Strikeforce

MMA Live for March 18, 2010

Roger Huerta joins the show to discuss his recent signing with Bellator Fighting Championships.  Dan Henderson also checks in, about a month before his Strikeforce title fight.  They also offer up a complete preview of UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones.

Quick Hits: Ortiz, Mousasi, and Lashley news

Tito Ortiz out of TUF 11 and Liddell fight.

Last week, it was widely reported that something may have happened to Tito Ortiz causing his proposed fight with Chuck Liddell to be called off.  Rumor was that Rich Franklin would be stepping into his place.  Dana White vehemently denied the rumor, but more signs are pointing to that as being fact. 

Recent days have seen Twitter posts from both Tito and his girlfriend Jenna Jameson confirming that Ortiz was in the hospital, posting that it was that it was due to a severe case of the flu.  But another recent report on 5 Ounces of Pain suggests that Tito has stepped down due to disk herniations in his neck.  Seventeen months ago, Ortiz underwent back surgery on his lumbar (low back) spine to fix herniations there.

Dream’s May card shaping up nicely

Dream’s May 30 show is set to launch the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix.  It will feature returning Middleweight Grand Prix winner, Gegard Mousasi, pending the outcome physically from his April 17 matchup in Strikeforce with Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal.  Recently signed to compete in the tourney are two fighters whom Mousasi has defeated in Strikeforce, Renato “Babalu” Sobral and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. 

Also slated to make his return to the Dream ring is Marius Zaromskis, who last saw action in Strikeforce, suffering a TKO defeat at the hands of Nick Diaz. 

Lashley on Strikeforce’s April card

Bobby Lashley, now training full-time in MMA, has been added to Strikeforce’s April 17th card on CBS.  Strikeforce’s Scott Coker confirmed the news with MMAWeekly but declined to name an opponent pending athletic commission approval.  With three title fights headlining the card, the fight is expected to be the swing bout that may or may not make the airwaves pending time available.

Quick Hits: WEC 47 Gate, Karalexis-Pettis & More

- According to the Ohio Athletic Commission, WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz drew a live attendance of 8,700 and a gate of $401,000. The commission also announced that Brian Bowles, Dominick Cruz, Joseph Benavidez, Javier Vazquez, L.C. Davis, and Bart Palaszewski all passed their post-fight drug tests. [MMAWeekly.com]

- UFC veteran Alex Karalexis will battle Anthony Pettis in a lightweight affair at WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber. Karalexis and Pettis were originally slated to fight at WEC 43 but the fight was scrapped due to an injury. WEC 48 will mark the promotions first foray on pay-per-view as they showcase a world class card that includes Jose Aldo vs. Urijah Faber, Benson Henderson vs. Donald Cerrone, and Mike Brown vs. Manvel Gamburyan. [Sherdog.com]

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Updated: Liddell-Franklin Likely for June, White Issues Response

The rumblings of the UFC counter programming Strikeforce got much stronger today when it was reported that Chuck Liddell would be facing former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin at UFC Fight Night on April 17 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Liddell was originally reported to be facing Tito Ortiz at UFC 115 but according to Fighters Only, Ortiz is dealing with something that may significantly impact his future as a fighter and it’s not an injury.

Update: 2:38 PM: Sherdog.com and MMAJunkie.com are now reporting that the bout between Liddell and Franklin will now take place at UFC 115 in June, not the rumored show for April 17 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Update: 8:00 PM: UFC president Dana White has now posted a response on his Twitter saying, “Not true! We are doing Couture vs. Franklin, not Chuck.” Stay tuned for more.

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Strikeforce: Evolution Results

Scott Smith def. Cung Le – KO (Punches)
Gilbert Melendez def. Josh Thomson – Decision (Unanimous)
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza def. Matt Lindland – Submission (Arm Triangle)
Muhammed Lawal def. Mike Whitehead – KO (Punches)
Antwain Britt def. Scott Lighty – TKO (Doctor Stoppage)
Justin Wilcox def. Daisuke Nakamura – Decision (Unanimous)
Alexander Crispim def. A.J. Fonseca – Decision (Unanimous)

Henderson Signs Multi-Fight Deal With Strikeforce

Strikeforce has officially announced that they’ve signed former PRIDE middleweight and light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson to 16-month, multi-fight contract.

“I’m very happy to be a part of Strikeforce and their partnership with CBS and Showtime,” said Henderson.

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Fedor Undergoes Successful Surgery Following Rogers Bout

Former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko underwent successful surgery to correct a dislocated thumb in his left hand. Fedor will have the half cast removed in 4-6 weeks.

According to Sherdog.com, Fedor was initially expected to be out 4-6 months but following the procedure it was noted that the bone had not been fractured or broken thus two pins were placed in the hand to fix the injury.

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Strikeforce/M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Rogers Quick Results

Fedor Emelianenko def. Brett Rogers – TKO (Punches)
Jake Shields def. Jason Miller – Decision (Unanimous)
Gegard Mousasi def. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou – TKO (Punches)
Fabricio Werdum def. Antonio Silva – Decision (Unanimous)
Marloes Coenen def. Roxanne Modafferi – Submission (Armbar)
Jeff Curran def. Dustin Neace – Submission (Rib Injury)
Shamar Bailey def. John Kolosci – Decision (Unanimous)
Nate Moore def. Louis Taylor – Submission (Punches)
Christian Uflacker def. Jonatas Novaes – Decision (Unanimous)

Strikeforce/M1-Global: Fedor vs. Rogers Weigh-In Results

All of the combatants for Strikeforce/M-1 Global’s Fedor vs. Rogers card successfully made weight in preparation for their bouts on Saturday at the Sears Center in Chicago, Illinois.

The card will be headlined by a heavyweight bout featuring Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers. The card will also feature a Strikeforce middleweight title bout between Jake Shields and Jason “Mayhem” Miller.

Fedor Emelianenko (232 lbs) vs. Brett Rogers (264 lbs)
Jake Shields (184.5 lbs) vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller (184 lbs)
Gegard Mousasi (205 lbs) vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (204 lbs)
Antonio Silva (263 lbs) vs. Fabricio Werdum (242 lbs)
Roxanne Modafferi (140 lbs) vs. Marloes Coenen (145 lbs)
Mark Miller (171 lbs) vs. Deray Davis (170.5 lbs)
Jeff Curran (145 lbs) vs. Dustin Neace (*149.6 lbs)
Shamar Bailey (170 lbs) vs. John Kolosci (171 lbs)
Louis Taylor (185.5 lbs) vs. Nate Moore (184 lbs)
Christian Uflacker (156 lbs) vs. Jonatas Novaes (155.5 lbs)

* The Curran-Neace fight will be held at a catch-weight of 149.6 pounds. Curran will be awarded 20 percent of Neace’s purse.

Strikeforce Signs Marius Zaromskis

Strikeforce has officially announced the signing of DREAM welterweight grand prix champion Marius “Whitemare” Zaromskis to a multi-fight contract. No date was announced for Zaromskis’ Strikeforce debut.

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