Strikeforce Nashville: The Aftermath

Strikeforce Nashville was one of those cards I thought I had a real handle on. I figured I had the winners picked down to a tee (at least in the big 3 title fights). Boy was I wrong. It was a night of upsets, breakouts, and disappointments. Lets talk about them in order.

The biggest upset of the night saw Jake Shields outwrestle and outwork the legendary Dan Henderson. Wow! This was an upset not just because Shields was never suppose to be in the fight in any meaningful way, but also because this literally upset virtually every executive at Strikeforce. Dan Henderson was supposed to be one of the faces of the franchise and he just dropped a fight to a new free agent, a free agent the UFC has already begun courting. Shields wasn’t the only walking Strikeforce champion that people thought would be without gold at the end of the night. King Mo grinded out a lackluster win over a former champ that seemed less than interested in the fight. Mousassi didn’t seem to lose his cool at any point in the fight, but maybe this time he should have. It cost him his title and a lot of his mythos. King Mo however gets to laugh and dance a little longer and may start making his case for a Fedor fight sooner rather than later.

It would be a gross understatement to leave a discussion regarding the breakout of Jake Shields and King Mo at what was said in the previous paragraph. King Mo defeated a top 3-5 LHW and a man considered by many to be the 205 pound version of The Last Emperor himself. Mo now moves into the conversation now. Lets not crown him top 5 status just yet, but King Mo is here and he is a serious physical specimen to be reckoned with. His breakout would have looked a lot better if Cesar Gracie’s students hadn’t been even more impressive in their victories. Gilbert Melendez has been an up and down prospect for a few years now, seemingly plagued by inconsistency and setbacks. Those expecting a mental lapse against Aoki were disappointed as the Dream Champion got worked for 25 minutes. Melendez showed that he has to be considered a top 3 fighter in his class and perhaps the best LW in the world not under Zuffa contract. Before Nashville he was a fun fighter with a lot of upside, now he sits near the top of a very very deep, world-wide division. However, Melendez’s training partner Jake Shields made the biggest jump of all, moving from championship chum being fed to a shark to top free agent in two weight classes. Shields may not have been able to finish Henderson but that fight was not in question after the 7^th minute. That means that Shields got the better of the legend for 18 minutes, no small task. Like many, I have used it all when it comes to my disbelief in Shields; he is too small for the division, hasn’t be challenged, can’t hang with top talent, can’t stand up with anyone. If there is one thing I learned from this event it was that it might, just might be time to shut up. From “over hyped zero” to Dana White’s hero, the MMA world now has a lot of time for Jake Shields.

As great as this show was for the three aforementioned winners, it was a huge disappointment to at least two big parties. Dan Henderson caused a lot of disappointment to a company that paid him well and brought him in to carry a great deal of their promotion. We would be kidding ourselves if we thought for a second that Strikeforce didn’t want Hendo to win that fight. He didn’t get that done and Strikefroce was left with less than they expected. There were no spectacular finishes and only well schooled fans would likely understand why some of these performances were praiseworthy. They didn’t get the big winner they wanted. They didn’t get the competitive fight they wanted to set up the Melendez/Aoki fight series. They didn’t even get any sympathetic characters or hero’s because their franchise fighter found himself in the middle of an absurd brawl after his moment in the sun. On top of all that, the brawl has brought nothing but bad press or “meh” press as popular sports pundits insist that we should expect no more from the brutality of MMA. Considered in whole, this might have been the most disappointing show Strikeforce has put on in a while. On paper, it came in strong and exciting. It left with a solid B+ to A- rating from this writer, but when put up against the last few shows, it didn’t deliver in the excitement, narrative development, or image improving departments… all areas Strikeforce has excelled in to this point. That said, if these are the only thing the company and fans can get disappointed about coming from a show at this level, it was a pretty good day.

UFC 112 The Aftermath

It has been a while since a UFC event has kicked up this much dust. Mobs of MMA fans threatened to take Silva’s head for wasting their $40 and 25 minutes. Scores more called for his belt and/or his license. No need to fear though, there are still plenty of reasonable people that are simply annoyed and a bit disappointed. Ohh yeah and one of the most dominant lightweights in the history of the sport lost his title… kind of a big deal if you ask me. So what did we learn? This is the question that we need to answer because if we learn nothing than what in the hell are we doing with this runaway train called MMA?

We learned that Mark Munoz can work hard and be tough when he needs to be. I have never been a big believer in Munoz but I like the fact that he is working with the Black House crew and showed some grit in this fight. He might have a bright future at Middleweight yet. Speaking of bright futures, Renzo Gracie may or may not have one in the UFC and by that I mean he likely doesn’t. Both Hughes and Gracie are well past their prime and while I will always have time for both men, the moves they can make in their division are limited. We’ll learn if the UFC is interested in further protecting Hughes when we hear about his next fight, but they are running out of safe/marketable options.

Guess what everyone… Franky Edger is the real deal. I have to admit to being a member of the throngs of nonbelievers. Edger was going to have nothing to offer Penn in my opinion and he was likely going to get tapped in the second or third round. Tasting my little helping of the crow I have to admit, it doesn’t taste as bad as I thought. Edger didn’t get lucky or see a terribly ill prepared Penn. His win is one that most are fairly comfortable with. It was close enough to spark discussion but it was not close enough to cause any sort of real uproar. In all, it is a nice mix-up to a division that was getting a bit stagnant. Edger could see a rematch with Penn or Maynard. He could host Florian’s third title shot. They are all viable options and for the first time in a while the LW division is a bit unpredictable.

We learned a lot about Anderson Silva and Demian Maia. Maia is tough as nails. The guy demonstrated poise, heart, and a lot of grit. I have a lot of time for Maia now, though I always did. Silva however lost more than he won in my book. I am not so much upset that he didn’t try harder to finish the fight. I am not even THAT upset that he clowned a respectable fighter for two rounds. The most frustrating thing for me is that Silva seemed to not take this fight seriously. The culmination of his clowning, his seemingly ill preparedness, and his inability to finish a fight that he seemed to have well in hand get to me, the combination. This is not something that upsets me nearly as much as it seems to upset anyone else but it is just disheartening. Perhaps I am not as invested as I get the event for free here in Korea, but I don’t think I would be in a rage over $40. I have paid for worse events and done no more than grumble a bit on the way to the bar. At the end of the day this, like his previous performances will blow over in favor of the “greatest of all time” talk and the impressiveness of his performances to come.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I enjoyed the show. Sure, Anderson Silva looked like a great big ass hole but let’s not write the guy off. He has been as entertaining as any fighter walking the planet. And lets not forget, his was not the only fight on the card. However, focusing on the positive is often harder than it sounds. With the biggest rematch in recent memory around the corner, it won’t be long till attention gets shifted back to where it belongs, the competition itself.

UFC 112 Preview

As UFC event increase in frequency and more and more fighters reach headlining status regardless weather or not they hold a title, we are not guaranteed gold on the line with every major UFC event, let alone two straps. The last time we saw two titles on the line at the biggest show of them all was UFC 100. Twelve UFCs later we find ourselves in Abu Dhabi and Zuffa has busted about the big guns as two of the most dominant champion in Anderson Silva and BJ Penn will defend against game but heavy underdogs. The event also features a throwback fight and two relatively interesting, competitive contests. We all know the drill and we have all seen the lineup, but how do the fights break down.

Terry Etim vs Rafael Dos Anjos

Etim and Dos Anjos are largely invisible to the mainstream MMA fan but this might be the front-runner for fight of the night to those familiar with their work. Neither guy has made huge waves yet in the UFC but both are on respectable win streaks and will be looking to make the most of their opportunity on the big show. Most importantly however both guys love to bring an exciting fight. I don’t expect you are going to see a lot of stagnant guard play on the ground. This will be a story of sweeps, scrambles, and stand-up exchanges. I expect a great deal of action for 15 minutes and give the light edge to the more complete fighter. Etim has faced some tough competition and some tough BJJ practitioners without being submitted and I expect his athleticism to be enough to stay out of trouble. You are safer betting on this being fight of the night than you are betting on the result.

Kendall Grove vs Mark Munoz

Another toss-up fight in my mind finds former blue-chip wrestling prospect vs an inconsistent physical anomaly. Neither guy has show that they are ready to move to the next level yet both fighters have shown a great amount of potential. Kendall Grove seems to have figured “it” out and has come into the last few fights in good shape, with a clear head, and a solid game plan. He uses his lanky body well to keep the distance and himself out of submissions, all the while keeping his opponents in danger of finding himself in precarious hold. Munoz seems to have recovered from his devastating knockout/return to earth courtesy of Matt Hamill. Mr. Munoz also has some punching power that could humble a man with a questionable chin like Grove. Put that on top of the fact that he trains with some of the best and most experienced fighters in the world and you can see why he is the slight favorite in the fight. However I like Grove to control where the fight goes. He has tapped better wrestlers and stood up with better punchers. Grove could get caught but I don’t see him getting controlled in this fight. As long as he can keep the fight where he wants it, I see him eventually figuring out how to finish Munoz.

Matt Hughes vs Renzo Gracie

The UFC’s favorite game for the better part of the last ten years has been to match Matt Hughes up against one dimensional fighters that are not physically in his league. Hughes is a physically gifted athlete that has for years had some of the best wrestling in MMA. For Matt Hughes there is good news and bad. What is that you say? You want the bad news first? Bad News: Matt Hughes has seen better days and every time we see him, we see a worse Matt Hughes. Now for the good news; Renzo Gracie has seen better days and has likely never been quite the fighter that Matt Hughes has. Like most people who enjoy or for some other reason are writing about MMA, I expect 15 minutes of Hughes in top position avoiding submissions and hitting Gracie as many times as he can manage. Don’t expect fireworks on the feet, dynamic sweeps, or flashy submissions. Either Gracie catches Hughes in a submission or he gets bullied for 3 rounds. I expect the latter.

Franky Edgar vs BJ Penn

A lot of people see Franky Edgar as the most formidable challenge to BJ Penn sense he secured himself at the top of the Light-Heavyweight division. The development of his standup and his ability to control the fight with his wrestling are both good signs, pointing in the direction of his competitiveness in this fight. That said, BJ Penn has yet see anything that resemble trouble in defending his belt and I don’t see that changing. Penn’s boxing should outclass Edgar all night and his takedown defense should allow Penn to control where the fight takes place, regardless of Edger’s wrestling pedigree. Is there a chance that Edgar can win? Of course there is a chance. Edgar has been extremely impressive recently and could shock the world. Unfortunately for Edger there may not be a fighter alive that can crack the BJ Penn puzzle at 155 pounds. Edgar needs to pick his shots carefully, move in and out quickly, and hope to wear down Penn. That is easier said that done because Penn just has to be Penn.

Damien Maia vs Anderson Silva

When Vitor Belfort went down to injury I was downtrodden as I held that Belfort represented the most serious threat to Silva’s reign to date. However Joe Silva made the best out of a bad situation and pulled the trigger on a fight that tilted a lot of heads, but in the end raised quite a few smiles. I love watching Damien Maia fight because I think the man is an absolute wizard when it comes to submissions. He is going to need every bit of that wizardry to meet his next challenge in one of the greatest fighters of all time. This bout harkens us back to the old days of the UFC, the clash of styles. Who will control where the fight takes place? Will submissions or striking take the night? One thing is for sure; whatever happens should be spectacular. If Anderson Silva has his way, he should be able to knock out Maia in highlight real style. If Maia has his way he will tap the greatest fighter in the division’s (if not the sport’s) history. After seeing Maia get lawn darted by Nate Marquardt, I tend to think this fight will go the way of the odds, with Anderson Silva’s greatness well in tact. If the fight goes to the ground, hold your breath because we could be seconds away from history, but don’t start holding your breath for a Maia win until then.

Whats Next?

The MMA schedule seems come in waves these days. We will get a card or two here and there that is mediocre to just good and then out of nowhere we will be overwhelmed with events that have us reeling from the results and fallout. Right now we are smack dab in the middle of a very relevant tide of events that I see tapering off with Strikeforce’s next CBS card on April 17^th. So while we have a breather, albeit small I think it is time we focus on what should be next for 10 guys who’ next move, for one reason or another, is of specific interest.

Dan Hardy

What Happened: Loss to GSP in a 25 minute beat-down, a beat-down he actually came out looking ok in considering he showed some grit and toughness getting out of two deep submissions.

Next: Jon Fitch or Kos/Daley Loser

Why: Dan Hardy proved he belonged on the platform with all other fighter who have gone the distance with GSP but that have not really hinted at having a shot at beating him. Fitch, Alvez and Kos are sitting there and Daley is the hottest prostect in the division. Fitch has never been a UFC darling so why not let him test Hardy and see what Hardy is made of after his big loss. If Zuffa is hell-bent on Fitch/Alvez II the loser of Daley/Kos would fit the bill as well. Hardy needs competition one way or another. The days of low level fights are over for a while. If you ask me, Dan Hardy’s stock rose a bit in those grueling 25 minutes but since there is nowhere to go but down for him, I hope Zuffa doesn’t let him fall too far.

Georges St-Pierre

What Happened: Dispelled yet another challenger at 175, but failed to finish another fighter that he looked to be light-years ahead of.

Next: Anderson Silva

Why: … why not? Sure Paul Daley might knock out Kos and earn himself a shot that I think most would consider legit, but the odds would only look slightly better than they did for Hardy. Zuffa has something rare in any sport, let alone a growing and in turn growingly competitive one. They have two of the best pound for pound athletes EVER and they have the opportunity to pit them against one another on a level playing field. Ok, ok ok… we can get back to that level playing field part if the time comes. GSP is power lifting and putting on weight and the fight likely wouldn’t happen until December anyway, giving GSP 8 month to figure out the weight. The time is now and if Maia falls like I think he will, the excuses have run out.

Jon Jones

What Happened: Another would be “toughest challenge yet” gets put down impressively, broken face and all.

Next: Thiago Silva

Why: I will stand by it right now, Thiago Silva IS the toughest fight Mr. Jones would have taken if this were to go down and it WOULD show in the cage. Silva is different than Vera, Hammil, and everyone else on the Bones Jones list. He is mean, aggressive, and damn good. Sure he got tooled by Machida but he has looked solid in every other fight, even when being banged up (apparently quite severely) for his fight with Rashad Evans. I am not saying Silva would win the fight for sure, but this would most certainly be a test. If he walked through Silva like he has everyone else I would put on the conductors hat and drive the bandwagon myself. Until then, I am optimistic about but not infatuated with this young man and his talent.

Cain Velasquez

What Happened: Impressive one-sided, first round KO of the legendary Big Nog

Next: Title Shot

Why: I go back and forth with this one. On one hand I would love to see Dos Santos vs Velasquez to clearly determine who should be the number one contender as I think they are the best two HWs under Zuffa contract. However, I would much much rather see them fight for a title within the next year and I think Velasquez has put in his time. If anyone has earned a shot it is this guy and making him defend his shot, let alone against someone as good as JDS, seems almost unjust. Sure some of the luster will come off in the time it will take to set up his title shot against the Carwin/Lesnar winner, but its not only worth it… its fair.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

What Happened: See Velasquez

Next: Mir/Nog II

Why: I won’t make an excuse for Nog in his first fight with Frank Mir but we all know the score. Anyone who has ever seen Nog, before or since that fight, knows that we didn’t see the real Big Nog. Maybe Frank Mir can do it again, but now is the perfect time to find out. Mir has shown a complete inability to deal with the big wrestlers at the top and both men are coming off losses to the top two contenders for the big belt. Nog deserves a crack at avenging his loss if he wants it.

Josh Barnett

What Happened: A solid win over an ill prepared “Mighty Mo”

Next: Meet With Strikeforce

Why: This suggestion is totally conditional. If Josh Barnett wants to compete to prove he is the best HW in the world today, this is the next logical move. It affords him the opportunity to challenge the greatest fighter of all time (in my humble opinion), in Fedor, as well as be put in the mix with at least 5 other relevant HWs that he has yet to meet in the cage or ring. Not even the UFC boasts that kind of legitimacy right now in their HW division. Barnett could help Strikeforce in the long run and Strikeforce could truly help Barnett. Unfortunately, the Baby-faced assassin has never really shown that drive to prove he is the best. I can easily see him staying in Japan and cruising out the end of his career and while I would be disappointed, I am in no position to judge a man of Josh Barnett’s status based on his professional decisions.

Kenny Florian

What Happened: Handled “The Fireball Kid” and got a submission in round 3

Next: Diego Sanchez

Why: There are a lot of We-Got-Beat-By-The-Champ-Bad clubs in the UFC right now and these two are heading up the LW chapter. Diego has flirted with the idea of returning to WW already but that makes very little sense to me. Both fighters are very different from their earlier versions that met at the end of TUF Season 1 and I think this is a rematch that should have happened a long time ago.

Junior Dos Santos

What Happened: KOed Gabe Gonzaga

Next: Frank Mir

Why: I know Frank Mir can’t really be next for both Big Nog and JDS but this is really the only fight that make a lot of sense for Dos Santos. He will need at least one, maybe two fights before his turn at a title shot comes up and he needs to be fighting guys that are going to continue to make him relevant. Getting revenge for his mentor’s loss would be a nice storyline to sell and Frank Mir brings some recognition to the fight. Plus, Mir is no push over. This would be a serious test. I can see them putting him against someone like Ben Rothwell or Kongo, hoping to keep him relevant while the three wrestlers work out who is the best but I predict that Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos are on a collision coarse, one that should culminate with a title shot well down the road and none of the aforementioned names are going to stop that.

Roy Nelson

What Happened: An impressive KO of Struve

Next: James Toney or Check Kongo

Why: Nelson is the one who called out James Toney and I personally love the idea. I think Roy Nelson is just the kind of guy to welcome Toney to the cage. He is an MMA fighter, through and through, well rounded and can beat you on the ground or on the feet. If Toney wants to be in MMA, this is a wonderful first test. It would bring a lot of legitimacy to whoever won the fight. Nelson’s stock would rise as he would win a high profile fight or Toney would prove he can hang with legit MMA fighters. However the Kongo fight would be a lot more likely. I don’t think the UFC is that eager to throw Toney in with someone like Nelson. I suspect a higher profile name to play welcoming committee. That said, Kongo could be a great next step for Nelson as he has recently become a sort of testing point for the division. He sits smack dab in the middle of the division and if you beat Kongo you get to play with the big boys, if you don’t you are on thin ice in the UFC. I would like to know where Nelson stands

Keith Jardine

What Happened: 4^th loss in 5 fights to fighters with increasingly low profiles

Next: Matt Hamill

Why: I had already virtually completed this blog when I read that this fight was rumored to headline The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale. I had originally suggested an opponent like Brian Stann for Jardine, hoping that would increase Mr. Mean’s chances of getting back on his feet. However, this fight makes good sense. Hamill is technically on a 3 fight win streak but I don’t know anyone who I giving him legit credit for the win over Jones. Additionally he has been competing at a significantly lower level than Jardine has. I am glad to see Jardine is still in the mix, getting his shots. For one reason or another I like this guy and I hope he gets things turned around sooner rather than later.