Category: Strikeforce (Page 13 of 14)

      Nick Diaz ain’t no punk

      April 8, 2011 /

      nullNick Diaz is never one to run from a fight or a confrontation.

      He fought Joe Riggs in a hospital after a decision loss to him at UFC 57 and let’s not forget about his role in this little scuffle following the Jake Shields-Dan Henderson Strikeforce bout on CBS.

      Well, on Thursday, MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, who is one of the most widely-recognized MMA reporters in the world, got a chance to speak to Diaz about his upcoming welterweight title fight with Paul Daley on Saturday.

      What took place made even me uncomfortable. (see video here)

      Early in the interview Diaz expresses his lack of respect for Helwani and then takes it a step further at the 4-minute mark, giving more detail.

      Diaz has always been an interesting figure, but picking on Helwani doesn’t really need to be done. As a reporter that has covered college and high school sports, I don’t see Helwani as someone that is digging up the dirt. He is simply doing his job.

      Diaz did make some interesting points during the interview about judging in MMA and how the U.S. has the wrong system, but that all gets lost in his antics. Even his body language during the interview was disrespectful.

      Nick is a great fighter and clearly doesn’t care what people think of him. That’s fine, but he should stick to picking his fights with fighters, not credible reporters.

      Events, Fighters, Strikeforce

      Is Fedor a victim of his loyalty?

      April 7, 2011 /

      nullDespite suffering back-to-back losses, it is clear that Fedor Emelianenko is still one of the most polarizing figures in all of MMA.

      He was as dominant as any fighter in his time, he is soft spoken, and he has incredible fashion sense (see picture to your right)

      The man who went undefeated for a 10-year span has now had to accept two-straight losses and the idea that the sport has evolved to a level he can’t currently reach.

      In an interesting thought, Strikeforce light heavyweight, Gegard Mousasi, expressed his thoughts on what may have led to Fedor’s down fall in this interview with MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani.

      The thoughts on Fedor begin around the 5:40 mark as Mousasi talks about Fedor being a loyal guy his loyalty to his training partners have kept him from developing into a better fighter. Now, Fedor has been switching things up and training in different areas of the world.

      There has always been the idea amongst MMA camps that you never want to be the best fighter at your camp. The reason is is that there will be no fighters there to push you to a higher level.

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      Fighters, News, Strikeforce

      Top 10 Heavyweight Rankings

      April 6, 2011 /

      nullEach week I will post my rankings for a respective weight class or my pound-for-pound top 10.

      This week is the heavyweights, which has seen its stable significantly improve over the last few years.

      So, without further ado, here are my top 10 heavyweights in MMA.

      1. Cain Velasquez (9-0): The UFC Heavyweight Champion has a great combination of wrestling and striking and he has been quick to finish some of the top guys in the sport, including Brock Lesnar. His speed and agility are tough for most opponents to deal with and his strength is on par with anyone despite having only a 245-pound frame.

      2. Junior dos Santos (12-1): I was having trouble with the next in line as each remaining fighter seems to have some clear negatives against them. Junior has torn through the UFC, winning all six of his bouts, but he has yet to face an elite-level competitor. Dos Santos clearly has the punching power and striking ability, but the question with him is his takedown defense. He has yet to face a truly great wrestler in the UFC, but that issue will be addressed when he takes on Brock Lesnar at UFC 131.

      Continue reading »

      Fighters, Strikeforce, UFC

      Despite White’s claims, Daley may still have a UFC future

      April 6, 2011 /

      nullIt was just about 11 months ago that Paul Daley made the biggest mistake of his MMA career.

      Following a clear decision loss to Josh Koscheck at UFC 113, Daley threw a punch at Koscheck well after the bell for the third and final round.

      There was no doubt it was a sucker punch as Daley was frustrated by Koscheck’s ability to out-wrestle him for three rounds. Add to that Koscheck’s trash talk during the bout, and Daley was a little hot under the collar.

      The sucker punch combined with clear eye gouging late in the fight got Daley cut from the UFC and President Dana White stated that Daley would never fight for the promotion again.

      However, things have gotten interesting as Zuffa, the owner of the UFC, has now purchased Strikeforce, Daley’s current home. Daley will be fighting Nick Diaz for the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship on Saturday night.

      The general feel is that eventually the UFC will bring Strikeforce fighters in once the promotion runs it contract out with Showtime. But, would the UFC take in Daley?

      Continue reading »

      Events, Fighters, Strikeforce, UFC

      Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley Odds

      April 4, 2011 /

      nullThis weekend’s big MMA event is Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley from San Diego where two Strikeforce titles will be on the line.

      Oddsmakers have released their odds for these title fights. Here is a look at what Bodog’s Sportsbook has to say about Saturday night.

      In the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship bout, champion Nick Diaz is a favorite at -225 while Daley comes in with a betting line of +185.

      It’s not surprising that Diaz is the favorite but I am a little surprised that Daley is as little an underdog as he is. Daley has a clear weakness in his grappling and he is facing one of the best submission fighters in the world in Diaz.

      Diaz can be stubborn with his stand up, but he is still a smart fighter and I would expect him to dispose of Daley on Saturday.

      In the Strikeforce Lightweight Championship, the title holder Gilbert Melendez is a favorite at -265 against challenger Tatsuya Kawajiri, who has a betting line of +205.

      Melendez already holds a decision victory over Kawajiri back in December of 2006 and it seems as if Melendez is an even better fighter now. Kawajiri also recently lost to Shinya Aoki, who Melendez dominated in his last fight a year ago.

      I hate to go with the favorites all the time, but I like the champion to retain here as well. Diaz and Melendez, who happen to be teammates, seem to clearly be better than anyone in their divisions and I don’t see them losing their titles any time soon.

      Events, Fighters, Strikeforce

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