Strikeforce Fighter James Terry Out To Prove He’s A Finisher

After having proven himself on many levels of the fight game, Cung Le student James Terry is ready to prove that he can succeed at the highest level of MMA.

After going toe-to-toe with top prospect Tarec Saffiedine and coming up just short, Terry rebounded with a win over Cesar Gracie fighter David Marshall to close out 2010.

“I think last year was really a growing period for me in my MMA career,” Terry told MMA Weekly. “I think that the Tarec loss was definitely frustrating for me, but at the same time I try to be positive about it and I grew from that fight and it helped me to establish that I’m a top-level fighter.

“The fight against David, I was able to utilize the confidence I built and my improved stand-up. I was able to showcase that in that fight.”

Terry intends to build off what he learned in those to fights to make the foundation for his 2011 campaign.

“Overall, I’m going to build more confidence and I’m really looking to be a finisher,” he stated. “I feel that I was really close to finishing a lot of fights with knockouts, but unfortunately I haven’t done that.

“I’m looking to be exciting. I want to knock people out in spectacular fashion or submit them. I want to dominate and I’m going to bring it because now is my time to be at my peak.”

Terry’s first test of the year comes this Saturday as he takes on Lucas Gamaza as part of Strikeforce’s return to San Jose, Calif.

“I think he’ll be similar to my last opponent,” said Terry of Gamaza. “Anybody from the Cesar Gracie/Nick Diaz camp is going to be tough. I’ve got nothing but respect for their camp, and I think this guy is going to want a little redemption (for David’s loss).

“I need to make this fight my fight. I’m just going to do what I want to do. I’m not going to worry too much about him or about what he’s going to do to me. I’ve got a solid game plan for this guy and I’m just going to show everybody where it’s at.”

As it currently stands, Terry is taking this fight on a one-off basis with hopes of parlaying it into another multi-fight contract. From there his goal is simple, keep busy and keep moving forward.

“I just want to fight, put on good shows for the crowd, please my coaches and just have fun,” he stated. “I thoroughly enjoy this sport. I love the build-up and the release and craziness that comes with all of it.

“I’m living in the moment and I’m thankful every day that I get to do this. Just line them up and I’ll knock them down.”

Having learned from both defeat and victory last year, Terry now seeks the kind of consistent success that will take him to the top of the welterweight division.
“I want to thank my sponsors: GFY Gear, BR Flooring, Clinch Gear, SCORE Clinic, Key Chiropractic, Solace Chiropractic and Morning Crane Healing Arts Center,” he said in closing. “Come check me out on Jan. 29 – I’m going to bring it.”

Source: mmaweekly.com

Douglas-Gonzalez Targeted for Strikeforce Challengers 14

Another matchup has surfaced for Strikeforce Challengers 14, as a lightweight scrap between David Douglas (Pictured) and Nick Gonzalez is being put together for the event on Feb. 18 at the Cedar Park Center in Austin, Texas.

Sherdog.com on Wednesday confirmed with sources close to the negotiations that while verbal agreements are in place for the bout, no contracts have yet been signed. The matchup was first reported over Twitter by MMA Supremacy.

Strikeforce Challengers 14 will be headlined by another lightweight showdown pitting the undefeated Lyle Beerbohm against Pat Healy and will also feature the return of Ryan Couture, as he takes on Lee Higgins in yet another 155-pound affair.

A Cesar Gracie product, Douglas is a veteran of both Strikeforce and the defunct EliteXC promotion. After beginning his career with a loss to former WEC featherweight title contender Jeff Curran in 2005, Douglas ran off four straight victories before running into powerful prospect Justin Wilcox in his Strikeforce debut in August 2009. After spending more than a year on the sideline, “Tarzan” returned to the cage in October, earning a technical knockout victory over Dominic Clark at Strikeforce Challengers 11. Douglas has never been to a decision and owns all five of his career victories by knockout.

Fighting out of Austin, Texas, Gonzalez will have the home-field advantage heading into the bout. A former Bellator Fighting Championships competitor, “The Ghost” has faced some stiff competition as a professional. In 2007 alone, the lightweight squared off with both UFC veteran Yves Edwards and former Strikeforce lightweight king Josh Thomson, losing both fights. Gonzalez comes into this upcoming bout riding back-to-back wins. The Alliance MMA product has finished half of his 16 career victims by either knockout or submission.

Strikeforce Challengers 14 will also likely feature a welterweight scrap between Ryan Larson and Erik Apple, as well as another 155-pound showdown between Bryan Traversand Carlo Prater. Neither bout has been officially announced by the promotion.


Source: sherdog.com

Gegard Mousasi Aiming for April Return Against Mike Kyle

Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi is hoping to return to action for the promotion in April against Mike Kyle. Mousasi informed MMA Fighting of his plans on Friday.

The 25-year-old Mousasi said that he was originally scheduled to fight Kyle on the March 5 card in Columbus, Ohio, but Kyle needs more time to heal from the injuries he sustained in his December loss to Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva.

ESPN reported on Thursday that Strikeforce is targeting April 9 as a possible date. A location has yet to be finalized.

Mousasi (30-3-1) hasn't fought for Strikeforce since he lost the 205-pound title to Muhammed Lawal in April. That loss snapped his 15-fight winning streak, which spanned four years. Since the loss to "King Mo," Mousasi has won the DREAM light heavyweight title after beating Jake O'Brien and Tatsuya Mizuno in a four-man tournament. He also defeated Kyotaro in a K-1 match at Dynamite!! 2010.

Kyle (18-8-1, 1 no contest) is 5-1 with 1 no contest in his last seven fights. He was very active in 2010, fighting six times in total. He holds wins in Strikeforce over current champion Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante and Abongo Humphrey.

Source: mmafighting.com

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva Prelims to Air Live on HDNet

Preliminary bouts on the Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva card on Feb. 12 in East Rutherford, N.J. will be televised live on HDNet.

The four undercard bouts planned for airing are Igor Gracie vs. John Salgado, John Cholish vs. Marc Stevens, Sam Oropeza vs. Don Carlo-Clauss and Anthony Leone vs. Josh LaBerge, HDNet tells MMAFighting.

HDNet will also mix up its usual broadcasting teams, placing Michael Schiavello and Bas Rutten in the booth for this event.

The HDNet broadcast of the undercard begins at 8 p.m. ET until the main card gets underway at 10 p.m. ET on Showtime. In addition, HDNet will air the weigh-ins live at 5 p.m. ET the day before the event.

The undercard will also feature Kevin Roddy vs. Jay Maclean and other bouts.


Source: mmafighting.com

Scott Coker on Strikeforce Grand Prix: “Greatest Heavyweight Tournament in the History of MMA”

The upcoming Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix may end up being the promotion’s biggest series of events to date. According to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, it is the greatest heavyweight collection in MMA history.

A few weeks back, former linear No. 1 heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko said he believes the upcoming Strikeforce tournament rivals or surpasses the Pride Fighting Championships tournament he took part in some years ago.

With fighters like Emelianenko, Fabricio Werdum, Josh Barnett and of course Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem all involved, it’s hard to argue that point.

“Pride had some amazing shows and they set the benchmark for tournaments. I know the UFC originally started back in ’93 with the tournament format, but that was a different era, a different time,” Coker said recently on MMAWeekly Radio.

“I’m not the type of guy to sit here and boasting about it, but when you look at it on paper, I think this is honestly the greatest heavyweight tournament in the history of mixed martial arts. I think there’s a good argument about that. That’s really my position on it.”

The tournament is stacked with several heavyweights in the Top 10, along with a few former Top 10 fighters as well.

One question many fans have asked about is how stacked one side of the tournament seems to be with Emelianenko, Overeem, and Werdum all sitting together. Coker believes that side of the tournament is set up for a couple of reasons.

First, the fans are guaranteed to see a fight they’ve been asking for with Overeem vs. Werdum in the first round, and second, the Strikeforce heavyweight champion flat out asked to face the Brazilian as soon as he possibly could.

“He came to me in Japan and said ‘I want fight Fabricio Werdum and I want to avenge that fight. I want to knock him out,” Coker said about Overeem.

Of course on the other side of the tournament discussion are comments from everyone including fans and media about the set up of the Grand Prix. From Overeem not defending his title to the right side of the bracket seemingly lighter on talent, Strikeforce has taken its fair share of criticism about the mega-tournament kicking off in February.

Does Strikeforce receive harsher criticism than the UFC, the biggest MMA organization in the world? Coker says he doesn’t want opinions on his promotion to be judged by anything other than the quality of the fights they’re putting on.

“This is what I say: Judge us by what’s inside the cage and we put on some amazing fights, put on some big fights, and I think the tournament’s going to be unbelievable,” said Coker. “Why be a critic? Why don’t you just sit back and enjoy it? Because it’s going to be unbelievable and you get to watch it on Showtime for free.”

Coker even talks to his good friends at the American Kickboxing Academy as they kick around the idea of who would win in a fight between Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem and UFC champion Cain Velasquez.

“I was sitting here with Javier Mendes and Bob Cook going ‘you know, if Fedor would take Cain and Alistair would take it to Cain’ and we had this big debate about AKA vs. Strikeforce,” Coker commented.

Fans may not get to see those particular match-ups, but they will see a lot of other great fights at the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix kicks off Feb. 12 in New Jersey.

Source: mmaweekly.com

Strikeforce Challengers 14 adds Prater vs. Travers, Apple vs. Larson

Former WEC title challenger Carlo Prater (25-10-1 MMA, 0-0 SF) meets Bryan Travers (14-2 MMA, 0-1 SF), and Erik Apple (10-2 MMA, 0-1 SF) takes on fellow welterweight Ryan Larson (5-2 MMA, 0-0 SF) at next month's Strikeforce Challengers 14 event.

Featuring a lightweight main event between unbeaten Lyle Beerbohm and Pat Healy, Strikeforce Challengers 14 takes place Feb. 18 at Cedar Park Center in Cedar Park, Texas.

Prater vs. Travers and Apple vs. Larson are expected to be part of the main card, which airs live on Showtime.

Prater, who was once one of the welterweight division's most promising fighter, has lost four of his past five fights in a variety of organization. Back in September, he competed in Shine Fights' single-night lightweight grand prix. Although he lost to Rich Crunkilton via split decision in the opening round, he replaced the fighter in the semis due to an injury. Prater then scored a majority-decision victory over Charlie Brown and advanced to the finale, where he suffered a submission loss to eventual tourney winner Drew Fickett.

He now meets Travers, a longtime Gladiator Challenge fighter who debuted with Strikeforce in May. At Strikeforce Challengers 8, he suffered a decision loss to Pat Healy. It remains the only loss of his past eight fights, which included a Palace Fighting Championships victory over UFC and IFL vet John Gunderson.

Apple, meanwhile, has dropped two of his past three fights, though he hasn't compete professionally since a November 2009 TKO loss to Bobby Voelker at Strikeforce Challenger 5. The other loss came to notable Brock Larson at WEC 26.

Ryan Larson, his upcoming opponent, makes his Strikeforce debut after competing in Texas-based promotions, where he won five of his first six fights before a recent August loss to Derrick Krantz (9-2). Larson's past four wins all have come via first-round submission.


Source: mmajunkie.com

Strikeforce in Discussions to Bring One Leg of Heavyweight Grand Prix to Japan

Strikeforce could be taking its show international, including part of its upcoming Heavyweight Grand Prix that kicks off in February.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker tells MMAWeekly Radio that the company has been exploring expansion into Canada and likely taking at least one leg of the Grand Prix overseas to Japan.

“We’re having a couple conversations right now and we definitely want to travel to Canada at some point, which we’re working on,” Coker said. “We’d definitely like to take one leg of the tournament at some point, it doesn’t have to be the next one or it could be the semifinals or maybe even the fights, but we’d like to eventually this year take one of those legs to Japan.”

Strikeforce hasn’t ventured to Japan before, but they do have strong ties with FEG, the company that promotes Dream and K-1 events in the country. Coker has had a relationship working with K-1 for several years, and it would seemingly make for an easy transition for his company to make it to Japan.

Several fighters on the Strikeforce roster have come to prominence through fighting in Japan including heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, who just won the K-1 Grand Prix title in Japan, as well as former Pride champion Fedor Emelianenko.

Coker believes it’s a smart move to expand into Japan, and why not for what he calls the greatest heavyweight tournament the sport has ever seen.

“I just feel like with all the stars that we have and the fan base there for these fighters over there, I mean these fighters have a ton of fans in Japan,” said Coker. “Why not go there and bring Strikeforce to Japan some time this year?”

No plans have been finalized as to which leg of the tournament could take place there, but the quarterfinal round of the Grand Prix featuring Overeem has not been scheduled yet, but is expected to take place in early April.

Beyond that date, Strikeforce hasn’t set anything in concrete as far as when shows will take place, but it’s expected that the semifinals will happen in early to mid-summer with the finals taking place in the fall.

Source: mmaweekly.com

Lawler: I’ll Force ‘Jacare’ to Stand

Robbie Lawler expects Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza to stand and trade strikes with him during their Strikeforce middleweight title fight Saturday in San Jose, Calif.

Not by choice. Lawler says the Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout will have to fight on his feet.

“He’ll have no choice but to stand,” Lawler said recently during a “Savage Dog Show” interview on the Sherdog Radio Network. “That’s what I plan on doing. I’m forcing him to stand and seeing how good his standup is.”

Despite Jacare’s submission prowess, he has shown improved striking skills. He’s also coming off three consecutive wins, including an impressive five-round unanimous decision over Tim Kennedy that earned him the middleweight gold.

Meanwhile Lawler has split his last four fights. He will enter the cage as the underdog.

“It’s kind of nice actually. I like being the underdog,” Lawler said. “I like being the guy who people think is going to lose and I want to prove them wrong.”

Lawler’s takedown defense will have to be sharp to beat the odds. To ensure he’ll be able to stay standing against Jacare, he has been training in Arizona with UFC veterans and touted wrestlers Ryan Bader, Aaron Simpson and C.B. Dollaway.

“They’re just big guys, athletic, good wrestlers and guys who are hungry and who are all bigger than me,” Lawler said. “Just drilling with guys who were All-American wrestlers, guys who implement that into their game plan, just working out with those guys has made me get better by leaps and bounds.”

Of course, Jacare could be tempted to test his striking progress against Lawler, though it seems more likely he will want to make use of his advantage on the ground.

“I believe if anyone stands, it’s just a matter of time before I catch them,” Lawler said. “I believe I’m better on standup. He’s a really good athlete. He’s explosive. His takedowns are real explosive and he’s got a judo background. I just have to keep it where I want to and not make any mistakes and take advantage of it being on the feet.”

Even standing, though, Lawler is planning on a tough bout.

“I believe it’s going to be an awesome fight,” he said. “Two guys, one guy not wanting to give up the belt and one guy going in there to take the belt. It’s going to be a battle.”


Source: sherdog.com

‘Adapted’ Walker Says MMA Has Him in Best Condition Ever

Herschel Walker has only been a professional mixed martial artist for one year, but he seems to have entered the game equipped with a fighter’s mentality.

On Nov. 22, less than two weeks before his scheduled sophomore MMA outing, the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner was sparring with fellow Strikeforce heavyweight Daniel Cormierat American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., when a knee strike from Cormier caused a deep cut under Walker’s left eye.

Walker left the gym to get the laceration sutured. Then, he came back to resume training for his fight.

“When I went away to get my eye stitched up that day and I came back, they were looking at me, almost shaking their heads, saying, ‘You’re not gonna fight,’” Walker said during a media conference call on Monday. “I was thinking, ‘No, I’m gonna fight!’ But then, I realized that they know a lot more than I do.”

When Walker began training for his MMA debut, he joined AKA at the urging of Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker. Once there, Walker decided to implicitly trust the advice imparted to him by Javier Mendez, Bob Cook and Dave Camarillo. Under the counsel of the trainers and other fighters at AKA, Walker withdrew from his match.

“Talking with those guys, I learned about how you could get that eye reopened [or] you could go into a fight and win the whole fight, and the last 30 seconds, you could do something to your eye and the referee stops it,” Walker said.

Fast-forward two months and Walker is slated to face the same opponent, Scott Carson, on the Showtime-televised portion of Saturday’s Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Cyborg” card. Walker said that the extra time, along with all of his work at AKA since his debut, has shaped him into a higher-quality competitor.

“I went from an OK fighter to a much better fighter with a little pressure. I was learning the things that I needed to know,” said Walker, who noted that MMA training has whipped his 48-year-old frame into better shape than in his college and NFL days. “I think my body had to get adapted to it... but I think I’m a much better conditioned athlete right now than when I was playing [football].”

Coker added that, after some initial apprehension regarding Walker entering the cage, he had been stunned by the former running back’s endurance during a tryout at AKA.

“I said, ‘OK, well, Herschel, let’s have you go with a Division I wrestler and roll with a jiu-jitsu guy and spar with a kickboxer,” Coker said on Monday. “He did very well in all three disciplines, but the one thing that amazed me was that he wasn’t tired. After sparring for 15 minutes -- five minutes straight with a one-minute rest against all these guys -- he just wasn’t tired.”

According to Walker, shortly after his successful MMA debut against Greg Nagy, he ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash -- faster than all but a handful of players at last year’s NFL scouting combine.


Source: sherdog.com

Igor Gracie to Compete at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva

Igor Gracie, the brother of one-time UFC competitor Rolles Gracie Jr. and cousin of MMA pioneer Renzo Gracie, will make his return to MMA on the undercard of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva on Feb. 12 at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford N.J.

Gracie (2-2) last competed in December 2009, submitting Chris Vorano with a first-round rear-naked choke. Gracie will meet John Salgado (3-4-1), a Ring of Combat veteran coming off a loss in November to one-time UFC fighter Chris Liguori. The matchup was first reported by MMAWeekly.

Also, while not yet officially announced by Strikeforce, MMAFighting can also confirm with sources close to the fights Kevin Roddy vs. Jay Maclean, Sam Oropeza vs. Don Carlo-Clauss, Marc Stevens vs. John Cholish and Josh LaBerge vs. Anthony Leone as preliminary bouts slated for the Strikeforce event.

The current Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva lineup is below.

Main Card
Quarterfinals: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio Silva
Quarterfinals: Andrei Arlovski vs. Sergei Kharitonov
Shane Del Rosario vs. Lavar Johnson
Chad Griggs vs. Gian Villante
Valentijn Overeem vs. Ray Sefo

Undercard
Igor Gracie vs. John Salgado
Kevin Roddy vs. Jay Maclean
Sam Oropeza vs. Don Carlo-Clauss
Marc Stevens vs. John Cholish
Josh LaBerge vs. Anthony Leone


Source: mmafighting.com

Overeem vs. Werdum Will Determine The #1 MMA HW In The World

Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament will kick-off next month, with some very exciting match-ups on the bracket. Of course, the first event will mark the return of Fedor Emelianenko to the Strikeforce cage, but in my opinion, the most important bout of the first round is the collision between Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum.

In his fight against Antonio Silva (Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey on February 12th), Fedor Emelianenko will look to make a statement that he's still the driving force in the World of Mixed Martial Arts. Fedor's possible victory over Bigfoot will surely put him back on track, but his real bread-and-butter will be in facing either Overeem or Werdum in the Semi-Finals.

Fedor needs two victories to win back what he lost in a fight against Fabricio Werdum. So whether it's the man who beat Werdum (Overeem) or the Brazilian himself, victory in the Semi-Final would be an official return of "The Last Emperor". 

Both Overeem and Werdum are carrying an impressive amount of achievements into their fight. Alistair Overeem is the Strikeforce and Dream (Interim) Heavyweight Champion, as well as K-1 WGP Champion, while Fabricio Werdum is the lineal Heavywieght Champion, also coming off a stunning victory over the mentioned above Fedor Emelianenko. 

In terms of achievements, Werdum and Overeem are currently two of the Top 3 Heavyweights in the World. And with so much at stake from both fighters, the encounter between the two will automatically determine the identity of the #1 Heavyweight on the planet.

Cain Velasquez is the other part of this Top 3. But the UFC Heavyweight Champion will not defend his title until the final quarter of 2011, as the June bout between Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos does very little to the Heavyweight landscape. However, if Cain Velasquez manages to defend his title in the same impressive fashion like he did at UFC 121, he will make a strong case in the argument for the #1 Heavyweight spot in the rankings against the eventual tournament winner.

In conclusion, we are clearly up for exciting times in the world of Mixed Martial Arts. I'm still convinced that Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament is one of the best things to ever happen in this sport, even despite some questionable regulation decisions.


Source: mmashare.com

No Need to Hide Game Plan for Strikeforce Champ Jacare Souza

Ask most fighters about their plans or strategies for an upcoming fight and you'll usually get a vague response or no response at all, but don't count Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza among that group.

When Souza was asked this week about his planned method of attack against upcoming challenger Robbie Lawler, he had no qualms about tipping his hand.

"The plan is to use my jiu-jitsu to bring to the fight," he said through an interpreter. "I don't know how or when I'll bring it to the game but I'm well-prepared, my cardio's up and I'm ready to go there and show that I'm 100 percent ready to go in and fight. But the plan is when I see the right time, bring jiu-jitsu to the table and use it."

Of course, that shouldn't come as too big a surprise to Lawler or anyone else who is going to step into the cage with Souza, who is considered by many to be one of the best jiu-jitsu practitioners in the world, and has 10 career wins via tapout.

Souza (13-2, 1 no contest) has won several major jiu-jitsu and submission grappling championships, including the prestigious Abu Dhabi Combat Club championship in 2005.

As a result, for a time, he was thought to be a one-dimensional fighter reliant on his slick jiu-jitsu, but over the last few years, improvements in striking and wrestling (he calls his takedowns "Jacare takedowns") have added new dimensions to his game, making him a matchup nightmare for many opponents.

His upcoming foe Lawler represents the best pure striker he's faced since suffering his last loss, against Gegard Mousasi, and on a rare upkick knockout, no less.

Since that time, perhaps the biggest improvements have come with his striking. In recent wins over Tim Kennedy and Joey Villasenor, he's more than held his own in the standup. It's an element that will no doubt be tested even further against Lawler, a powerful southpaw who's made a living with his thunderous left hand, and boasts 17 of his 20 career wins by knockout.

"I have a great team behind me," said Souza, whose fight will serve as the co-main event of Saturday's Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg. "We take it very serious. I train a lot my cardio, my explosiveness. I've been training a lot of boxing, how to walk around the cage and the ring. I know he's a good boxer but I'm prepared to go there and fight. So pretty much I'm doing everything necessary to go there and hopefully end the fight before the fifth round."

In Lawler's last fight, he knocked Matt Lindland unconscious in just 50 seconds. In the past though, Lawler (20-6, 1 no contest) has been vulnerable in the ground game. He's been tapped out by Jake Shields, Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Evan Tanner, and the general consensus is that Souza's jiu-jitsu is a level above those men.

Souza admits that Lawler ranks among the toughest opponents he's faced, but with his well-rounded game and improved conditioning, he's confident of victory.

"Every fight is a challenge for me," he said. "He's a very tough guy. I know it's going to be a good battle, but I'm getting ready to fight. I'm just looking one fight at a time. I'll be ready to go there and show what I'm going to have and come out as a champion."


Source: mmafighting.com

Daley Slated for BAMMA 5 Headliner

Strikeforce welterweight contender Paul Daley will test his mettle outside the promotion for a single, homecoming fight with the U.K.-based British Association of Mixed Martial Arts. There, he will likely face Deep welterweight champion Yuya Shirai in the BAMMA 5 main event on Feb. 25 at the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England. 

Daley’s name is now displayed on the BAMMA Web site, but there has been no official mention of Shirai. Speaking with sources close to Strikeforce, Sherdog.com confirmed the promotion has given Daley permission to participate in the event, though an opponent was not specified. Fighter’s Only on Thursday was first to report the potential Daley-Shirai matchup. 

A hard-hitting Englishman, Daley is known for carrying dynamite in both hands and knocking his opponents stiff. A former Cage Rage welterweight champion in his homeland, he has won seven of his last eight bouts, with his lone loss coming to Josh Koscheck in Daley’s final fight with the UFC. After joining the organization in 2009, Daley annihilated accurate striker Martin Kampmann and submission wizard Dustin Hazelett before taking on Koscheck at UFC 113 for the right to become top contender for Georges St. Pierre’s championship. 

After Koscheck used his wrestling to neutralize Daley’s power punching for three rounds, the frustrated Brit took a swing at the polarizing American Kickboxing Academy representative after the bell. The sucker punch prompted UFC President Dana White to cut “Semtex” from the promotion and announce that Daley would never again return. Daley knocked out Scott Smith in his promotional debut for Strikeforce on Dec. 4 in St. Louis. The Team Rough House product owns 19 of his 26 career victories by knockout. 

Shirai is on a similarly impressive run, notching eight wins in nine tries over the last two years. The 30-year-old’s only defeat in that span came to American Jason High in the first round of Dream’s 2009 welterweight grand prix. High caught the Japanese fighter in a fight-ending rear-naked choke just 59 seconds into the first frame. Shirai, a Team M.A.D. representative, won the Deep welterweight title at Deep 45 in January, earning a unanimous decision over Seichi Ikemoto. After besting Che Mills at under the Astra banner in April, Shirai successfully defended his crown against Shigetoshi Iwase at Deep 50 in October.


Source: sherdog.com

Strikeforce’s Nick Diaz: “People Think GSP’s Better Than Me and It’s BS”

There are a lot of fighters who will take exception to many of the rankings in the world of MMA. One person who is more than happy to let his feelings be known is Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz, who keeps calling out Georges St-Pierre because everyone tries to tell him that St-Pierre is the best fighter at 170 pounds.

Well if that’s what everyone is saying, he is tired of listening to it.

Diaz, who spent several years with the UFC early in his career, has spent the last few working for different organizations including EliteXC and Strikeforce. During that time he’s established himself as one of the toughest competitors at 170 pounds, and thinks it’s high time people recognized his work.

“I think I got here and started fighting before most of them, including Georges St-Pierre in the UFC. I was really mad because they were getting fights and recognition when I was here first. I thought it was first come, first serve. I was working harder and I was here first,” Diaz commented on Thursday.

Diaz also brought up St-Pierre’s last opponent, Josh Koscheck, who he believes deserves no place among the top fighters in the welterweight division.

“Josh Koscheck, I cornered a guy to fight Josh Koscheck, he probably had two fights in his life, and this fight he was set up to fight Josh Koscheck. They made easy fights for those guys. This guy’s got like six or seven fights, all easy guys. I never fought anybody like that guy that’s fought against Josh Koscheck,” Diaz explained.

“We’ve got some guy who doesn’t even fight, he drinks at a bar, and we took him to fight Josh Koscheck one day. He didn’t even know who he was fighting. I’ve never had fights like that. So when you bring up guys like that to me and tell me they’re the best fighters in the world, it’s a (expletive) joke.”

While it’s true that Diaz is in a different promotion than St-Pierre or Koscheck, he believes that the organizations could work together to make the fights happen that the fans and critics want to see.

“Straight up, people think this guy’s better than me and it’s (expletive),” Diaz said about St-Pierre. “He just fought Josh Koscheck for (expletive) five rounds, I just told you about Josh Koscheck. Why are you saying he’s the best? What is that (expletive)? Because we fight for different companies?

“I think it’s big enough to where they can get enough money involved where they can organize that show.”

It’s obvious Diaz is more than willing to face anybody that steps in to fight him, but if there is a consolation prize it’s the fact that he believes his teammate will take the crown off of St-Pierre’s head come April 30 at UFC 129 in Toronto.

“Right now, what do you want? You guys rank that guy above me. I want to fight GSP, but I think my partner (Jake Shields) will take him out regardless,” said Diaz.

He also named UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva among his dream fights, but ultimately he wants to prove he’s the best whether it’s against St-Pierre or someone in Strikeforce. He’s ready for the test.

“It’s a joke to me. This guy may be a good fighter now, but these guys that are ranked up there, I was here first and that’s fine,” Diaz shouted. “Let’s fight then and make it happen.”

Source: mmaweekly.com

Nick Diaz Rips Mayhem Miller Rumors, Welterweight Rankings

Nick Diaz has apparently had all he can take when it comes to questions about the bout that never was against Jason "Mayhem" Miller. Nine months after a post-fight melee in Nashville ignited a bitter and ongoing rivalry between the pair, the sides are no closer to getting into a cage and settling it the old-fashioned way.

And during a conference call to hype up his upcoming Jan. 29 title defense against Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, Diaz made his feelings very clear on the matter, saying that given the weight disparity, it's not a fight he'll agree to unless the cash is right.

The conference call followed the pattern of a typical Diaz fight: jab, jab, feel out the spacing, and then, when he was properly warmed up, he let it rip.

"I'd be happy to move up," he said. "I'd just like to be paid for it, you now. I don't like how people try to say that I didn't accept the fight with Miller because I was too small. I never said anything about that. I said, If I'm going to go off-track, it's going to screw with my season, screw with my whole year, screw with my capabilities fighting at 170 pounds. So If I'm going to do that, I would like to get paid in full. I'd like to have a reason for doing that. It's not just doing it at everyone else's convenience. I would like to get paid something extra. Double, triple, something crazy for me to do that, to move up in weight and fight at that weight.

"Moving up or moving down, I'd rather move down before I moved up," he continued. "If you want me to move to a different class, let me move down if you're not going to pay me more money for it. I might as well be moving down. That's probably better. I'll move up, but can I get paid for it? People see something great. Offer me a fight at 185, offer me a big money fight and I'll make it happen. But I'm not just doing it for free when I make the same money at 170 pounds. It's more work. Twice as much work. I never would've signed for that fight with Miller. They were talking about making me move weight. I said, 'Tell his ass to get in f---ing shape and make weight like I do.' It's f---ing hard enough for me to make 170 pounds. He acts like he wouldn't be able to do it. He doesn't want to work hard like me. That's the problem. So he could work his ass off and make 170 pounds, 175 pounds. Or somebody can pay me a couple f---ing million dollars and I'll move up to 185 pounds and I'll fight him."

The Strikeforce welterweight champion made it clear it's an issue of money over bad blood, despite the fact that he recently signed a contract extension with the San Jose, California-based promotion.

"That motherf---r doesn't want to fight me," he said. "Talking about, 'he wants to fight me' every chance he gets. He's got control of the media. I'll fight at any weight. I'll fight at 185 pounds. I'd like to get paid. Pacquiao's making $40 f---ing million, GSP's making a couple millions dollars. And I'm over here driving a Honda because my s---'s breaking down?"

Diaz also took issue with world fighter rankings, telling the story of when he cornered a fighter who had only fought twice before as he took on the UFC welterweight Josh Koscheck.

The fighter, likely former Team Cesar Gracie member Chris Sanford, who was actually 4-0 at the time, was knocked out in the first round by Koscheck (who was 2-0 and making his UFC debut after appearing on the Ultimate Fighter). Diaz, though, sees that as an example of selective matchmaking that helped several UFC stars build up strong records, and helps hoodwink the media and public into believing they are better than they actually are.

"I never had fights like that," he said. "So when you bring up guys like that to me and tell me they're the best fighters in the world, it's a f---ing joke. It's a joke to me. He may be a good fighter now, but these guys that are ranked up there, I was here first. That's fine, but lets fight then, you know? Make it happen."

Diaz, who said his dream fights would be against Anderson Silva or Georges St. Pierre, was asked why he continues to call out fighters that it's unlikely he'll ever face while he's under contract to a rival promotion.

"Why wouldn't I get this fight?" he said. "Why are you saying it's unavailable? Because we fight for different companies? I think there's enough money involved that they can organize that sort of thing."

In the meantime, he'll have to settle for Santos, an 18-13 brawler who won his divisional debut by TKO over Marius Zaromskis in December.

"I think this is the best opponent for right now that I'd agree to," he said. "I want to fight GSP. But I think my partner [teammate Jake Shields] will take him out regardless."


Source: mmafighting.com

Strikeforce: Fedor Emelianenko vs Antonio Silva VIDEO TRAILER

Paul Daley to Face Winner of Diaz/Cyborg, But First Headlines BAMMA Show in England

Strikeforce welterweight contender Paul Daley is getting ready to head back into action, but this time it will be in his home country of England.

Daley has been approved to headline an upcoming show for the British run MMA organization BAMMA, and is expected to be part of the the main event of their show in February.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed the news to MMAWeekly Radio on Wednesday night.

“Paul has requested to have a fight in the UK, and our deal with Paul we have to sign off on it, and we have to have an opponent approval,” Coker stated.

The opponent for Daley has not been finalized, although MMAWeekly.com has confirmed several names are on the list. Coker said much the same, and believes they could have final word about Daley’s opponent in the next few days.

“There’s a couple names and we’re going through that process with him. He wants to stay busy and he wants to fight the winner of (Nick) Diaz and Evangelista (Cyborg), and I think that makes a lot of sense,” said Coker.

Daley’s one-off fight in the UK will keep him busy to kick off 2011, but according to the Strikeforce president if he wins he will be fighting the winner of the upcoming fight between Diaz and Cyborg set to go down on Jan 29.

Coker simply said ‘yes’ when asked if he is the de facto No. 1 contender for the title, and he will be waiting in the wings when the welterweight title fight is settled next Saturday night.

Source: mmaweekly.com

Cesar Gracie on Nick Diaz-Mayhem Miller, Greg Jackson and Batista

Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz is about 10 days from his title defense against Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos. If most fans had their way, Diaz would be fighting Jason "Mayhem" Miller that night.

The rivalry between Diaz and Miller exploded last April, when the two were among the participants in a post-fight brawl following Jake Shields' championship win over Dan Henderson.

On Wednesday's edition of The MMA Hour, Diaz's manager and trainer Cesar Gracie explained why the matchup has yet to happen. 

According to Gracie, Strikeforce ultimately decided that Diaz-Cyborg was the company's direction, although company president Scott Coker at one time believed that Miller-Diaz would happen.

"Part of me was disappointed because I wanted Nick to shut him up," Gracie said. "That's about it, to beat him up. But the other part, I kind of realized why that fight can't happen. You can't give a guy a fight just because he talks a lot. It sets a precedent."

Strikeforce did look into the possibility of putting the feuding duo in the cage, but the bout may have been undone by the weight differential between the pair. Gracie said Diaz is lighter than usual because he's been competing in triathlons, and would not go all the way to the middleweight division's 185-pound weight class. 

According to him, Miller only wanted to meet him at 183.

"You don't ask the champion to move up a weight class just because you want to fight him. That's stupid," he said. "If that happened in the UFC, Dana White would shut people up. It'd be the equivalent of Chris Leben calling out Georges St. Pierre and saying, 'I don't like you. You have to fight me at 185.' Dana would ridicule that. Everybody would ridicule that. I don't know how this thing got legs. It's stupid."

Diaz recently signed an extension with Strikeforce. Though Gracie could not discuss the exact terms, he said reports the contract was for a three-year deal were inaccurate.

He confirmed that the UFC was interested in Diaz but noted that the decision was ultimately made to stay with Strikeforce because Diaz's brother Nate and his main training partner Jake Shields also fight in the UFC's welterweight class.

Diaz, however, is not closing the door on a return to the UFC (he fought 10 times for the promotion between 2003-2006, going 6-4).

"There's definitely scenarios where I could see Nick back in the UFC," he said. "Right now though, we've got a very good contract with Strikeforce. They treat Nick very well. The terms of the contract are favorable, and as a manager, I'm happy with the contract."

In April, Gracie will take Shields into battle against the aforementioned St. Pierre, who is viewed by most as a Greg Jackson-trained fighter. Gracie, however, doesn't see it that way, referring to Shields and GSP as "two Gracie-trained fighters fighting each other." 

Interestingly, he disagrees with people who call the noted trainer Jackson a great coach, or who refer to him as a coach at all.

Gracie said he believes Jackson often receives too much credit for his fighters' successes. In the case of St. Pierre, he noted, technical coaches like Firas Zahabi, Phil Nurse, John Danaher and Renzo Gracie are the ones handling the details that are often the difference between winning and losing.

"He's more of a coordinator where he puts things in perspective," he said. "And he's great at what he does. Training's at this time, let's go run the mountain or something. Let's go train with this guy. He's more of a motivational speaker possibly, but as a true sense of the word 'coach,' he's not on the same page as great coaches of the world. He's not." 

Gracie said if someone were to credit him on Nick Diaz's striking progress, for example, he would have to credit Diaz's striking coach rather than accept the praise himself.

"I've got nothing against Greg Jackson in particular," he said. "It's just that we're talking about him. There's a lot of guys like that. I'm sure he's a great guy and everything. But the guys from American Top Team in Florida, it's like, you don't have Dan Lambert doing that. He doesn't get in the limelight and he's great, he does everything. He sets it all up, and he's done an incredible job. You never see him pretending he did something he didn't do. The great coaches are in the background."

Gracie, himself a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, also trains Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez.

Asked about another student, the former WWE wrestler Dave Batista, who was rumored to one day be fighting in a Strikeforce cage, Gracie said it's still a possibility.

"I really hope to see him in Strikeforce," he said. "Strikeforce said they want him. They're doing so many things at once that they're a little slow sometimes on doing stuff. But he's become a friend and that would be great.

"He's not going to beat Fedor," he continued. "Everybody has what it takes. Everybody can fight and push yourself. This is a sport, like anything else. He's not going to be world champ, probably, because he's older. But If Herschel Walker can have a shot, why can't Batista?"


Source: mmafighting.com

M-1 Global in Favor of 'Strict Drug Testing' Throughout Strikeforce GP

M-1 Global held a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday to hype the upcoming M-1 Challenge XXIII on March 5. In attendance were M-1 Global president Vadim Finkelchtein and Fedor Emelianenko, who also discussed the upcoming Strikeforce heavyweight tournament.


When Finkelchtein was asked about drug testing in the tournament, he said that he was in favor of "a strict drug testing" considering the history of some of the participants.


"Two out of eight fighters in the tournament previously failed a drug test," Finkelchtein said (as translated by LowKick.com). Obviously, I'm talking about Josh Barnett and Antonio Silva. We want fair competition for everyone, so that's why I will ask the commission to perform a strict drug testing. Fedor is not using any kind of substance to enhance his performance, and will be ready for any kind of testing. So if the commission decides to follow our suggestion, we'll be ready. 


"Our organization paid a heavy price after the cancellation of the fight between Josh Barnett and Fedor. We did a lot of promotion for this fight, which in the end did not take place. That's why as a promoter and manager, I don't want this to happen ever again."


All we know at this point is that the first round of the tournament will take place in New Jersey, a state with a solid reputation when it comes to MMA drug testing. There is no word on whether the M-1 Global team specifically asked for a more advanced drug testing procedure than New Jersey usually conducts, but chances are, with the Feb. 12 fight date rapidly approaching, that nothing will change.


Emelianenko was also asked about whether he would be interested in seeing MMA become an Olympic sport, and perhaps surprising to some, "The Last Emperor" said he was not in favor of this idea.


"To tell you the truth, I don't think MMA should be an Olympic sport. In my opinion, it could be an Olympic sport only on the amateur level. In MMA you have Olympic Champions in Wrestling, Judo and many other sports, that's why I don't think that making MMA in the Olympics is necessary to push the sport forward. I'm not interested participating in the Olympics. I think that I'm already past this stage of my career."


Finally, Finkelchtein hinted that M-1 and Showtime could be announcing a separate TV deal "in something like two weeks" to air M-1 Global events on the premium cable network.


Source: mmafighting.com

Upcoming MMA Events

January 22: UFC Fight Night 23: UFC Fight for the Troops 2

Location: Killeen, Texas
Venue: Fort Hood
Broadcast: Spike TV and Facebook.com/UFC

MAIN CARD (Spike TV)

• Evan Dunham vs. Melvin Guillard
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PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook.com/UFC)

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January 28: Titan Fighting Championships 16: Sylvia vs. Wagner

Location: Kansas City, Kan.
Venue: Memorial Hall
Broadcast: HDNet

• Tim Sylvia vs. Abe Wagner
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January 29: Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg

Location: San Jose, California
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MAIN CARD

• Champ Nick Diaz vs. Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos (for welterweight title)
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PRELIMINARY CARD

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February 5: UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort

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MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

• Champ Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort (for middleweight title)
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February 12: Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Silva

Location: East Rutherford, N.J.
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MAIN CARD

• Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio Silva (heavyweight-tournament quarterfinals)
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• Marc Stevens vs. John Cholish*
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* - Not officially announced 

February 18: Tachi Palace Fights 8

Location: Lemoore, Calif.
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Broadcast: MMAjunkie.com

• Champ Leopoldo Serao vs. David Loiseau (for middleweight title)
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MAIN CARD

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