Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson Picks & Predictions Posted by Drew Ellis (07/30/2011 @ 2:00 pm) Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson takes place Saturday night and here are my picks for each of the five main card bouts.
Heavyweight Bout – Fedor Emelianenko (31-3-1) vs. Dan Henderson (27-8) – This is a tough fight to call, but I like Fedor to bounce back and get over his losing streak. I think his size will be too much for Henderson, as he has similar wrestling skills but improved submissions. Both pack a good punch, but Fedor looks like he is in good shape for this fight and will be able to push a faster pace. Give me Fedor to win in the third by submission. Women’s Welterweight Championship – Marloes Coenen (19-4) vs. Miesha Tate (11-2) – I like Coenen to win this fight by submission in the later rounds. I don’t expect either to land a big strike and expect the fight to be primarily on the ground. There, I look for Coenen to neutralize Tate’s wrestling ability before finding a way to sneak in a submission. Middleweight Bout – Robbie Lawler (19-7-1) vs. Tim Kennedy (13-3) – Lawler has a pretty obvious weakness against ground fighters, so I think Kennedy should win this one with some ease. Lawler will swing big early, but that will open him up to a takedown, and eventually a submission. I will take Kennedy in the second by choke. Welterweight Bout – Paul Daley (27-10-2) vs. Tyron Woodley (7-0) – Like Lawler, Daley is somewhat one dimensional, which should allow Woodley to get the win. This will be a big test for Woodley, but I like him to win by TKO with ground and pound as Daley will struggle to hit his big punch. Welterweight Bout – Scott Smith (17-7-1) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (10-2) – Smith is a dangerous striker and an exciting fighter, but he lacks the all-around skills to compete at the highest level. I look for Saffiedine to control the fight on the ground and get a decision win over Smith. Posted in: Events, Fighters, Predictions, Strikeforce Tags: Dan Henderson, Fedor Emelianenko, Marlos Coenen, Miesha Tate, Paul Daley, Robbie Lawler, Scott Smith, Tarec Saffiedine, Tim Kennedy, Tyron Woodley
Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson Weigh-In Results Posted by Drew Ellis (07/29/2011 @ 11:30 pm) The weigh-ins for Saturday’s Strikeforce card took place on Friday night and all main card fighters were cleared to compete.
In the main event, both Fedor Emelianenko (223 lbs.) and Dan Henderson (207) came in rather light for a heavyweight contest but Henderson has never fought above light heavyweight and Fedor is working his way down to that weight class. This fight is being billed as one of the biggest in Strikeforce history, as it pits two PRIDE legends against one another. It should be an explosive matchup. In the co-main event, Marloes Coenen defends her Women’s Welterweight Championship against Miesha Tate. Both combatants weighed in at 135 pounds, the exact mark they needed for the contest. Coenen and Tate are both strong on the ground with Coenen being superior in jiu-jitsu while Tate is a wrestling-based fighter. For all of the weigh-in results, courtesy of Sherdog.com, check out the jump. Read the rest of this entry » Top 10 Heavyweight Rankings Posted by Drew Ellis (07/27/2011 @ 2:48 pm) The rankings list has made its way back to the heavyweight division.
There have been a few shake ups in this group as of late, mainly near the top. Still, the division has remained pretty solid as we work toward the big meeting of Velasquez vs. dos Sanots. 1. Cain Velasquez (9-0): Velasquez will return in November to take on Junior dos Santos. It will be a tough test for the UFC champ, as he has not fought in nearly a year and is coming off a major surgery. 2. Junior dos Santos (13-1): dos Santos tore through Shane Carwin in an impressive victory that solidified his spot as the top contender to the UFC crown. Junior has proven he can out-strike a striker and stuff a takedown, but will he be able to handle the explosiveness and speed of Velasquez? 3. Brock Lesnar (5-2): Lesnar may not return anytime soon, but I still think he deserves a high ranking as he was able to beat some of the best on this list before getting injured. Lesnar is going to need to show he can handle getting hit when he returns if he hopes to contend for the title ever again. 4. Alistair Overeem (35-11): Overeem was able to beat Werdum without too much difficulty but wasn’t impressive in his own right. Now, some debate with Zuffa has gotten him taken off the rest of the Strikeforce Grand Prix and leaves his MMA future in question. Hopefully Overeem will return and maybe someday step inside the octagon. Read the rest of this entry » Posted in: Events, Fighters, Rankings, Strikeforce, UFC Tags: Alistair Overeem, Antonio Silva, Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Fabricio Werdum, Fedor Emelianenko, Frank Mir, Josh Barnett, Junior Dos Santos, Shane Carwin
Top 10 Heavyweight Rankings Posted by Drew Ellis (06/02/2011 @ 6:53 pm) We have worked our way back around to the heavyweights in the rankings list.
The division has been pretty quiet for the last two months, but June will provide some big shakeups with UFC 131 and the second half of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. So, without further ado, here is the list. 1. Cain Velasquez (9-0): The UFC Heavyweight Champion continues to await his next opponent while recovering from shoulder surgery. Newly married, Velasquez will find out whether Junior dos Santos or Shane Carwin is next at UFC 131. 2. Junior dos Santos (12-1): Junior appears to be the top contender in the UFC heavyweight division, but he has to prove it next weekend against Shane Carwin. Originally set to face Brock Lesnar, dos Santos will now face one of the toughest strikers in the division in Carwin. The fight should be explosive and end with a brutal KO. 3. Shane Carwin (12-1): Carwin had hit a bit of a funk after having back surgery following his loss to Lesnar last summer, but now he finds himself with a little bit of luck. With Lesnar injured, Carwin now immediately jumps into the title picture with a win over dos Santos at UFC 131. Read the rest of this entry » Posted in: Fighters, Rankings, Strikeforce, UFC Tags: Alistair Overeem, Antonio Silva, Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Fabricio Werdum, Fedor Emelianenko, Frank Mir, Josh Barnett, Junior Dos Santos, Shane Carwin
What you might have missed: MMA news from the weekend Posted by Drew Ellis (04/10/2011 @ 11:35 am) Lost in the shadows of Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley Saturday night was a pretty eventful weekend in the MMA community.
Here are a few things I think you should know about: -Saturday night, Bellator 40 took place and rising MMA star, Ben Askren, remained undefeated with a unanimous decision win over Nick Thompson in the main event. The two-time NCAA champion continued to show dominant wrestling form against Thompson, who was helpless against Askren’s takedown ability. Askren changed levels, worked in some striking, and had the cardio to dominate for 15 minutes. Askren is now 8-0 and, if he continues to develop his striking, he can be a real force in the national picture. In other bouts, Jay Hieron picked up a decision win over Brent Weedman to advance to the finals of the Bellator Welterweight Tournament, where he will face unbeaten Rick Hawn. In the Bellator Lightweight Tournament, Michael Chandler won a decision over Lloyd Woodard to advance to the tournament final against Patricky Freire. -On Friday night, MFC 29 took place on HDNet and UFC veterans Marcus Davis, Hermes Franca, and Pete Spratt each picked up wins. Davis won a split decision over Curtis Demarce in his first fight after being cut by the UFC. Franca knocked out Robert Washington just 26 seconds into the second round, giving him two straight wins. Spratt pulled off an armbar submission in the second round of his fight against Demi Deeds. The win ended a two-fight losing streak for Spratt. Read the rest of this entry » Posted in: Bellator, Events, Fighters, News, Strikeforce, UFC Tags: Anderson Silva, Bellator, Ben Askren, Dan Henderson, Fedor Emelianenko, Georges St. Pierre, Hermes Franca, Jay Hieron, Marcus Davis, Michael Chandler, Nick Thompson, Patrick Cote, Pete Spratt, Strikeforce, Yushin Okami
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