MMA Hot Stuff

Strikeforce: Fedor VS Rogers Predictions

Here we are, only a few days until MMA returns to primetime television on CBS and Fedor makes his debut with Strikeforce! We're also treated to a title fight for the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship, vacated by Cung Le, between Jake Shields and the always colorful Jason "Mayhem" Miller. We also get to see Gegard Mousasi and Fabricio Werdum return to the cage in action against Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva respectively.

So you know the drill... my predicted winners in GREEN! 

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers

Does Rogers have a chance? Yes, just like all 31 of Fedor's previous opponents had a chance, and only one of them came away with a win (by TKO / Cut, hardly a win). You don't pick against a 97% winning percentage, and I'm not picking against Fedor.

Fedor is technically superior everywhere. Even though some say his striking isn't very technical (which it may not be by boxing or muay thai standards), he puts it all together so well that for MMA it is technical when you give consideration to takedown defense and set up. Rogers has power, and in a sport of 4 ounce gloves and multiple ways to finish a fight he certainly has a shot. As Mark DellaGrotte said in Kevin Iole's article on Yahoo! Sports "A perfectly placed punch can knock anyone out. Anyone". The problem is that Rogers has to land a perfect or near perfectly placed punch, which will be tough to do on Fedor given his footwork and agility. Ultimately I think this fight will go to the ground where the experience gap will shine through. Fedor wins by TKO / Referee Stoppage on the ground.

Disclaimer: Now if we're talking about betting the spread with my new shoe money, I'd bet on Rogers. I like the long-shots for the big payout! According to betus.com the current spread is Fedor -550 and Rogers +375! OH and because I AM a girl, I count my chickens before they're hatched/shoes before they're purchased: Here's what I want to get. Aren't they gor(geous)?LOVE!

Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Jake Shields (for vacant Strikeforce middleweight title)

Miller is a funny guy, the problem is Shields isn't laughing. Miller has proven that he can go the distance avoiding submissions against some of the best (see Jacare fight in DREAM), but Shields' isn't your typical Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He's all about pressure, passing guard, and making your life miserable if you're under him. The knock on Shields has always been his lack of ability on his feet, but in his fight against Robbie Lawler he showed he's not afraid to be there. Miller could use his reach and striking to avoid the takedown, but he will only be able to keep Shields at bay for so long. Look for Shields to secure the takedown, pass the guard, and finish Miller via submission.

Champ Gegard Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (non-title match)

Mousasi will dominate. Did you see Babalu? Out cold. Mousasi is a stud (at multiple weight classes). Technically sound. I see this one ending by TKO. Look for Mousasi to hurt Sokoudjou on his feet and finish him on the mat.

Antonio Silva vs. Fabricio Werdum

Even though Silva has a chin the size of a Rhode Island, look for Werdum to finish this one on the ground. His Jiu Jitsu is just too good. 

So gents, there's no need to leave your girls at home to hit the bar to watch this event on PayPerView. Since it's on CBS, throw a Strikeforce party at your house and get your girl engaged. Show her the shoes above and I promise she'll be hooked. On my site and the sport. Tell her more shoes with next week's predictions for UFC 105. 

While Roger's win against Fedor would allow those shoes to come home with me, I also have a bet consisting of bragging rights with Franklin McNeil! If you're not following him on twitter you should be. Did you see who he picked to win this weekend? If not, check out his picks on today's ESPN MMALive!

Friendly reminder, follow me on Twitter!

 

Nominations for 2009 World MMA Awards closes on Wednesday

Who do you think was the BreakThrough Fighter of the Year? Best MMA Promotion? 

As a reminder, the nomination stage for the 2009 World MMA Awards closes this Wednesday (tomorrow), Sept. 30. 

The World MMA Awards, which is operated by Fighters Only magazine, is viewed as one of the most prestigious awards for the sport, awarding in 18 different MMA related categories

Nominees will be announced on Oct. 5, and final voting will then run until Dec. 5. Winners will be announced at a Dec. 30 "Oscars-style" black-tie ceremony, which streams live on Versus.com (and throughout January on Versus) from The Joint at The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. 

"Response to the World MMA Awards has been huge this year with thousands of fans worldwide taking part," Fighters Only CEO Rob Hewitt recently stated. "Nominations have been very diverse, and ... most of the categories are still wide open." 

The categories range from Fight of the Year to KO and Submission of the Year to Best MMA Brand and best MMA Media Source. MMA equipment manufactures also vie for a variety of categories. 

But before you place your vote I encourage you to take a minute and think about things. What makes someone the Best Fighter of the Year? Is it the number of wins? Is it the most vicious KnockOut? The biggest upset? Or is it because of heart and dedication?

Another category is Best MMA Journalist. I've thought a lot about this one (for obvious reasons). Always keep in mind the best Journalist may not be the one that breaks every 'story'... Sadly, fact checking has taken a back seat more often than not over being the first to the party. And then there are times the stories are known weeks before the story actually gets out but can't be discussed for confidential reasons. I personally take pride in the fact that while I consider many Fighters (UFC, WEC & Strikeforce) my personal friends, a lot of the information I hear I keep to myself. I'm so proud of what my friends have accomplished and there are times I know the information is just best left unsaid or unwritten. I want them to have time to train in private for a fight before it's publicly announced who their next opponent is. Who do you consider to be a Journalist that writes funny or interesting stories? Gives a different perspective than the 12 other sites that covered the same thing the day before.

So now that I've given you something to think about, please hurry and vote. 

Also, feel free to follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/MMAHotStuff

Strikeforce Lawler vs Shields - How To Watch

This Saturday one of the best cards Strikeforce has put on will take place in St Louis, MO at the Scottrade Center.

On the main card:
Robbie Lawler facing Jake Shields at a catch weight of 182lbs
Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski vs Brett Rogers
Nick Diaz vs Scott Smith
Phil Baroni vs Joe Riggs
Kevin Randleman vs Mike Whitehead

It's definitely a card worth watching. But how can you watch it, you ask?

This particular fight will not be available in restaurant/bars (however Strikeforce has told me going forward it will be, so please check back for future event listings).

If you want to watch this event you either have to find; a friend who happens to have Showtime, Buy it as a Pay Per View event (you should see it available for purchase on one of your standard PPV channels), or order it online - see http://strikeforce.sho.com

For you fellow tweeps (twitter peeps) you can also see a live Twitter feed! Fans can contribute content alongside SHOWTIME Sports' behind-the-scenes staff throughout the evening by adding #strikeforce to their tweets.  
SWEET TWEETS - say that three times.

ESPN MMALive

Here's today's ESPN MMALive episode..

Miguel Torres filled in for Kenny but fellow tweeps (twitter peeps) you can still get your Kenny fix by going here: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4231291

First up was the big news about Kimbo Slice joining the cast of TUF 10. Seems everyone agrees this is a great move by Dana White by bringing Kimbo on the show. As you may know Dana hasn't been shy about his opinion of Kimbo. Seems to me Kimbo will definitely bring the more casual fans to the sport
and of course us MMA Addicts will tune in to see this one time street fighter YouTube sensation try to prove himself. Also as part of the cast are  four ex NFL players. The loser in this may be Strikeforce for not being able to come to an agreement with Slice. Love him or hate him Slice definitely brings viewers!

Stephan Bonnar via satellite says it shows Kimbo has character by joining TUF cast.  Saying Dana has been critical of Kimbo from he beginning but Kimbo is showing he has character by accepting this challenge from Dana.

We can't forget that Kimbo is coming in with options. He has expressed his desire to box so if this doesn't pan it out he has that back up plan! TUF 10 will debut  Sept 16th.

Also discussed:
Rua and Lyoto may meet in October

This Sunday Mike Brown will defend his title against Urjah Faber. Urijah was on the show via satellite saying he knows Brown is a tough opponent. He said he made one small mistake in their last fight. Migel asked how he expects to win this sunday and Urijah's response was " Anyway. My hands are good and I've proven that before. I can submit guys as well. I'll be bringing my A game."

Also this weekend, Robbie Lawler and Jake Shields will face each other at a catch weight of 182lbs. Robbie was on MMALive via satellite and said he won't leave anything behind. Not impressed or worried about Jake moving up a weight.  Jon Anik picked Jake to win this fight.

Pulse question this week: Is Quinton making the right decision by not fighting Lyoto and coaching on TUF 10?  What are your thoughts?

Buy or Sell - Kimbo will win his first fight on TUF.

Strikeforce: Arlovski VS Rogers added to June 6th card!!! Can you say "stacked"?

ANDREI ARLOVSKI  WILL FIGHT BRETT ROGERS

JUNE 6 IN ST.  LOUIS

Heavyweight Showdown Precedes Lawler vs. Shields Main Event
Live on SHOWTIME from Scottrade Center In St. Louis on June 6

ST. LOUIS (May 19, 2009) - SHOWTIME announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr., announced today that top-10 ranked heavyweight and former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski will face unbeaten heavyweight sensation Brett "The Grim" Rogers on Saturday, June 6 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis and LIVE on SHOWTIME.

The announcement was made at a kick-off press conference for STRIKEFORCE: Lawler vs. Shields at the Atrium at Scottrade Center.  The heavyweight showdown, which will be sponsored by Affliction, will precede the main event fight between two of the most highly regarded fighters in the world, "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler and Jake Shields.

The event will be televised live on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Tickets for Strikeforce: "Lawler vs. Shields", priced from $30, are on sale now at the Scottrade Center box office as well as at all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com), and Strikeforce's official website (www.strikeforce.com).

Affliction's Arlovski's (15-6) fight resume includes a who's-who of the heavyweight division with fights against Fedor Emelianenko and Tim Sylvia.  Eleven of the 15 victories for the former UFC heavyweight champion have come by way of knockout.  The undefeated Rogers is 9-0 with eight devastating knockouts and one submission.  Only one of his fights has gone past the first round.  The two stand-up specialists stand at 6-foot-4, so fans can expect an all-out slugfest.

Lawler, a world top-10 middleweight, is unbeaten in his last six (5-0 with 1 No Contest). Shields, a winner of 11 in a row, is ranked among the top five welterweights in the world. They will clash at a catch weight of 182 pounds.

The rest of the SHOWTIME portion of the June 6 event rounds out as follows:

Fresh off their respective thrilling wins in the premier of Strikeforce on SHOWTIME (April 11), the versatile Nick Diaz and knockout artist Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith will meet in a special 180-pound showdown.

Diaz, who shocked the MMA world with his complete dominance of four-time world champion Frank Shamrock, has shown tremendous versatility in recent fights, adding top-shelf striking ability to his well-known submission skills.  Smith is coming off a stunning, come-from-behind KO of Benji "The Razor" Radach, in a fight that is sure to be a candidate for 2009 Fight of the Year.

"The New York Badass" Phil Baroni (13-10) will collide with Joe "Diesel" Riggs (29-10) in a 170-pound contest.  Nine of Baroni's 13 wins have come by knockout, so expect the brash, trash talking New Yorker to bang with Riggs.  A former UFC contender, Riggs is a well-rounded fighter with 14 wins by knockout and 13 via submission.  Their war of words in the press is ongoing. Expect an emotionally charged throw-down in this one.

Opening the SHOWTIME telecast, Kevin "The Monster" Randleman (17-12) will face Mike "Iron" Whitehead (23-6) in a 205-pound clash.  Randleman, a former UFC standout who has been tested against some of MMA's most recognizable names, will make his return to the cage and his Strikeforce debut.  Whitehead is a knockout and submission specialists who has won 14 of his last 15 fights.  Whitehead is in for his toughest fight to date.

About Strikeforce
Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its "Shamrock vs. Gracie" event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose's HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, Strikeforce has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with "Shamrock vs. Gracie."  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of Strikeforce, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.

About Showtime Networks, Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2(tm), SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

Nick Diaz vs Scott Smith Added To June 6 Strikeforce Fight Card

A benefit in fighting for a fairly small organization is having the ability to fight often!
With an organization such as Strikeforce, while they're definitely an Up-And-Coming-Look-Out-UFC kind of organization they still have only a few fighters under contract (comparatively speaking to the UFC). Their last show earlier this month in San Jose was spot on. The production was awesome, the crowd was rowdy and the fights were pretty exciting.

Just two weeks after that card, two of the fighters that gave us some of the best fights of the night have already been locked in to fight again, this time they'll be facing each other!

Fresh off their respective thrilling wins, the versatile Nick Diaz (19-7) and knockout artist Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith (17-5) are eager to get back in the cage. The pair will square off on Saturday, June 6th, in a special 180-pound showdown during the live SHOWTIME telecast of Strikeforce: "Lawler vs Shields" from the Scottrade Center in St Louis, MO.

"I think this is a great fight for me, but I really hate that (Smith) brigs his kids to every one of his fights because now I'm going to be made out to be the bad guy or some sort of villain after I beat him up, " said the 25-year-old Diaz, who shocked the MMA World with his complete dominance of four-time world champion Frank Shamrock in the Strikeforce main even April 11th. "At the end of the day, I'm going to do what I have to do through and take him out."

Tickets for Strikeforce "Lawler vs Shields" are on sale at the Scottrade Center box office as well as at all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and Strikeforce's official website (www.strikeforce.com)

The live SHOWTIME telecast of the event begins at 10pm ET (delayed on the west coast). In the highly anticipated main event "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler (16-4) will face off with fellow top ranked superstar Jake Shields (22-4-1) in a 182-pound catch weight fight.

“The Fight Expo” on tap March 21-22 in Del Mar

“The Fight Expo” on tap March 21-22 in Del Mar

Dreams come true for 5 Make-A-Wish children

DEL MAR, California (February 25, 2009) -- A massive two-day Mixed Martial Arts and Extreme Sports extravaganza, “The Fight Expo,” is coming to the Del  Mar Fairgrounds, the weekend of March 21-22,  in Del Mar, California.

“The Fight Expo” is the first event of its kind, infusing MMA, Grappling, Pankration, and several Extreme Sports -- Motocross, Skateboarding, Harley Davidson Pulls and much more -- into one giant entertainment supershow.  “The Fight Expo” has chosen The Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego as its beneficiary with portions of proceeds from every ticket sold, charity auctions, and MMA seminars going to this worthwhile cause. 

UFC announcer, Bruce Buffer, “The Voice of the Octagon,” has joined the team to create a very special event for five Make-A-Wish children suffering from life threatening illnesses, which will include the children being escorted around by American Gladiator and the World’s Most Famous Female Fighter, Gina Carano, as well as getting publicly introduced by Bruce Buffer as Honorary Fighters in the Cage. They will also have an opportunity to meet their favorite MMA Superstars from a group including Brandon Vera, Joe Stevenson, Jake Shields, Cung Le, TUF Season 8 finalist Vinny Magalhães, Eliot Marshall, the Tapout Crew (Punkass, Mask and Skrape), Dean Lister, and many more. 

For Grappling and Pankration fans, “The Fight Expo” will host the 10^th anniversary of Grapplers Quest Competition with 300 Submission Grappling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Divisions, plus two mega-Superfight Divisions to crown The World’s Best Submission Fighters, totaling $25,000 in prizes.

Bud Light presents the Pankration Team Battles on Saturday night (Mar. 21), pitting two military teams, 29 Palms vs. Camp Pendleton. 

Greg Jackson, coach of UFC champions Georges St. Pierre and Rashad Evans, will be conducting the inaugural 100% Make-A-Wish Charity MMA Seminar on Sunday (Mar. 22) for MMA fighters and fans.

Other event highlights include G.I. Joe star and world famous model, Channing Tatum, and other stars from the upcoming Rogue Picture's film release, "Fighting," 100+ exhibits selling top MMA clothing, nutrition and health products; special area for women including the "Chic Boutique," which will have clothing, jewelry, massage therapists and an "elite" dating service; as well as the Grappling Hall of Fame award presentations by Grapplers Quest.  

Proceeds from every ticket sale will benefit fundraisers for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego.

For discount tickets and more information about “The Fight Expo,” go to www.TheFightExpo.com.

For more information on Grapplers Quest, go to: http://www.GrapplersQuest.com.

For Exhibit & Sponsorship opportunities, contact Ken Schmitz of SALESFISH, the marketing and sponsorship sales agency for “The Fight Expo” at kschmitz@salesfish.com.

Gilbert Melendez still awaiting opponent for April Stirkeforce event

Rumored to be part of the April 11th Strikforce card, Gilbert Melendez has yet to be given confirmation on an opponent. Originally rumored to be either Mitsuhiro Ishida or Jorge Grugel, Gilbert told MMAHotStuff, "Ishida is the fight I've asked for and I'd love that rematch, but I'm willing to fight anyone".

It is now being reported that Grugel will not be part of the April card due to an elbow injury and that he's hoping to make his Strikeforce debut in May.

Gilbert is anxiously awaiting confirmation on an opponent and says "I want a tough opponent, but most of all I just want to fight".

Gilbert's friend and training partner Jake Shields has recently been confirmed for the April card against heavy-handed veteran Joe Riggs.

Joe Riggs wants Jake Shields next.

After a convincing victory over Luke Stewart at Strikeforce: Destruction, Joe Riggs told Fighthype.com that he'd like to fight Jake Shields.

Joe had this to say; "I would like to fight Jake Shields; I would. I think he's an unbelievable fighter. I'm not calling him out or disrespecting him, but I think Jake is an unbelievable fighter. To be in a fight like that would be very exciting and I think it's a similar fight to the Luke Steward fight, but Jake's a little better. I think it would be a great fight and a great win. It's a fight that I would like to have"'.

After dropping back to down to welterweight and with a convincing win, Riggs seems to be happy making Strikeforce his home. Given that Jake Shields is currently a free agent, this fight is a possibility, but it seems the most likely place for Shields to end up would be the UFC.

EliteXC Taps Out

After almost two years of business, EliteXC has tapped out... submitted to poor business decisions and an inability to build a deep stable of quality fighters. The company, which launched in late 2006, had achieved something no other promotion had; exposure to the masses through prime time television. Unfortunately, in an attempt to deliver a quality product to the fans they racked up somewhere between $20M and $55M in debt, purchasing multiple organizations and not getting a substantial return on that investment.

Even with the help of consulting executive T. Jay Thompson, who has promoted 55 events under the Icon Sports and Superbrawl brands over the past 13 years, EliteXC could not deliver a profitable business that showed promise with the fans.

In my humble opinion, EliteXC made a few key mistakes. First and foremost, it sounds like they made some poor financial decisions which stemmed from their attempt to "buy a brand" among MMA fans. They tried to do too much, too fast. Looking at some of the promotions that have been around for a while and achieved either national or regional success, they have built their brand from the ground up, struggled through the tough times, and have expanded slowly.

Take the UFC for example. Remember the days when there were 2 or 3 UFC events per year at the most? They built their brand slowly by not pushing fighters onto fans that weren't worthy of the spotlight. This also allowed them to slowly add to their stable of great fighters, creating deep weight classes which then allowed them to offer more and more events with quality fights. Or how about an organization like Strikerforce that has built an impressive brand in the west, and especially in the Bay Area. This is an organization that has slowly grown their brand and stable of fighters, and has exhibited patience and sound judgment. They've created a brand that bay area MMA fans are familiar with, and know what to expect from their events.

Secondly, EliteXC tried to simply capitalize on the popularity of MMA without respecting the knowledge of the fans. In my opinion, pushing Kimbo Slice and Gina Carano as the organizations stars was a bad idea. Not only did fans and experts alike question Kimbo's abilities, but it felt as if they were simply trying to parlay the novelty of the internet legend "Kimbo Slice" into success. MMA fans want to see quality fights, even if the fighters aren't known across the internet.

By the way, didn't you know the end was near when you saw Jared Shaw cage-side with a look of absolute horror on his face as Kimbo went down and the ref stepped into stop the fight? It reminded me of a scene from a bad horror flick.

With regards to Carano, although she has talent, I think fans quickly figured out that her heart was not 100% with fighting as she continually missed weight, yet spent so much time in the spotlight due to American Gladiators and other ventures.

The organization did have quality fighters to push to the forefront. Jake Shields being an example, as a consistently top ranked welterweight, they could have easily propped him up as the face of the organization. Along with other stars like Robbie Lawler, Nick Diaz, Scott Smith and others. Unfortunate incidents with Antonio "Big Foot" Silva and KJ Noons certainly didn't help their situation.

It's really too bad that EliteXC went under, as different MMA organizations is a good thing for the fans and fighters alike. Unfortunately, no one has been able to mimic the UFC's success, probably because it just takes time, and what executive wants to wait for success when he can just buy it? After all, MMA is the hottest sport on the planet, right? Or is it just that the UFC is the hottest promotion on the planet?

As for our favorite EliteXC fighters, where will they go? Luckily many of most talented ended their run with EliteXC on a positive note. With convincing victories over Paul Daley and Nick Thompson, Jake Shields finds himself in a good position. Certainly fans would love to see him go to the UFC where he'll join a deep and very talented weight class and receive the challenges he so deserves. Who wouldn't love to see Jake fight the likes of Diego Sanchez or Thiago Alves? 

Robbie Lawler is another fighter that could make a successful move (and return) to the UFC. After all, the UFC is at a loss about who to put up against Anderson Silva, here's one more option for them. Nick Diaz seems to never be short of options in Japan, and we love to see him in action. A talented fighter with a great future, it also seems as though Nick has been taking lessons in Public Relations, and we hope it pays dividends for him in the end. Always popular and exciting, and organization would be lucky to acquire his services.

One organization that surely stands to gain from EliteXC's misfortune has to be Affliction. They began with a great card, unfortunately it was stacked with heavyweights and not much depth at other weight classes. Certainly this event will provide them the opportunity to acquire more talent in different classes. With a reputation on their side for treating fighters well, they certainly could parlay this into further success.

Where ever they go, we wish the best of luck to our local favorites Jake Shields and Nick Diaz!