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[Rappy Veteran]

Barnett: UFC champ Velasquez is good, but Strikeforce tourney winner better

Everyone and his brother has weighed in on who's the world's best MMA heavyweight, and given Strikeforce's upcoming and star-studded heavyweight grand prix, the debate won't stop anytime soon.

Josh Barnett, an entrant in the tourney, understandably thinks the world's No. 1 heavyweight will be the Strikeforce grand-prix winner.

But that's no shot at UFC champ Cain Velasquez, Barnett recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).

In fact, Barnett has nothing but respect for Velasquez, who's rehabbing a shoulder he injured in an October title win over then-champ Brock Lesnar. Barnett admires how Velasquez has blended his new striking skills with his wrestling foundation during an undefeated career, and he doesn't question the champ's toughness.

"I'm not saying that Velasquez isn't any good," Barnett said. "I think he's showing great skills as an MMA fighter, and his development has come along really well. He's looking really tough."

But Barnett doesn't think he's the king of the heavyweights, and he also feels Velasquez wasn't the 2010 Fighter of the Year like many pundits labeled him.

"I don't think one fight makes you Fighter of the Year," said Barnett, referencing Velasquez's 2010 wins over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Lesnar. "I'll go on record and say Nogueira is punchy now. He's a guy who lived on his chin in terms of fighting, and he could take inordinate amounts of punishment and survive. But your body has such a limitation for that, and eventually you can't take shots like that and weather the storm and come back.

"Your brain has just been battered way too much, and with Nogueira, I think that's the case."

That's why he thinks the upcoming Strikeforce tourney ? which kicks off Feb. 12 with Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio Silva and Andrei Arlovski vs. Sergei Kharitonov ? will determine the world's true No. 1 heavyweight.

Barnett, who meets Brett Rogers in an opening-round matchup tentatively scheduled for April, is no stranger to big tournaments. He was one of the participants in the legendary 16-slot PRIDE 2006 Open-Weight Grand Prix. The tournament widely is regarded as the greatest in MMA history.

Barnett lost to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic in the rousing finale of the grand prix, which included MMA legends such as Nogueira, Werdum and Wanderlei Silva.

But Barnett likes the upcoming Strikeforce field, which also includes Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem and Werdum, even better.

"I really think this one is more solid all around because everyone's a true heavyweight in it and everyone has quite a notable pedigree, even the newer guys," he said.

So will the winner be the world's best heavyweight?

"Absolutely," he said. "Absolutely."

In that legendary PRIDE tournament, Barnett faced Aleksander Emelianenko in May, then Mark Hunt in July, and then Nogueira and Filipovic in the same night in September. It was a grueling road to the finale, and given his energy-depleting 15-minute battle with Nogueira, Barnett was on fumes for Filipovic, who made quick work of Silva earlier in the night. Filipovic ultimately punched Barnett, who had a badly swollen face, into submission.

"I could talk about things leading into training and blah, blah, blah," he said. "You can't make excuses. 'Cro Cop,' he ran through Wanderlei. He did it because he was well prepared, and he was ready to fight. He had Wanderlei's number that night, and he made short work of him ? not because Wanderlei was not a good fighter but because 'Cro Cop' was really on. "

So when fans say Barnett is in in the easier bracket in the Strikeforce tourney (he or Rogers meets the winner of Arlovski vs. Kharitonov), he doesn't exactly protest.

"Thankfully, I finally got the easier side of things," he joked. "But honestly, I don't know. I expect nothing but the best from my opponent.

"[Rogers] certainly is dangerous. He's a big, powerful guy. He's going to be looking for any way he can exploit his strengths and big punching power.

The only potential hurdle to the matchup and the tourney is Barnett's status with the California State Athletic Commission. Barnett failed a drug test in 2009 and hasn't been able to get licensed since then. A series of miscommunications and postponements continually has delayed the hearing, which could get resolution on Feb. 4.

"There's some things I need to figure out with that with counsel and Strikeforce, and also, I need to hear something from the commission, as well, in terms of what exactly they intend to do or want," he said. "I definitely don't want to spend my time and fly up there to be ambushed."

http://mmajunkie.com/news/22049/barnett-ufc-champ-velasquez-is-good-but-strikeforce-tourney-winner-better.mma

[Rappy Veteran]

It's not just about winning the upcoming Strikeforce heavyweight tournament for Andrei Arlovski. It's about getting a little payback.

Three of the tournament's participants ? Fedor Emelianenko, Brett Rogers and Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva ? have bested Arlovski (15-8 MMA, 0-2 SF) while tamping his spot on heavyweight rankings.

So while his first task is to get past the tough Sergei Kharitonov (17-4 MMA, 0-0 SF), whom he meets Feb. 12 in the quarterfinals of the the tournament, there are a few scores he'd like to settle.

"I think it's a great opportunity for me," Arlovski told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) on Monday. "I just (need to) train hard and be focused, and don't do mistakes that I did before."

The IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., hosts the first quarterfinal event of the tournament, and Showtime airs the proceedings.

Arlovski has acknowledged several mistakes since his exit in mid-2008 from the UFC. After two impressive knockout victories over Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson, he took on the then-top-ranked Emelianenko in January 2009 and was winning the fight until he gambled with a flying knee and found himself face-first on the canvas.

He returned five months later against Rogers in a bout that could have set up a rematch with Emelianekno. Instead, Rogers knocked him out in 22 seconds with an early blitzkrieg.

Arlovski spent nearly a year on the bench before he returned against Silva and lost a unanimous decision.

Once a UFC heavyweight champion and one of the top-ranked fighters in his division, he's now battling for relevancy. And if this year's heavyweight tournament isn't his last shot at that, it's pretty darn close.

Arlovski, who spoke to MMAjunkie.com Radio from New York City during a break from publicity duties, is serious about his opportunity. He plans to take residence with renowned trainer Greg Jackson in the coming months. Jackson is well known as a turnaround artist with fighters who've hit the skids, and Arlovski previously visited the camp in October 2009. Although he ultimately was unsuccessful in breaking his losing streak in his next fight against Silva, the Belarusian said the camp was a valuable experience in sharpening his fighting tools.

This time around, he said the work with Jackson in mile-high Albuquerque, N.M., will help his endurance. He may need it if Strikeforce gets its way on the tournament format.

With the inclusion of heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem in the tournament, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker wants to even the playing field by lengthening the bouts from three three-minute rounds to five five-minute rounds. He has yet to receive approval from all of the state athletic commissions that will host the events, though he said an announcement on tournament rules will be made on Thursday.

Like the rest of the participants, Arlovski could be fighting three championship-length fights this year.

That came as a surprise to "The Pitbull."

"You're the first person who told me this," Arlovski said. "Obviously, I have to train hard if it's going to be five five-minute rounds.

"It's not really good, but I have to be ready. I have to correct my workouts. I don't think the fights are going to be five rounds. But if it's going to happen, yeah, I have to fight five rounds, and I will be ready for five rounds. So we'll see."

Arlovski has fought five five-minute rounds on one occasion: A lackluster decision loss at UFC 61 against rival Tim Sylvia that drew the ire of UFC president Dana White.

He's obviously hoping to avoid that against Kharitonov. And though the Russian doesn't hold a previous win over him, it would be a nice appetizer before he gets a crack at Emelianenko, Rogers and Silva.

"I'm one point down to Russia, and Emelianenko beat me, so I have to get a victory," he said. "It's going to be Belarus one, Russia one."

Then, it's time for the main course.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/22053/andrei-arlovski-enters-strikeforce-tourney-with-redemption-on-to-do-list.mma

[Rappy Veteran]

There are two days in Fabricio Werdum's life that stand out above all others in his mind, the Strikeforce heavyweight told MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. One is the day his daughter was born. The other? Well, you can probably guess.

June 26, 2010. That was the day Werdum submitted MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko in the first round, handing the Russian his only true loss to date in MMA competition.

Since then, Werdum told Helwani, he's watched the fight maybe 500 times, picking up on new details with each viewing. And since locking on the submission early in the fight worked so well against Emelianenko, he's now focused on doing the same thing to Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem in the upcoming Strikeforce heavyweight tournament, and he doesn't care if the Dutchman knows it or not.

"No problem. I'm confident," said Werdum, who defeated Overeem with a kimura in the opening round of the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix in 2006. "The last time I got the left, this time the right arm."

The good news for Werdum is that when he steps in the cage against Overeem he'll be pain-free for the first time in two years, thanks to a recent elbow surgery. It may have put him out of action for several months following the biggest win of his career, but he said it was worth it after delaying the surgery for so long.

"All the time I [would] say, after the [next] fight, maybe I'll go to surgery. But this fight was a good moment. It was a special fight."

What it made it so special for Werdum was Fedor himself, who Werdum expressed great admiration for.

"This victory is a special victory, because Fedor is a special guy, a tough guy," said Werdum. "I like Fedor. I like him because Fedor never talk too much before the fight, has a lot of respect for fighters. I like Fedor."

And yet, that doesn't mean Werdum wasn't just as put off as anyone else by Fedor's stoic demeanor in the cage. He described a moment early in the fight where he landed what seemed to him to be a hard punch, yet it failed to change the expression on Emelianenko's face. Even when previous opponent Brett Rogers had broken Fedor's nose, Werdum pointed out, the Russian maintained his blank expression.

"Fedor [doesn't] show nothing in the face," said Werdum. "Everybody show the expression in the face, but Fedor don't show nothing. Nothing. ...Just [a] cold face. He has a cold face."

That's why, when Werdum locked up the triangle choke and armbar combination, he at first found it a little difficult to believe that he might actually manage to pull off a submission against the man who was, at the time, widely considered to be the world's top heavyweight.

"I know I got it," Werdum said of the moment when he slapped on the submission, "but this is Fedor."

As it turned out, not even Fedor could escape Werdum's clutches that night. Once the Russian was forced to tap, then the celebration began in earnest for Werdum. And boy, did he ever celebrate.

"It's not possible [for me] to watch tequila today," Werdum joked, hinting at the lingering after-effects of his victory party in the hotel bar. "I don't like tequila no more."

Now, after half a year out of action, Werdum said he's eager to get back in the cage for his tournament bout against Overeem, which he expects will take place in April.

Naturally, Werdum sees himself emerging from one side of the bracket and into the finals. As for who he expects to face in the tournament's final fight? None other than Josh Barnett, he said, who is one of only two fighters in the tournament (along with Brett Rogers) who Werdum has yet to face in MMA competition.

As it happens, Werdum got a chance to shake hands with Barnett when they passed each other in the AOL studios on Monday afternoon, he said. His impression of the former UFC heavyweight champ?

"A little cocky."

http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/01/11/fabricio-werdum-last-time-i-got-overeems-left-arm-this-time-t/

[Rappy Veteran]

Despite the fact that most signs are pointing to the opposite, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker stands by his prediction that women's MMA superstar Gina "Conviction" Carano will be returning to the cage in 2011.

During a recent appearance on MMAFighting.com's The MMA Hour with host Ariel Helwani, Coker relayed his belief with confidence, telling Helwani, "I believe she'll be back in the cage this year."

Carano became the face of women's MMA during it's period of emergence, due both to her striking looks and legitimate skill inside the cage. A member of the crew of savages that trains out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Carano built a 7-0 record before meeting current Strikeforce featherweight queenpin Cris "Cyborg" Santos in a title fight back in August of 2009. Carano held her own against the Brazilian wrecking machine in the early going, but succumbed to "Cyborg's" overwhelming attack while still in the first round.

That TKO loss marks the last time that the viewing public has seen Carano in the cage, and Coker believes that the drive which pushed Carano to enter into MMA in the first place will lure her back into MMA competition before too long.

"From what I know of her, she is a competitor at heart; she's going to want to fight," he said. "She's not going to want to end her career the way it ended. So, I think she'll be back."

Carano has followed in Xtreme Couture founder Randy "The Natural" Couture's footsteps, having embarked on an acting career which she has parlayed into moderate mainstream success. Her most high-profile project is set to debut this year; in the Steven Soderbergh directed Haywire, Carano plays the lead character, a female spy, opposite the likes of Channing Tatum, Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas and Bill Paxton.

Despite the fact that her burgeoning acting career seems poised to take off, Coker still sees Carano's true passion being MMA competition.

"This girl's a real fighter. She's not this actress that became a fighter. She's a real fighter that became an actress," Coker asserted. "So that fight is inside her."

Haywire has finished filming and is expected to debut on April 22nd of this year.

[Rappy Veteran]

Six additional hard-hitting heavyweight fighters have been called to action to kick-off of the Strikeforce World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 12, live on Showtime (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J.

The three fights are: Undefeated top prospect Shane Del Rosario (10-0) of Irvine, Calif., vs. hard-hitting Lavar "Big" Johnson (15-3) of Madera, Calif., Chad "The Grave Digger" Griggs (9-1) of Tucson, Ariz., vs. Gian Villante (7-1) of Bellmore, N.Y., and Valentijn Overeem (28-25) of Amsterdam, Holland, vs. Ray "Sugarfoot" Sefo (2-0) of Las Vegas.

"This event will showcase the depth of talent in the Strikeforce heavyweight roster," said Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker. "Shane and Lavar are two products of the Strikeforce Challengers series that has been instrumental in developing new talent. We are proud to welcome them to our championship series for the first time on Feb. 12 and excited to show the world that Strikeforce is home to the best heavyweights on the planet."

The all heavyweight main card will be highlighted by two sensational quarterfinal bouts in the single-elimination Strikeforce World Grand Prix ? Heavyweight Tournament.

Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko (31-2, 1 NC) returns against Brazil's Antonio "Big Foot" Silva (15-2) in the main event. The co-feature will match former world champion Andrei Arlovski (15-8) against Sergei Kharitonov (16-4). Kharitonov is the last fighter to defeat Strikeforce Heavyweight World Champion Alistair Overeem.

The promising 6-foot-4, 27-year-old Rosario has won nine of his 10 fights in the opening round, including a 3:38 first-round TKO (knees and punches) over Lolohea Mahe during a Strikeforce Challengers event in his last outing on July 23, 2010, at Everett, Wash. Prior to that, Rosario registered a rare omoplata submission victory over Brandon Cash at 2:27 of the first on Nov. 6, 2009, on Strikeforce Challengers at Fresno, Calif.

"I'm looking forward to fighting again and fighting Lavar on Feb. 12," said Rosario, a Muay Thai specialist whose longest fight lasted a total of 4:07. "We've both fought on Challengers and now we get to show what we can do on a big show. I'm excited about that. This will be a great fight between two hungry fighters."

The heavy-handed Johnson has been triumphant in seven consecutive fights, winning all by (T)KO, including three straight on Challengers. This will be his third fight since returning to the cage after he was gunned down while attending a family barbeque during the July 4 holiday in 2009. Johnson survived three gunshot wounds from a walk-by shooting that led to the death of his cousin. A father of two boys, Johnson spent 30 days in a hospital fighting for his life and several more months rehabilitating.

"I want to be known as a fighter, not as a guy who got shot, and this is my greatest opportunity to do that," said the 6-foot-3, 33-year-old who stopped Virgil Zwicker at 2:17 of the first round on Oct. 22, 2010. "I feel like I'm ready to move up to the big stage. Fighting a talented fighter like Rosario is a huge step and, with our records, there is no way this cannot be one of the most exciting fights of the night."

Thirteen of Johnson's 15 victories have come via either knockout or TKO.

Griggs, a winner in four consecutive fights, is coming off a bloody, upset second-round TKO (retirement) over former pro wrestling superstar and previously unbeaten MMA fighter, Bobby Lashley, on Aug. 21, 2010, in Houston, on Showtime.

A fulltime Tucson firefighter and paramedic, the 6-foot-1, 32-year-old Griggs opened up a gushing cut over Lashley's left eye in the first round after getting taken to the ground and ultimately outlasted the previously unbeaten MMA fighter in the second as a still-bleeding Lashley seemed to gas.

The courageous, come-from-behind triumph may have been the most noteworthy for a well-rounded, strong finisher known for quick endings and tricky submissions. Six of Griggs' victories came in the first round, and he has scored knockouts in eight of his nine victories.

"It was a dream come true to fight for Strikeforce and getting a super win in a big fight like that was huge for me,'' Griggs said. "I appreciate the opportunity to show what I can do again against another tough opponent."

Villante is a 6-foot-2, 25-year-old grappling stud who was born and raised on Long Island. Before he wrestled and played football at Hofstra University, he was an All-State football player and All-American wrestler at MacArthur High in Levittown, N.Y.

After trying out with the NFL's New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles, Villante turned to MMA in late 2008. "I got hooked the first time I went to an MMA fight card and saw one of my high school wrestling coaches KO some guy in a few seconds," he said. "I was still a senior in high school but I got that feeling that I could maybe do this, and it was always in the back of my mind.

"I knew when my dream to play in the NFL ended that this was what I wanted to do. Now, fighting MMA has become more of a dream than football. I'm extremely excited about fighting for Strikeforce on Showtime. This is a tremendous opportunity and it is like a home game for me."

Without the benefit of an amateur career, Villante turned pro on Feb. 20, 2009, and won his initial six fights. His lone defeat came when he dislocated an elbow in a bout halted in the opening round on April 16, 2010. Villante is coming off a 1:03, first-round TKO over Joseph Reyes on Dec. 3, 2010. It was his sixth success in the first round.

The older brother of Alistair Overeem, Valentijn Overeem is a fierce, dangerous striker who has won his last two fights in a combined time of 47 seconds. The 6-foot-3, 34-year-old Dutch Destroyer scored a 40-second KO (knee) over Catalin Zmarandescu on May 21, 2010. In his outing before last, the previous April 17, a head kick finished off Tengiz Tedoradze seven seconds after the opening bell.

Overeem, who injured an elbow during training and withdrew from a match last Dec. 4 against "Big Foot'' Silva, has several notable victories, including a 0:56, first-round submission over all-time great Randy "The Natural" Couture and a 2:19, first-round submission over former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral. Overeem has only gone the distance twice in a 53-fight career.

A member of Team Golden Glory like his brother, Alistair, Valentijn is a four-time winner in PRIDE Fighting Championship competition. He'll be making his debut for Strikeforce after signing with the San Jose, Calif.-based promotion last June.

Sefo is one of the most devastating knockout artists in the history of kickboxing and many are excited to see him return to Strikeforce. This will be the native of Auckland, New Zealand's first MMA start since he defeated (knee injury) Kevin Jordan in his Strikeforce debut during a Challengers event on Sept. 25, 2009.

After turning professional and earning more than a dozen kickboxing championships, Sefo turned his focus to the mecca of kickboxing, K-1, in Japan. While competing under the K-1 banner, Sefo quickly earned a reputation as a power puncher with a penchant for knocking his opponents out. During his time with in K-1, Sefo notched wins over the likes of MMA notables Mark Hunt, Melvin Manhoef, 7-foot-2 Hong Man Choi, Gary Goodridge, Marvin Eastman and Gilbert Yvel along with scores of champion kickboxers.

The 6-foot, 39-year-old Sefo's level of kickboxing is rarely seen in MMA, yet with just two pro MMA fights in five years he remains a question mark in a heavyweight division regarded as the best in MMA. Sefo, who went undefeated his entire career as an amateur kickboxer, won his MMA debut with a second-round KO (head kick) over Min Soo Kim on July, 6, 2005, in Japan.

Tickets for the Feb. 12 event go on sale to the public on Friday, Jan. 14, at 10 a.m. ET at the IZOD Center box office, online at Ticketmaster.com and Strikeforce.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000.

[TheElite]

It's turning out to be a bad-ass event.

[D. S. Veteran]

Coker is drinking too much of his own Kool-Aid. Gina Carano has launched a movie career (sucessful or not). Why would she go back to Strikeforce paydays and getting smashed in the face by another woman.

[D. S. Veteran]

The HW tournament is already going down the drain and it hasn't begun yet. The title will not be on the line in any fight, even if Overeem ends up fighting in the final. LOL? Seriously? Wasn't this tournament supposed to add some legitemacy to a belt that is defended once a year against guys coming in from loses?

[Rappy Veteran]

MMAFighting.com is reporting that Strikeforce has lined up the first contender to Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante's light heavyweight strap; PRIDE FC and UFC veteran Dan Henderson will step into the cage against "Feijao," for the Black House team member's first belt defense since winning the title from Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal.

The man whose nickname means "Beans" defeated Lawal by third round TKO this past August to capture the Strikeforce light heavyweight belt, which has changed hands twice in as many title fights. Cavalcante defeated Aaron Rosa and Antwain Britt by TKO and KO, respectively, to earn the shot. A training partner to Anderson Silva, Junior dos Santos, Jose Aldo Lyoto Machida and the Nogueira brothers (to name a few), Cavalcante has built up a 10-2 record comprised of nine TKO or KO wins, one submission victory, a TKO loss and a loss by disqualification. His last loss came via TKO to Mike Kyle on a 2009 Strikeforce card.

MMA legend and founding member of Team Quest, Dan Henderson recently rebounded from a rocky start in the Strikeforce promotion (he lost in his debut to then-middleweight champion Jake Shields) by taking out respected fellow veteran Renato "Babalu" Sobral by knockout in the first round of December's Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu 2 event. With a record of 26-8, Henderson's record reads like a who's who list of MMA notables, with fights against both Nogueira brothers, Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin, Renzo Gracie, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, and more legitimizing his position as one of the sport's most decorated veterans.

Though not yet officially announced, Cavalcante and Henderson will likely meet on a March 5th Strikeforce card, which is expected to take place at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

http://www.fightline.com/fl/news/2011/0112/535496/dan-henderson/

[D. S. Veteran]

Well, acording to Marcus Davis, it seems that Strikeforce won't pick up UFC fighters coming in from a loss. I understand it from the business point of things, they want to distance themselves from being the UFC's dumpster but on the other hand, it seriously limits their options in terms of talent since the UFC is only cutting people after losses. I becomes even more baffling when we take into consideration that Strikeforce has almost no decent prospects in the divisions that the UFC is cutting more fighters like LW.

Is this (another) shot in the foot for them?

[Anibal P]

Well, acording to Marcus Davis, it seems that Strikeforce won't pick up UFC fighters coming in from a loss. I understand it from the business point of things, they want to distance themselves from being the UFC's dumpster but on the other hand, it seriously limits their options in terms of talent since the UFC is only cutting people after losses. I becomes even more baffling when we take into consideration that Strikeforce has almost no decent prospects in the divisions that the UFC is cutting more fighters like LW.

Is this (another) shot in the foot for them?

Depends on what they have up and coming for them, they might want to try and bank on newer relatively unknown fighters than use cut fighters on a loosing streak from the UFC, will it work? Maybe, all depends on how big a name a newer fighter can take out if that's what they are going for.

[Rappy Veteran]

Gina's back in training :D

[D. S. Veteran]

She needs it. She looks fatty, fat, fat :shiftyninja:

[D. S. Veteran]

Kenny Florian is going to fight Diego Nunes at FW at UFC 131. Don't know if the cut will be too much for him and will leave him drained. Nunes is a Top 10 FW and means business.

[Rappy Veteran]

Kansas City, KS ? Former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Bobby Lashley has signed to headline Titan Fighting Championship 17 (www.TitanFighting.com), set for Friday, March 25 at the Historic Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas.

Titan Fighting CEO Joe Kelly made the news official late Thursday night.

Lashley will be competing for the first time since a Strikeforce event on August 21, 2010. His return to the cage on March 25 will come against M-1 Challenge veteran James Jack, who is 6-2-1 (according to MixedMartialArts.com).

Titan Fighting Championship 17 will be televised live nationally on HDNet (www.HDNet.com) for the second consecutive show and the Lashley vs. Jack main event joins the previously announced bout between Phil Baroni and Nick Nolte as the first two contests officially announced for the telecast.

?We received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from the MMA community following our HDNet debut on January 28,? Kelly began. ?A lot of unique opportunities have presented themselves to Titan since the show and working with Bobby Lashley was one of them. We are really excited to be working with Bobby as he continues his pursuit of MMA greatness.?

Lashley?s March 25 main event bout vs. Jack will mark the first time he has competed in a mixed martial arts bout near his original home. Currently fighting out of Denver, Colorado, Lashley was born in Junction City, Kansas, where his parents still reside. He also attended Missouri Valley College, where he would go on to claim three national college amateur wrestling championships.

?There?s a group of regular Titan fans that I communicate with on a regular basis. They serve as a focus group for the promotion, as I bounce ideas off of them and gauge their reaction. When I floated the idea of Bobby fighting on the card, the response was incredible,? said Kelly.

After college, Lashley joined the Army, where he continued to wrestle and even began to pursue a spot on the U.S. Olympic team until a knee injury sustained during a bank robbery while present at the bank as an innocent bystander ended his dreams of Olympic gold.

A two-time ECW world champion and former U.S. champion during his professional wrestling career with the WWE, Lashley began his MMA career with a successful 5-0 record. He was dealt a setback in his last fight when he suffered a second round upset defeat to Chad Griggs in Houston.

[D. S. Veteran]

Titan FC is quickly becoming the promotion for freak fights, surpassing Moosin.

[D. S. Veteran]

Miesha Tate was forced to drop out of her title bout with Marloes Coenen due to injury. Following the SF Bizarro Rules of MMA Title Contention, the title shot goes not to Hitomi Akano who lost the final do the WW tournament to Miesha but to Liz Carmouche who is 6-0 by SF and 5-0 for Strikeforce and no one ever heard of her before. Yay. I hope she beats Coenen and immediately vacates the title to go up a weight class to fight Cyborg.

[mikebiacsi]

Paul Daley failed to make the welterweight limit for a British Association of Mixed Martial Arts championship bout versus Yuya Shirai in Manchester, England, prompting the promotion to change Saturday evening's headliner at MEN Arena to a three-round non-title affair.

Source

[TheElite]

Daley is a fool for not making weight.

[D. S. Veteran]

It's the 5th time he hasn't made weight. It's not like it's a new style for him. Will put a dent, albeit small, in chances of being picked up by SF to fight (and obviously lose) to Nick Diaz. If he missed weight, the title wouldn't be on the line and there would be no point (even less) to the match.

[Rappy Veteran]

BAMMA is a bit poor, good to see Ken Shamrock again though :p

[D. S. Veteran]

James McSweeney lost. He should get himself checked out by a neurologist because he's becoming even more retarded. How does a guy with a 41-7-1 record in HW Kickboxing loses the ability to throw a good punch or kick like that?

On the other hand after seeing the UFC video you posted, it seems that Matt Mitrione played to TV game perfectly in TUF 10 since now he's doing lot's of promo work for the UFC and is 4-0 and fighting in the main cards while Jon Madsen is 6-0 but since he didn't have a very good TV personality (except for bleed Abe Wagner dry) doesn't leave the undercard, not even in a fight night event.

Kudos do him. Make him fight Pat Barry next please.

[D. S. Veteran]

Acording to CagePotato, Gerald Harris lost his first fight post-UFC. Kind of puts an end to the all Twitter thing to bring him back to the UFC. Dana White must be some kind of wizard to cut a guy that is 3-1 in the UFC and end up being a relatively good decision.

[D. S. Veteran]

If one needed any evidence that 1) Strikeforce doesn't know how to bring up prospects and 2) M-1 Global is pulling the strings to get Fedor back into the HW Gran Prix (that has had it's second leg delayed due to very obvious circunstances), Chad Griggs, the man who killed their golden goose Bobby Lashley, was offered a bout at Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson with either Valentijn Overeem (who's also on reserve) or Daniel Cormier (who is 7-0, trains with Cain Velasquez and should probably jump ship to the UFC as soon as possible).

It's almost like they're trying to weed out their reserves for the HW GP in order for someone (FEDOR!) to move in when the inevitable lesion occurs :shifty:

In other news, Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson is this weekend and will probably be crap. No Miesha Tate pounding some other girl out so... does anyone have any idea who Liz Carmouche is?

[Rappy Veteran]

Sources close to Strikeforce Women's Middleweight Champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos indicate the Brazilian mixed martial artist is in negotiations with World Wrestling Entertainment.

Two weeks ago, Cristiane attended a WWE live event in California with her husband, Strikeforce fighter Evangelista Santos. She was offered a contract on the spot.

Christiane has not been offered a fight since her June 26, 2010 bout against Jan Finney. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker declined to comment on the matter, but it is largely assumed the promotion has been unable to find any willing participants over the course of the past nine months. For those who don't follow MMA, she is a huge name in the MMA world.

Santos fought Gina Carano on August 15, 2009 at Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg for the Women's Middleweight Championship (145 lbs). Santos won via TKO at 4:59 of the 5:00 first round. For those who have never seen her before, you can click here to view photos of 'Cyborg'. She's not your 'typical' WWE Diva.