Category: Strikeforce (Page 10 of 14)

      MMA News & Notes from the weekend

      May 8, 2011 /

      nullThis weekend was somewhat uneventful in the MMA world coming off historic UFC 129 last Saturday.

      Still, there is always some news going on, so here is a look at some news and notes from the weekend.

      – Jay Hieron won the Bellator Season 4 Welterweight Tournament on Saturday with a split decision victory over Rick Hawn. Hieron used his diverse striking to keep Hawn out of reach, but still took a good deal of punishment and looked like he took more damage when the fight was over. Still, two judges saw the fight 29-28 in his favor, giving him $100,000 and a title fight with Ben Askren in the future.

      – UFC heavyweight Antoni Hardonk retired from competition. He had just an 8-6 record in his career and never quite lived up to the potential that many thought he had. Hardonk is still considered to have some of the best kicks in all of MMA.

      – Tachi Palace 9 took place on Friday and saw a pair of former UFC contenders in action. Middleweight Gerald Harris picked up a unanimous decision win over Anthony Ruiz in his first bout after the UFC while lightweight Efrain Escudero suffered a decision loss to Fabricio Camoes.

      -Gina Carano has an opponent for her return to action as she will face Sarah D’Alelio at the Strikeforce event on June 18 in Dallas. Carano hasn’t competed since August of 2009 when she lost to Cyborg Santos.

      – In a couple of UFC injury notes, Matt Riddle will be unable to compete on June 26 against T.J. Grant, so Grant will now face Charlie Brenneman in Pittsburgh. Lightweight Cody McKenzie is out for his scheduled bout with Bart Palaszewski at UFC 130, but Gleison Tibau will step in to take on the scrappy WEC veteran.

      Bellator, Fighters, News, Strikeforce, UFC

      Diaz lined up for boxing match unless offered GSP

      May 7, 2011 /

      nullNick Diaz seems adamant about one thing. He wants to get paid.

      The Strikeforce Welterweight Champion is seeking either a high-paying super fight with UFC champion, Georges St. Pierre, or he is going to enter the boxing ring in hopes of earning a big payday.

      The good folks at MMAJunkie.com put together a story featuring boxing promoter, Don Chagrin, who has a deal in place to have Diaz face IBF super-middleweight champion, Jeff Lacy in the boxing ring.

      Today’s announcement that Diaz and Lacy will box this fall was met by a caveat from Diaz manager Cesar Gracie, who said the fight could be shelved if the UFC offered the Strikeforce welterweight champ a fight with UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

      “I don’t want to get into a thing,” Chagrin today told MMAjunkie.com “I’ve got a contract. If the UFC fight comes up, then we can talk.

      “But they were the ones that wanted me to go ahead, and I’ve gone and acted in good faith. I’m thinking that they will.”

      Gracie said today that he’s waiting to hear from the UFC on the potential Diaz vs. St-Pierre superfight. UFC president Dana White said this past week that he would meet with the Strikeforce champion in his hometown of Stockton, Calif., to discuss the fighter’s future.

      “Barring something like (UFC president) Dana White telling us, ‘Hey, we really need you to fight GSP at such-and-such a date and it conflicts with [boxing] – barring that, we’re going to fight Lacy,” said Gracie.

      This boxing match would be very risky for Diaz as a loss could not only hurt his future there, but it would certainly hurt his chances to fight St. Pierre.

      The choice isn’t to the same extreme as James Toney stepping into the octagon, but Diaz is entering another world. His ability to strike with MMA opponents won’t be the same as fighting a man with the boxing skills that Lacy has.

      Fighters, News, Strikeforce, UFC

      Top 10 Lightweight Rankings

      May 4, 2011 /

      nullFor the most part, rankings fighters in each division starts easy and ends tough.

      That isn’t the case for my lightweight rankings.

      Of any division in MMA, the lightweights are the toughest to sort through. The group is very top-heavy and even the distant contenders are hard to decipher.

      Nonetheless, here is my top 10 list for the lightweights. Feel free to add your take on who should be in the top spots.

      (If you need to go back and find my pound-for-pound, heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, or welterweight rankings, click on the links)

      1. Frankie Edgar (13-1-1) – Edgar is the UFC Lightweight Champion and the lone lightweight in the world to clearly dominate the great B.J. Penn. Edgar will get his chance to put his stamp on the top spot when he faces Gray Maynard for the third time on May 28, but the fact that Edgar pulled out a draw at UFC 125 after that brutal first round is a testament to his abilities. Edgar’s speed, hands, and wrestling are a very impressive combination, especially for a man that could arguably fight at featherweight.

      2. Gray Maynard (10-0-1) – Maynard has yet to lose and if he didn’t put everything he had into knocking Edgar out in the first round of their UFC 125 bout, he would be the champion today. Maynard was once just a wrestler, but is now showing strong striking ability. If he can put forth a full 25 minutes in May, he will become the champion and take over the top spot in my rankings.

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      Bellator, Dream, Fighters, Strikeforce, UFC

      Pettis still No. 1 contender in UFC Lightweight Division

      May 4, 2011 /

      nullIn some news that was swept under the rug this past weekend due to all the excitement of UFC 129, UFC President Dana White confirmed that final WEC Lightweight Champion, Anthony Pettis, is still the No. 1 contender for the UFC title.

      The lightweight division in the UFC may be the most stacked of any and it is starting to get crowded at the top.

      Pettis was originally scheduled to get a crack at the title following Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard’s title fight at UFC 125, but a draw left the whole division wondering what was next.

      White scheduled a third bout between Edgar and Maynard, which takes place at UFC 130 on May 28. Following that contest, Pettis will be the new No. 1 contender according to MMAWeekly.com, who spoke with White.

      “It’s Pettis,” UFC President Dana White confirmed when asked who would be getting the next crack at the championship.

      The confirmation obviously gives Pettis extra motivation going into the June fight with Clay Guida. A win guarantees a title shot, likely towards the end of 2011.

      Pettis won’t focus on the title shot at this time though because the business at hand is beating Guida. Without that, White’s declaration of his title shot doesn’t even matter.

      Pettis meets Guida at the Ultimate Fighter Season 13 Finale on Saturday, June 4. It will be Pettis’ toughest test to date and his first bout in nearly six months.

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      Fighters, News, Strikeforce, UFC

      Is Nick Diaz the man that can beat GSP?

      May 3, 2011 /

      nullIt didn’t take fans long after Georges St. Pierre beat Jake Shields at UFC 129 to start clamoring for St. Pierre’s next opponent.

      Despite talk of a super fight between GSP and Anderson Silva, the fans are requesting a champion vs. champion showdown between St. Pierre and Strikeforce Welterweight Champion, Nick Diaz.

      Diaz’ hype man trainer, Cesar Gracie, had some very strong thoughts about the fight that he told MMAMainia.

      “Nick is a superstar already. He is. Wherever we go with the guy, everybody, fan support, whether you love him or hate him, you have to respect his fighting style.”

      “You got a guy like GSP and he’s fighting to just win and you’ve got a guy like Nick Diaz, who’s fighting to beat your ass. The fans, I think know the difference now and I think that’s why if you go to forums, if you wanted to talk about after this particular show, look at all the amazing things that happened: Randy Couture retiring, that’s huge. You had that great kick from Machida, you had so many things happen that were phenomenal but what most people were talking about is Nick Diaz and he didn’t even fight.”

      “You want to talk about superstardom? Nick Diaz IS the superstar right now and he didn’t get there by playing any games. He’s not gonna play the game. He is who he is and I think people are finally getting sick and tired of the BS and the polished answers. These guys are great athletes but they’re not fighters and a guy like Nick captures the imagination of what MMA is truly about or was supposed to be about.”

      Diaz has been impressive, but I think the level of competition for both fighters has been vastly different.

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      Events, Fighters, News, Strikeforce, UFC

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