Last Saturday, arguably strikeforce's most successful event went off without a hitch, as two of the organization's more dominant champions successfully defended their titles before an electric crowd in San Diego, California. Nick Diaz and Gilbert Melendez, teammates under the infamous Cesar Gracie brand, were both successful in their respective title bouts, with Diaz laying claim as one of the best and most dangerous welterweight fighters in the world with his first-round TKO over UFC castout Paul Daley, and Gilbert with his highly anticipated rematch with Japanese sensation Tatusya Kawajiri, which resulted in a one-sided TKO win for "El Nino". While the two men were perhaps among the nights most impressive winners, they were also among the top-earners for the entire event. ...

While the submission in of itself wasn't a gogoplata, or an omaplata, or even a flying arm bar, it was an impressive submission victory nonetheless. The "Baka Survivor" Shinya Aoki has long been reveered as one of the top lightweight fighters in the world, having defeated a bevy of the sports elite fighters, including the likes of Eddie Alvarez, Tatsuya Kawajiri, and Joachim Hansen (to name a few), he has not been able to make his mark over here in the United States. Aoki had his chance this past Saturday when he reentered the Strikeforce cage for the second-time, taking on then 16-1 lightweight prospect in Lyle Beerbohm on the main-card of the Showtime televised card. And though many were banking on Beerbohm to record the upset win, Aoki proved his naysayers wrong as managed to make successful second-first impression, earning his first win under the Strikeforce banner. ...

A great night of fights, Saturday, with the quality of combat tilted heavily to the Strikeforce card emanating out of San Diego compared to Bellator 40 out of Oklahoma.  Nick Diaz and Gilbert Melendez laid down inspired performances giving notice to their new boss, Dana White, that there may not be much of a talent gap between Strikeforce Champions and UFC belt holders.  Farther east in the Sooner state, the favorites won in pedestrian fashion while setting up some intriguing matches going forward.  Lets get to the chum. ...

Former welterweight title challenger KJ Noons will now be returning to the lightweight division. The native Hawaiian was originally expected to square off against budding contender Jorge Masvidal, however with the recent tragedies in Japan, it looks like KJ may have the opportunity to put himself right back into title contention as he is now back in camp, preparing for a possible showdown with top prospect, Lyle Beerbohm. "Fancy Pants" was originally expected to face off with DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki, however the Judoka's participation in the contest has come under question after his native Japan has seen a series of tragedies occur, including tsunami's and earthquakes galore. ...

For a “B show”, Strikeforce’s “Challengers 14” event certainly had plenty of memorable occasions. Much like the current (and awesome) trend in many major Strikeforce shows nowadays, most of the televised fights ended with a dramatic finish after several very entertaining minutes of action. It was a night filled with submissions, but which moments were the best? Here’s my take on the matter: my top 5 best moments of Strikeforce: “Challengers 14”. ...

It’s that time once again, fans and friends: another night of MMA action has came and went, and now it’s time to ask “what’s next?” The event in question is the surprisingly-awesome Strikeforce: “Challengers 14”, a show I personally feel will be right up there come year’s end as one of the best “sleeper hit” shows of the year. As is customary, here’s my “What’s Next for the Winners and Losers” post, this time covering Strikeforce: “Challengers 14”. ...

It’s that time once again, fans and friends: another one went into the history books tonight, Strikeforce: “Challengers 14” is now all wrapped up. It was a night full of finishes and a dramatic main event. There’s no doubt about it: we have a sleeper hit on our hands here. Here are the full results as well as some early commentary on Strikeforce: “Challengers 14”. ...

On February 18, 2011, Strikeforce will hold the fourteenth edition of its “Challengers” series of shows, featuring Lyle Beerbohm taking on Pat Healy in what should be an excellent Lightweight showdown. Also, Ryan Couture returns to Strikeforce and looks to score his second pro MMA win over Lee Higgins. Still, some fans may be asking themselves: what are the best reasons to check out this card? Here’s my answer to just that: 5 reasons to watch Strikeforce: “Challengers 14”. ...

We’re now only a few days away from Strikeforce: “Challengers 14”. In the main event, hot prospect Lyle Beerbohm takes on grizzled veteran Pat Healy in a fight that could have serious title implications for either man. The co-main event will also be an interesting match-up, as Ryan Couture, the son of legendary MMA fighter Randy Couture, returns to Strikeforce for his second professional MMA fight. As is customary, here’s my official “picks and predictions” post (covering who I think will win and why), this time focusing on Strikeforce: “Challengers 14”. ...

Hello once more fans and friends and welcome to the latest edition of “Crash Course”. “Crash Course” is a series of articles designed to give readers a quick rundown on all the relevant information they need to know heading into an upcoming major MMA event. Everything from why you should watch, what you should expect in the co-main and main event, and even where and when you can find it on TV is all covered in detail. So let’s get right to it with today’s edition, featuring Strikeforce: “Challengers 14”. ...

A lightweight match up has been added to the next Strikeforce Challenger's card as budding contender Lyle Beerbohm will make his fourth-trip into the cage when he takes on veteran Pat Healy. The bout is rumored to headline Strikeforce Challengers 14, which takes place on Feb. 18 at the Cedar Park Center in Cedar Park, Texas. Undefeated in his professional career, Beerbohm is looking to add another signature name to his list of victims as he inches closer and closer to top contender status in a thinning lightweight division in Strikeforce, however Healy would be the last man to overlook on your way to the top of the weight-class where only the strong survive. ...

I had an interview with "Fancy Pants" Lyle Beerbohm (13-0) about his life and upcoming fight with  "Shaolin" Vitor Ribeiro (20-3) at Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery on May 15 in St. Louis. What transpired was Lyle venting about his frustrations with Strikeforce as we moved through the interview. Since that time I have talked with all the players involved and they have come to a resolution. What follows is the story as only Fighters.com and MMA Gospel Radio can bring you along with the exclusive press release. ...

Heavyweight "Pee Wee" Dave Herman (12-0) TKO'd "Meat Truck" Kerry Schall (21-11) in 66 seconds Friday night in Hammond, east of Chicago. The "W" was Herman's third under the ProElite umbrella, a promotion whose heavyweight division has been stung recently with champion "Big Foot" Antonio Silva's (11-1) positive test for banned substances and poster boy "Kimbo Slice" Kevin Ferguson's (3-1) 14-second KO loss. The victory came by a combination of knees with Schall in Herman's Thai clinch and punches once Schall dropped. After his brief TUF 8 appearance, light heavyweight Jason Guida (17-18) was overwhelmed by "Cannibal" Mamed Khalidov (15-3-1) by second-round TKO at 4:53. King of the Cage Welterweight Champion Anthony Lapsley (14-3) won a majority decision over Mike Stumpf (10-2) by judges' scores of 30-27 twice and 29-29. ...

Reliably adequate Nor Cal MMA promotion Strike Force put on a snoozer Saturday at the Tacoma Dome. The event headlined by "The Beast" Bob Sapp's North American MMA debut was beamed live in HD on HDNet. BUM-BUM BUM-BUM BUM-BUM BUM Sapp was TKO'd in 55 seconds by 2-5 South African Jan Nortje. That's about as anti-climactic as the fight, which began with Sapp entering the cage to the theme music of "2001: A Space Odyssey". But, don't shed a tear for "The Beast", who drops to 9-3-1, nor raise your hopes that the cartoon will end. Sapp has lost before and reportedly has a fight waiting for him 15 March in Dream's inaugural promotion in Japan.  He's still a draw in the East. "The Beast" will live on. Fast-rising middleweight Cory Devela notched a big name on his belt when "Diesel" Joe Riggs was forced to submit at 1:22 of the first round after a judo throw caused an injury in Riggs's back. Devela raises his record to 8-1, while Riggs falls to 27-10. There's been no word on the nature or severity of Riggs's back injury, but Riggs was forced off a WEC card last year due to a back injury. "GameBred" lightweight Jorge Masvidal continued his seven-fight streak with a unanimous decision over 9-3-1 Ryan Healy. Masvidal has posted wins versus Yves Edwards, Nuri Shakir, and Joe Lauzon and seems ready to step-up in competition. Former UFC Heavyweight Champion "Mo" Maurice Smith welcomed veteran kickboxing star "The Jet" Rick Roufus to MMA, submitting the K-1 fighter in an armlock at 1:53 of the first round. On the undercard, Washington welterweight "Fast" Eddy Ellis pulled even at 14-14-1 with a unanimous decision versus "Red Nose" Steve Berger. Hometown heavyweight Mychal Clark punched Josh Bennett's eye swollen shut to register a TKO at the end of two rounds. "Fancy Pants" Lyle Beerbohm remained undefeated after submitting fellow welterweight "Relentless" Ray Perales in a guillotine choke 1:19 into round three. Heavyweight Mike Hayes won his pro MMA debut over Matt Kovacs in a unanimous decision. Zach Skinner ruined Scott Shaffer's MMA debut with a unanimous decision victory. Finally, Nathan Coy improved to 3-0 after knocking out debuting Dave Courchaine in the first round. ...