Fighter Rankings

Heavyweight

1. Cain Velasquez
2. Junior Dos Santos
3. Daniel Cormier
4. Fabricio Werdum
5. Antonio Silva
6. Alistair Overeem
7. Josh Barnett
8. Frank Mir
9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
10. Roy Nelson

Light Heavyweight

1. Jon Jones
2. Lyoto Machida
3. Dan Henderson
4. Phil Davis
5. Alexander Gustafsson
6. Glover Teixeira
7. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
9. Rashad Evans
10. Ryan Bader

Middleweight

1. Anderson Silva
2. Chael Sonnen
3. Chris Weidman
4. Vitor Belfort
5. Yushin Okami
6. Luke Rockhold
7. Mark Munoz
8. Michael Bisping
9. Costas Philippou
10. Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza

Welterweight

1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Carlos Condit
3. Nick Diaz
4. Johny Hendricks
5. Demian Maia
6. Martin Kampmann
7. Jon Fitch
8. Jake Ellenberger
9. Ben Askren
10. Rory MacDonald

Lightweight

1. Benson Henderson
2. Gilbert Melendez
3. Frank Edgar
4. Gray Maynard
5. Nate Diaz
6. Michael Chandler
7. Anthony Pettis
8. Donald Cerrone
9. Jim Miller
10. TJ Grant

Featherweight

1. Jose Aldo
2. Pat Curran
3. Chan Sung Jung
4. Chad Mendes
5. Ricardo Lamas
6. Clay Guida
7. Hatsu Hioki
8. Dennis Siver
9. Cub Swanson
10. Darren Elkins

Bantamweight

1. Renan Barao
2. Urijah Faber
3. Michael McDonald
4. Eddie Wineland
5. Raphael Assuncao
6. Brad Pickett
7. Scott Jorgenson
8. Bibiano Fernandes
9. Tyson Nam
10. Eduardo Dantas

Top 10 Men's Strikeforce Fighters Under 205

The MMA world has been flipped upside down with the gigantic mega Zuffa purchase of rival organization Strikeforce. Even though Dana White has said Strikeforce will remain "business as usual" history suggests otherwise. Zuffa has been in a constant flux of attempting to corner the market on the top mixed martial artists in the world.

In December of 2006, Zuffa purchased the WEC, World Extreme Cage Fighting, mainly because of the UFC's then exclusive television deal with Spike. Zuffa was allowed to use the WEC to block rival IFL from appearing on Versus. Next, Zuffa also quickly picked up the WFA, World Fighting Alliance, as a means of acquiring the contracts of Rampage Jackson and Lyoto Machida.

On March 27, 2007, while riding surging popularity and ppv buys, Zuffa purchased the Pride Fighting Championships, acquiring a variety of top talent. Pride has never held an event since, as the UFC has enjoyed a revenue stream from DVD sales and a Pride "Best of" show on Spike TV. Zuffa picked up Pride fighters such as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Dan Henderson and Wanderlei Silva in the deal.

In October of 2010, the WEC was folded completely into the UFC. Reed Harris, the former president of the WEC, first ran the WEC as a completely different entity. Scott Coker will essentially be doing the same thing for Strikeforce. Dana White has said that we will see certain fighters from the UFC go to Strikeforce.

That was the same as what happened for fighters deciding to lose weight and make a go of it in the WEC. Fighters like Manny Gamburyan and George Roop went down this route. Alex Karalexis stayed at 155 in his journey through the UFC then the WEC.

One big monkey wrench is Fedor Emelienenko and his management group of M-1. Zuffa has always been adament about their opposition of co-promotion. Fedor and M-1 are a package deal, and odds are he finishes his contract, never to be seen in the UFC.

Who are the best fighters in Strikeforce to look out for? Well, everyone already knows the entrants of the World Grand Prix- Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, Brett Rogers, Josh Barnett, Sergei Kharitonov, Andrei Arlovski, Bigfoot Silva and Fedor. I'll run down the top 10 Strikeforce fighters below:

Top 10:

Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez (18-2)- the lightweight Strikeforce champ has high energy takedown machine has quick hands and a stifling ground game. Generally ranked the number 2 lightweight in the world, Melendez has wins over Mitsuhiro Ishida, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Shinya Aoki and Clay Guida.

(Melendez pictured)

Nick Diaz (26-7)- the welterweight Strikeforce champ has been using his high velocity unorthodox boxing style to overwhelm his opponents. Mix in upper level BJJ blackbelt skills and you have a 10 fight win streak with 6 TKO's and 3 subs. Diaz has wins over Paul Daley, Hayato Sakurai, Frank Shamrock, Marius Zaromskis and Cyborg Santos.

(Diaz winning via gogoplata over Gomi)

Dan Henderson (27-8)- the current light heavyweight Strikeforce champ and former Pride champion has Olympic level wrestling with a power right hand. Looking more energized at 205 pounds, Henderson has KO'd Rafael Cavalcante and Babalu Sobral in his past two fights. Hendo has wins over Mike Bisping, Vitor Belfort, Rich Franklin and Rousimar Palhares.

(Henderson putting away Wanderlei Silva)

Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (14-2)- The ADCC champion, 5 time BJJ champion, high level BJJ blackbelt and Judo blackbelt will bring high level grappling to the table. Jacare took the Strikeforce middleweight belt with a unanimous decision over Tim Kennedy, and has defended against Robbie Lawler. While also competing in the Dream organization, Jacare has wins over Jason Miller, Zelg Galesic and Joey Villaseñor.

(Jacare doing the gator)

Gegard Mousasi (30-3)- The final 205 pound champ of Dream, Mousasi is a dynamic kickboxer and ground fighter. Mousasi also won the Dream MW GP and is the former 205 pound Strikeforce champ. Mousasi has wins over Denis Kang, Melvin Manhoef, Sokoudjou and Babalu Sobral.

(Mousasi putting away Sobral)

Shinya Aoki (26-5)- The submission wizard had some trouble in his only Strikeforce appearance, losing a decision to Gilbert Melendez. He bounced back with wins over Tatsuya Kawajiri and Marcus Aurelio in Dream, before losing an odd bout in the NYE show. Aoki will need to work on his takedowns for a career in the US MMA scene.

(Aoki via triangle/armbar)

Tatsuya Kawajiri (27-6)- The dynamic Japanese kickboxer finds his home in Strikeforce with the collapse of the Dream promotion. Going 4-0 in 2009 with wins over JZ Calvancante and Kazunori Yokota, he rebounded from his loss to Aoki with a dominant performance getting a win against Josh Thomson on NYE.

(Kawajiri celebrating Dream victory)

Rafael Cavalcante (10-3)- The big puncher has 9 TKO wins on his resume and is the former champ at 205 pounds. Presenting problems to anyone, Feijao briefly dazed Dan Henderson before losing the bout in the second round. He has wins over King Mo Lawal, Antwain Britt, Travis Galbraith and Miodrag Petkovic.

Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (7-1)- King Mo, a former Strikeforce 205 pound champ, seemed poised for greatness with his non-stop athletic wrestling style and accuracy with his striking. However, he has also suffered a serious knee injury, and dropped his latest bout, a third round TKO loss to Rafael Cavalcante. King Mo, who has also fought for Sengoku, has wins over Mark Kerr, Mike Whitehead, Gegard Mousasi and Travis Wiuff.

Tyron "T-Wood" Woodley (8-0)- A former Missouri wrestler, Tyron is one of the most coveted prospects in the Strikeforce line-up. With power takedowns as a forte, his striking has improved with every bout. Woodley has career wins over Tarec Saffiedine, Andre Galvao and Nathan Coy.

Strikeforce - Diaz and Melendez Shine

The latest Strikeforce show produced plenty of drama and exciting fights. Embracing the recent Zuffa purchase of Strikeforce, announcers Gus Johnson, Mauro Ranallo and Frank Shamrock talked about the UFC in a positive light throughout the broadcast.

In an interview with Ranallo, Scott Coker, president of Strikeforce noted that Zuffa was helping with production and most of all publicity. He stated that we could be seeing superfights between the promotions in 8 months to a year, keep your fingers crossed.

In what was the most entertaining round of MMA action this year, the main event saw Nick Diaz and Paul Daley standing toe to toe, throwing punches in bunches. Diaz seemed to find his range early and often, going for body blows in addition to his stinging jab.

Diaz didn't have it easy though, as Daley found his mark with a big time left hook, sending the Stockton bad boy to the canvas. Daley next fired what seemed like an illegal soccer kick, however the blow landed to the shoulder and not the head. Diaz made his way to his feet, shaking loose the cobwebs.

Diaz would push Daley to the fence and unload, going head body head like the movie the Fighter. Diaz fired a hook and uppercut and the Britsh fighter got wobbly, stumbling to the canvas face first. Diaz followed with a couple more blows, getting the TKO win and retaining his belt.

(Diaz post victory)

The lightweight title fight was not nearly as back and forth, as Gilbert Melendez ran roughshot over Japanese powerhouse Tatsuya Kawajiri. Melendez seemed to land everything he threw, from punches to power knee strikes. After a failed takedown attempt, Melendez got top position and rained down a flurry of elbows and punches to stop the action at 3:14 of the very first round.

(Melendez post victory)

In yet another horrible effort at judging in MMA, Gegard Mousasi got hosed in fighting to a draw with Keith Jardine. In the first round, Mousasi got the better of the stand-up battle, while Jardine got a couple takedowns. During one, Mousasi grazed Jardine with an illegal upkick, one point was taken away from Mousasi.

The second and third rounds saw Jardine get worked over from strikes. The third round was a clear 10-8 round in my book for Mousasi. When you land nearly all your strikes, have your opponent retreating, nearly finish your opponent with a submission, and get a takedown, you win the round 10-8. If an MMA judge isn't going to award 10-8 rounds they should be released.

In the first televised bout, Shinya Aoki picked up his first win on American soil with a dominant display over Lyle "Fancy Pants" Beerbohm. With Beerbohm looking for the clinch, Aoki obliged, earning a trip takedown. With Beerbohm sensing danger, he got to his knees, but Aoki earned back control. Aoki looked to sink a rear naked choke, but Beerbohm wouldn't let him get sink it. So Aoki cranked the neck to the right eventually drawing the tapout.

Full Results:

Nick Diaz def Paul Daley via TKO (strikes) R1, 4:57
Gilbert Melendez def Tatsuya Kawajiri via TKO (strikes) - R1, 3:14
Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine - maj draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
Shinya Aoki def Lyle Beerbohm via sub (neck crank) R1, 1:32
Robert Peralta def Hiroyuki Takaya via split dec
Virgil Swicker def Brett Albee via TKO (strikes) R1, 1:46
Joe Duarte def Saad Awad via sub (armbar) R2, 2:45
Herman Terrado def A.J. Matthews via TKO (punches) R1, 4:16
Rolando Perez def Edgar Cardenas via unanimous dec
Casey Ryan def Paul Song via sub (triangle) R1, 1:39

Proposed Punishments Excesive Following Strikeforce: Nashville Brawl

By MMA Blaster

The Tennessee Athletic Commission is still investigating the post fight brawl that occurred on April 17, 2010 after the Strikeforce main event in Nashville, Tennessee. Following current Jake Shields’ defense of his belt, which saw him pull off an upset against former Pride champ Dan Henderson, fighter Jason "Mayhem" Miller broke up the post-fight interview, getting on the microphone and asking for a rematch.

What ensued next was Shields pushing Miller, then Shields training partners Gilbert Melendez, Nick Diaz and Nate Diaz jumping into the fray, throwing wild kicks and punches. By the time the action stopped, it looked like every staff member from Strikeforce was breaking the brawl up. As per usual, announcer Gus Johnson was yapping like a crazy person to the television audience.

The rumored punishments for the brawl participants stands at a nine month suspension with a $20,000 fine ranging to a three month suspension with a $5,000 fine. These punishments are overly excessive. Fighters Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez and Nick and Nate Diaz were caught in the heat of the moment and regret their actions. But what damage was actually done? Everyone was healthy afterward and apologized for what occurred.

Mayhem Miller acted inappropriately for interrupting the champion mid sentence after he had just started his post fight interview. Obviously, the Cesar Gracie trained Shields, Melendez and Diaz brothers reaction was over the top. But, Miller should have known that type of reaction would follow if he got in the cage at that time. Likewise, Strikeforce employees should not have allowed Miller into the cage.

While I would agree with a thirty day suspension and $5,000 fine, hampering the fighters ability to earn a living for potentially nine months is overly excessive. I have seen worst displays in boxing weigh-ins and press conferences. Look up the Hopkins vs. Wright, Khan vs. Malignaggi or Mayorga vs. Vargas brawls on youtube.com for examples.

Recently, Paul Daley sucker punched Josh Koscheck following the bell at UFC 113. While Daley was released from the UFC following the incident, the athletic commission has not issued a fine or suspension.

Why draw further attention to a minor black eye in MMA history? The casual fan and mainstream media have completely forgotten about the incident. The Tennessee Athletic Commission should give the participants of the brawl a reduced punishment and move on.


(Jason "Mayhem" Miller Pictured)

Check out Joe Show contributor mmablaster.com for additional MMA coverage

Strikeforce Brawl Fallout

Here is video of the brawl which erupted at the conclusion of Strikeforce's second foray on CBS. The post-fight melee is not close to as bad as events that have happened in Brazian MMA in the past, most notably the riot during the Renzo Gracie fight against Eugenio Tadeu in September of 1997.


You could blame the melee on Mayhem Miller interrupting Jake Shields post fight speech, Melendez pushing Miller, or the Diaz brothers going crazy. Mayhem was the instigator however, and should have known the reaction that would follow. So far Scott Coker, president of Strikeforce, has stated he did not know Mayhem Miller was going into the cage.

The Strikeforce: Nashville ratings have been reported to be horrendous, losing to NBC, ABC and Fox. The brawl is being talked about much more than the three championship fights. While the three championship fights were technically sound, but they were not entertaining, highlight reel fights CBS was hoping for. The brawl is now the only thing that people are talking about.

When a brawl is the main source of publicity, that is a very bad sign. The CBS deal could be in severe jeopardy, which could impact one of the main revenue streams of the promotion. Strikeforce could get a boost in publicity, but this is the worst way to get it. The history of Strikeforce will be marred forever by this incident, we will wait to see where they go.

What are your thoughts on the brawl? Feel free to post your comments below.

Strikeforce Preview - Cung Le Returns

This Saturday Strikeforce will take place at the HP Arena in San Jose, California. The main event will see the return of the extremely entertaining Cung Le as he tangles with powerful brawler Scott Smith. Expect Le to throw kicks from distance to keep Smith at bay.

In a lightweight title fight, Josh Thomson will fight Gilbert Melendez in a rematch of a June 08 match won by Thomson. Josh Thomson hasn't fought since September 2008, and has not defended his title. Gilbert Melendez has stayed active since dropping a decision to Thomson, defeating Mitsuhiro Ishida and Rodrigo Damm via knockout earning an interim 155 pound belt.

In other action, uber grappler and athlete King Mo Lawal will be fighting TUF 2 veteran Mike Whitehead. A win by Lawal could propel him into a fight with Gegard Mousasi or another big name.

FULL CARD:

Cung Le vs. Scott Smith
Josh Thomson vs. Gilbert Melendez
Matt Lindland vs. Ronald "Jacare" Souza
Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal vs. Mike Whitehead
Antwain Britt vs. Scott Lighty
Daisuke Nakamura vs. Justin Wilcox
Bobby Stack vs. Alex Trevino
Alex Crispim vs. A.J. Fonseca


(Cung Le Highlights)

Strikeforce - Cyborg Attack!

Strikeforce: Carano v. Cyborg featured four televised bouts during the 2 hour timeslot. The favored fighters triumphed in emphatic fashion. Unfortunately, Strikeforce and Showtime haven't managed to figure out how to put undercard fights that end early in the broadcast. As a result, we had to endure numerous mind numbing interviews and lead-in's to upcoming fights.

Fabricio Werdum def Mike Kyle via Sub(Guillotine Choke) R1, 1:24- Werdum showed off his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu prowess in this quick submission win. While Kyle looked to show off his power punching, Werdum got the fight to the mat, then a scramble lent Werdum to perfectly secure the Guillotine.

Gilbert Melendez def Mitsuhiro Ishida via TKO (Punches) R3, 3:56- The Gilbert Melendez of old came out looked fast, precise and relentless in this bout. Melendez' boxing was sharp as he continually threw punches that found their mark wobbling the Japanese fighter. In the third, with blood streaming down Ishida's face, the bout came to a close as Melendez released a flurry of ground and pound strikes.
*Melendez wins the LW Interim Belt

Gegard Mousasi def Renato Sobral via TKO (Punches) R1, 1:00- Mousasi absolutely brutalized Sobral in this fight, keeping his run of wins going. After Sobral caught a Mousasi kick, the fight found its way to the ground. From side mount, Mousasi rained down punches as Sobral's eyes rolled back in his head and the ref jumped in to save him.
*Mousasi wins the Light Heavyweight Belt

Cristiane Santos def Gina Carano via TKO (Punches) R1, 4:59- Gina Carano had no answer for Cyborg's strength and technique. It may have appeared that Carano was a little apprehensive in this fight. Cyborg stalked Carano, winning most of the action standing.

With the time ticking down in the round, the fight went to the mat where Cyborg looked for a keylock. After Carano escaped, Cyborg threw punches until the ref stopped it just before the bell.
*Cyborg wins the Women's 145 pound belt.

(Cris "Cyborg" Santos pictured)

Undercard

Alexander Trevino def Isaiah Hill via Sub (Keylock) R1, 3:56
James Terry def Zak Bucia via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) R1, 1:23
Justin Wilcox def David Douglas via Sub (Rear-Naked Choke) R3, 3:16
Scott Lighty def Mike Cook via TKO (Punch to the Body) R1, 2:05
Jay Hieron def Jesse Taylor via Dec (Unanimous)

Strikeforce Preview - Carano v. Cyborg

This weekend's Strikeforce - Carano v. Cyborg show will take place at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, California. The action will be shown live on Showtime. The event will feature three title fights, with the welterweight belt postponed after a missed drug test by Nick Diaz.

(Gina Carano throwing a kick in practice)

The card is littered with stars such as Dream superstar Gegard Mousasi, Affliction/IFL/UFC vet Jay Hieron and UFC vets Jesse Taylor, Babalu Sobral and Fabricio Werdum. The Carano v. Cyborg fight is one of the biggest women's MMA bouts of all-time.

Gina Carano vs. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos- This fight is for the first ever Strikeforce Women's 145 pound title. Expect each fighter to keep the fight standing and work powerful combinations. Santos (7-1) will likely look for big shots, while Carano (8-0) looks to work combinations.

(Cris Cyborg pictured)

Champ Renato Sobral vs. Gegard Mousasi- LHW Title Fight- Babalu (35-8), the current Strikeforce LHW Champ has looked sharp since his departure from the UFC winning 5 straight including wins over Mike Whitehead, Bobby Southworth and Sokoudjou. The submission ace will look to get the fight to the ground.

(Babalu pictured)

Gegard Mousasi (25-2) has been on fire as of late, winning the Dream Middleweight Grad Prix and Title. He also has won a K-1 rules match against Musashi. His latest string of 12 victories has included wins over Mark Hunt in the Dream Super Hulk tournament; Jacare, Melvin Manhoef, Denis Kang and Dong Sik Yoon in Dream's MW Tournament; Hector Lombard in Pride and Cyborg Santos in HCF. I expect Mousasi to keep the fight standing and look for a KO.

(Gegard Mousasi pictured)

Champ Gilbert Melendez vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida- LW Title Fight
Jay Hieron vs. Jesse Taylor

UNDERCARD

Mike Kyle vs. Fabricio Werdum
Mike Cook vs. Scott Lighty
David "Tarzan" Douglas vs. Justin Wilcox
Zak Bucia vs. James Terry
Isaiah Hill vs. Alex Trevino

Strikeforce Results

In what looked to be a somewhat packed house, Strikeforce put together a pretty good show. It was shown live on HDNet, and will probably be replayed a few more times.

Alexandre Trivino def. Eric Jacob via Sub (Armbar) R1 0:37
Jorge Interiano def. Travis Johnson via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) R2 3:00
Cyrillo Padilha def. Jesse Jones via Dec (Unanimous)
Brian Caraway def. Alvin Cacdac via Sub (Rear-Naked Choke) R1 1:39
Bobby Stack def. Jose Palacios via Dec (Unanimous)
Chris Cariaso def. Anthony Figueroa via Sub (Rear-Naked Choke) R2 4:34
Eric Lawson def. Jesse Gillespie via Sub (Rear-Naked Choke) R1 1:03

Jeremiah Metcalf def. Raymond Daniels via Sub (Rear-Naked Choke) R2 0:59- Metcalf didn't let the WCL star Daniels display any of his black belt karate skills. Metcalf was able to use a body lock to takedown Daniels and punch him. In the second, he got the rear naked choke after getting in full mount.

Miesha Tate def. Elaina Maxwell via Dec (Unanimous)- I had Tate winning 2 rounds to 3. Decent fight.

Bobby Southworth def. Anthony Ruiz via Dec (Unanimous)- Bobby Southworth was able to defend the light heavyweight fight Anthony Ruiz. The fight was pretty slow as Southworth grounded out the unanimous decision.

Billy Evangelista def. Nam Phan via Dec (Split)- I actually gave this one to Nam Phan who scored more combinations and power punches. Evangelista won the first with takedowns and punches on the ground. I had Nam Phan winning the second and third due to the damage he was able to dish out. He had Evangelista stunned and almost KO'd at times. Either way, it was a close fight that had quite a bit of action.

Josh Thomson def. Gilbert Melendez via Dec (Unanimous)- The title bout of Melendez v. Thomson was surprisingly one sided. Thomson did all the damage and dominated the five round fight. Melendez looked somewhat sluggish, as he absorbed kick after kick. While he was able to land some punches in combination, it wasn't enough as Thomson took the unanimous decision and the Strikeforce Lightweight Belt.

Strikeforce Melendez v. Thomson

Tonight, HDNet will be airing Strikeforce: Meledez v. Thomson live. Melendez at (14-1) has been consistently ranked in the top ten at 155 for some time. He has big wins over Rumina Sato, Kawajiri, and Olaf Alonso. Thomson (14-2) is another star in the 155 division, with six straight victories. His big wins have come over Hermes Franca, Duane Ludwig and Nam Phan.

It will be interesting to see how Raymond Daniels fares. He was 18-0 in Chuck Norris' WCL. The WCL featured full contact kickboxing rules.


Bobby Stack vs. Jose Palacios
Eric Jacob vs. Alexander Trivino
Jorge Interiano vs. Travis Johnson
Cyrillo Padhillo vs. Jesse Jones
Bryan Caraway vs. Alvin Cacdac
Jesse Gillespie vs. Eric Lawson
Billy Evangelista vs. Nam Phan
Chris Cariaso vs. Anthony Figueroa
Jeremiah Metcalf vs. Raymond Daniels
Champ Bobby Southworth vs. Anthony Ruiz- world light heavyweight title fight
Miesha Tate vs. Elaina Maxwell
Champ Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson - world lightweight title fight

*Drew Fickett vs. Luke Stewart- This bout has been called. Shonie Carter originally had to pull out of the fight due to a hand injury. Then Joe Riggs stepped in and was denied a license by California, then Fickett tried to step in and was denied by MFC, a fight org that he signed to fight for in the next month.

Strikeforce/Elite XC Results

For anyone who hasn't seen the Cung Le v. Frank Shamrock fight, check it out. The fight was three rounds of pretty much non-stop action. Frank kept to his word and preferred to stay on his feet. He attempted a takedown only one time, and the announcers seemed to lead on that it had something to do with his ACL. While standing, Cung got the most of Frank with his assortment of kicks, punches, spinning backfists, and a couple leg catches. The leg catches were very impressive, as Cung caught the leg and blasted Frank's grounded ankle with a sweep (reminiscent of San Shou).

Frank was able to land a couple kicks on Cung, and was able to close the distance in the third round. When in close, Frank did some damage with punches. It was only temporary as Cung was able to break away. However, Cung's kicks proved too much for Frank, as he broke his ulna(forearm) while defending a kick, and after the third round he could not continue. Cung Le is the new MW Strikeforce Champ. I'd like to see him square off against Robbie Lawler or a cross promotion with HDNet to get a fight with Mayhem Miller.
*MMA Blaster poll- 32 Shamrock v. 31 Le - looks like the readers lost!



Results
Cung Le vs. Frank Shamrock via TKO (arm injury)- R3, 5:00
Drew Fickett def. Jae Suk Lim via sub (guillotine choke)- R1, 1:14
Gilbert Melendez def. Gabe Lemley via TKO (strikes)- R2, 2:18
Wayne Cole def. Mike Kyle via sub (armbar) - R1, 0:42
Joey Villasenor def. Ryan Jensen via KO (punch) - R1, 4:45
Tiki Ghosn def. Luke Stewart via unanimous decision
Darren Uyenoyama def. Anthony Figueroa via sub(guillotine) - R1, 1:27
Jesse Jones def. Jesse Gillespie via TKO - R1 0:35

Elite XC/Strikeforce March 29th

This card has been changing over the past few days and weeks. As it stands now, Shields is definately out, and Nick Diaz is out as well.

Frank Shamrock (24-8) vs. Cung Le (5-0)- This bout for the Strikeforce MW belt and has the makings of a stand-up war. Shamrock coming off a KO win over Phil Baroni is mostly known as a submission fighter. However, Shamrock stated that he will stand and trade with Cung Le. Cung has been unstoppable on his feet using an unorthodox and relentless style of kicks, punches and takedowns. Right now the MMA Blaster poll slightly favors Cung Le in this fight.

Drew Fickett (32-5) vs Jae Suk Lim (9-3)- Lim was originally to fight Nick Diaz (15-7), but he had to withdraw due to not turning in required documents to CSAC. Fickett was originally slated to face Jake Shields for the WW Belt, but he withdrew due to injury. Lim won his only Elite XC fight, and is (2-1) in his last three fights losing to Steve Bruno (11-3). Fickett has won his last three fights.

Gilbert Melendez (13-1) vs. Gabe Lemley (11-6)- Strikeforce LW Champ Melendez will look to rebound from his decision defeat to Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-3) in Dream. Lemley has fought mainly for the Extreme Challenge organization out of Iowa. He has won his last five fights.

Mike Kyle (9-6) vs Wayne Cole (10-6)- UFC vet Mike Kyle hasn't fought since his suspension in 2006. Wayne Cole fought twice for the IFL, and has won his past two fights.

Joey Villasenor (24-6) vs. Ryan Jensen (11-3)- Villasenor has gone (3-3) in his past six fights, (2-1) in Elite XC/Strikeforce. Jensen was on a 6 fight win streak before dropping his last two bouts in the UFC.

Non-Televised Fights

Tiki Ghosn vs. Luke Stewart
Jesse Jones vs. Jesse Gillespie
Darren Uyenoyama vs. Anthony Figueroa


photo of Cung Le throwing a kick pre-MMA

M1 Global Putting Out a Good Card

Preview by the MMA Blaster

M1 Global has been increasing the number of quality fights on their New Years Eve card. Apparently it will be broadcast on HDNet in the USA and be called "HDNet Fights: Fedor Returns". The event is going by the name "Yarennoka!" in Japan. Many of the old Pride staffers apparently are helping with the event. Here is what the card looks like so far. Asterisks are fights that are confirmed, others are more rumors.

*Tatsuya Kawajiri (19-4)(#4 LW) vs. Luiz Azeredo (11-6)
*Gilbert Melendez (13-0)(#3 LW)v. Mitsuhiro Ishida (14-3)
*Fedor (26-1)(#1 HW)(Pride HW Champ) v. Hong Man Choi (1-0)(I wouldn't be surprised if Choi was replaced)
*Murilo Bustamante (14-6)(ex-UFC MW Champ) v. Makoto Takimoto (3-3) (Olympic Gold Judo)
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (30-7)(#2 LW) v. Hidehiko Hasegawa (14-8)
Kazuo Misaki (18-8)(#8 MW) v. Yoshihiro Akiyama (10-1)(#10 MW)- Rumored back on card**.

*Shinja Aoki (11-2)(#5 LW) v. Gesias "JZ" Calvancante (#6 LW)-Now rumored off card.

Also, rumored to possibly show up on the card are Ricardo Arona, Mark Hunt and Joachim Hansen.

The UFC has to look at these fighters as some that they should make an attempt to sign. Misaki and Akiyama would do well in the dwindling UFC middleweight class.