sports. Now, I think most would agree - he is the dominant Buffer brother.

He is known for a few critical pieces of UFC productions including his opening for televised events (Ladies and Gentlemen...WE ARE LIVE!!) and for his main event introductions (IT'S TIME!!!!). He gets the attention of every fan in the arena and alerts viewers that it is time to stare.

What is the thing that sets him apart from the rest? Maybe the promotion he works for? Or maybe it is "The Buffer 180." We've all seen it before, but did you know it had a title? Motioning towards one side of the Octagon, he quickly does the 180 and points to the fighter being introduced. Many fighters play into it, many other just feel the energy he brings, I just laugh...every...single...time.

He gets the energy level high before fights and gets every set of eyes in the place focused on the upcoming action. I think he role in the UFC is under appreciated and for that, I salute you Mr. Buffer.