by Adam Lawman

Today there was a very puzzling piece posted on BloodyElbow.com by founding editor Kid Nate. He questions that if Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard and BJ Penn are the best at 155lbs in the UFC, then they may not have the best lightweights in the world. His reasoning is that since Edgar beat Penn and in turn Maynard got the best of Edgar, that the UFC’s carousel of talent takes away from their overall success. He mentions that the UFC has 6 of the top 10 lightweights (per the rankings outlet of which they are a part of) but that the 3rd, 5th, 6th and 8th best are all outside the Zuffa owned fight organization. While I see where he is coming from, I have to disagree wholeheartedly. Sorry, Nate.

First off, the fact that there is beautiful parity between the top fighters in the UFC should not take away from their overall ranking, but actually prove that all of these men spoken of are excellent mixed martial artists and since they perform under the same roof, increase the value of the UFC. It shows that each has specific talents where they may have an edge and that there is no formula per se that number 1 will beat numbers 2 and 3 and so on, but instead that the number 3 guy may match up against a higher ranked foe in better ways.

Secondly, the four fighters in their top 10 that aren’t in the UFC are Gilbert Melendez, Shinya Aoki, Eddie Alvarez and Tatsuya Kawajiri. While they are all good, they have done the same cancelling each other out bit that he uses as one of his points to this theory. Melendez beat Aoki but Aoki has defeated both Alvarez and Kawajiri so the parity is just the same. Also, none of these fighters compete in the same organization. Melendez is a Strikeforce fighter, Alvarez works for Bellator, Aoki and Kawajiri belong to DREAM but they can perform in Strikeforce as well. So if not the UFC then who?

I think I see Nate’s logic but it would be better portrayed as there are some other world class fighters that need to join the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Melendez has been vocal about the fact that the UFC is the top of the food chain and will most definitely make a change in employers in some time. He gets it. The UFC is MMA at it’s finest.

So in summary, there are a lot of amazing fighters and great organizations in our sport however nothing, at any weight class, can compete with the UFC.

Strikeforce has issued a press release announcing that Nick Diaz will indeed defend his Strikeforce welterweight title in a rematch with KJ Noons at the October 9th event that will take place in San Jose, CA.

Yesterday, in the ”Strikeforce Insider” newsletter, the company accidentally listed “Diaz vs Noons” on the ticket information for the event so this isn’t a huge surprise, but many people had more desire to see Diaz and Jason Miller settle their unfinished business instead.

Diaz and Noons have some friction themselves spawning from when they squared off in Elite XC previously, but it’s been so long that most fans don’t remember or, frankly, don’t care.

The reason for Diaz/Noons II instead of Diaz/Miller is said to be due to Diaz not being able to add extra weight since it is currently triathlon season. It’s a legit excuse but still disappointing that a highly anticipated fight for his employer had to be placed on the back burner because of it.

Still, Diaz/Noons II should be a hell of a fight itself and should provide viewers with an all out war similar to Jung vs Garcia from the WEC.

The event takes place on October 9th at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, CA.

Other fights that night include:

Sarah Kaufman vs Marloes Coenen (for Strikeforce Women’s 135 lb Championship)

and

Matt Lindland vs Luke Rockhold

by Adam Lawman

Yeah….So that happened last night.

There was a lot to love about Strikeforce: Houston but there was also quite a bit to loathe. For every stunning KO and takedown there was a referee issue or something else to counter the excitement. Overall, the event was a gambler’s dream with many underdogs finding their way to the win column, including the first fight of the night (and biggest upset) which saw Chad Griggs work through 16 months of ring rust to defeat the over-hyped Bobby Lashley.

Griggs looked a little rough at first and Lashley seemed to be able to take him down pretty easily, but once on the ground Lashley went blank and wasn’t able to cause much damage and never once looked for a submission. Instead, he played the positional control game, trying to nullify his opponent’s movement rather than looking for a finish. This worked for only a while before Lashley became tired and started huffing and puffing. Griggs actually worked his way back up a few times and started to expect Lashley to shoot and used uppercuts to counter the wrestler. One such strike opened a decent gash under Lashley’s left eye which introduced the former TNA star to real pain very quickly. Lashley was able to battle through and even got another takedown however referre Jon Schorle decided to stand up the fighters as Lashley was in mount. I’m not sure if it was the cut he was checking on or if he really doesn’t get MMA, but nonetheless it changed the pace of the fight. Lashley, whom had gassed a la Shane Carwin, looked zombified and stiff which lead to him getting rocked on his next takedown attempt. Griggs took advantage of the situation and pummelled Lashley until the end of the second round. That round would be the last as Lashley waved off the third due to exhaustion and the beating his cranium took.

First thing’s first, Jon Schorle is a horrible referee. The stand up he called for when Lashley had mount was downright ridiculous. That type of handling of a fight is a major disruption to the legitimacy of the competition and has no place at any level of the sport. It’s disgusting to see so many referees whom are ignorant about the fights, specifically the intricacies of positioning and technique on the ground.

Secondly, Lashley is obviously not ready for the big time. In fact, he may not be cut out for MMA. Granted, he showed toughness to persevere as long as he did but you could see was giving up on himself mid-fight. He has a lot of work to do if he wants to gain credibility and have a shot in this sport. It could happen with a rededicated focus on his career, but the question is if he’s really committed to doing that.

On to fight number two: KJ Noons and Jorge Gurgel. I was so surprised when Gurgel decided to stand rather than use his BJJ skills (caution: the previous sentence contains sarcasm). Noons looked cautious to begin and Gurgel took advantage gaining an early lead in the striking department. Noons soon started answering and countered beautifully, specifically at the end of round one when he knocked Gurgel out cold. The strike was thrown right at the bell and Gurgel used the time in between rounds to collect his consciousness. He wouldn’t regain it long before Noons went on the attack again and KO’d Gurgel for the second time in the fight. However, that wasn’t enough for the referee. Gurgel out of survival instincts grabbed Noons leg and received a few more blows to the head, including an illegal kick, before the official decided that maybe the fight should be over. The kick would not lead to disqualication though, based on the fact that the fight was being called off before Noons connected. Overall, Noons looked much better than Gurgel and deserved the victory.

Next up for Noons could be a grudge match waiting in the welterweight division. Strikeforce has confirmed that Nick Diaz will headline the October 9th card and rumors are circling that a rematch with KJ Noons is likely however the bout is not yet official. I’d love to see that over any other option but if something falls through, then let’s see Noons take on Lyle Beerbohm or Josh Thomson for lightweight number one contention.

Next up was the middleweight championship between Tim Kennedy and Jacare Souza. Jacare’s stand up game was much improved and he used it instead of his incredible BJJ skills to beat Kennedy. Jacare was quicker and had better technique which allowed for more effective strikes even though Kennedy kept close in pace regarding  punches thrown and landed. Kennedy did win the takedown battle, earning 2 for himself and not allowing Jacare to score any for 25 minutes. But in the end, it just wasn’t enough to outpoint Jacare Souza, who became the new Strikeforce 185 lbs champion.

I’d like to see Kennedy enter the proposed middleweight tournament, whenever it happens, if he is healthy enough. He showed that he was able to hold his own and deserves to compete against the other contenders in the division.

In the main event of the night, “King Mo” Lawal had his recently earned title as Strikeforce’s light heavyweight champ  on the line against Team Black House member and Anderson Silva training partner Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante. Most fans and critics chose Lawal to win easily, some choosing a stoppage but most were sure he’d at least dominate through a decision. That wasn’t how life played out though. Feijao looked crisp in his striking, a newly renovated area of his game. Lawal was able to slam his opponent twice but never used his wrestling as he should have. Instead, Mo looked to trade punches with Feijao who, in the third round, dazed Lawal before kneeing him in the clinch. Feijao then followed the falling champ and caught him with a hook which dropped the former Oklahoma State wrestler. Lawal clutched Feijao’s leg but was beaten until a technical knockout was called due to the amount of unanswered blows.

Lawal, even as a champion, was still very much untested. He went through Mike Whitehead and Gegard Mousasi on his way to the title, but I wouldn’t consider either in the top 10. Feijao whom lost via TKO to Mike Kyle just last summer, may not have the greatest credibility as a champion himself, but there is no discrediting the victory he earned in Houston.

The next likely direction for the 205 lbs belt seems to be targeted on a rematch of Feijao and Mike Kyle which speaks on so many levels about the talent gap between Strikeforce’s light heavyweight fighters and those employed by the UFC.

After Saturday night, Strikeforce has some work cut out for selling their bigger name fighters. Lashley was seen as a possible contender by the less experienced fans but it is now obvious he is not; nor is he even near that level. Lawal on the other hand, is still a very talented fighter, just inexperienced. “King Mo” can get back atop the division and still be a top tier fighter but he has some blatant weaknesses he needs to address.

While the show was mostly fun for the fans, I’m sure Scott Coker and company are pretty dumbstruck about how their money makers like Fedor, Lashley and Mo have all lost recently. The parity is great for the sport but maybe not so good for Strikeforce as a business.

(Photo by Esther Lin for Strikeforce / Showtime)

by Adam Lawman

Strikeforce sets up shop in Houston, Texas tonight for their next offering of MMA which features two title fights and four bouts total. New light heavyweight champion “King Mo” Lawal defends his belt for the first time since winning the strap as he faces Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante in the main event of the evening. Other action in the cage includes the battle for the middleweight championship between rising star and former soldier Tim Kennedy when he meets BJJ phenom Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Also in action is KJ Noons as he makes his Strikeforce return just 2 months after his last fight. He’ll be meeting Jorge Gurgel in a lightweight match up that should most definitely be the fight of the night. Finally, the infamous Bobby Lashley will meet another hand picked opponent, this one is named Chad Griggs.

Alright, here’s my look into the crystal ball:

“King Mo” Lawal (C) vs Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante, for Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship

Lawal is a damn good wrestler who is doing well in transitioning to MMA however he is still very much untested. His decision win over Gegard Mousasi was a solid victory but an All-American wrestler dominating someone with NO takedown defense is not a huge surprise. “Feijao” is not a top-tier MMA fighter  by any means so Mo won’t get too much of a challenge and will most likely pick up an easy decision victory. Strikeforce needs to pit the “King” against someone like Dan Henderson to build up more credibility. “KING MO” VIA DECISION

Tim Kennedy vs Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, for vacant Strikeforce Middleweight Championship

Kennedy is a well-rounded fighter with good hands and a solid ground game. He’ll need the latter because “Jacare” is a BJJ assassin and very dangerous. While Souza’s hands have been improving, he didn’t look too comfortable in his last fight against Joey Villasenor. A key to the fight for Kennedy will be to put the pressure on early and look for a quick TKO win, otherwise if he gives “Jacare” time to work, it could be a very painful night for one of Kennedy’s joints. I think Kennedy has worked enough to progress his game and should pull out a quick TKO win and will be named the new Strikeforce middleweight champion. KENNEDY VIA TKO, RD 1.

KJ Noons vs Jorge Gurgel

This one is going to be fun! Gurgel has an advantage on the ground but he usually forgets about that and focuses on making exciting fights by standing up with his opponents. Noons will be very pleased with that choice and will take the opportunity to put on a free boxing seminar for Showtime viewers as he beats down Gurgel. Look for a stoppage in round 2 and for Noons to contend for the lightweight title very soon. NOONS VIA TKO, RD 2.

Bobby Lashley vs Chad Griggs

Seriously? LASHLEY VIA TKO, RD 1.

Make sure you catch Sherdog’s free stream of 2 undercard fights (Andre Galvao vs Jorge Patino; Daniel Cormier vs Jason Riley) starting at 9 ET / 8 CT. Then switch over to Showtime for the main card starting at 10 ET / 9 CT.

MiddleEasy.com has the scoop:

Just hours ago, Paul Daley signed a six-fight Strikeforce contract. He will still fight at Shark Fights 13 which will go down September 11th at the Civic Center Coliseum in Amarillo, Texas (sort of a strange date to have an MMA event). His first opponent will be Evangelista Cyborg which denotes that he will still be competing at welterweight.

Paul Daley seems extraordinarily happy with the financial package that he received from Strikeforce. Not sure when Daley will debut in the organization but according to UnitedGlory.nl, he will also be competing in a welterweight tournament (along with Shinya Aoki) which will kick off October 16th and wrap-up April 2011. Of course, all of this really means that we may see some of the greatest smack-talk in the history of MMA if Paul Daley vs. Nick Diaz goes down.

Prior to this, Daley had competed in several different organizations such as Cage Rage, the MFC, EliteXC and even Strikeforce before making his way to the UFC where he scored 2 KO victories before losing to Josh Koscheck. After the loss, Daley notoriously tried to sucker-punch Koscheck before he was restrained by referee Dan Miragliotta. The mistake ended up costing “Semtex” his UFC career, possibly forever. He last competed against Daniel Acacio for Impact FC, winning by submission.

Daley has another chance to show off his skills and earn back respect as he looks to meet Nick Diaz someday for the Strikeforce welterweight championship. However, that may be looking too far ahead because Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos is no joke since moving to 170lbs. All in all, Daley’s signing should make for some fun fights for Strikeforce.

There is no set date for Daley’s Strikeforce debut however we will keep you updated when more information is available.

UPDATE: USA Today’s MMA man Sergio Non says on his Twitter account that the deal is not yet finalized, however it should be by Monday or Tuesday.

Strikeforce has officially announced the signing of Ryan Couture, son of UFC hall of famer Randy Couture, who will compete on the Strikeforce Challengers card in Phoenix next month. He and his opponent, Lucas Stark, will both be making their professional MMA debuts.

Ryan Couture (amateur: 5-1-1) has previously fought with the amateur MMA promotion Tuff-N-Uff, based out of Las Vegas. His most recent fight with them, his last amateur bout, proved to be filled with controversy when the young star was choked into unconsciousness by his opponent Sean Bollinger, yet Couture still managed to avoid a loss and pick up a draw.

Regardless of what happened at Tuff-N-Uff, it’s still safe to say that Ryan Couture is a very talented upcoming fighter and has priceless name value based on his bloodline.

Strikeforce Challengers 10 takes place in Phoenix, Arizona on August 13th from the Dodge Theatre and will air live on Showtime.

Click here to see highlights of the March 26th Tuff-N-Uff show (Couture’s last amateur fight) as covered by MMAPrime.TV

Jake Shields officially signed with the UFC today, in a move that most MMA observers saw from a mile away. He has agreed to cut back down to welterweight (170 lbs.) after suggestions from UFC officials. Shields’ will set his target for a journey towards current UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, but first in his path will be Martin Kampmann at UFC 121 in Anaheim, California.

Shields was released by Strikeforce just weeks ago, making him available to finalize his UFC contract sooner than later and allowing for Strikeforce themselves to save some cash as well. Shields, one of Strikeforce’s biggest stars, was swayed mostly by the UFC’s ability to produce better competition, however Strikeforce’s failure to successfully promote him definitely factored into the equation.

Shields will be immediately tested in his debut when he takes on Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann. The Dutch striker has 17 wins with only 3 losses and just recently dominated former top 10 welterweight Paulo Thiago at UFC 115. Shields (25-4) is on a truly incredible 14 fight win streak himself, in which time he has defeated the likes of Dan Henderson, Jason Miller, Robbie Lawler, Paul Daley, Carlos Condit, Yushin Okami, Toby Imada and more.

The UFC is doing their best at building the hype for the possible superfight of Jake Shields and GSP by promoting Shields on the same card as their biggest attraction – Brock Lesnar.  A win over Kampmann would be a hard earned victory for Shields and another step towards solidifying himself as one of the pound for pound best.

by Adam Lawman

Loretta Hunt of Sherdog.com breaks the news:

Strikeforce released its middleweight champion, Jake Shields, from his contract with the organization on Wednesday, according to an industry source with direct knowledge of the negotiations.

The 31-year-old Shields had been in a final-phase “matching period” of his recently completed contract with the San Jose, Calif.-based promotion, which allowed him to receive bids from other organizations, including the UFC, that Strikeforce could review and match in order to keep his services. However, the source said Strikeforce waived that contractual right in its final 2-3 weeks and opted to release the Cesar Gracie fighter altogether before the period expired.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed to Sherdog.com that the promotion informed Jack Shields, the fighter’s manager and father, of the release on Wednesday. Coker would not comment further on the decision.

This is big. We all knew it was going to happen, but now it’s reality. This is the worst week for Strikeforce as their top fighter, the seemingly unbeatable Fedor Emelianenko just lost to Fabricio Werdum and now they lose their middleweight champion as well.

Who does Shields want to fight first? Here’s Loretta Hunt with the answer:

Shields said his son would like to debut as a UFC middleweight, possibly against champion Anderson Silva, as welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre will be tied up with “The Ultimate Fighter” reality TV series and a pending bout with rival coach Josh Koscheck later this year.

Many may just write off Shields against Silva however you have to give him a chance since he is one of the top 10 pound for pound fighters in the world. A lot of people picked Dan Henderson to dominate him but it was Shields who schooled Henderson instead.

Welcome to the UFC, Jake!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Cris Cyborg mauled Jan Finney last night… and without a doubt, Jan deserves some credit for toughing it out, despite having punches, kicks and knees raining down on her almost non-stop. I dont believe that there is a female middleweight that can beat Cyborg at this point. I’ve heard people mention that Cyborg should be fighting men from now on, because it’s just no competition with the females anymore; it’s predictable that Cyborg is going to win whatever fight she’s in.  Dana White really ought to consider allowing females to fight in the UFC, because Cyborg appears to have outgrown her competition in Strikeforce. There are a few other females that I’m sure could do quite well in the UFC… maybe sometime in the next few years we’ll see females fighting in the UFC… maybe… because until there is a tougher field for Cris Cyborg, she’s gonna be unstoppable.