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.

Here are the full fighter payouts, which are courtesy of MMAJunkie.com by way of the California State Athletic Commission:

Nick Diaz: $175,000 (no win bonus)
def. Paul Daley: $65,000

Gilbert Melendez: $150,000 (no win bonus)
def. Tatsuya Kawajiri: $97,612.50

Gegard Mousasi: $150,000
drew Keith Jardine: $25,000

Shinya Aoki: $73,637.50 (no win bonus)
def. Lyle Beerbohm: $10,000

Robert Peralta: $4,000 (includes $2,000 win bonus)
def. Hiroyuki Takaya: $2,740

Virgil Zwicker: $3,000 ($1,000 win bonus)
def. Brett Albee: $1,000

Joe Duarte: $2,000 ($1,000 win bonus)
def. Saad Awad: $1,500

Herman Terrado: $1,500 ($500 win bonus)
def. A.J. Matthews: $1,000

Rolando Perez: $3,000 ($1,000 win bonus)
def. Tom Peterson: $1,000

Casey Ryan: $2,000 ($1,000 win bonus)
def. Paul Song: $750

So, MMA peeps, any surprises here? What stands out first for me is Mousasi’s payday. So, had he won, how much money would he have made? Should his pay scale be more than that of Nick Diaz? Sound off in the comment section below.

Champions and teammates Gilbert Melendez and Nick Diaz were able to retain their titles in memorable bouts with some of their toughest tests to date, as both men challenged hard hitters in Tatsuya Kawajiri and Paul Daley (respectively) with both men earning first-round TKO wins.

Shinya Aoki, the DREAM lightweight champion also returned victorious under the Strikeforce banner as he took out former top prospect Lyle Beerbohm with a first-round submission victory.

And then there was the Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine bout, which resulted in a very disappointing majority draw, a decision which has been panned by the media and fans alike. However, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has a simple solution to that problem. Let’s let them do it, again.

Scott Coker spoke with Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com where he spoke about how he felt the fight should have been scored in the long run.

“I think Gegard won that fight”, proclaimed Coker without any hesitation.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Keith Jardine, but I think Gegard won the fight.”

Jardine took the bout on just 9-days notice when Mousasi’s original opponent Mike Kyle bowed out of the light heavyweight tilt due to injury, and subsequently took the former Strikeforce 205-pound champion to a decision, much to the surprise of everyone who believed Gegard would be able to easily dispatch of the “chinny” Jardine.

Gegard seemed to be in control of the bout all throughout, however an early upkick on the ground caused Mousasi to lose a point in the first-round, which would later prove detrimental when the scores were read 29-27 (in favor of Mousasi) and 28-28 (twice) which produced the majority draw.

Therefor, two of the three judges gave Jardine a round during the fight, likely due to the takedowns mounting for Jardine, though the Greg Jackson product did little to advance on his opponent or damage Mousasi on the ground.

“I can’t speak for the judges, and I don’t want to go there, but it’s a draw and let’s them do it again”, said Coker in closing.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the decision? Should have Mousasi won the bout, or did Jardine do enough to take the fight to a draw? Do you think they should fight again? Sound off in the comment section below.

He always seems like the type of fighter that can always rise to the occasion, despite possessing one of the more infamously panned “chins” in the mixed martial arts community. He’s pulled off the upset plenty of times. Having beaten Chuck Liddell who was just removed from his strap as the UFC light heavyweight champion and defeating Forrest Griffin with a first-round TKO, proves that Jardine is certainly no push over.

However, if you would have told me that the Greg Jackson product had only nine-days to prepare for a fighter of the caliber of Gegard Mousasi, I would have told you that it’s almost a “gimme” that the former Strikeforce titleholder would dismantle Jardine inside of the first-round. Such was not the case, and the result of the bout is the reason why this fight was my particular “Upset of the Night”.

Mousasi, though his status as a light heavyweight top-10 fighter is different depending on which media source you uncover, is reveered as one of the brightest stars in the MMA world. Coupled with a prodigious professional kickboxing record of 5-0, the wan holds victories over K-1 stars such as Musashi and the current heavyweight champion in Kyotaro, whom Gegard defeated last December under the DREAM banner. Along with his stand-up skills, Mousasi’s ground game is the equivalent of any accomplished Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, with his ability to stave off submissions as well as apply many of his own, which include his triangle and rear-naked chokes which account for 11 of his 30 victories.

Though he’s of a smaller frame compared to most 205-ers, he can certainly hold his own. One his knacks, however, has been his inability to defend the takedown, which become obvious in his decision loss to former Strikeforce champ “King Mo” in April of last year. Since then, Mousasi has insisted that his takedowns have improved exponentially, however such was not the case when he locked horns with Keith Jardine.

Though he ate many shots for his efforts, Jardine was able to out muscle and work Mousasi to the ground over and over again for the first-two rounds, though based on damage, submission attempts and his ability to get off the mat, Gegard should have taken the rounds decisively. In the first-round, Mousasi landed an illegal upkick which immediately resulted in the penalization of a point, which would later prove detrimental in the bout. In the final round, Mousasi reversed the script and took “The Dean of Mean” to the mat himself, and controlled the rest of the round without much question.

In the end, the bout was ruled a majority draw after three-rounds of action, with scores of 29-27–in favor of Mousasi, and 28-28 (twice) resulting in the panned decision. Immediately following the ruling, UFC President Dana White tweeted ”
You have to be (expletive) me!!!!”, which is a sentiment I’m sure everyone watching the bout shared.

While Gegard should have decidedly been the victor of the bout, he didn’t do much to make the case for himself as the true number one contender for Dan Henderson‘s Strikeforce title. One can imagine what would have happened if Mousasi would have performed the same against the injured Mike Kyle, as originally intended. The Armenian hardly looked to be the fighter who knocked out Renato Sobral inside of a round, nor the fighter who won DREAM’s inaugural 16-man middleweight grand-prix.

Step your game up, Mousasi! You’re better than that.

Sound off in the comment section below.

The Cecil Peoples Award For The Best Display Of Utter Blindness And Ineptitude: The judges who scored the bout between Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine a Draw. I keep having to hand this award out, and it keeps infuriating me each and every time. Even with Mousasi losing a point for an illegal upkick, there’s no way this fight was anything other than a commanding victory for Mousasi. Gegard got taken down a few times, but Jardine was a bloody, bruised mess by the end of this fight. It was another fight plagued by horrendous judging, and a further reminder of why I’m so very glad that most Strikeforce fights nowadays don’t go to the judges.

The Phoenix Award: Shinya Aoki, who breathed new life into his career with a thrilling first-round submission over Lyle Beerbohm. Aoki displayed that his ground game is still as flawless as ever, and that he could one day possibly be a major star in Strikeforce. Strikeforce is definitely in need of more stars in their Lightweight division, and so long as Aoki is used correctly and given opponents where his ground game is allowed to shine, Aoki could become Strikeforce’s Lightweight “submission magician”.

The Evil Mirror Universe Award: This is a reference to a classic Star Trek episode, and it goes to Gilbert Melendez because of how he rocked a goatee and showed up a very different fighter at “Diaz vs. Daley”. Melendez was always tough and loved to brawl, but he showed up to this event wanting to knock Tatsuya Kawajiri’s head off. It honestly startled me to see Gilbert Melendez go headhunting, and in fact, this was only the third first-round stoppage of his career. While his performance was radically different than what I’m accustomed to, it was also a fantastic performance, so it deserves to be highlighted as much as possible.

The “So Close And Yet So Far Away” Award: Paul Daley, for hurting and nearly finishing Nick Diaz several times throughout their epic first-round encounter. Daley had Diaz in a whole lot of trouble at several different points in this fight, but somehow he was unable to bring the fight to a close. He certainly came close, but whether it was Diaz’s ability to adapt when the fight went to the ground (even if the fight went to the ground because Diaz was floored) or Diaz’s near-impenetrable chin, the fight did not end with Daley as champion. But it certainly could have.

So that’s what I think, fans and friends. And remember, it’s all in good fun… mostly. What about you? Any thoughts/opinions ready to be shared?

5. Shinya Aoki’s domination of Lyle Beerbohm.

Shinya Aoki is an interesting case of “what should have been”. Or at least, that’s generally how fans thought of him before this fight with Lyle Beerbohm. Now fans are thinking of Aoki as a case of “what still might be”. Shinya Aoki may never be a multi-dimensional threat, but last night he proved that no one save for the best in the world can hang with him on the ground. So long as Strikeforce utilizes him correctly, they can look forward to many more first-round submissions. Aoki’s heartfelt performance combined with an emotional post-fight celebration was a great way to start the night.

4. Gilbert Melendez’s “Hellbows”.

I’ve made it no secret that I loathe Mauro Ranallo. But I agreed with him on this matter: Gilbert Melendez’s vicious, vicious elbows, the ones that put an end to his fight with Tatsuya Kawajiri, deserve to be called “Hellbows”. I remember emphatically telling my friend “This is what you get when you allow elbows on the ground!” It was a very dramatic finish, and if it weren’t for the Zuffa brass doing away with the Strikeforce-only rule that prevented such a strike, it may never have happened. I for one am very, very glad that elbows to the head on the ground are now legal in Strikeforce.

3. Keith Jardine taking Gegard Mousasi to a three-round decision.

Let’s put aside our feelings of anger over this fight going to a Majority Draw. If you can do that, then answer me this: how tough is Keith Jardine? The man took the fight on ultra-short notice, and he still managed to take down Mousasi several times throughout the fight. He finished the fight a swollen, bloody, and tired mess… but he did not go down. He did not submit and he was not knocked out. Jardine has the heart of a warrior, and seeing him reaffirm that at “Diaz vs. Daley” was honestly a great moment even when taking into account the horrendous decision.

2. Gilbert Melendez’s call to unify the UFC and Strikeforce championships.

I want it, you want it, everyone wants it. But Gilbert Melendez voiced it. It’s one thing for fans and journalists to get together and call for action. It’s another thing entirely when one of your most high-profile champions, one of your biggest stars, takes the microphone in front of a live audience, in front of hundreds of thousands of fans watching live on Showtime, and asks for some unification bouts. Melendez’s performance will have everybody talking for weeks to come, but his post-fight call to arms for a “Strikeforce vs. UFC” war will likely have people talking for months.

And my personal pick for the best moment of Strikeforce: “Diaz vs. Daley” is…

1. Nick Diaz finishing Paul Daley.

In February 2006, Paul Daley lost by TKO due to a dislocated thumb. It was the first and only TKO on Daley’s record. That was the case… until last night. Last night, Nick Diaz fought Paul Daley’s game, survived Paul Daley’s best shots, and then served up his own unique form of brutal punishment. Whether it was the killer body blows or the hard shots right to the dome, Daley ended the fight staggered and defeated, needing help to even make it onto his corner’s stool. Nick Diaz dropping and stopping Paul Daley was by far the best moment of “Diaz vs. Daley”.

So there you have it, fans and friends: those are the moments I’ll be remembering from “Diaz vs. Daley”. But what about you? What do you think everyone will be talking about in the days/weeks to come?

Next for Lyle Beerbohm: I’ll make this short and sweet: Lyle Beerbohm is headed back to Strikeforce’s “Challengers” series of shows. I hate to say that about a man I’ve found so entertaining, but there’s really no other option for him after Shinya Aoki made such quick work of Beerbohm. I definitely think Beerbohm could one day be a major player in Strikeforce, but for now, he’s best served filling the co-main or main event slots of a “Challengers” show.

Next for Shinya Aoki: Aoki’s future is a bit uncertain. Aoki’s home is the Japanese-based DREAM promotion, but Japan is still dealing with its numerous tragedies, and DREAM has been plagued with rumors of its financial demise for the last several months. If not Japan, Aoki’s next fight will definitely take place in Strikeforce, since Aoki breathed new life into his career at “Diaz vs. Daley”. Aoki may not be ready for another shot at Gilbert Melendez, but he proved that he’s still very much the “Master of Flying Submissions”.

Next for Keith Jardine/Gegard Mousasi: Each other, which is why I’m grouping them together. Keith Jardine will likely postpone his move to Middleweight for one more fight, in order to give fans a firm winner. I know Gegard Mousasi can beat Keith Jardine, and I think we all know Mousasi should have won that fight. But at “Diaz vs. Daley”, Jardine showed that he’s still game, and that he can take on anyone at any time. I say: give Jardine a full camp to prepare, and let’s see who wins the rematch.

Next for Gilbert Melendez: What’s left in Strikeforce’s Lightweight division? “El Nino” has pretty much done it all, and his performance at “Diaz vs. Daley” was one of the most dominating of his career… and Melendez was coming off nearly a year-long layoff. Melendez needs to take on Bellator’s Eddie Alvarez, because there’s very few people left in Strikeforce that could conceivably pose a threat to him.

Next for Paul Daley: “Semtex” will likely take one or two fights in Britain before making his Strikeforce return in the late summer or early fall. Expect Daley to get some more (T)KO’s on his record and then show up ready to take on someone like KJ Noons or Evangelista Santos. So long as Daley makes weight and isn’t involved in any more post-fight shenanigans, Daley will have a home in Strikeforce so long as Strikeforce remains Strikeforce.

Next for Nick Diaz: Much like Gilbert Melendez, I’m struggling to find a worthy opponent for Nick Diaz in Strikeforce. Diaz is now the most dominant Strikeforce title holder in the history of the promotion. I supposed Tyron Woodley would be an interesting match-up. But I think it’s high time that Nick Diaz moves up to Middleweight or a 180-pound catchweight. Whoever he fights there is up to him.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. But what about you? What do you see happening in the near and not-so-near future of the big winners and losers of “Diaz vs. Daley”?

Virgil Zwicker defeats Brett Albee via TKO at 1:46 of Round 1. Joe Duarte defeats Saad Awad via armbar submission at 2:45 of Round 2. Herman Terrado defeats AJ Matthews via TKO at 4:16 of Round 1. Rolando Perez defeats Edgar Cardenas via Unanimous Decision. Casey Ryan defeats Paul Song via triangle at 1:39 of Round 1. Robert Peralta defeats Hiroyuki Takaya via Split Decision. Shinya Aoki defeats Lyle Beerbohm via submission at 1:33 of Round 1. Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine fight to a Majority Draw. Gilbert Melendez defeats Tatsuya Kawajiri by TKO at 3:14 of Round 1. Nick Diaz defeats Paul Daley via TKO 4:57 of Round 1.

I was very, very surprised that it only took Shinya Aoki a minute and a half to submit Lyle Beerbohm. But it was a pleasant surprise. For all his flaws, part of me still very much enjoys watching Shinya Aoki fight. This fight once again proved that Aoki’s ground game is without question one of the best in the sport. It was a dramatic performance for the Japanese fighter, and with the rumored downfall of the Japanese-based DREAM promotion, I can see Aoki finding a new home and new life in Strikeforce.

I thought Gegard Mousasi would win this fight. I knew Keith Jardine would make him work for it. What I didn’t know is that my respect for Jardine would grow higher while my hopes around Mousasi being a good opponent for current champion Dan Henderson crashed and burned. Mousasi displayed great striking, as always, but Mousasi also displayed an inability to deal with takedowns. I was very surprised that the fight ended in a Draw, and I think that was the final straw in killing Mousasi’s comeback hype.

Ring rust may be real… but Gilbert Melendez is much, much realer. Without a doubt, he deserves to be ranked near the top of the Lightweight division… not just in Strikeforce, but in all of MMA. I honestly don’t know what’s left for him in Strikeforce. I want Melendez to finally get the chance to fight Bellator’s Eddie Alvarez. But no matter what happens, Melendez proved tonight that he’s one of Strikeforce’s best fighters.

And in the main event, Nick Diaz and Paul Daley simply gave Strikeforce fans the best round of the year so far, one of the best rounds of the past several years in fact. I was biting my nails when Diaz decided to strike with Daley, and I was very, very worried about Paul Daley stopping Nick Diaz. He certainly came close. But then Nick Diaz did what he does best, he landed a crazy number of shots, remained focused, remained tough, and finished Paul Daley. It was an amazing performance, and there can be no doubt: Nick Diaz is the best fighter in Strikeforce.

Overall, this was a great night of fights for Strikeforce. Shinya Aoki grabbed a very dramatic finish, while Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine was a tough war that really displayed Jardine’s heart. And there’s one word that perfectly describes Gilbert Melendez’s performance: perfect. And as for Nick Diaz, what’s left to say? Love him or hate him, loathe him or revere him, Nick Diaz is for real. He’ll fight your fight and knock you out. Laugh at his interviews if you want, but no amount of money will ever convince me to step into a cage against Nick Diaz. Not even for a minute.

And what about you, fans and friends? What did you think of “Diaz vs. Daley”?

After a heavyweight tilt with Kerry Schall in the finale, Jardine moved down to the light heavyweight division where he managed to notch up impressive victories over the likes of notables Wilson Gouveia, Brandon Vera, and former champions Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin.

After his exit from the promotion in 2010, which came on the heels of a four-fight losing skid, Jardine has since comprised a two-fight streak and hopes to add Gegard Mousasi–whom he meets this Saturday in Strikeforce–to his list of impressive victories. Regardless of the outcome though, “The Dean of Mean” intends to make a run in the middleweight class.

Jardine has recently stepped up on short notice in order to take on Mousasi in a bout which was originally intended for Mike Kyle, though the fellow UFC vet had been sidelined with a broken hand suffered in training.

The opportunity is a big one for Keith, who has been known to rise to the occasion against some of the best fighters in the world, and Mousasi is just one of those fighters. A former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion and two-time DREAM titleholder, Gegard brings an array of skills to the bout, and though Jardine has had more or less two weeks to prepare, he’s as game as they come.

The Dutch striker was to be fitted for a number contender bout with Kyle for current champion Dan Henderson‘s light heavyweight strap, so a potential win for Jardine here would be huge. However, in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com, a noticeably more lean “Dean of Mean” discussed his intentions to drop down to the middleweight class for the first time in his career.

At 35-years-old, Jardine knows his window in the sport is closing, and hopes that a run in the 185-pound division will spur a possibility for him to enter title contention sometime in the near future. He points to the UFC’s middleweight class, and says the lack of talent there was one incentive in order to make the move.

So, MMA peeps, aside from his bout with Mousasi this Saturday–what do you think of the news? How do you think Jardine will fare at 185-pounds? Sound off in the comment section below.

Is it wrong that I still like Shinya Aoki? I know he’s been faltering a lot lately, I know he’s done some stupid things, I know his stand-up is utterly atrocious. But I still love it when he gets a fight to the ground and is able to work his wizardry. This is the guy that gave us the Mounted Gogoplata, remember? Aoki may have taken a tumble down the rankings, but when he gets the fight in his comfort zone he’s a very entertaining and incredibly dynamic performer. So part of me does still honestly hold out hope for the “Tobikan Judan”.

I feel like some of my comments I’ve made towards Keith Jardine could be construed as disrespectful, so I apologize if it came off that way and I would like to once again state that I consider myself a fan of Keith Jardine. It is quite saddening that my opinion of him has become so deflated. At one point, I considered Jardine a very under-rated and under-appreciated fighter. But now? It’s going to be a long, hard road back to relevancy, and Gegard Mousasi is a former champion. Part of me really, really hopes Jardine pulls off the upset, but the other 99% of me knows that that’s almost impossible.

Am I a bit angry at Gilbert Melendez? Maybe I am. He did take almost a year off, and his fight with Eddie Alvarez never materialized. It may be unfair to blame Melendez considering how insanely difficult it must be to make a co-promotional champion vs. champion super-fight happen, but I just generally don’t like it when a fighter takes a prolonged absence that isn’t injury-related. I’ve made some exceptions, of course, but normally I don’t. However, I will say that a rusty Melendez should be more than capable of beating Tatsuya Kawajiri so long as he doesn’t get caught and puts Kawajiri on his back with regularity.

Nick Diaz isn’t knocking out Paul Daley. I’m sorry, but, it’s just not happening. I’m one of the biggest Diaz supporters out there, but Nick Diaz’s style prides itself on cumulative damage that takes a few rounds to really start hurting the opponent. That just isn’t going to work against a striker like Daley, who has demonstrated an iron chin for most (if not all) of his entire career while also demonstrating true one-hit knockout power. Diaz is far, far more likely to submit Daley than he is to (T)KO him. And no matter what, I’m still in Nick’s corner and I can’t wait to see him win again.

And that’s that, fans and friends: my final say on “Diaz vs. Daley”. But what about you? Any last thoughts on the card?

Mousasi cynics will decry his win due to Jardine’s recent losing-streak.

There’s simply no way of covering this one up: if Mousasi beats Jardine, he’ll have beaten a fighter that’s won two of his last seven bouts. The cynics will have all the ammunition they need to throw Mousasi under the bus and claim that he’s still not ready for another shot at the championship. Even if Mousasi wins, I think we’ll see a vocal contingent of fans asking if beating Keith Jardine this late in the game is really anything to be proud of.

If Mousasi doesn’t dominate, he likely won’t earn a shot at the championship.

Even though I don’t fully agree with some fans in thinking that Jardine isn’t a worthwhile opponent, I have to admit that the only way Mousasi wins this fight and retains his credibility is if he goes out and dominates Keith Jardine. Jardine is one tough fighter and I respect him immensely for it, but in the here and now Mousasi should be way too tough a test for Jardine, who has only just started to emerge from the ashes of a five-fight losing-streak.

If Strikeforce is smart, they’ll book a Mousasi/Lawal rematch and/or give Mousasi one more opponent before a title shot.

This is Strikeforce’s best, safest bet if they don’t want to be accused of rushing yet another fighter to a title shot. Strikeforce has a habit of saying “forget the rankings” and making the big-money matches as quickly as they can, but now that they’re under the Zuffa umbrella, there’s a chance that cooler heads may prevail. With the financial security of Zuffa could come a heightened focus on the long-term building of the Strikeforce brand and its fighters, which means waiting to pull the trigger on Mousasi’s big second run at the championship… at least until he beats a proper Strikeforce star and not a last-minute replacement.

If Strikeforce wants big matches now, they’ll immediately book Mousasi vs. Henderson.

The alternative, of course, is that “business as usual” means Mousasi gets an immediate fight against Dan Henderson for the championship if he beats Jardine. I honestly think this is likelier to happen since Strikeforce has a habit of doing this. For better or worse, Strikeforce knows that Mousasi vs. Henderson would be an excellent match and they probably won’t wait to make it happen.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? Any thoughts on what the future holds for Mousasi if he beats Jardine?

5. This will be the first “Arena Series” event under the Zuffa umbrella.

While “Challengers 15” holds the distinction of being the first-ever Strikeforce event now that Strikeforce exists as a subsidiary of Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, this will be the first major show of Strikeforce’s “Zuffa Era”. “Challengers 15” didn’t feature a whole lot of changes, other than the obvious rule change about elbows to the head on the ground now being allowed, but that could be due to the fact that “Challengers” is and always will be the “B” show. There’s still a chance that we could see some pretty big changes to the way Strikeforce presents itself, and that’s a pretty alluring reason to give this show a watch.

4. What’s left of Shinya Aoki?

A few years ago, Shinya Aoki’s ground game was approaching “legendary” status. It didn’t matter that he had terrible stand-up because he always found a way to get the fight to the ground and work his magic. Then several things all happened to cause Aoki’s star to come crashing back down to earth: he got KO’d by Hayato Sakurai and then had an atrocious match with Vitor Ribeiro, he became a “bad boy” only to get dominated by Gilbert Melendez, and on New Year’s Eve 2010, he embarrassed himself before getting KO’d once again. Now Aoki is set to face Lyle Beerbohm, a rising star that is hungrier than ever considering he just lost for the first time ever. It’ll certainly be interesting to see if Aoki has anything left to give, because if he doesn’t, this fight should prove once and for all that Aoki’s one-dimensionality has finally caught up to him.

3. How on earth does Keith Jardine survive against Gegard Mousasi?

I like Keith Jardine, I really do. But Jardine just barely put two wins together after losing five, count ‘em, five straight fights. It’s great that Jardine is on a two-fight win-streak, but when you put it into context, those wins are the beginning of a long, hard climb out of “rock bottom”. This fight against Mousasi just isn’t one that Jardine needs if he wants to keep the win-streak going. Jardine is tougher than almost anybody and will also fight everybody, so he definitely gets my respect for taking this fight. I can’t see him winning, but part of me hopes he proves me wrong, and all of me knows that he’s going to make it a fun fight no matter what happens.

2. Will Gilbert Melendez dominate even though he’s been gone for almost a year?

With the skill and technique he’s demonstrated in Strikeforce so far, Gilbert Melendez could stay a champion for a long, long time. But it’s been almost a year since he last fought, and as I keep saying, ring rust is very real. Tatsuya Kawajiri is still a good fighter, and he can still be a threat to Melendez if Melendez shows up rusty. And getting to see which Gilbert Melendez shows up at “Diaz vs. Daley” is one of the biggest reasons to check out this show.

And the number one reason to watch Strikeforce: “Diaz vs. Daley” is…

1. Diaz. Daley. ‘Nuff said.

Now this is a main event. In one corner, you’ve got the powerful champion that’s absolutely wrecked everyone he’s ever been paired up against in Strikeforce. In the other, you’ve got a man with over twenty KO’s on his record and a very high-profile mean streak. If Diaz takes this fight to the ground, this could be one of the most dominating performances of the year. If it turns into a brawl, it could be one of the best brawls of the year. There’s only one way to find out, and that’s definitely the main reason to tune in and watch “Diaz vs. Daley”.

So there you have it, fans and friends: five great reasons to tune in and see “Diaz vs. Daley”. What about you? As the date draws ever-closer, what are you most looking forward to for this event?

Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley: This one’s the million-dollar question of the night. Here’s how I think it will go: I think Diaz will put the ego away and focus on his counter-striking. Daley will land, but he’ll never land with the kind of power to one-hit KO Diaz. He might stagger Diaz, but Nick will go into survival mode and take Daley down. If Daley doesn’t land that kind of shot, Diaz will take him down anyway just because he can. Once Diaz realizes how easy it is to put Daley on his back, he’ll keep doing it. Nick Diaz wins by Submission in Round 3, possibly Round 2.

Gilbert Melendez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri: Although he’s primarily known as a striker, the last time “Crusher” Kawajiri (T)KO’d anyone was in 2009. In fact, the last time he was able to string together at least two straight (T)KO wins was in 2006. Worse yet, Melendez already holds a victory over Kawajiri. There’s a chance that Melendez will show up rusty and Kawajiri will nail a KO blow, but I just don’t see that happening. Gilbert Melendez will win this one by Unanimous Decision.

Gegard Mousasi vs. Keith Jardine: It’s too much and too soon for “The Dean of Mean”. Since getting the boot out of the UFC on the heels of a four-fight losing-streak that saw him get KO’d twice, Jardine has gone 2-1 on the regional circuit, beating two non-entities and losing to Trevor Prangley. It truly pains me to say this, but I don’t think Jardine has done anything to deserve a fight with a former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion. If Jardine wins this one, I’d be beyond shocked. I’d even be surprised if he makes it out of the first round, which I don’t think he will. Gegard Mousasi wins by first-round TKO.

Shinya Aoki vs. Lyle Beerbohm: If this was a few years ago, back when Aoki was tearing people’s limbs off with reckless abandon, I’d immediately call for Beerbohm to lose by submission. But not only has Aoki slowed down a bit, several of his glaring weaknesses continue to be exploited, namely his relatively weak chin and his nearly-nonexistent stand-up game. I think Beerbohm will have to fight through some submission attempts, and I won’t rule out Aoki grabbing something and forcing the tap, but my gut and my head are in agreement: Beerbohm will more than likely be able to dominate Aoki standing as well as on the ground, all the while avoiding and/or eventually breaking any submission attempts. Lyle Beerbohm wins by Unanimous Decision.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. But what about you? Who do you see winning, and why, at Strikeforce: “Diaz vs. Daley”?

The Event: Strikeforce: “Diaz vs. Daley”, currently scheduled for April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. The main card will be broadcast live on the Showtime network starting at 10:00 PM ET.

Why You Should Care: This is the first “Arena Series” event after Zuffa’s surprise purchase of the Strikeforce promotion. Also, two championships are on the line, with two of Strikeforce’s biggest and brightest stars taking on some pretty tough challenges. As if that wasn’t enough, former UFC star Keith Jardine makes his Strikeforce debut by taking on former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley is being marketed as one of the biggest matches of the year, both for Strikeforce and for MMA in general. While it may not quite measure up to some of the UFC’s mega-matches planned for this month and beyond, it’s definitely one of the biggest matches Strikeforce could make at this point in time. At least for Strikeforce, it doesn’t get much bigger than putting your best, most marketable, most notorious champion against an iron-fisted knockout artist that is almost as notorious.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: Gilbert Melendez looks to make the second defense of his Strikeforce Lightweight Championship after unifying the belt back in 2009. Much like his first defense, Melendez will take on a Japanese import. But unlike his fight against Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri is an exciting brawler that loves to knock people out. And Melendez has been out for almost a year. It’s a fight where anything is possible, and it should be one of the night’s most entertaining bouts.

Why You Should Watch This Card: Simply put: there are two titles on the line, featuring two of Strikeforce’s best fighters facing legitimate, tough challengers to their championships. You’ve also got the aforementioned Jardine/Mousasi bout, which should be a real proving point for both men. It remains to be seen what happens if Jardine wins, but if Mousasi wins he’ll most likely be getting a shot at the title. And you’ve even got ground wizard Shinya Aoki taking on Lyle Beerbohm, who recently suffered his first loss in a great fight with Pat Healy.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: Here’s some rare criticism of Strikeforce: if all four of these televised fights go the way assorted fans are predicting they’ll go, we’re in for a night of mismatches. Don’t believe me? If Nick Diaz takes Paul Daley to the ground, it’s all over. If Gegard Mousasi can keep the fight standing against Keith Jardine, it’s all over. If Gilbert Melendez can outwrestle Tatsuya Kawajiri, it’s all over. If Shinya Aoki can get and keep Lyle Beerbohm on the ground, it’s all over. All of the fights could be competitive, or they could end up being like the recent Anthony Johnson vs. Dan Hardy fight. I’m not saying they will turn out like that, and I definitely still have a lot of faith in Strikeforce, but I do feel the need to point out that the possibility is there.

Closing Thoughts: In the end, I think Strikeforce’s recent track record of incredible shows more than earns them the benefit of the doubt for this show. In fact, I’ll go one step further: I think this could end up being one of the best Strikeforce events of 2011. Not only do I think the fights will live up to their potential, I think a few of them will even exceed it. I’m very pumped for this show, and I look forward to tuning in and watching live.

And what about you, fans and friends? What are your thoughts on “Diaz vs. Daley”?

5. Ovince St. Preux

OSP came from humble beginnings (he went 0-2 in his first two fights) but has now emerged as one of Strikeforce’s biggest prospects at 205. He’s won seven straight fights, all of which took place in 2010. He even once competed in Strikeforce three times in three months. OSP is young, hungry, talented, and dedicated. He’s built of the same stuff Mousasi is, although the two have very different styles. This would be OSP’s toughest test to date and a worthy replacement for Mike Kyle.

4. Roger Gracie

The Gracie name is undergoing a bit of a resurgence, and that’s mostly because of this man. Even I can admit that Gracie has begun to win me over: his ground game is what you’d expect of a Gracie, but dare I say it, his stand-up is evolving from “passable” to “good”. In submission fighting, Gracie’s record is 65-7. In MMA, his record is 4-0 with four submissions. Three of those came in the first round, one came in the second. Gracie is on such a hotstreak that not only do I think he deserves a shot at Mousasi, I think the winner of this match fully deserves a title shot.

3. Rafael Cavalcante

What better way to earn a shot at the championship than by beating a former champion? Cavalcante may have stumbled against Henderson, but he’s still one of the best Light Heavyweight fighters in Strikeforce. This would be a very interesting match-up and it would likely end with somebody face-down on the canvas. The big appeal of this match would be to see if Cavalcante’s massive frame and power punching can best Mousasi’s tactical gameplan and crisp counter-striking.

2. Muhammed Lawal

But if there’s one thing bigger than beating a former champion, it’s beating the former champion that became a champion by dethroning you. It’s been almost a year since Muhammed Lawal wrestled his way to a Unanimous Decision win over Mousasi, and since then Mousasi has competed on two separate occasions, winning bout bouts by first-round submission. Lawal has been sitting on the sidelines since August of last year, healing from an injury and his loss to Rafael Cavalcante. I can only think of one bigger match than these two making their Strikeforce returns against each other.

And the number-one opponent I’d like to see Gegard Mousasi face is…

1. Dan Henderson

If it happens, it honestly wouldn’t be the first time a fighter that was supposed to be fighting to crown the next challenger gets bumped up to being the next challenger. It also wouldn’t be the first time Strikeforce has given a title shot to a fighter that’s coming off of a loss. And as I said, Mousasi is coming off of a loss only in Strikeforce, he’s won two bouts overseas. I think this is honestly one of the most interesting fights Strikeforce could make at 205. The young, clever, versatile Mousasi would make a perfect foil to the old lion that’s got dynamite in his hands and a renewed fire in his heart.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? Who would you like to see Mousasi face now that Mike Kyle is injured?

The budding light heavyweight contender was originally scheduled to meet with Gegard Mousasi, the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, come April 9.

The two fighter’s were meeting on the main-card for “Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley” however Kyle has once again broken his hand, which is something that has become a common occurence for the American Kickboxing Academy product.

MMAFighitng.com were the first to report the injury and subsequent withdrawal of Kyle from the planned light heavyweight title eliminator bout with Mousasi.

Though coming off of a loss in his last outing against Antonio Silva, Kyle impresses everyone with his gutsy performance last December that he took on short notice. In the first-round, Kyle dominated Silva, dropping early with a right hand that sent the giant crashing to the canvas. Silva regained his wits and finished Kyle on strikes in the second.

Before then, Kyle had notched up a 6-0-1 streak–with the lone blemish being a no-contest against Travis Wiuff, whom he originally knocked out in the first-round of their heavyweight bout, however the final punch was deemed after the bell.

Now, Kyle will be sidelined for an unforeseeable amount of time. Officials are likely trying to find Mousasi an opponent to replace Kyle, though on such short notice, his chances of fighting on the card are not looking too well.

Maybe we can expect to see Ovince St. Preux step up, but only time will tell.

Sound off in the comment section below.

After debuting in the San Jose based organization in April of last year in disappointing fashion against then middleweight champion Jake Shields, the Team Quest co-owner has since rattled off a two-fight win streak inside the cage.

In that stretch, Henderson dropped his patented “H-Bomb” on those two foes, Renato “Babalu” Sobral and Rafael “Feijao”–whom Dan dethroned as the promotions light heavyweight titleholder.

Now, the living legend will be returning to the cage a little bit later this year, however upon his return he will have a bevy of contenders waiting on the wings to challenge him.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker appeared recently on the MMAWeekly.com Radio Show and spoke regarding his champion in Henderson. A front runner for the title shot will be the bout pitting UFC vet Mike Kyle against the former Strikeforce titleholder in Gegard Mousasi.

Said bout will be taking place come this April in San Diego, California. The main-event of the evening will pit welterweight champion Nick Diaz against one of his toughest challenges to date, as he will be taking on UFC cast out Paul Daley.

Mousasi will be looking to get his crack at the title again after he his strap in August of last year against wrestling powerhouse Muhammed Lawal. Since then, Mousasi has since rattled off a two fight win streak in Japan’s DREAM organization, where he submitted both Jake O’Brien and Tatsuya Mizuno en route to the 205-pound title.

Kyle, meanwhile, is coming off of a loss, though his performance was admirable and has kept him in the top of the light heavyweight class. In his last outing, Mike stepped up on short notice to face current heavyweight grand-prix semi-finalist Antonio “Big Foot” Silva. Early in the fight, Kyle managed to drop Silva early and controlled the rest of the frame from their on out. Silva was able to recover and mount an offense in the second-round, eventually mounting and finishing Kyle off with strikes on the ground.

Prior to the loss, Mike had compiled a five-fight win streak (not including a no-contest during the stretch) which included a submission victory over Abungo Humphrey under the Strikeforce banner.

Though it hasn’t been made official, the winner will almost certainly face Henderson as he returns in the fall.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the news? Who do you think will come out the victory between Kyle and Mousasi? Sound off in the comment section below.

While he hasn’t real gone anywhere, the Armenian has had to do a little bit of “redeeming” after a setback suffered in April of last year, where he lost the Strikeforce 205-pound title against world class wrestler, “King Mo”.

The title has been like hot potato since. Once Muhammed Lawal claimed the strap, he immediately lost it in his first defense when he took on Rafael “Feijao”, who later relinquished his strap against current champ Dan Henderson.

Now, Mousasi will look to find some consistency in a shaky division, after posting a two-fight win streak since his defeat to Mo, when he takes on perennial contender Mike Kyle.

Strikeforce officials announced the light heavyweight bout during their Showtime televised broadcast last weekend for “Strikforce: Henderson vs. Feijao”. While they haven’t necessarily eluded to the fact that this particular bout will be for the number one contenders spot, both Dan Henderson (the promotion’s current champion) and Mike Kyle have both suggested in multiple interviews that this bout could determine just that.

Mousasi was last seen in action under the DREAM banner in Japan where he made it to the finals of the promotion’s inaugural 205-pound Grand Prix, which Mousasi later cinched when he submitted Judoka Tatsuya Mizuno inside of the opening round. The win helped extend a two-fight win streak for the K-1 veteran, who has also clocked a submission win over UFC veteran Jake O’Brien during this stretch.

Kyle, meanwhile, is coming off of a spirited loss in his last performance. In December, Kyle was knocked out by current heavyweight Grand Prix semi-finalist Antonio Silva in the second-round. However, the result doesn’t tell the whole story. Early in the first-round, Kyle relied on his speed to keep Silva on his toes early on, and just as soon as the bout began, it almost ended. Kyle, a product of the American Kickboxing Academy, scored a hard right hand that sent Silva crashing to the canvas. The goliath heavyweight spent the rest of the round on his back, with Kyle pounding away. A little fatigued and having suffered a broken hand in the onslaught, fortunes were reversed in the second-round for Mike, who was mounted and later finished off with strikes. In defeat, he still gained much respect and his position amongst the top in his more natural division at 205-pounds.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the match-up? Who do you favor, and you think the winner should rightfully challenge Henderson in the foreseeable future for the belt? Sound off in the comment section below.

He has the chance to capture the very prestigious Strikeforce welterweight title from one of the more recognizable and enigmatic figures in the sport, champ Nick Diaz.

However, while the honor in of itself in claiming gold would be great, Evangelista has already set up a hit-list of sorts on those he would like to exact some revenge on in his near 14-year career as a mixed martial artist.

Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi and former Cage Rage light heavyweight champion Melvin Manhoef are on the top of his list.

Santos recently spoke with MMAWeekly.com who went back and forth with the Chute Boxe protege as he was making the final preparations for his upcoming fight this Saturday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California opposite of the fan-favorite Diaz.

“After 15 years of searching for my ideal weight, I have finally found a home in the welterweight division”, said Santos, husband of Strikeforce women’s middleweight champion Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Santos.

“I fought 155 pounds at 18 years old then I ballooned up to 205 pounds. Now I’ve found a home that is comfortable for the first time in my career. I spent 42 fights looking for my ideal weight; all of that experience has made me a better fighter.”

He made good on his welterweight debut when he was able to record arguably one of the biggest wins of his career, knocking out DREAM champion Marius Zaromskis last June to claim the number one contenders spot.

Confident in his skills, which he feel are more than adequate to match Diaz’ great boxing skills coupled with his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu prowess (which is made evident with his black belt under Cesar Gracie), Santos gave some insight as far as he sees as his next challenges in the future after the Stockton native.

“Once I take the belt, I want to fight Gegard Mousasi and Melvin Manhoef in any weight class.”

Melvin defeated Santos in a hellish defense of his then Cage Rage light heavyweight title in 2006, where the two hard-hitters slugged it out for an allotted amount of time. Eventually fatigue and mounting punches were enough to subdue the Brazilian and Manhoef recorded the KO win just under four-minutes in the second-round.

The bout with Mousasi was the more recent of the two, where the talented Dutch striker was able to record the TKO win inside of the first-round in their 2008 meeting under the Hardcore Fighting Championships banner.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of Santos’ comments? Do you give a chance in defeating Diaz, let alone rematches with Manhoef or Mousasi? Sound off in the comment section below.

Next for Josh Thomson: Thomson had a very up-and-down 2010, so look for him to try to kick off 2011 with authority and really make an effort to become a championship contender once again. Thomson went 2-1 in 2010, albeit one of those wins was over Gesias Cavalcante in a highly controversial bout that went to the judges. But if we’re playing that game, it can also be said that Thomson took his “DYNAMITE!!” fight on short notice. I think Thomson is going to have a great 2011, and it’ll begin with a rematch with Cavalcante.

Next for Gegard Mousasi: Mousasi shined in his K-1 bout at “DYNAMITE”, and he’s on a two-fight win-streak since famously losing his Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship to Muhammed Lawal. I think the time is right for Mousasi to jump right back into the shark tank in Strikeforce. Mousasi’s potential is still sky-high, and if he pursues another shot at a title with the same fervor he’s been winning fights since losing the title, Mousasi may end up becoming the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion once again in 2011.

Next for Marius Zaromskis: The DREAM Welterweight Champion needs to stay in Japan for as long as he can, even for the entirety of 2011, in order to wipe away the disastrous run he had in American MMA. Now that Zaromskis is back in the winner’s circle and competing in the promotion that made him famous, he should stay in Japan and rebuild his credibility the same way he emerged as a champion in the first place: by taking on good competition and knocking them senseless. If Zaromskis gives me one year in Japan defending his belt, I think 2012 would be a banner year for him.

Next for Shinya Aoki: It’s going to be a rough 2011 for Shinya Aoki. He went 3-1 in MMA in 2010, but his one loss more than overshadowed his three wins. Plus, Aoki lost by KO at “DYNAMITE!!” in a strange kickboxing/MMA hybrid bout. So Aoki has been KO’d once again, and once again questions have surfaced regarding Aoki’s relevancy in the increasingly-crowded Lightweight rankings. Putting it plainly: as gifted as Aoki is on the ground, he’s still got a suspect chin and utterly atrocious stand-up. In the near future, he’ll plant his flag firmly in DREAM and go into 2011 trying to regain his credibility by quickly submitting opponents.

Next for Alistair Overeem: The sky is the limit for Alistair Overeem. Overeem’s stellar 2010 run was one of the best in the entirety of MMA or K-1, since he added an MMA championship, a K-1 championship, and defended his Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship all in one year. People are finally getting clued in on what “The Reem” is all about, and I can’t wait for Overeem to come back to Strikeforce and dominate. As hard as it is to believe, Overeem says his 2011 will be an even bigger year than his 2010, and you know what? I think he’s right. Overeem will defend his championship against Strikeforce’s best in 2011, and in the process, we MMA fans will be treated to some of the best non-UFC fights that have ever happened since the fall of the legendary PRIDE FC promotion.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? What do you think the future holds for the big winners and losers of “DYNAMITE!! 2010”?

Alistair Overeem defeats Todd Duffee via KO in Round 1 to become the DREAM Interim Heavyweight Champion. Marius Zaromskis defeats Kazushi Sakuraba via TKO in Round 1 to retain the DREAM Welterweight Championship. Tatsuya Kawajiri defeats Josh Thomson via Unanimous Decision. Kazuyuki Miyata defeats Caol Uno via Unanimous Decision. Hiroyuki Takaya defeats Bibiano Fernandes via Unanimous Decision to become the DREAM Featherweight Champion. Jason High defeats Hayato Sakurai via Split Decision. Hiroshi Izumi defeats Ikuhisa Minowa via TKO in Round 3. Sergei Kharitonov defeats Tatsuya Mizuno via KO in Round 1. Satoshi Ishii defeats Jerome Le Banner via Unanimous Decision. Andy Ologun defeats Katsuaki Furuki via Unanimous Decision. Hideo Tokoro defeats Kazuhisa Watanabe via Submission (Armbar) in Round 3. Gegard Mousasi defeats Kyotaro via Unanimous Decision. Akiyo Nishiura and Tetsuya Yamato ends in a Majority Draw. Yuichiro Nagashima defeats Shinya Aoki via KO in Round 2.

Part of me wishes that I was still as dedicated of an insomniac as I was a few months ago, because this sounded like a fantastic night (or if you’re an American MMA fan, a fantastic early morning) of live action. According to reports, it took all of nineteen seconds for “The Reem” to dispatch of Todd Duffee, the man who set the record for the fastest KO in the UFC in his first UFC fight and then got KO’d himself in almost-as-dramatic fashion in his second UFC fight. Overeem promised that 2011 would be even bigger of a year for him than 2010 was, and when you consider that Overeem’s 2010 saw him successfully defend his Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship while adding a DREAM Interim Heavyweight Championship and the K-1 World Grand Prix Championship to his trophy case… that’s just downright scary.

Also according to reports, former top-ranked Lightweight Shinya Aoki put on quite the bizarre show in his “mixed rules” bout, the first round of which was kickboxing-only. Aoki reportedly clinched like his life depended on it and even resorted to outlandish moves like dropkicks in order to run out the clock and get to the second round, which was an MMA round. Of course, Aoki would get blasted full-force when shooting in for a takedown and get knocked out cold. With another KO loss on his record and the memory of his crushing defeat at the hands of Gilbert Melendez still fresh in the minds of many, it’s become apparent that Aoki is going to struggle to secure his spot near the top of the Lightweight rankings for the foreseeable future.

All in all, this looked to be a great event featuring several notable bouts, so I look forward to tracking down a copy or a replay of it and giving it a watch. But what about you, fans and friends? If you stayed up for the broadcast, do you think the show justified missing a night’s rest? And if you didn’t, what did you think of the show in general?

Jerome Le Banner vs. Satoshi Ishii: If you’re a fan of “striker vs. grappler” match-ups, you really can’t ask for more, since this fight pits a famous K-1 fighter against an Olympic gold medalist in judo. Both men are on a three-fight win-streak, but it’s been four long years since Le Banner has competed in an MMA setting. The amount of ring rust he’ll have going into this bout is all I need to know to predict that Ishii will win by submission in Round 1.

Sergei Kharitonov vs. Tatsuya Mizuno: Mizuno’s 8-6 record speaks for itself. While Kharitonov never fully emerged into the world-beater than many fans expected he would one day become, the fact remains that he’s faced a lot of high-level competition and even beaten a few of them. Even with a year-long layoff working against him, I think Kharitonov will win by TKO in Round 2.

Josh Thomson vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri: It’s going to end quickly, it’s going to end violently, and it’s going to be an absolute blast to watch. Kawajiri is going to come out headhunting and won’t stop until he gets the KO, that’s who he is and why he’s so entertaining. But Thomson is an expert on the ground and his striking game is downright under-rated. If Thomson can avoid any Hail Mary flurries as he shoots in or works his game, this should be a one-sided match. Thomson wins by submission in Round 1.

Bibiano Fernandes vs. Hiroyuki Takaya: My opinion on this fight closely mirrors my opinion on the Thomson vs. Kawajiri encounter. I think the pivoting point of this match will be whether or not Fernandes can once again avoid Takaya’s punching power while getting him to the ground. Fernandes has an excellent submission game and enough top control to grind out a decision if he’s not able to secure anything. While their first fight ended in a close Split Decision, I think Fernandes is going to take this one with a first-round submission.

Marius Zaromskis vs. Kazushi Sakuraba: It’s going to be an electric fight, that’s for sure. Marius Zaromskis desperately needs to get back in the win column, he basically shot himself in the foot with his US excursion. Considering how he went 0-2-1 with both losses being by TKO, that shot might as well have been from a shotgun. Sakuraba, meanwhile, is staring down retirement and this will probably be the last time he’ll ever fight for a championship. I hate to say it, but I think a deadly animal is always deadliest when cornered, and Zaromskis has a long, long time to land his patented head kick. Marius Zaromskis wins by brutal head kick KO in Round 1.

So that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? What kind of outcome do you think we’ll see when it comes to the big matches of “DYNAMITE!! 2010”?

The Event: DREAM/K-1 “DYNAMITE!! 2010”, scheduled for December 31 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The entire event will be broadcast live in its entirety on HDNet starting at 4 AM ET/1 AM PT.

Why You Should Care: It’s MMA, it’s kickboxing, it’s Japan. The year-end “DYNAMITE” events are always when Japanese MMA pulls out the big guns and brings together the biggest stars possible. If you’re an international MMA fan, you’ve got fifteen full fights of action. If you’re not, there’s still plenty of stars to watch that you are probably familiar with.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: It’s difficult to say which fight will end up being the main or co-main event, since the card is being marketed as a whole. It may even be one of the K-1 fights. So for this edition of “Crash Course”, I’ll be focusing on the two MMA championships up for grabs at the event, the first being Marius Zaromskis vs. Kazushi Sakuraba for the DREAM Welterweight Championship. This fight should be a treat for any old-school MMA fans, because Kazushi Sakuraba is still entertaining to watch after all these years. Marius Zaromskis, meanwhile, needs a win badly and made his mark in DREAM by viciously KO’ing people, so this fight will most likely end in dramatically. Based on what both men have at stake (Zaromskis his relevancy and Sakuraba his waning career), look for this to be a great emotionally-charged encounter.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: The other title fight of the night sees DREAM Featherweight Champion Bibiano Fernandes take on Hiroyuki Takaya. Look for this to be a classic “striker vs. grappler” encounter. Fernandes has a very long win-streak as well as his championship at stake when he enters the DREAM ring, and Takaya is coming off two very impressive back-to-back KO’s to claim his shot at the gold. Better yet, this will be a revenge match, as Fernandes beat Takaya to claim the vacant championship in the inaugural DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix.

Why You Should Watch This Card: Two main reasons immediately spring to mind, and they’re by far the best reasons to watch this show: length and talent. We’re talking fifteen live, unabridged fights here. If you’re an insomniac with some time to kill, “DYNAMITE” will kill that time in style. Not only is this a massive card, it also features top MMA talent like Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Josh Thomson, and Shinya Aoki. If you make an effort to watch this show, I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: There’s only one good reason to miss this card, but let’s be honest, it’s a pretty good reason: this thing takes place way, way early in the morning. If you’re a night-owl or an insomniac you should be set, but folks with normal sleeping patterns will probably find it difficult to muster up the strength to get out of bed so early in the morning just so they can watch Japanese MMA. If you think you’re one of those people, you should probably pass up the live edition and catch an inevitable replay.

Closing Thoughts: I really do like this card, and I really do wish it didn’t have to take place so early in the morning. But nevertheless, I think “DYNAMITE” is going to be a very entertaining show. Several of the fights sound brilliant on paper, and Japanese MMA is always entertaining to watch purely as a spectacle, given their penchant for grandiose pre-fight theatrics. While I can’t guarantee that I’ll be staying up late to watch this one, I’ll definitely catch a replay sooner rather than later.

And what about you, fans and friends? What are your thoughts on DREAM/K-1’s “DYNAMITE” event?

5. Year in and year out, “DYNAMITE” is an amazing spectacle. Fans of DREAM know this, and fans of the legendary PRIDE FC promotion know it all too well: Japanese MMA prides itself on its pageantry, its pomp and circumstance, it’s… awesomeness. This is the home of massive entrance screens, elaborate entrances, blazing pyrotechnics, and much more. And “DYNAMITE” is the biggest and most important card of the year, so I can’t wait to see what kind of visual (and probably literal) fireworks FEG pulls out to delight and astonish fans.

4. It’s a long show, so if you’ve got the time, you’re in for hours of constant MMA/K-1 action. The last DREAM show, “DREAM.16”, was broadcast live on HDNet from start to finish and ran for at least four hours. That show had ten fights… “DYNAMITE” 2010 has fifteen. Fifteen full, complete, unabridged bouts spanning two sports, MMA and K-1 kickboxing. If you’re an MMA fan and have some time to kill, can you really think of a better way to do it than watching this show?

3. Two championships will be on the line. DREAM will have two of its titles up for grabs at “DYNAMITE”: Marius Zaromskis defends his Welterweight Championship against living legend Kazushi Sakuraba, while Bibiano Fernandes defends his Featherweight Championship against Hiroyuki Takaya. Title fights always seem to bring out the best in the competitors going for the gold, as do major events that are heavily promoted. And this show features both.

2. Several major-name MMA stars are expected to compete. Alongside the aforementioned Sakuraba, several high-value MMA stars, both from Japan and around the world, will compete at “DYNAMITE”. The top-ranked Shinya Aoki will compete, former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi will compete, Josh Thomson will throw down, and even K-1 World Grand Prix Champion and Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem is set to compete at the event. So not only will “DYNAMITE” be a long night of fights, it’ll be an event that features a large assortment of well-known, highly-ranked fighters.

And my top reason to watch “DYNAMITE” is…

1. Because we may not get another one.

Nothing is for certain at this point, but every rumor has a kernel of truth somewhere, and some fighters have indeed gone on record and stated that DREAM hasn’t paid them for their past performances. When you add in rumors of FEG’s Japanese TV deals falling apart, it doesn’t look too good for the company as its two promotions head into 2011. While FEG may not go bankrupt in 2011, there’s a very real possibility that next year’s “DYNAMITE” won’t be nearly as grandiose or feature as many top-level talents as this year’s. 2010’s “DYNAMITE” may be one of the final bright lights before FEG goes dark, so we as MMA fans need to watch it while we can.

So there you have it, fans and friends. What about you? What do you think of the DREAM/K-1 “DYNAMITE” card?

According to MMA Mania, Fighting and Entertainment Group, the company that controls both K-1 and DREAM, recently announced that former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion and current DREAM Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi would face Kyotaro in a special K-1 bout. For the MMA portion of the card, it’s also been announced that DREAM’s “Super Hulk” tournament champion, Ikuhisa Minowa, will face Hiroshi Izumi, an Olympic medalist in judo. And to top it all off, it was announced that the one and only Hayato Sakurai is scheduled to take on Jason High.

According to the report, the official “DYNAMITE” card now stands as follows. The MMA Portion of the card will consist of Marius Zaromskis vs. Kazushi Sakuraba, Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Josh Thomson, Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Caol Uno, Bibiano Fernandes vs. Hiroyuki Takaya, Hayato Sakurai vs. Jason High, and Hiroshi Izumi vs. Ikuhisa Minowa. The K-1 portion of the card will consist of Gegard Mousasi vs. Kyotaro and Akiyo Nishiura vs. Tetsuya Yamato. And finally, Shinya Aoki will face Yuichiro Nagashima in a bout that is being marketed as a “MMA/K-1 Mixed Rules” fight.

All in all, I’m looking forward to “DYNAMITE”. Despite all the financial troubles they seem to be having, time and time again I’ve been entertained by the DREAM promotion. I won’t give them a free pass on not paying their fights, but I’m not going to call a good event bad because of it. DREAM itself may have lost a bit of my respect lately, but I still immensely respect the men who make DREAM’s cards so memorable. I just hope for their sakes that they get paid for their efforts.

In particular, I’m really looking forward to Marius Zaromskis vs. Kazushi Sakuraba. I think Zaromskis really needs a win, his excursion to the USA badly hurt his marketability and status as a champion. If Sakuraba does manage to beat him, I think we’ll unfortunately have to close the book on Marius Zaromskis. And coming from a guy that considers him a “dark horse favorite”, that’s very sad news indeed. I’ll certainly be pulling for “The Whitemare”.

I’ll also be looking forward to seeing Gegard Mousasi and Josh Thomson compete. Mousasi always brings his best when he goes to Japan, and I think he’ll have a pretty entertaining K-1 bout. And though I’ve taken issue with a few things he’s said in the past, I’ve never seen a Josh Thomson fight I wasn’t entertained by. I’ll even tune in to see “Minowaman” because I respect the man’s drive and heart.

It remains to be seen what 2011 holds for FEG and the two promotions it has under its belt, but if you believe the rumors, the future definitely looks bleak. However, that doesn’t mean that they can’t end the year with a colossal bang. This mega-show has all the makings of a great event, so I’ll probably tune in to see it before the night is through. And what about you, fans and friends? Is “DYNAMITE” shaping up to be a good enough card to pry you away from your New Year’s Eve festivities?

A previously announced strikeforce return next February will come after another stint back in Japan when the Armenian born fighter takes on another daunting task.

Stepping up once again to the heavyweight division, which Mousasi has done twice before in matches with former PRIDE stars Mark Hunt and Gary Goodridge, Gegard is expected to meet K-1 legend Jerome Le Banner at DREAM’s year end event, Dynamite!! 2010.

Mousasi, the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, recently spoke with MMAJunkie.com about the breaking news against the famed striker in Le Banner.

“I don’t know if I’m fighting him yet,” said Gegard. “They haven’t confirmed. They asked me, and I said yes, so now if he said yes, the fight is on.”

The 25-year-old realizes that the allure of fighting Le Banner, which is expected to take place under mixed martial arts rules though a K-1 bout is not ruled out, doesn’t hold much weight the realm of his professional career. However, with Jerome’s noted popularity overseas, Gegard wants to use the bout as a way to revitalize his fans in Japan, letting them take notice that he is still around.

“If I fight Jerome LeBanner in the U.S., [he] wouldn’t be considered a good MMA fighter,” Mousasi said. “But in Europe because he’s a popular K-1 fighter, it’s fighting a big fight. It doesn’t matter if it’s MMA or K-1, so it’s good for me (and) my name in Europe if I could beat him. And he’s big and strong, so it’s a challenge for me to get him down. I know that once I can get him down, I can win. But that’s the challenge.”

If Mousasi should take on the multiple time K-1 Grand Prix finalist under kickboxing rules, he wouldn’t necessarily be out of his element. He currently holds a 4-0 record as a kickboxer, with his last bout taking place at Dynamite!! 2008 against Japanese legend, Musashi (no relation), winning by TKO inside of the first round in a strong, strong performance turned in.

Dynamite!! 2010 takes place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on December 31.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the bout? Would you rather see it contested under MMA or K-1 rules? Who do you favor in the latter? Sound off in the comment section below.

Losing his title earlier this year to then champion “King Mo”, the Armenian fighter returned to the DREAM promotion in Japan where he initially attained his middleweight title, bounced back with two back-to-back first-round submission victories over UFC veteran Jake O’Brien and Tatsuya Mizuno, en route to the light heavyweight title.

Now with new rumored bouts on the horizon, Mousasi sets the record straight as to where his future lies in the world of mixed martial arts.

Mousasi recently spoke with MMAJunkie.com and has stated that he will in fact return to the cage, though not till next year.

“February,” said the dual DREAM champion. “I’m fighting Mike Kyle in Strikeforce. February – that’s what I heard.”

Kyle has seen a huge resurgence in his career as of late, and provides more than an adequate opponent for Mousasi, which is really strange to say considering Mike’s journeyman status not all that long ago.

He was always one of those guys with lots of potential, but that had showed little for it. However, the American Kickboxing Academy has since showed his talent in the cage with his most recent performances.

“MAK” has gone 6-1-1 in his last 8 fights, with the lone loss coming to the hands of top heavyweight fighter Fabricio Werdum, whom most know as the man who submitted the former PRIDE champion Fedor Emelianenko, making him the only man to decisively defeat the Russian. The loss to Fabricio marks Kyle’s brief stint in the heavyweight division before he made a full time commitment to the 205-pound class. He holds a notable victory over current champion Rafael Cavalcante, who knocked out Muhammed Lawal last August for the title.

Along with his impressive run, he has since picked up two-championships in outside promotion’s, including the King of the Cage title and the XMMA title, which was garnered with a first round drubbing of Steve Oliver in Australia.

Kyle is no joke, but neither is Gegard. The winner of the bout in February will likely become the new number one contender to the title behind the victor between Dan Henderson vs Renato Sobral (the bout takes place in December and has already been promised a top contenders spot).

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the match up? Both fighters are more than adept on the feet, with Kyle recording 12 of his 18 wins by some form of knockout, and Mousasi holding K-1 experience with a knockout win over kickboxing star Musashi (no relation). Sound off in the comment section below.

Here’s what the soft-spoken Coker had to say over at MMA Weekly: “We were hoping it would happen, but it didn’t happen, and we’re happy with Jacare being our world champion. I think he’s a great representative and a great fighter.”

I’m honestly disappointed that this idea never saw the light of day. The tournament format represents a bygone era, but several promotions have proven recently that it can still work in today’s MMA world. Strikeforce itself has held one-night tournaments in the past, although I felt their 135-pound Women’s Tournament suffered from time constraints. The fights themselves were quite entertaining, though. Perhaps an even bigger example would be Shine Fights, who I was extremely critical of in the weeks leading up to their one-night Lightweight Grand Prix only to be pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the show.

I think a Strikeforce Middleweight Tournament would have done a lot of good for the promotion. It would have given fans a lot of access to the Strikeforce talent, many of which the more-casual fans aren’t familiar with. It would have immediately established the winner and next contender/champion as a credible threat, since it takes a particular breed of athlete to fight and win twice in one night. And for the longtime MMA fans, it would have provided a rare bit of nostalgia in a sport that, for the most part, is still so relatively new. Maybe I’m looking at it with rose-tinted glasses because it happens so infrequently nowadays, but I think the tournament format is a great idea in short, controlled bursts.

But at the end of the day, I really can’t complain. Ronaldo Souza is as credible as they come, he’s a fantastic addition to the Strikeforce roster and I think he’s going to have a banner year in 2011. His standup keeps improving and his ground game is scary-good. He’s also a member of Black House, the fight camp that basically contains almost every single noteworthy Brazilian fighter currently fighting in MMA. While I would’ve liked to see him win a tournament in order to further enhance and establish his credibility, I think “Jacare” is poised to dominate the Strikeforce middleweight roster.

Looking forward, there are some huge match-ups for “Jacare” at 185. Just off the top of my head, I’d love to see Souza face Dan Henderson (if he decides to drop back down), Gegard Mousasi (he would have to drop back down too), Jason Miller, Tim Kennedy again, Cung Le, and Scott Smith. The Middleweight division clearly had enough talent for a tournament, and I think it would have benefited from a tournament, but ultimately it wasn’t in dire need of a tournament.

And what about you, fans and friends? Now that it’s finally been put to rest, what’s your opinion on the failed Strikeforce Middleweight Tournament?

It’s part of his charm really… almost reminiscent of his friend, Fedor Emelianenko. Before losing his Strikeforce title to the former champion Muhammed Lawal, or “King Mo” depending on who you ask, Mousasi was thought to be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. Holding notable victories in the middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight divisions, Gegard is a true force to be reckoned with in the mixed martial arts world.

Though, an uninspired loss to the aforementioned Lawal, derailed much of the movement of the Armenian, he has since bounced back with two back-to-back victories over the likes of former UFC fighter Jake O’Brien, and Japanese star, Tatsuya Mizuno, whom the Holland native submitted inside of the first round at DREAM 16 for the promotion’s light heavyweight title.

Now with his confidence back in form, Gegard could be gearing for a series of different options available to him in the future. Still under contract with both Strikeforce and DREAM, Mousasi has some weighty decisions presented in front of himself, both appealing in their own right.

In an interview with MiddleEasy.com, Gegard revealed what both promotions have in store for him at the moment, though talks are still preliminary.

“Next, maybe Strikeforce or New Year’s eve in Japan”, said Mousasi while speaking with MiddleEasy. The famed New Year’s Eve event, is the promotion’s famed Dynamite!! series, which features some of the best and most notable fighters in Japan. Last years event, for example, featured a special attraction when it was billed as a DREAM vs Sengoku card, pitting champions against champions or notable competitors. K-1 styled match ups are also annually featured during the event as well.

“In Japan, they said (Satoshi) Ishii, the Olympic Gold medalist, and I heard some rumors that maybe against the title in Strikeforce, but I don’t know for sure”, finished Gegard.

Either bout, should it come to fruition, would be compelling to say the least. Early rumors indicate, though, that if Henderson is victorious over “Babalu” Sobral in their December 4. light heavyweight tilt, that he could be next in line for a title shot.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the news? What would you rather see Gegard go for next? Should he be eligible to challenge for the Strikeforce title? Sound off in the comment section below.

According to a report by Sherdog, the primetime network broadcast of “DREAM.16”, which was shown on the Tokyo Broadcasting System, pulled in an average 11.9 rating with a peak of 18.1, which occurred during the hastily-added Satoshi Ishii vs. Ikuhisa Minowa bout. According to the report, this placed DREAM in fourth place for the night, losing out to a variety show, a mystery series, and a TV showing of a 2006 film. The report also states that the rating is in the “good but not great” range, and that all eyes are on the end-of-year super-show “Dynamite” to determine once and for all if Japanese MMA will remain on network TV and in the public consciousness for the foreseeable future.

I think DREAM.16 was a mixed bag, but ultimately one that I enjoyed quite a lot. It is a card I spent several hours watching in the absolute dead of the night, after all. Placing fourth may not have been the resounding trumpet call return-to-arms that many hardcore Japanese MMA fans hoped it would be, but it is a good number and, at the very least, DREAM cracked the top five. The bad thing about that, though, is that TV officials are so fickle these days no matter what continent or country they hail from. Ratings can always be bigger, and if “Dynamite” disappoints, we’ll be looking at the very real possibility of MMA being pulled off of national TV.

I can’t stress enough how harsh of a blow that would be to DREAM as well as Japanese MMA as a whole. Putting it plainly, Japanese MMA can’t afford to become an “underground sport” again. At least, not if it wants to have any relevancy in the global MMA scene. Shinya Aoki once famously said (and I’m paraphrasing here) that Japan is now “a colony” to American Mixed Martial Arts. And I have to agree with him. The prognosis is looking bleaker and bleaker. Almost all of DREAM’s best stars have found work and relevancy in other promotions, and DREAM has lacked a true breakout star, one that gained his fame and relevancy in DREAM and DREAM alone, since its inception.

I honestly hope that “Dynamite” demolishes the competition and that DREAM is given another shot at wowing the general public, because at the end of the day, DREAM is the flag-bearer for Japanese MMA. It may pale in comparison to PRIDE FC, it may not have history behind it like the longer-running but smaller-scale MMA promotions, but right now it is undoubtedly the biggest promotion in Japan and has the most money available to produce the best possible cards. Both due to its importance and the fact that I’ve liked DREAM’s outings more often than not, I wish them all the best and hope that Japanese MMA can make an epic comeback.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think the future holds? Did DREAM 16 simply prolong the inevitable, or was it a step in the right direction?

Here’s how it all went down at “DREAM.16” at the Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan (results courtesy of MMA 4 Real). Light-Heavyweight Championship: Gegard Mousasi defeats Tatsuya Mizuno via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 6:10 of Round 1. Jason Miller defeats Kazushi Sakuraba via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 2:09 of Round 1. Shinya Aoki defeats Marcus Aurelio via Unanimous Decision. Satoshi Ishii defeats Ikuhisa Minowa via Unanimous Decision. Hiroyuki Takaya defeats Chase Beebe via KO (Punches) at 1:45 of Round 1. Michihiro Omigawa defeats Cole Escovedo via Submission (Inverted Armbar) at 2:30 of Round 1. Joachim Hansen defeats Hideo Tokoro via Submission (Triangle Choke) at 2:48 of Round 1. Kazuyuki Miyata defeats Takeshi Inoue via Unanimous Decision. Mitsuhiro Ishida defeats Akiyo Nishiura via Split Decision. Yusuke Kawaguchi defeats James Thompson via Split Decision.

I was lucky enough to catch the event as it was just getting underway. Or perhaps “unlucky” is a more fitting term, because the first few opening fights were quite boring. Kawaguchi and Thompson both gassed so badly in their fights that it was downright laughable. Ishida did nothing but hold onto his opponent and proved that the “lay and pray” epidemic is sweeping across the world and not simply confined to America. The first fight I honestly had any interest in was the Hansen fight, and even that fight got downright boring as the majority of it saw Hideo Tokoro recuperate from several below-the-belt shots.

That’s another strange thing about this card- it would appear that several folks really wanted to play dirty at “DREAM.16”. There were a lot of groin shots during the opening matches, to the point where I wondered if the tormented ghost of Cheick Kongo had been randomly possessing the DREAM 16 participants. I know I shouldn’t laugh, but it happened so frequently that it was all I could really do.

I think Omigawa’s dramatic submission over Escovedo kicked the card into high gear, because once it happened, all the fights that followed were actually very enjoyable. Takaya’s dramatic KO of Chase Beebe was one of the best moments of the night. The fight between Minowaman and Ishii was a bit on the long side and came dangerously close to boring at times, but ultimately I enjoyed it. Shinya Aoki may also soon be criticized for competing in a boring fighter after he recently criticized wrestling-based American Mixed Martial Artists for their boring fight style, but I found his victory over Aurelio quite convincing and decently entertaining.

It broke my heart to see Sakuraba lose, but I’m glad that Miller got a big win over his idol. I got a big kick out of both men’s entrances, as usual, they spared no expense to give fight fans a treat. I really wanted Saku to win this fight, but I think I as well as just about everyone else knew that Miller was a step or two above him at this point in Saku’s career. I don’t know where Sakuraba goes from here, but so long as he keeps fighting I’ll keep watching.

Mousasi’s victory surprised absolutely no one and was over very quickly, so I have little to say about it. I am glad he’s back in the win column, though. Overall, I really enjoyed DREAM 16. If this is their last card in a while or their last card entirely, they didn’t go down without a fight.

And what about you, fans and friends? What did you think of DREAM 16?

Strikeforce is again abandoning from the game plan of viable contender’s for it’s titles, and instead will go with their popular stars, over those who most likely deserve a legitimate shot at the organization’s titles.

The San Jose based promotion is continuing to recycle it’s fighters like refried beans on the cafeteria’s lunch special. While both match ups, which will concievably pit Dan Henderson against the newly crowned middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza–who claimed the vacant title with a win over top contender Tim Kennedy just last month–and Gegard Mousasi, the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, will try to reclaim the title when he faces newly minted champ Rafael “Feijao”.

The news was broke by Josuel Distak, Ronaldo Souza and “Feijao’s” boxing coach, while speaking with Tatame.

“We’re preparing ourselves, setting our strategy for these belt defenses”, said Distak while speaking with the aforementioned Brazilian website/magazine.

“I think that the hardest one is on our way… I believe it’ll be against Dan Henderson or (Gegard) Mousasi. I think both of these fighters might confront us.”

Well, sort of more of an insight or opinion rather then a dead-on news breaker, but it’s something. I’m banging my head against the keyboard right now, thinking why Strikeforce will continue to disrespect it’s titles in such a way.

How can a champion be recognized as a legitimate force if he’s fighting people coming off of losses? It just doesn’t make any sense. The only case that can be made is if said fighter was coming off of a CLOSE loss, i.e: Chael Sonnen versus Anderson Silva–which looks like they will rematch according to Dana White, and Mauricio Rua in his rematch against Lyoto Machida after a hotly debated first fight, where in the second bout he was able to knockout his fellow countryman in the first round.

So what do you guys think? Are the sanctity of these belt’s being tarnished? Henderson would be coming off of a lopsided decision loss to a welterweight, and Mousasi meanwhile is coming off a win–but an uninspired one at that, against UFC veteran Jake O’Brien at DREAM 15 last July, where the Armenian submitted the American wrestler with a guillotine choke, just 31 seconds into the first round. Not much of a fight.

Do Henderson and Mousasi deserve their title shots? Or how should get the next crack at the belts? Mike Kyle has the only definitive win over “Feijao” and is coming off a win in his last bout inside Strikeforce, which improved an overall 4-fight win streak (with a no-contest muttled in there). You be the judge. Let your opinions known below.

DREAM, one of the more popular Japan based organizations following the demise of Pride, is holding an event for September 25th in Nagoya, Japan–a card that was intended to be headlined by current featherweight (139 pounds) champion, Bibiano Fernandes.

According to MMAFighting.com, Fernandes was intended to make a title defense against Michihiro Omigawa, however declined to fight when he was still yet to be paid his purse from his last fight, a successful title defense against former DREAM lightweight champion Joachim Hansen.

The bout took place in March, and according to an interview the Brazilian had done with Tatame (a Brazilian based website and magazine covering mixed martial arts) Fernandes hasn’t seen one dime yet. The promotion has had many issues in regards to paying their fighters accordingly, or even in a timely matter. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza has yet to see his compensation after his last match with Jason Miller in May of 2009, and neither has veteran Gary Goodridge since his drubbing defeat against former DREAM middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi in late 2009.

And while the obvious approach for the promotion would be “cut and run” should they not be able to come up with the money, Fernandes can hold one thing over DREAM exec’s heads: one more fight, which he is contractually obligated to, since earning the featherweight title following the tournament’s end in October of last year where he was crowned champion, after an 8-man tournament concluded when Bibiano defeated Japan’s own Hiroyuki Takaya, via split decision.

“Dream called me two days ago to offer me a fight at September 25, but I said I won’t fight until they pay me for my last fight,” Fernandes said while speaking with TATAME. “I have family, I have a wife and I can’t work without getting paid. I’ll only fight [for DREAM] again when they pay me for my last fight.”

Here’s to another DREAM fighter moonlighting as a Japan fighter by day, and a Strikeforce debutant by night.

But first, here’s how the Middleweight roster breaks down. Looking at the title picture from left to right, the EA Sports Middleweight roster features Benji Radach, Lyman Good, Matt Lindland, Luke Rockhold, Frank Trigg, Joe Riggs, Kazuo Misaki, Scott Smith, Murilo Rua, Tim Kennedy, Pat Miletich, Jake Shields, Nick Thompson, Melvin Manhoef, Robbie Lawler, Dan Henderson, Gegard Mousasi, Jason Miller, Cung Le, Nick Diaz, Frank Shamrock, and Ronaldo Souza.

It should be noted that eight fighters in the Middleweight division are carry-overs from the already-announced Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight divisions. There’s some debate going around the internet gaming forums as to whether or not this is a cheap move in order to cut the time down on coding and creating different fighters, or a good way to ensure quality cross-division super-fights. I personally think it’s a little of both: I think the roster is a little limited, but the fact that you can play as your favorite fighter in several different weight classes mostly balances that out. Plus, with download-a-fighter being included, I think this game’s roster will be massive once people start creating famous MMA fighters are putting them online for anybody and everybody to download.

Much like the UFC including the famous Madison Square Garden in their “UFC Undisputed” games, it’s recently been confirmed that EA Sports MMA will have the Cowboys Stadium as an in-game venue despite the fact that a major Mixed Martial Arts event has never been booked there. An online image has already surfaced, which you can view here. Even as a huge fan of UFC Undisputed 2009, I think Madison Square Garden was really under-played in both UFC 2009 and 2010. Not so with Cowboys Stadium- the images revealed so far look downright amazing. I may actually get goosebumps when my Create-a-Fighter either defends or tries to get at the Strikeforce Championship in that mega-arena.

The last time I was this excited for a sports game, my hopes met quite the rude awakening. So, even with all the hype I’m buying into, I know that there’s still a chance for EA Sports MMA to let me down in much the same way that UFC Undisputed 2010 let me down. But until that day, I have to say…this is shaping up to be a genre-defining game. Every time I hear something new about this game, it’s something I think I could find myself enjoying immensely. When October 19 hits, I’ve got a pretty good feeling that there’s going to be a new Undisputed Champion of Mixed Martial Arts video games.

But what about you, fans and friends? How high would you rate your anticipation of “EA Sports MMA”?

Although not unaccustomed to losing, as he has lost several–though not many–matches in is long and storied wrestling career, that spans from collegiate wrestling to competition overseas.

After his first and only loss to current Strikeforce 205-pound champion Rafael “Feijao” this past Saturday, where the Brazilian Blackhouse stablemate floored the wrestling standout with knee-hook combo before ending the bout with elbows in succession to the head while a prone Muhammed attempted to lock up a single leg, manager Ryan Parsons confirmed with Sherdog.com that his fighter is undergoing some heavy-duty surgery.

With two surgeries being accounted for, Mo will have his left knee operated on, repairing his anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, Parsons believes that his fighter will be sidelined for up to 9 months. Mo, though a true competitor, intended on fighting one more time before the surgery, but his manager insisted.

“Mo wanted to take one more fight, but we decided that this injury should be attended to first,” said Parsons after King Mo was observed by his physician just yesterday.

Some may remember Mo having had ACL surgery not all that long ago. After opening up his career with three consecutive TKO finishes under the Sengoku banner, Mo went to his first decision against Japanese veteran Ryo Kawamura in March of 2009.

It was later learned that Lawal tore his ACL during the contest and was later operated on, and made his return just five months later against Mark Kerr under the M-1 banner.

So, what does Lawal’s absence do to the 205 pound picture for Strikeforce? Immediately, Gegard Mousasi looks like the next logical step, since he is a draw with the fans of Strikeforce, relevant, and back on his winning ways since his loss to Mo, where he recently earned a first round submission win over UFC veteran Jake O’Brien.

Mike Kyle could also be up next for the Brazilian, who will undoubtedly want to exact revenge on the only man to legitimately defeat him convincingly.

So, who deserves the next crack at the title, and is Lawal’s injury hurting him or Strikeforce more in the long run?

In his fight with Tim Kennedy, the man who got the nickname “Alligator” due to his penchant for trapping opponents in unbreakable submission holds found himself unable to get his opponent to the ground. In fact, it was Kennedy who landed the takedowns and scored the Ground and Pound, however brief it was. For nearly five full rounds, Souza had nothing to fall back on except his ever-improving stand-up game. While it’s true that Kennedy landed more strikes throughout their five-round war, it was very apparent that Souza hit harder and did more damage. At least, that must have been how the judges saw it, since Jacare clinched a Unanimous Decision victory.

Against King Mo, Rafael Cavalcante would do everything in his power not to let his fight go to the judges. The first round was a back-and-forth affair that saw Cavalcante get the better of Mo in the stand-up, and all but completely avoid Mo’s takedowns. Aside from a few impressive slams that Feijaio immediately got up from, the man lauded as one of the most decorated collegiate wrestlers to ever transition to MMA seemed unable to implement his ground game on the Brazilian Jui Jitsu black belt. The second round saw Mo get the better of Cavalcante utilizing some very powerful body punches. Heading into the third round, Mo’s renewed sense of confidence proved to be his undoing, as Cavalcante was able to nail a mammoth knee from the Muay Thai clinch position, which was followed up by a barrage of strikes that ultimately led to King Mo being dead on his feet, prompting famous MMA referee “Big” John McCarthy to step in and save Mo from any more punishment.

Looking forward, both men have several good fights lined up for them. Souza could take his rivalry with the enigmatic Jason Miller to new heights with a third fight, this time with the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship on the line. After promising to make several changes, King Mo could find himself in a position to rematch Rafael Cavalcante very soon. Fights with Dan Henderson and Gegard Mousasi would also be great fights I’d love to see.

But no matter what happens next, these two wins give Strikeforce two champions that they can be very proud of. Even though he struggled with Tim Kennedy, Ronaldo Souza is still a wizard on the ground, and his stand-up is improving with every single fight. Rafael Cavalcante was once thought of as a sure-fire prodigy, and despite having a few setbacks that he has now overcome, the impossibility of taking him down combined with his very powerful striking should be enough for him to break the chain of Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champions losing their belt in their first few fights. Both men are humble fighters with loads of skill, and their future in Strikeforce has never looked brighter. “Houston” was a night for new beginnings, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

And how about you, fans and friends? How impressed were you by Ronaldo Souza and Rafael Cavalcante? What (or more likely who) do you think is next for the two new champions?

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (203.75) vs. Rafael Cavalcante (203.5)

Tim Kennedy (185) vs. Ronaldo Souza (184.75)

Karl James Noons (156.25) vs. Jorge Gurgel (154.75)

Bobby Lashley (246) vs. Chad Griggs (228.5)

Daniel Cormier (249) vs. Jason Riley (256.5)

Andre Galvao (170.75) vs. Jorge Patino (170.8)

Rocky Long (146.25) vs. Vinicius Magalhaes (144.5)

Kier Gooch (155.5) vs. Adam Schindler (155.5)

Jose Santibanez (154.25) vs. Reynaldo Trujillo (155.25)

Humberto DeLeon (127.25) vs. Chad Robichaux (131)

Chad Cook (205.25) vs. Arteneus Young (204)

As you can see, many fighters took generous use of the one-pound-over allowance given to non-title fights. And still, several fighters couldn’t make the weight. To his credit, Gurgel immediately forfeited his right to decline the match after “KJ” Noons weighed in over the weight limit; the fight will go on as planned. Vinicius Magalhaes also accepted a fight with his opponent that also weighed in over the weight-limit, except his bout with Rocky Long has now been changed to a catchweight fight. Chad Robichaux also missed the mark the first time around, but he was given an extra hour to cut the weight and allowed to try again. He did manage to make the weight the second time around, so his fight with Humberto DeLeon will go forward as planned.

In regards to three Strikeforce fighters missing weight, I don’t think this is all that abnormal, or that it paints Strikeforce in a negative light. MMA fighters seem to miss weight more and more often nowadays. For whatever reason, more and more people are struggling to make their weight class, and the only thing that’s saving them is the one-pound-over rule. I’m not criticizing Strikeforce in particular, but the MMA band of brothers as a whole. Fight in your natural weight class, guys.

Considering all of that, I’m still looking forward to “Houston”. King Mo and Cavalcante should put on a great match. King Mo has some awesome wrestling, but “Feijao” belongs to the prestigious Black House team, home to the Nogueira brothers, two of the best ground wizards you could ever hope to have as training partners. Both Mo and Cavalcante have serious punching power, too, so this one might end early and end brutally.

I’m also excited for the Middleweight Championship fight, even though I generally think that just throwing two guys into a title fight devalues the significance of the championship. However, I think you couldn’t ask for a better Middleweight Champion than Ronaldo Souza. He’s very energetic, has a great ground game, and his striking continues to improve. Plus, he could always face Jason Miller again, the two have quite a rivalry going ever since Souza beat Miller at DREAM 4 and Miller cracked Souza’s skull open at DREAM 9 with an illegal (though inadvertent) soccer kick to the dome. I’m even excited to see Bobby Lashley, on the off chance that Chad Griggs will beat him or, at the very least, make the fight competitive.

And what about you, fans and friends? Now that the fights are official and there’s nothing holding this card back, how excited are you for Strikeforce: “Houston”?

First off, Mo is biting the hand (hands, more like it) that feed him. Fans are the people that show up to watch you perform; they pay for tickets and buy your merchandise. The entire Mixed Martial Arts industry, and for that matter, just about all entertainment/sports industries known to man, live and die on fan interest and attendance. It’s not like King Mo has hurt anybody’s feelings, we’re all big boys here, but if a professional athlete tells me that he couldn’t care less about my support, I’m going to rethink supporting him. If he shuns us, the least we could do would be to shun him right back, whether it be through not buying his merchandise or not paying to see a card that he is headlining. I realize that Mo may draw a lot of unnecessary criticism due to his cocky attitude and his status as a relative newcomer. But by telling everybody to go screw themselves, Mo is ostracizing the loyalists as well as the doubters.

And you know what? It’s a shame that this latest tirade seems so half-hearted, coming from a guy whose mouth can run a mile a minute on any given day. King Mo has given us some great trash-talking antics in the few fights he has had, but it seems like he’s just phoning this one in. The whole “uneducated fan” thing has been done to death. The “hardcore fan vs. casual fan” debate has been both killed and revived so many times that it’s almost like Dracula in all the Castlevania games:  it just won’t die. I enjoy some good trash-talk, I even called Chael Sonnen “The Man I Love to Hate”, but Mo hasn’t said anything I haven’t heard before. So not only is he alienating a large portion of his fanbase, he’s not even all that entertaining while doing it.

To be honest, I’m still a fan of “King Mo”. I’m just going to roll my eyes, shrug my shoulders, sigh, and chalk this all up to a failed attempt at being controversial. At the end of the day, it’s very possible that King Mo could become one of Strikeforce’s major players, and a very dominant Light Heavyweight Champion. All the right ingredients are there: he’s got phenomenal wrestling, very impressive cardio, and good stand-up. And if he can keep the trash-talked centered in squarely on his opponent and not the fans, he could be one of Strikeforce’s most entertaining fighters ever.

But what do you think, fans and friends? Do you think King Mo spoke out of line, or do you think he’s just “playing the game” in order to increase interest in his upcoming fight? And speaking of that fight, do you have Mo or Rafael “Feijão” Cavalcante winning?

Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (29-3-1) effortlessly disposed of former UFC 205er “Irish” Jake O’Brien (13-4) in 31 seconds at DREAM.15 in Saitama Saturday.

At the bell, a pudgy O’Brien immediately shot for a double-leg takedown, forcing Mousasi to the ropes.  Mousasi defended, but O’Brien transitioned to a single-leg and eventually dragged Mousasi to the mat.

O’Brien’s corner shouted, “Watch the guillotine.”

And, as Mousasi stood back to his feet, he locked up that exact technique and forced O’Brien to tap out in a standing guillotine.

After barely breaking a sweat, Mousasi announced to the crowd, “I’ll return to fight for the light heavyweight title.  Thank you for coming.”

Mousasi will meet Japanese underdog Tatsuya Mizuno (8-5) for the DREAM belt.  Earlier on the card, Mizuno submitted ”No Mercy” Melvin Manhoef (23-6-1).

Fighting in Japan has always been sentimental for Mousasi, symbolized by wearing a pure white T-shirt on his walk to the ring in an era when gaudy T’s have become a feature of the sport of MMA.

I’ll start with what is quickly becoming one of Strikeforce’s biggest advantages: their Women’s division. In short, Strikeforce’s women’s division has consistently given us some of the best fights of the night. Given the fact that Women’s MMA is a relatively new phenomenon, nothing really needs to be changed. There’s already some growing dissatisfaction among MMA purists that Strikeforce’s Middleweight wrecking machine Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos has no real competition to truly measure herself up against, but that’s hardly Strikeforce’s fault. While it may shine a harsh light on the fact that all other Middleweights are playing catch-up to Cris Cyborg, seeing Santos dominate again and again has yet to lose its appeal.

With his recent thrashing of Shinya Aoki, Gilbert Melendez has quickly earned the rank of “Best Lightweight Not in the UFC”. Many are pointing to an epic showdown with Bellator Fighting Championships Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez as a dream-match that would go a long way towards cementing the legitimacy of the Strikeforce Lightweight Championship. While I also believe that Melendez vs. Alvarez would be a fantastic match, I think Strikeforce should go one step further and forge an actual alliance with Bellator in the same vein as their alliance with the Japanese-based DREAM promotion. This would give Strikeforce a considerably deeper pool of talent while also showcasing Bellator FC, which has gained a cult following due to its penchant for highlight-reel knockouts and submissions but lacks true mainstream exposure.

For Strikeforce’s Welterweight Division, it is in Strikeforce’s best interest to build up Welterweight champion Nick Diaz, despite the fact that he remains one of the sport’s most polarizing fighters. For all his faults, Nick Diaz stands out as arguably the greatest Welterweight not named Georges St-Pierre. Diaz’s unorthodox but highly effective “punches in bunches” strategy combined with his vastly underappreciated ground game has resulted in seven straight wins since 2007, with seemingly no end in sight. Diaz is a rare exception to the rule: a controversial fighter that’s actually worth the trouble.

With the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship now vacated, a Middleweight Tournament is a no-brainer. With no names or format revealed as of yet, I’ll wait to see how this all turns out before giving my opinion on how Strikeforce should move forward with their Middleweight division.

While not as earth-shattering as Fedor Emelianenko’s recent loss, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal’s victory over former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi did cast the future of Strikeforce’s Light Heavyweight Division in doubt. Even with his bad boy attitude and strong wrestling skills, “King Mo” remains a relative newcomer. Strikeforce’s best option is to keep “King Mo” active against the stiffest competition possible. If Mo is able to weather the storm and beat several tough opponents either by highlight-reel stoppage or hard-fought decision, he will bring credibility both to himself and to his championship.

The future of Strikeforce’s Heavyweight division is far from uncertain. Despite calls for an immediate Fedor/Werdum rematch, Fabricio Werdum deserves his shot at Heavyweight gold. It may never generate as much interest or make as much money as an Alistair Overeem vs. Fedor Emelianenko dream match, but Overeem/Werdum needs to happen. As for Fedor Emelianenko, it doesn’t matter who his next opponent is. Fans will be so interested in seeing how Emelianenko rebounds from his first-ever legitimate loss that they will tune in no matter what.

Simply put, Strikeforce deserves to be where it is: despite some stumbling blocks, the promotion always tries to put together the best cards possible. When all is said and done, the future of Strikeforce is actually quite bright.

So what do you think, fans and friends? What does Strikeforce need to do to hold or even re-gain your attention?

Multiple sources have cited that the tournament would be scrapped but Sherdog states that after talking to the manager of one of the contestants, it is officially dead in the water.

The cancellation stems from disinterest by Dream’s domestic television carrier, the Tokyo Broadcasting System, in broadcasting the tournament. Fighters.com is unsure as to why they would be uninterested in broadcasting a tournament with fighters such as UFC veteran “Babalu” Renato Sobral (32-9), former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi (23-3-1), Deep light heavyweight tournament winner Yoshiyuki Nakanishi (3-0) as well as Thierry Rameau Sokoudjou (6-5) all being rumored to be in the tournament.

Dream has seen it’s fair share of troubles as of late and this does not bode well for the organization. With accusations of non-payment of fighters and last minute fight cancellations we could be nearing the end of yet another Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion.

With DREAM 14 only a few weeks away the fight card is sparse to say the least with Strikeforce champion “Diablo” Nick Diaz (21-8) taking on “Mach” Hayato Sakurai (32-9-3) in a non-title fight as well as the following fights:

Joachim Hansen vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
Akiyo “Wicky” Nishiura vs. Hideo Tokoro
Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Takafumi Otsuka

Stay tuned to Fighters.com and MMA Gospel Radio for more information concerning Dream 14 as it breaks.

“King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (7-0) won a five-round unanimous decision over “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (25-3-1) for the Strikeforce light heavyweight title in Nashville Saturday night by scores of 49-45 on all three judges’ scorecards.  Fighters.com scored the fight exactly the same.

The former champion, Mousasi, never lost control of the fight, but never took control either as Lawal scored takedowns at will.  Mousasi merely clammed up and accepted the position on his back.

Lawal and Mousasi probably broke even on the mat, Lawal scoring lunging shots through Mousasi’s full guard and Mousasi countering with upkicks and hammerfists that closed Lawal’s left eye by round three. But Lawal controlled the fight from the top on the ground and, surprisingly, gave up nothing to Mousasi, a trained boxer and kickboxer, during the stand-up exchanges.

Mousasi only managed to win the second round and looked in position to take the victory as Lawal had worn himself out grounding’n'pounding during the first frame.  But, Lawal got a second wind while Mousasi only wilted as the fight progressed.

Lawal remains undefeated and ascends as one of the top prospects in MMA.

Mousasi holds convincing TKO victories over both Babalu and Sokoudjou, his last two opponents in Strikeforce.  He’ll defend his Strikeforce belt versus “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (4-0) in Nashville April 17.

Sobral’s last fight was the first-round TKO loss to Mousasi in San Jose last August.   Before that he submitted Sokoudjou at Affliction in Anaheim in January 2009.

Sokoudjou’s last fight was a TKO loss to “Minowaman” Ikuhisa Minowa (44-30-8) at K-1 Dynamite!! on New Year’s Eve.  Between losses to Mousasi las November and Sobral the January before, he TKO’d “Beast” Bob Sapp (10-5-1) and “Giant” Jan Nortje (2-6) at DREAM.

M-1 Global officials apparently announced the change at an M-1 Selection Eastern European press conference Thursday.  M-1 Global is Emelianenko’s management company.  Strikeforce has not confirmed the change.

Yesterday Fighters.com reported that Strikeforce was considering Nashville for their April event, which has long been pegged to air on CBS.  However, Emelianenko’s contract mandates his fights be aired on CBS.  So, it’s likely the April event will be moved to CBS cable affiliate Showtime.

It’s also now unclear whether the matchup between Strikeforce light heavyweight champion “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1) and “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (4-0) will occur in April or May.  Mousasi has indicated he’ll only fight when Emelianenko fights, but it’s unclear whether that’s a contractual mandate or merely his desire.

The move of the Emelianenko-Werdum matchup to May also potentially allows Strikeforce heavyweight champion “Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem (29-10) to defend his title on the same card.  Overeem had stated he couldn’t fight for Strikeforce until May.

Emelianenko will likely fight ninth-ranked “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (12-4-1) .  Also likely is a matchup between Strikeforce light heavyweight champion “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1) and “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (4-0).  And, second-ranked Strikeforce middlweight champion Jake Shields (24-4-1) announced Tuesday at MMA Weekly that he’ll take on a challenge from third-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7).

Shields also told MMA Weekly he knows the date and the venue, but wouldn’t elaborate.

Sports Illustrated has alternatively reported that Strikeforce is considering holding the CBS-broadcast event on April 24 in California.

The first fight ended in a controversial decision for Machida.  The rematch should crown a definitive champion at 205 pounds.

If Rua wins, we could even see a mouthwatering matchup versus top contender “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4), who also reigns as Fighters.com and UFC Middleweight Champion.  Silva has indicated his unwillingness to fight training partner Machida, but Silva and Rua have a war of words between them and a title fight would be a grudge match as well.

Fourth-ranked “Sugar” Rashad Evans (14-1-1) won a workmanlike unanimous decision over fifth-ranked Thiago Silva (15-2) at UFC 108 in Las Vegas January 2 with a return to his wrestling base.  Next for Evans is seventh-ranked “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-7) at UFC 114 in Las Vegas May 29.

Silva should get a second crack at a top ten opponent in his next fight.

Sixth-ranked Forrest Griffin (17-6) and eighth-ranked “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (17-3) are likely to matchup at UFC 113, though the fight isn’t yet official.

Ninth-ranked Strikeforce champ “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1) expects he’ll fight rising star “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (4-0) at Strikeforce in April on CBS.

Tenth-ranked “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1) has been preparing to return after facial surgery, but into the middleweight division.

Fighters.com’s January Light Heavyweight Top Ten

1. “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (16-0)

2. “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4)

3. “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (18-4)

4. “Sugar” Rashad Evans (14-1-1)

5. Thiago Silva (15-2)

6. Forrest Griffin (17-6)

7. “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-7)

8. “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (17-3)

9. “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1)

10. “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1)

Lawal claimed the matchup nearly occurred twice before.  Lawal turned down the fight at M-1 Global Breakthrough in Kansas City last August due to a freshly fixed ACL.  Lawal claims he would’ve fought Mousasi at Dynamtite!! 2009 in Tokyo New Year’s Eve, but that Mousasi or his camp turned the fight down.

But, the matchup between two of the biggest young MMA stars is ripe for Strikeforce on CBS in April.

Mousasi TKO’d “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge (23-19-1) at Dynamtite!! 2009 in a ridiculous matchup.

Lawal impressively stopped “Iron” Mike Whitehead (24-7) at Strikeforce in San Jose December 19.

Mousasi recently claimed to Sherdog that the fight was to his advantage in everything by Lawal’s base martial art: wrestling.

Lawal told MMA Junkie, “”He can say this and that, but we’ll find out come fight time.”

That sums it.

Until last year, UFC President Dana White boasted that his top-down authority over MMA led to matchups between the two best fighters in any division, unlike boxing where fighters were matched according to marketability wich has led to the unmarketability of boxing.  And, until November 2008 White was right.  But, in the past year-and-a-half or so, the matchups in the UFC have been determined by market more than sport.

The top challenger to Fighters.com and UFC Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4) is second-ranked Strikeforce champion Jake Shields (24-4-1).  And, it’s a good matchup on paper too, Silva being the best striker in the sport and Shields being at the top of his grappling game.

But, I understand the business and give White a pass for not collaborating on big fights with competing promotions.  So, the next best matchup for Silva in the UFC was third-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7).  But, White wouldn’t pony up the cash to keep Hendo in the Octagon to make the fight.  Henderson abandoned White and the UFC and signed with Strikeforce.

It happens.  Then, the next best matchup for Silva is fourth-ranked “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2), whom Silva himself calls the next king of the division.  But, Marquardt was passed over.

Instead, eighth-ranked “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8) will challenge Silva at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi April 10 in a more marketing stand-up war between two big names.  But, Marquardt is right.  Belfort has been in and out of the middlweight division and his most recent TKO of “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5) at UFC 103 in Dallas September 19 was at 195 pounds.

But, as the hype behind Silva-Belfort barely simmers, a better matchup between Shields and Henderson at Strikeforce boils hot.

Shields is expected defend his Strikeforce title from newly-signed Henderson on CBS in April.  That’s the biggest fight in the division, bigger than the UFC’s title fight the same month.

The champion, Shields, is a long-time holdout from the UFC who has managed nonetheless to put together an outstanding record versus established talent.  Henderson was to be Silva’s next challenger in the UFC and, therefore, even White can’t talk-down Henderson’s ranking.  So, whichever fighter leaves the cage with the Strikeforce title in April is the legitimate world’s top contender to Silva.  And, he’s not in the UFC.  It’s a better matchup on paper, it’s a better matchup in the division rankings, and there’s a lot more on the line.

Fighters.com’s January Middleweight Top Ten

1. “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4)

2. Jake Shields (24-4-1)

3. “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7)

4. “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2)

5. “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (23-2-1)

6. Demian Maia (10-1)

7. Chael Sonnen (23-10-1)

8. “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8)

9. “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (9-2)

10. “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-1)

Mousasi TKO’d “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (6-5) by referee stoppage at 3:43 of round two at Strikeforce in Chicago November 7.  It was a non-title fight.

Mousasi hinted to AOL Fanhouse in December that he wouldn’t return to Strikeforce until M-1 Global stablemate Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (31-1) returned too.  Though, Fighters.com is not certain that’s exactly what Mousasi meant.

Regardless, the much ballyhooed “open contract” M-1 Global negotiated for Mousasi must be frustrating for Strikeforce.

Goodridge, a heavyweight, has lost four consecutive, most recently a first-round Kimura submission loss to Strikeforce heavyweight champion “Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem (29-10) at Glory 10 in November 2008.

Put bluntly, the match-up is pointless.  If Mousasi wins, he earns nothing.  If he loses, he loses everything.  Win, lose, or draw, if he gets injured, he devalues himself, Strikeforce, and the Strikeforce light heavyweight title.  It’s a high risk for a small, if any reward.

But, Mousasi has defended taking what seems to Fighters.com like pointless fights in Japan.  In August, Mousasi told Fighters.com about his participation in the DREAM Super Hulk tournament, “People have to see this differently. If this kind of tournament helps to make MMA big in Japan again, then its a good thing. They had very good TV ratings last time and, beside the tournament, they have very good, competitive fights on their cards. And, also in the tournament there are some very good fighters. Defeating Hong Man Choi is a difficult fight for anyone!”

But, it would be hard for Mousasi to defend Goodridge as “a very good fighter” this time.

The bottom line for Strikeforce is that everytime Mousasi steps into an MMA fight anywhere in the world he puts the Strikeforce 205-pound title on the line, whether technically up for grabs or not.

Strikeforce faces a similar dilemma with Overeem, who hasn’t defended his Strikeforce title for two years, though he finds time to fight everywhere else in the world.

Overeem has accused American fans of Amerocentrism, not understanding that there is a combat sport fan base outside of North America.  That’s not what Fighters.com is arguing.  Let Mousasi fight “Brazilian Tiger” Ricardo Arona (14-5), “Ely” Paulo Filho (17-1), or “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (4-0) in Japan, but at least someone in the same MMA league.

UFC President Dana White has long stayed clear of open contracts.  One wonders if Strikeforce is reconsidering its policy as it attempts to go head-to-head versus the UFC.

This fighter grappled to a draw with former UFC two division champion “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-8) in a 2006 submission grappling contest and has only lost to fifth-ranked “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (23-2-1) in MMA since 2003.

Souza’s climb up the ranks, second-ranked Jake Shields‘s (24-4-1) hold on the top contender spot, and Strikeforce’s signing of third-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7) gives Strikeforce four fighters in the 185-pound top ten.  (Of course, Mousasi has abandoned the division to take the Strikeforce 205-pound title.)

It’s likely Shields and Hendo’ will settle the top contender spot and fight for Strikeforce’s title in April, with the winner legitimately claiming the rank of best matchup for Fighters.com and UFC Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4).

Silva will fight tenth-ranked “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8) at UFC 109 in Las Vegas February 6.  Belfort can’t be overlooked at 185 pounds with Silva coming off of elbow surgery and five months hiatus.

Fourth-ranked “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2) and seventh-ranked Chael Sonnen (23-10-1) will battle the same night for the next title shot.

And sixth-ranked Demian Maia (10-1) will test strong prospect Dan Miller (11-2), making a trio of UFC 109 fights with maximum impact on the division rankings.

Also in December, ninth-ranked “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-1) submitted Tatsuhiko Nishizaka (3-5-1) at Bitetti Combat 5 in São Paulo December 12.  If Filho can get his act together, Fighters.com wouldn’t be surprised to see him in Strikeforce soon.

Fighters.com’s December Middleweight Rankings

1. “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4)

2. Jake Shields (24-4-1)

3. “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7)

4. “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2)

5. “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (23-2-1)

6. Demian Maia (10-1)

7. Chael Sonnen (23-10-1)

8. “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (9-2)

9. “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-1)

10. “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8)

“I’m very happy to be a part of Strikeforce and their partnership with CBS and Showtime,” said the 39-year-old Henderson.

“We are excited to welcome Dan Henderson to Strikeforce,” said Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker.  “Dan is one of the world’s premiere fighters who has lived out an extraordinary career.  We are looking forward to having him compete for us.”

Notably absent from Strikeforce’s announcement was which division the versatile former Olympian will compete in.

Strikeforce’s light heavyweight division is owned by champion Gegard Mousasi (23-2-1) and the promotion’s middleweight division is topped by second-ranked Jake Shields (23-4-1).

Henderson can likely take his pick.  For his new promotion, Henderson has no downside.  Coming off of a brutal knockout of Brit “Count” Michael Bisping (18-2) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas in July, Hendo’ was likely and rightly next in line for another challenge to Fighters.com and UFC Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4), making him the UFC’s best of the rest at 185-pounds.  Should he beat Shields in a Strikeforce title fight, Strikeforce crowns a proven UFC-level champion.  Should he lose to Shields, he vets Shields as at least as good as the UFC’s former top 185-pound challenger.  Versus Mousasi at 205-pounds, the same logic applies as Henderson is a former PRIDE champion and went five rounds with former UFC light heavyweight champ sixth-ranked “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-7) in a UFC title fight.

Though Mousasi has already publicly lobbied for a fight versus Hendo’, Fighters.com expects Henderson and Shields to matchup for the Strikeforce title.

And, like Mousasi, Shields is ready to take his case for the fight public.  Monday night, Shields told Fighters.com exclusively, “I would love to [fight Henderson], but it’s up to Hendo’ and Strikeforce.  But, on my end, all I need is a date and I will fight.”

Not to be forgot is former Hendo’ pupil and recent Strikeforce signee “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (4-0).  Though untested, Lawal has a little hype behind him and competes at 205-pounds.  If Hendo’ were to take the Strikeforce title at light heavyweight, it puts a temporary stop-gap on Lawal’s budding career because it’s unlikely sensei and pupil would ever fight.

Finally, though Henderson prefers not making the weight cut to 185-pounds, his record clearly indicates he’s more competitive at middleweight.

Regardless which division Henderson fights in, his signing is a coup for Strikeforce because he’s been promoted in the US as a coach on SpikeTV’s The Ultimate Fighter and over a million people watched him cold-cock Bisping at UFC 100.