Strikeforce Nashville Ends with Mixed Results

Jake Shields upset Dan Henderson by weathering an early storm and then dominating him for the final 4 rounds with his wrestling and BJJ. Henderson clocked Shields several times in the first round and Shields was wobbled big time. Dan wasn't able to finish Shields and he survived the first round and went on to win a decision with his ground control. Shields keeps his title and becomes a premier, if not, pound for pound fighter in MMA.

Gilbert Melendez dominated Shinya Aoki for 5 rounds to retain the Strikeforce title. Aoki was unable to get anything going on the ground as Melendez instantly pushed him up to the cage where Aoki had no experience. Melendez used every advantage he had, especially the octagon, to keep Aoki at bay for the entire fight. In the third title fight, King Muhammed Lawal upset Gegard Mousasi in a close fight where King Mo's wrestling and take down ability paid off big time. Overall, the fights had their exciting moments and down moments. I would say the event was a success. Unfortunately, there was an incident after the Shields fight where Jason "Mayhem" Miller entered the ring and asked for a rematch which resulted in a big melee in the middle of the ring. Hopefully, CBS looks past that terrible incident and sees the potential in Strikeforce based on this and previous events.

Strikeforce Nashville Ready to Save the Day after UFC Disaster Last Week

Only one week after what could have been the worst event in the history of MMA (UFC 112), everyone should be really excited about a competitive top notch Strikeforce card that has 3 titles up for grabs. Dan Henderson makes his Strikeforce debut when he takes on middleweight champion Jake Shields in what should be an interesting fun to watch fight. In an even more interesting exciting fight, top prospect King Muhammed Lawal takes on champion Gegard Mousasi for the light heavyweight crown. These two could well be the future, if not the present, in the light heavyweight division. Expect a competitive fight despite Lawal's inexperience. The final fight may be the best of the three when Japanese superstar and lightweight king Shinya Aoki takes on Gilbert Melendez. Melendez is the Strikeforce lightweight champion while Aoki is the Dream lightweight champion. Aoki is one of the most exciting to grapplers in MMA today. I can't say enough about the quality of this card. You will not see sh*t judging like you did with Frankie Edgar winning the lightweight title after running for 5 rounds and boring us to death. You will not see Anderson Silva being forced to fight a one tool fighter that practically was so easy it almost put him to sleep half way through the fight (not to mention put the fans to sleep).

Make no mistake - this will be a competitive exciting card and better than anything we have seen in the last several years. Not to mention it combines top talent in two top notch promotions which is absolutely wicked and it is free on television. This one is a must watch no brainer for all MMA fans and beyond :)

Edgar Decision a Disgrace to MMA

Forget about the Anderson Silva fight, the Frankie Edgar fight was the biggest disgrace ever on one of the worst shows in MMA history. Dana White claims he was frustrated with one fight - only the Anderson Silva fight. Well I got news for you Dana, the entire card was pure sh*t. Thank goodness for Strikeforce. I'm not even going to write about the Silva fight to be honest because the rest of the card was more pathetic in my opinion. In one of the worst decisions in the history of the MMA, BJ Penn lost his title. How the hell can the UFC sustain itself with such pathetic judging in title fights for crying out loud. Penn clearly won the first three rounds he landed accurate clean shots while Edgar bobbed and weaved landing nothing. In my opinion the fourth was even and the fifth could have gone to Edgar. How the hell do you win a title like that? He's no champion. The UFC is starting to frustrate me and about a million other fans of the sport like there is no tomorrow. Oh by the way ... the Hughes-Gracie fight was pathetic too. Can't wait for Strikeforce next weekend. I'm this close to giving up on the UFC to be honest with you. Anderson Silva is a problem fine but he is just a fighter. Judging is fundamental to the sport itself and when that goes as pathetic as it did last night it's pretty much over.

Edgar shocks BJ Penn by decision; Silva Dominates Maia

BJ Penn made a massive tactical mistake by not taking Frankie Edgar to the ground. Penn did not do enough to dominate Edgar and ended up losing his title. The fight seemed close and I would say Penn won by a small margin (3 rounds to 1 with an even round). The problem I had with Penn's performance is the strategic issue around letting the fight go to the judges (who are known to be horrible). Why wouldn't Penn take Edgar down when he was much better than him on the ground? Sure, he was theoretically better than Edgar standing but not as much as he was better than him on the ground. The best fighter in the world doesn't take chances like that ... Georges St. Pierre wouldn't and neither would Anderson Silva.

In the other main event, Anderson Silva played with Damian Maia. He literally played with him as if he was fighting a child. It was ridiculousness. He let the fight go to a decision even though many felt he could have finished it earlier. It was a very odd fight but that is Anderson Silva. Next up will be Georges St. Pierre at 170 pounds. If Silva can actually cut down to 170 pounds, St. Pierre should be a bit worried to say the least.

BJ Penn and Anderson Silva put titles on the line at UFC 112

Anderson Silva and BJ Penn are ready for their heavy underdog challengers at UFC 112. Frankie Edgar challenges Penn and Damian Maia challenges Silva. In both cases, the challengers are being given no chance. I don't think they have a chance either and both of these matches are weak. It's a sign that the UFC is still lacking a decent level of competition. Good fighters still exist in other major organizations like Dream and Strikeforce and overall competition in MMA is still not at the level of other sports. That should change as the sport grows but for now we will have to deal with the level of competition we'll see at UFC 112. Unfortunately, it won't be enough to make it worth the price of admission as much as I hate to admit that. Look out for the April 17th Strikeforce card though as that will be amazing (not to mention free on TV).

BJ the Best Ever?

He moved up from lightweight to defeat a prime Matt Hughes at welterweight. He moved up from lightweight to fight competitively with Lyoto Machida at light heavyweight. He has dominated the lightweight division to the point where he is considered invincible. He is one of the best finishers in the sport (alongside Anderson Silva). The prodigy has a legitimate case to be considered best ever. However, lets not get ahead of ourselves. BJ has still got some good years ahead of him. He looks to be in his prime and could do some more great things in the sport. Continued dominance at lightweight or a carefully planned move to welterweight will help him improve his status. BJ isn't concerned with his record. He's always looking for the best possible challenge which is part of the reason he is so great in the sport.

April 17th Strikeforce Card Trumps UFC 112

I have to admit Strikeforce has managed to put together a better card on April 17th (free on CBS to boot!) than the UFC has on its pay per view UFC 112 card on April 10th. UFC's main event includes Anderson Silva versus Damian Maia which is a good fight but Silva clearly expected to dominate. The co-main event is BJ Penn against Frankie Edgar which will be a Penn obliteration. On the Strikeforce card we have Dan Henderson versus Jake Shields which will be far more competitive than any of the UFC main events. The other title fight is Gegard Mousasi versus Muhammed Lawal which is, for me, the most anticipated fight of the year. King Mo is one of the most exciting young fighters in the sport and Mousasi is a prodigy. The future of the light heavyweight division (outside of Jon Jones) is right here.

The other fight on the UFC card is Renzo Gracie versus Matt Hughes which is an awesome match up - definitely can't wait to see that one. However, Strikeforce counters with an even better match between two of the best lightweights in the world in Dream champion Shinya Aoki and Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez. That one, for me, is the second most anticipated fight of the year so far.

Let's all be glad for Strikeforce. I have to say that Scott Coker has done a great job and by putting it on CBS for free he will generate phenomenal interest for Strikeforce and MMA in general.

Hopkins and Jones Story Coming to an End

Bernard Hopkins defeated Roy Jones by unanimous decision in an ugly fight on Saturday night. Jones looks like he is definitely done. Hopkins is an x-factor. He looked bad but it's hard to say he won't come out in his next fight and blow us away. Hopkins called out David Haye which is as bold a move as I've ever seen. Haye is a fast prime heavyweight. He is nothing like John Ruiz. Beating Haye would put Hopkins into another stratosphere. Remember, he's already a legend. The problem will be getting the fight after he looked sub par against a shot Jones and Haye dominated a game John Ruiz. Haye has a huge super money fight waiting for him against one of the Klitschko brothers. The Hopkins fight would not be as big. If Haye beats Wlad or Vitali and Hopkins dominates a solid cruiser weight or beats Tomasz Adamek then the fight could be huge. Roy Jones has once again put Hopkins in a difficult position even though this time he won the fight. He needed a knockout; he needed to dominate. Hopefully, he can get back on track with another solid victory.

David Haye Dominates John Ruiz for Impressive Victory

David Haye landed several bombs while knocking down John Ruiz many times on his way to a stoppage victory. After taking some serious punishment, John Ruiz' corner threw in the towel in round 9. Miguel Diaz made the right decision by stopping the fight as his fighter was game but taking some brutal punishment that could have damaged more than his boxing career. The fight was impressive. The only knock on Haye was that he didn't finish it earlier but that is more about the phenomenal heart of John Ruiz rather than any serious deficiency in Haye. This definitely sets Haye up for bigger and better fights. Specifically, I hope the Klitschko's were watching. Haye has arrived and a fight with one of the Klitschko brothers would be absolutely massive (with apologies to Bernard Hopkins).

David Haye looks to set the Stage for the Klitschko Brothers Tonight against John Ruiz

David Haye needs a strong performance against John Ruiz to generate interest and a massive pay day against one of the Klitschko brothers. Haye will need to focus on Ruiz and knock him out early in dominant fashion to make the fight with the Klitschkos a mega smash hit for the heavyweight division. If Haye were to lose it would be a huge setback for his career and, quite frankly, for the heavyweight division. Many look at Haye as the x-factor in the division. He is someone who could legitimately challenge the throne if the stars align for him. With his massive punching power and exciting fighting style he is also a potential fan favorite and major draw in the heavyweight division. Ruiz seems to be beyond his prime and not at the same level as Haye. Hopefully, David hasn't taken him too lightly.

Bernard Hopkins, who fights Roy Jones Jr. tonight, is also angling for a potential shot at David Haye and his version of the heavyweight title. That would be a big fight but not as big globally as a Klitschko fight would be for Haye. Ruiz was also beaten by a much smaller Roy Jones Jr when Roy was closer to his prime. Haye needs this win and he needs it in style.

Classic Battle Between Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins Comes to Real Life

Tomorrow night Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins will battle it out with each other in a rematch that was 17 years in the making. In their first fight 17 years ago Roy Jones defeated Hopkins via decision. Hopkins is looking for revenge tonight after trying to secure a rematch with Jones during the last two decades. Jones is well past his prime despite being 4 years younger than Hopkins. Hopkins, at 45 years old, is still a top three pound for pound fighter in the world and should dismantle Jones easily. Regardless, the fight will be interesting because of the bad blood between the two. Ticket sales are slow and PPV numbers are expected to be relatively weak but this fight is not about that. It's personal for both of them. Jones claims Hopkins only took the fight because he thinks he will have an easy fight against a washed up former champion. Hopkins isn't taking anything for granted and expects the best Roy in the ring tomorrow night. It's an interesting fight worth watching for it's historical relevance.