]]> http://ruthlessinternational.com/thrill-of-the-chase-motivates-henderson/feed/ 0 http://ruthlessinternational.com/strikeforce-bridgestone-arena-nashville-tenn/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=strikeforce-bridgestone-arena-nashville-tenn http://ruthlessinternational.com/strikeforce-bridgestone-arena-nashville-tenn/#comments Sat, 17 Apr 2010 21:03:18 +0000 brandon https://ruthlessinternational.com/?p=1938

By Dave Meltzer, Yahoo! Sports
Apr 16, 3:05 pm EDT

Jake Shields is holding a lottery ticket, waiting to cash in on 4-to-1 odds. While he may not be cashing in right away, he’ll know by Saturday night if he hit the jackpot. Shields (24-4-1), in the biggest fight of his life, defends the Strikeforce middleweight title against Dan Henderson (25-7) in the main event of a show airing live on CBS from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. While champion, he’s the heavy underdog against his better-known opponent, who has been a major star in the sport for more than a decade.

But should he win, his timing couldn’t be better. Shields’ contract with Strikeforce is near its end. Technically, he still has one fight left after Saturday, but Shields says he has no championship clause like those in UFC deals, where the contract extends as long as you hold a championship. But he noted that the contract is running low on time, and that it’s doubtful he’ll get that last fight in before it runs out. At that point, he’ll be a free agent. With UFC aggressively attempting to counter Strikeforce, and with a win over Henderson in a CBS main event on his resume, Shields couldn’t be in a better place at a more perfect time. Signing up a champion coming off a win over an established star on CBS would be lure enough, but with Shields, a win over Henderson would make him the most attractive potential opponent for UFC’s most popular fighter, Georges St. Pierre. Should Shields win, Strikeforce won’t want to lose him. UFC won’t want Strikeforce to keep him. And even though he’s middleweight champion, he still considers himself more of a welterweight, where he has spent the bulk of his career. St. Pierre is running low on fresh opponents. And it’s a match Shields has wanted for years. St. Pierre, for his part, stirred the pot by stating last year that he thinks Shields is a better submission grappler than he is, and that’s saying something because St. Pierre and Shields both have similar styles, where both usually try to take fights to the ground. “I’m really happy with Strikeforce,” Shields said when talking about his unique situation. “People say I’m going to UFC. I’m not saying that. It’s not necessarily the case. I haven’t said for sure where I’m going. I’m fighting in the main event on CBS, so I’m not in any hurry to jump and run away.” He’s actually right now trying to avoid thinking about that question, but is well aware with a win, and for that matter, even with an impressive showing in a loss, at 31, it could be the biggest decision of his career. “I’m trying to get through this fight and then we’ll start talking from there,” he said. “Even if I did leave, I’m a big Strikeforce fan and would like them to be successful.” But there are options on the other side as well. “I’ve been wanting to fight Georges for a couple of years.” It’s Shields third time on CBS, but first as a main eventer. He’s had good luck so far. He’s had two matches and two title wins. On July 26, 2008, he became the Elite XC welterweight champion by using a guillotine to finish Nick Thompson in just 1:03. In his last outing, on November 7, 2009, he became the Strikeforce middleweight champion, after Cung Le vacated the title, winning a five-round decision over Jason “Mayhem” Miller. While the Miller win was far from the most spectacular fight of his career, it taught him what it was like to go five rounds in competition. “It may have given me a small benefit because it’s the first time I went five rounds, so I know I can do it,” Shields said. “Dan’s already done it.” Shields knows the value of the exposure of being on CBS from his previous fights. But this time there is more spotlight on him because his fight is going to carry the show. There’s also more pressure, as he and Henderson have to draw a rating, and it’s important they have an entertaining fight. At first, he said he was bothered at so much of the emphasis being on Henderson, since he’s the one with the belt. “At first they pushed Henderson a lot more, which was irritating being the champion, but he is more famous,” said Shields. “I have no problem with him getting more promos.” Henderson himself talked of wanting to make sure Shields doesn’t spend the fight “humping” on the ground and said it was important to grow the sport to have an exciting fight. But Henderson also noted, once the cage door shuts, he is only thinking of winning, not trying to entertain the fans. Shields says his camp gives him a mental edge, because of their training philosophy. The camp includes three Strikeforce champions, Gilbert Melendez, the lightweight champion, who defends against Shinya Aoki, and Nick Diaz, the welterweight champion, who fights in Japan at the end of May. “We all train really hard together,” he said. “We are very serious. I’ve been at other camps and I don’t see other camps training as hard as we do.” Even though Shields is riding a 13-fight winning streak, his last loss coming in 2004, he’s a heavy underdog for a couple of reasons. He’s never faced someone with Henderson’s reputation. His quality of opposition can’t match the type of people Henderson has been in with, so he hasn’t had the kind of tests under fire. And because, in a rarity, Henderson, usually the smaller man in most of his fights, is the physically bigger guy against someone who still thinks of himself as a welterweight. Shields would still be fighting welterweight, except he was put in a catch-weight fight with Robbie Lawler in a Showtime main event last summer. The idea behind the fight was matching champions of the defunct Elite XC in two different weight classes as something different to headline a Showtime card. Lawler was the favorite, and in some ways, the style match-up on that one was similar to this. The odds favored Lawler, figuring he was too big and had enough takedown defense to keep it standing, and Shields couldn’t match his Lawler’s firepower. The same reasons are why the odds for this fight so strongly favor Henderson. But Shields finished Lawler in only 2:02 with a guillotine, a move he got while standing. The win put him in Lawler’s former spot as the company’s star middleweight, leading to the title match on CBS. “I feel comfortable at this weight,” he said. “Weight has nothing to do with it. He may be a few pounds bigger. At most, there will be a five-pound weight difference (accounting for rehydration after Friday’s weigh-in) and that won’t be a factor in the fight.”

Roger Gracie (2-0 MMA, 0-0 SF), a 2005 ADCC champion, finally is set to make his Strikeforce debut on May 15.

Sources close to the event told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman (17-14 MMA, 0-1 SF) is the leading candidate to face the grappling ace at the as-yet-unannounced show, which is likely to be hosted by the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., and air live on Showtime.

Randleman, however, is not confirmed as an opponent, and PRIDE and UFC veteran Rameau Thierry Sokodjou (7-6 MMA, 0-1 SF) is also under consideration should the original matchup fizzle.

Gracie, a second-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu under Carlos Gracie Jr., announced he had signed with Strikeforce this past December at “Strikeforce: Evolution,” though his promotional debut was rumored and did not materialize on two fall 2009 cards.

Gracie, 32, is one of the most decorated grapplers to transition into MMA and made his fighting debut in December 2006 with a submission victory over Ron Waterman. He has appeared only once since then and posted a submission victory over Japanese veteran Yuki Kondo in May 2008 at World Victory Road’s Sengoku Second Battle.

Randleman returned to active competition in May 2008 after a year-plus layoff due to injuries and personal problems. He fell short in his two most recent appearances: a unanimous-decision loss to Mike Whitehead this past June at “Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields” and a split decision loss to Stanislav Nedkov at Sengoku 11th Battle this past November.

Sokodjou, meanwhile, is also on a two-fight slide with TKO losses to Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi (in a non-title fight) at at “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers” and Ikuhisa Minowa at “K-1 Dynamite!! 2009.”

The May 15 Strikeforce event is expected to feature the return of Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem as he takes on the hard-hitting Brett Rogers. Another heavyweight match-up pitting Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva against former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski is also expected for the card.

Gracies debut is slated for the televised portion of the May 15 event.

Former pro boxer James Toney has signed a multi-fight contract to compete in the UFC. The promotion’s president, Dana White, confirmed the signing on Wednesday with MMAFighting.com after the news was first reported by FiveOuncesofPain.com.

Details of the contract, as well as Toney’s first bout with the promotion, were not immediately available.

The 41-year-old former IBF middleweight and super middleweight champion has publicly campaigned for a shot in the Octagon since late last year. Toney attended back-to-back UFC events in November and December, and video of White and Toney in impromptu discussions even surfaced online.

In early January, White said he was cautious of the prospect of allowing a pro boxer to enter the UFC ranks.

“(Boxer) Zab (Judah’s) like, ‘Man, you need to teach these guys how to box. You need to teach them this, that, and everything,’ but these guys don’t understand,” said White. “You don’t balance your weight the same way you balance your weight in boxing. You’ll get that front leg kicked off into the eighth row somewhere if you distribute your weight the same way they do in boxing. There’s an education process there for these guys that I learned the f—ing hard way. I went in and got choked out and kicked in the leg and all the stuff that happened to me when I started.”

White said he was unsure if promoting a pro boxer would translate well into pay-per-view buys. White was also aware of the potential backlash that could come with the move.

“I got blasted this week? Let me make this fight. Then I’ll get blasted from her to– I’m the first guy out there going, ‘This is a f—ing freak show. Who would put on a fight like that?’” said White. “But I gotta tell you this. I’ve always wanted to see a guy–(Toney’s) a guy I actually respect. He’s tough as nails. He’s mean. He’s nasty. (But) he better get in shape if he wants to come in here and do this stuff.”

Toney’s flirtation in the UFC has been ongoing. In October 2006, former UFC champion Randy Couture said he was called by the promotion with a potential bout against the pro boxer that never came to fruition.

By Damon Martin/MMAWeekly.com

Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski has signed a multi-fight, 16-month deal with Strikeforce that will see the Belarus native compete for the organization in the near future. Arlovski made the announcement via his personal website on Monday. “I cannot wait to get into the ring and show the world what I have been working on the last few months,” Arlovski said on his website. Following a five-fight win streak over opponents like Roy Nelson and Ben Rothwell, Arlovski has dropped his last two fights against Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers. Since losing the fight to Rogers in June 2009, Arlovski has been absent from MMA, while still working on his stand-up skills. He recently competed in an exhibition boxing match. According to a separate report on Sherdog.com, Arlovski may make his Strikeforce return in May against American Top Team heavyweight Antonio Silva. The former heavyweight champion has also been rumored to spend part of his upcoming training camp with Greg Jackson and his team in New Mexico as well.

By Damon Martin/MMAWeekly.com

It looks like the king will get the chance to add a new jewel to his crown in April. Charismatic fighter Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has signed on to fight for the Strikeforce light heavyweight title when he faces champion Gegard Mousasi on April 17 at the promotion’s next major CBS card. The fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the situation on Monday. Since debuting in 2008, King Mo has taken the sport of MMA by storm, proclaiming he was destined for greatness and that he was happy to prove it against any and all comers. After dispatching of veterans like Travis Wiuff and Mike Whitehead, it looks like Lawal will now try to prove he’s championship material. Rapidly rising up the ranks as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, Gegard Mousasi has made everyone take notice of his considerable skills and technique as he’s gone undefeated for almost three years. After conquering the middleweight division in Dream, Mousasi decided to move up to light heavyweight. Since that time he’s beaten all of his opponents, including fighters like Renato “Babalu” Sobral and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. Recently leaving his management team of M-1, Mousasi is ready to once again prove he belongs with the best fighters in the world, and try to take some of the swagger out of the step of the always confident Lawal. The bout between Mousasi and Lawal will serve as co-main event for the upcoming Strikeforce show in April, headlined by middleweight champ Jake Shields defending his title against Dan Henderson. MMAWeekly.com will have more news on this event in the coming days.

By Dave Meltzer, Yahoo! Sports Feb 27, 4:44 am EST

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The second Strikeforce event on CBS will be held on April 17 at the Sommet Center in Nashville.

However, Fedor Emelianenko, generally considered the top heavyweight fighter both currently and of all time, will not be part of the show. He long was expected to be the headliner of the April CBS event.

M-1 Global, Emelianenko’s main promoter, held a press conference in Europe on Thursday which announced that Emelianenko (32-1, 1 no contest) would face Fabricio Werdum (13-4-1) in his next fight, in May. There has been talk of Strikeforce doing a May 15 show in St. Louis.

Emelianenko competed last weekend in a Russian sambo tournament, won by his younger brother Aleksander Emelianenko. Fedor Emelianenko withdrew after reportedly receiving a hand injury, which was believed to be not serious. He had surgery on his hand after his last fight, a win over Brett Rogers on CBS on Nov. 7.

With Emelianenko out, the April 17 show is expected to be headlined by middleweight champion Jake Shields (24-4-1) defending against Dan Henderson (25-7).

Henderson is the only man in major league MMA history to hold championships in two weight classes at the same time, while fighting for the PRIDE organization.

Coming off a season as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter reality show, and a knockout win over Michael Bisping on UFC 100, the biggest pay-per-view MMA event in history, Henderson is at the peak of his U.S. popularity.

But there is some question whether he and Shields would be able to carry a show that has to do network prime time-level ratings.

While not official, it is believed a second title match will take place on the bill with light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1) defending against Mohammed “King Mo” Lawal (6-0). Lawal, a world-class amateur wrestler, has made a great transition into MMA, but with less than a year and a half in the game would be giving up tremendous experience to the Dutch fighter working on a 15-match winning streak, with 13 finishes. Lawal, who took on the “King Mo” name in his debut in Japan, where the sport has a more theatrical tone, would be the home town favorite, having grown up in nearby Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Other names talked about for the show include Herschel Walker and Bobby Lashley, who were the two biggest draws on the Jan. 30 event on Showtime, which did the third-biggest rating for MMA in the history of the network.

Walker was at the show in San Jose, watching one of his training partners, Luke Rockhold, score an impressive win. Walker didn’t commit to if or when he would fight again, saying he was leaving it up to his coaches, Javier Mendez and Bob Cook. Cook said that Walker had not been back training in San Jose but expected he would start soon, indicating he has decided to fight again.

Walker is the key because for major network prime time, the show needs a mainstream hook. Henderson is the only one of the four headliners who would have a chance to be that draw, as Lawal and Mousasi have not yet established names past the Hardcore audience in this country. Walker, who turns 48 next week but has the body of someone 20 years younger, is significantly better known than Henderson. Even though he’s not a top-level fighter, his first fight proved to be a ratings winner and garnered a level of publicity than most Strikeforce events have been unable to get.

Lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez also talked on the Friday night show about prospective opponents Josh Thomson and Shinya Aoki. Melendez won the title from Thomson on Dec. 19 in San Jose in a five-round decision that was one of the year’s best fights. Melendez said that a third match between the two needed to be done because Thomson beat Melendez to win the title in their initial meeting. He also spoke of wanting to win the Dream lightweight title, held by Aoki, and to bring it to San Francisco.

Neither that event, nor any shows except a March 26 minor Challengers Series event in Fresno, Calif., were officially announced at the company’s Friday night event at the San Jose Civic Center. The company said it planned a major announcement for Monday.

Main Card

* Cain Velasquez def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via KO (punch) – Round 1, 2:12.
* Wanderlei Silva def. Michael Bisping via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
* George Sotiropoulos def. Joe Stevenson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
* Ryan Bader def. Keith Jardine via KO (punch) – Round 3, 2:10.
* Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic def. Anthony Perosh via TKO (doctor’s stoppage die to cut) – Round 2.

Preliminary Card

* Krzysztof Soszynski def. Stephan Bonnar via TKO (doctor’s stoppage die to cut) – Round 3.
* Chris Lytle def. Brian Foster via submission (knee bar) – Round 1.
* C.B. Dollaway def. Goran Reljic via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
* James Te Huna def. Igor Pokraja via TKO – Round 3, 3:26.

By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports

SYDNEY – Cain Velasquez passed his first major test, planting himself firmly into championship contention with a first-round stoppage of former heavyweight champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at 2:20 of the first round in UFC 110 before 17,431 at Acer Arena on Saturday (Sunday in Australia).

Velasquez landed a right hand, a left hand on top of the head and followed it with a right hook on the chin that knocked Nogueiera onto his back. Velasquez immediately pounced upon him and finished him with five punches on the ground.

Referee Herb Dean hopped in to stop it.

“I wanted to stay in good position and beat him to the punch when I could,” said Velasquez, who is now 8-0 overall and 6-0 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Velasquez, a former wrestling standout at Arizona State, could get the next shot at heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. Frank Mir and Shane Carwin will meet for the interim title at UFC 111 on March 27. If the winner is healthy enough, he’ll meet Lesnar in July or August. If not, Velasquez will get the shot. And as he proved, he’s a legitimate championship contender.

Wanderlei Silva won an emotional victory over Michael Bisping, using a late knockdown to pull out a unanimous decision victory in Silva’s debut at middleweight.

The fight was even after two rounds on all three cards and the fight hung in the balance as the clock wound down. But the former PRIDE middleweight champion landed a huge windmill overhand right that landed behind Bisping’s left ear.

Bisping went down, but there was only about six seconds left and he was unable to finish it.

The bout didn’t have the high-octane punches many expected, but was a very good technical battle. After the fight, Silva, who had plastic surgery to remove scar tissue and help open breathing passages in his nose, began to weep.

“In life, we all have bad moments,” Silva said. “Everybody has bad moments, but if you believe in God and work hard, the good moments are going to come.”

They came for Silva late in this grudge match, which featured a lot of trash talking. Bisping was animated when the decision was announced, but was gracious later.

He praised Silva as an icon of the sport. He knew, though, the final knockdown was key. “I think the reason he got the decision was the knockdown at the end,” Bisping said.

George Sotiropoulos thrilled the large crowd with a superb jiu-jitsu performance in a back-and-forth ground battle with Joe “Daddy” Stevenson.

Sotiropoulos, a native of Geelong, Australia, dominated the first round, mostly on the ground, putting Stevenson in several bad positions.

Stevenson fought back and each of the last two rounds were close, but Sotiropoulos did enough to win each of them. All three judges had it 30-27 for Sotiropoulos, as did Yahoo! Sports.

Light heavyweight Ryan Bader, the winner of Season 8 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” knocked out veteran Keith Jardine with a powerful left hook in the third round. Bader hurt Jardine with a right hand.

He tried a flying knee that only partially landed, but he followed Jardine to the cage and ripped him with a left hook. Jardine fell in a heap, his right leg behind him, and referee Josh Rosenthal quickly jumped in to stop it.

Heavyweight Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic manhandled late replacement Anthony Perosh and stopped him at the end of the second round on a bad cut. Filipovic opened the cut with an elbow while he was in Perosh’s guard. The fight was stopped between rounds.

Chris Lytle submitted Brian Foster with a knee bar at just 1:41 of the first after Foster took his back.

Krzysztof Sosyznski won by third-round technical knockout over Stephan Bonnar when a clash of heads opened a huge gash on Bonnar’s forehead. Replays showed it was clearly a head butt, but referee John Sharp ruled it a punch and so when the fight was stopped, it was recorded as a knockout.