Frank Shamrock

Diaz Batters Shamrock in Strikeforce Debut

Many former EliteXC fighters were victorious during Strikeforce’s first event of the year on Saturday night in San Jose, California, but none of those wins were more emphatic than the one brash UFC and PRIDE veteran Nick Diaz earned over longtime veteran Frank Shamrock.

A younger, faster, and more well-conditioned Diaz pummeled Shamrock on the feet and on the ground over the course of nine minutes in the featured attraction of Strikeforce’s “Shamrock vs. Diaz” show before finally putting “The Legend” away, possibly for good, at least in terms of the sport’s relevant stars.

“I give everything to Nick Diaz,” Shamrock graciously said after the fight. “I trained for him 100% and I didn’t take him lightly. I knew he was a dangerous opponent, but I stepped up. I always fight the best and I come to entertain, but Nick kicked my ass tonight. There’s no two ways about it. He beat me.”

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Photos: Strikeforce/Showtime Presser

Here’s a small gallery of photos from this past Thursday’s pre-fight press conference for Strikeforce’s “Shamrock vs. Diaz” event, which takes place on April 11 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California and will be televised live on Showtime.

Those in attendance at the press conference included former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion Frank Shamrock, Nick Diaz, former EliteXC champions Jake Shields and Robbie Lawler, and female MMA star Cris “Cyborg” Santos.

All photos were taken by Tom Casino and come courtesy of Showtime. Quotes from the press conference are here.

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Strikeforce Acquires ProElite Assets; Lands Deal With Showtime

It’s been a busy past few weeks for Scott Coker and his fledgling Strikeforce brand. Once thought to have been just a small success story in the San Jose area, the promotion seems to be on the fast track to becoming the legitimate number-two MMA organization in North America after securing a deal to purchase a limited number of assets from ProElite, the parent company of EliteXC.

Under the terms of the deal announced this afternoon, Strikeforce will acquire a select number of fighters contracts, along with the ability to sign additional fighters to Strikeforce deals, as well as a video library of past EliteXC and ShoXC events.

“This is a tremendous development that will bolster the Strikeforce roster and allow us to produce even more competitive matchups between top fighters,” Coker said in a press release today. “Some of these athletes have been on the sidelines for a while now and are eagerly waiting to return to competition. We look forward to providing them with the opportunity to do so in the next few months.”

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Frank Shamrock Chokes Out… Dewey?

Dewey Hammond, curious about death being choked out, finds out what it feels like thanks to Frank Shamrock.

Quick recovery…

Thanks to Franco for the tip.

Ortiz Close to Signing With EliteXC

After flirting with the idea of signing with a number of promotions including Affliction, the American Fight League, and even his former employer, the UFC, for months now, it seems that Tito Ortiz could end up inking a deal with EliteXC as soon as next week.

Ortiz revealed that he was very close to potentially signing a deal with the organization during it’s network television broadcast of “Saturday Night Fights” on CBS over the weekend.

“I see Andrei Arlovski competing in (EliteXC) now so the big names are starting to come over,” Ortiz said. “I’m going to exercise my right to be a free agent and we’re working really close… we’re about a week a way from signing the deal and I know that my fans are all going to be excited to see me back in the cage.”

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Frank Shamrock Previews EliteXC on CBS

Former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion Frank Shamrock gives his predictions on the main card fights that will take place at EliteXC’s upcoming “Heat” event on October 4 at the BankAtlantic Center, in Sunrise, Florida and is televised on CBS. Above Shamrock gives a quick breakdown of the card’s featured fights. After the jump, he explains how his brother Ken, can easily defeat Kimbo Slice.

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Fight of the Day: Frank Shamrock vs Cung Le

From the EliteXC and Strikeforce’s co-promoted extravaganza in March, here’s Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le for the Strikeforce Middleweight Title, recorded with Showtime’s patented “Cage Cam”. Enjoy the three-round war.

Ortiz: “My Affliction Deal is Ground-Breaking”

It’s official: Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz has signed with Affliction Entertainment. The 33-year-old has stated that the deal he signed with the promotion will be nothing short of “ground-breaking”, likely making one of, if not the, highest-paid fighter in mixed martial arts today.

“I guarantee you that my contract will be like no other,” Ortiz told Sports Illustrated’s Arash Markazi. “It will be a ground-breaking record contract for sure, without a doubt. There’s so much money to be made right now in mixed martial arts and it’s all about the fighters trying to make that money. It’s going to be a long-term deal where I put my heart and soul into the company and help build them. That’s something I’m interested in doing. They’re going to bring me on, not just as a fighter but also doing some of the back work also.”

Ortiz is set to be introduced at a press conference Affliction has slated for tomorrow in Las Vegas. His official defection from the UFC comes just over 24 hours after his non-compete clause with the organization expired at midnight on Monday. It also signals that Dana White and company opted not to match Affliction’s offer. Exact numbers in terms of the money he’s making with this deal have not yet been revealed.

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Report: Shamrock to Headline EliteXC on CBS Announce Team

Former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion Frank Shamrock will serve as one of the color commentators during the television broadcast of Elite Xtreme Combat’s “Primetime” event on May 31st, which will become the first mixed martial arts show to air live on network TV. (CBS)

The news comes from Sherdog.com, which reports that CBS and EliteXC are expected to make the announcement this morning at a news conference held at the network’s studios in Los Angeles.

Gus Johnson, mostly known for his work during the NCAA Tournament and as the radio play-by-play voice of the NBA’s New York Knicks, will serve as the play-by-play broadcaster.

Mauro Ranallo, who has done play-by-play for every EliteXC broadcast since the promotion’s first show in February of last year, will work as a color commentator alongside Shamrock.

Shaw Interested in Bringing Ortiz to EliteXC

With his days as a featured fighter with the Ultimate Fighting Championship coming to an end, Tito Ortiz, the one-time face of the organization, has mentioned that he’d like to take his services elsewhere following his upcoming fight against Lyoto Machida on May 24th.

One of the organizations in which Ortiz has expressed interest in Elite Xtreme Combat, headed by former boxing promoter Gary Shaw. Brash and out-spoken, Shaw is no stranger to giving his opinion when asked by the media and didn’t shy away earlier today when the potential of Ortiz shifting his career to EliteXC was brought up.

“In all my years in the fight game, I can see, touch, feel a superstar,” Shaw said this afternoon on a conference call promoting EliteXC’s network television debut on CBS later this month. “Everytime I see Tito Ortiz, he reeks of stardom. I think when his days in the UFC are over, that I can reincarnate him. Could you imagine Tito and Kimbo Slice in the cage together? I hope when his contract with the UFC is up that he will not be sitting across the table with me, but sitting with me at that table.”

“Please tell Tito that our door is wide open for him,” Shaw continued. “When his deal with the UFC is up, I’d love to talk with him and figure things out.”

Ortiz’s falling out with the UFC stems from his rocky relationship with the promotion’s figurehead, Dana White. The two have been at each other’s throats for years but things took a major turn for the worst after a proposed exhibition boxing match between the two fell apart and White opted to begin his verbal bashing of Ortiz in the media.

Ortiz has since stated multiple times that his fight against Machida will be his last with the UFC. (His current contract with the promotion ends this summer) Reasons for his departure circulate solely around White and his negative treatment of Ortiz as well as other contracted fighters on the organization’s roster.

Shaw mentioned that Ortiz wouldn’t have to worry about any kind of lack of respect from himself or others in the organization if he decided to sign with EliteXC.

“All of our fighters can attest to this, but we here at EliteXC put the fighters first,” Shaw said. “Our fighters are of the utmost importance to us. They come before the organization. The spotlight should be put on them. We treat everyone with respect and like they are a champion, regardless of who they are. Tito wouldn’t have to worry about that sort of thing if he decided to take his services to our camp.”

Additional conference call notes from today are after the jump.

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