Next for Antonio Silva: A champion is made by scoring a big win, but the mark of a true champion is the ability to survive and even thrive under pressure. In his fight with Mike Kyle, Antonio Silva proved once and for all that he’s ready for the best Heavyweights in the game. He remained calm under pressure, he absorbed a massive amount of damage, and he came back to emphatically put an end to Kyle. By the end of 2011 we’re going to see Antonio Silva challenge for the Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship.

Next for Mike Kyle: A quick trip back down to the land of the Light Heavyweights. Mike Kyle showed a lot of potential against “Bigfoot”, so I’m hopeful for his future. In Strikeforce’s increasingly-stacked Light Heavyweight division, I think Kyle could be an important test for many of Strikeforce’s best. Expect him to get an opponent the caliber of Gegard Mousasi or Muhammed Lawal sooner rather than later.

Next for Robbie Lawler: Somebody big, that’s for sure. Lawler has certainly earned his spot at the top of the division with his crushing KO of Matt Lindland. I don’t honestly have any particular opponent in mind, just a general feeling that 2011 will see Lawler emerge as a true top-division athlete and even a potential title challenger.

Next for Paul Daley: If Strikeforce wants to get the most out of their investment, if they want to keep duplicating the great performance Daley gave against Scott Smith, then Paul Daley needs to dine on a steady diet of striking-based fighters for the foreseeable future. The good thing about that is that there’s no shortage of those in Strikeforce’s welterweight division. If Strikeforce can convince KJ Noons to stay at Welterweight, Noons/Daley is the obvious move going forward. If not, Daley may even get an immediate title shot.

Next for Scott Smith: Smith will be a perennial gatekeeper until one of two things happen. The first and more unlikely situation is that Smith goes on a prolonged losing streak and/or abandons his entertaining fighting style and gets fired. That’s unlikely because Smith always entertains and he has beaten some good competition in his day. The second and most likely scenario is that Smith gets a chain of wins going, gets another shot at the top of the division, but is ultimately cast back down after another humbling (T)KO loss. I know that outlook seems a bit bleak, and as a sorta-kinda Scott Smith fan, I do hope that “The Comeback King” ends up proving me wrong.

Next for Dan Henderson: 2011 will be a banner year for “Hendo”. I’ve got some pretty high hopes for the man. With his mind set and his body healthy, Hendo should quickly become a force to be reckoned with in Strikeforce’s Light Heavyweight division. Before 2011 is through, I have a strong feeling that we’ll see Dan Henderson challenge for the championship or win it outright.

So that’s what I see when I gaze into the crystal ball, fans and friends. What about you? What do you think the future holds for the big winners and even some of the losers of Strikeforce: “Henderson vs. Babalu”?

Dan Henderson defeats Renato Sobral via KO (strikes) at 1:53 of Round One. Paul Daley defeats Scott Smith via KO (strikes) at 2:09 of Round One. Robbie Lawler defeats Matt Lindland via KO (strikes) at 0:50 of Round One. Antonio Silva defeats Mike Kyle via TKO (strikes) at 2:49 of Round Two. Ovince St. Preux defeats Benji Radach via Unanimous Decision. Fernando Bettega defeats Wayne Phillips via Split Decision. Justin Lawrence defeats Max Martytniouk via Technical (accidental illegal kick) Unanimous Decision. Patrick Cummins defeats Terrell Brown via TKO (strikes) at 2:44 of Round One. Cortez Coleman defeats Lucas Lopes via Submission (guillotine choke) at 2:04 of Round One. Matt Ricehouse defeats Tom Aaron via Unanimous Decision. Mike Glenn defeats Lee Brousseau via TKO (strikes) at 2:00 of Round One. Booker DeRousse defeats Colton Cole via TKO (strikes) at 3:04 of Round Two. J.W. Wright defeats Josh Epps via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:29 of Round One.

This was an awesome, awesome event. Ovince St. Preux vs. Benji Radach was the worst fight on the card, and the worst thing about that fight? It was average. For this event, “average” just wasn’t good enough. I was out of my seat the second Mike Kyle landed a big right that nearly finished Antonio Silva, and I didn’t leave the edge of my seat for the rest of the evening.

As an MMA fan first and foremost, I can’t help but vault onto the Strikeforce bandwagon and even lead the charge into 2011 after an event of this caliber. Every single fight lived up to its potential. Antonio Silva came back from the brink of defeat and cemented his status as a top-level Strikeforce Heavyweight. In this fight, Silva proved that he can take a huge amount of punishment and still fight back to not only win, but finish his opponent.

Things just got crazier from that moment on. Robbie Lawler taking out Matt Lindland with a beautiful diving strike was fantastic. What wasn’t so great, however, was the fact that Lindland looked like a corpse after Lawler got through with him. I’m a sucker for the epic KO’s, but I’m not a bloodthirsty savage, so rest assured, I breathed a big sigh of relief when Lindland regained his faculties.

That sigh was quickly turned into a gasp as I was greeted with another epic KO courtesy of the one and only “Semtex”. To be honest, Paul Daley has got to be the absolute worst opponent Scott Smith could have faced: Daley has one-hit KO power no matter how hard your chin is or how many comebacks you’ve made. So long as Daley can keep the fight standing, the world may be his oyster in Strikeforce.

And finally, we had the triumphant return of Dan Henderson: to the Light Heavyweight division, to Strikeforce, to MMA relevancy as a whole. I had a lot of faith in “Hendo” heading into this fight, and I’m honestly not surprised that he came through in a big way when his situation looked so bleak. 2011 has the potential to be a huge year for Dan Henderson.

And what about you, fans and friends? Were you as impressed with this show as I was?

Headliner’s Dan Henderson and Renato Sobral were green lighted for the event when the two light heavyweights came in under the required 205-pound limit.

Strikeforce debutant Paul Daley successfully made the 170-pound limit, which in the past he has notoriously struggled with weighty issues however came in at 169 pounds for the welterweight contest.

And Scott Smith, who spent nearly his entire career as a middleweight, easily made the transition to the welterweight class when he came in at 170-pounds on the nose.

Here are the entire weigh-in results in full, thanks to MMAJunkie.com who was on scene when the fighters hit the scale.

MAIN CARD

* Dan Henderson (204.5) vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral (202)
* Paul Daley (169) vs. Scott Smith (170)
* Robbie Lawler (186) vs. Matt Lindland (185.5)
* Mike Kyle (219) vs. Antonio Silva (263)
* Benji Radach (205.5) vs. Ovince St. Preux (205.5)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Fernando Bettega (170.25) vs. Wayne Phillips (171)
* Justin Lawrence (155.5) vs. Max Martytnuk (154.5)
* Terrell Brown (208.25)* vs. Patrick Dummins (205.5)
* Cortez Coleman (184.75) vs. Lucas Lopes (185)
* Tom Aaron (155.5) vs. Matt Ricehouse (156)
* Lee Brousseau (204) vs. Mike Glenn (207.25)
* Booker DeRousse (185) vs. Coltin Cole (185.5)
* Josh Epps (127.5) vs. J.W. Wright (130.5)

* – Missed weight on initial attempt; has two hours to make 206-pound limit

“Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu” takes place at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri and marks the promotions last event before we head into the new year.

“I don’t know how he thinks it is going to be but I have been working on my skills, my wrestling and I have been working on everything.  I think you have to ask Matt how easy he thinks it will be. I think he thinks it will be tough and it will be.”

Lawler would likely prefer, if history is a guide, to keep this fight in the boxing phase.  And, when-if the time comes to seal the victory over LIndland, “Ruthless” Robbie has no trouble finishing off a damaged opponent.

“It feels good. When you hurt someone you just have to go in there and look for the finish and get it done.”

But, first Lawler will have to navigate around Lindland’s world-class takedowns and ground n’ pound.

“I except Matt to come out and be in my face and me to have a chance to hit him.  I think he is a smart fighter.  I don’t think he is just going to go in there and wrestle from the start.  He’s been working on all his skills, so I am ready for a little bit of standup before he closes the distance.”

A win for Lawler, could set up two possible major fights.  One would require Nick Diaz to leave the Welterwieght division to give Lawler a rematch from their 2004 UFC battle.  The second would be a Lawler title shot against current Middleweight Champion, Ronaldo Souza.  Both would be marquee matchups and keep Lawler’s long MMA career in high gear.  But, Lawler first has to stop Lindland.

“I am not too worried about what is happening after this fight. I am worried about training for Matt and going to get in there and doing my best.”

—

What are your thoughts about Lawler / Lindland?  Who will win and why?  Sound off.

The Event: Strikeforce: “Henderson vs. Babalu 2”, also known as Strikeforce: “St. Louis”. It takes place December 4, 2010 from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis Missouri. The five-fight main card will be broadcast on the Showtime network.

Why You Should Care: This event has a little something for everyone. If you’re a fan of old-school MMA, you’ve got two great veterans fighting in the main event, Dan Henderson and Renato Sobral. You’ve also got Matt Lindland trying to get a big comeback going by taking on the heavy-handed Robbie Lawler. And if you love seeing a great brawl, you’ve got Paul Daley vs. Scott Smith. If you’re a fan of the big men, they don’t get much bigger than “Bigfoot”, Antonio Silva, and he’ll be taking on rising star Mike Kyle.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: Renato Sobral vs. Dan Henderson is a rematch that’s been over a decade in the making. Both men are at a crossroads in their career: recent losses have called into question their ability to compete at a championship level, and a big win here could eliminate any doubts and firmly put the winner “into the mix”. Both men will more than likely look to finish this fight quickly and in dominating fashion in order to stay afloat in the increasingly-competitive Strikeforce Light Heavyweight division.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: I’m not sure what main card fight will officially be given co-main event status, but either way, there are some great fights on this card besides the main event. Paul Daley vs. Scott Smith will be an all-out war and I’d be surprised if it made it out of the first round. Daley, the controversial knockout artist who famously got a lifetime ban from the UFC when he attacked Josh Koscheck after their fight, will be looking to make his debut one to remember. Then you’ve got Matt Lindland vs. Robbie Lawler, which also has all the makings of a fantastic brawl.

Why You Should Watch This Card: You’re in for a fun night of fights if you decide to watch Strikeforce. Every main card fight has the potential to end quickly, and just about all the main card fighters are known to put on exciting performances. They may not be the biggest stars that Strikeforce could bring to the table, but they’ve all set a great precedent of entertaining fans time and time again.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: There’s only one major reason you should possibly skip this card, and it has nothing to do with Strikeforce itself. The UFC will be holding its own event on December 4, “The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale”, a live night of fights that closes out the latest season of the popular UFC reality TV show “The Ultimate Fighter” and crowns the season’s champion. In the battle of UFC vs. Strikeforce, Strikeforce ultimately has the bigger names, but the UFC does have several great-sounding fights lined up for their event.

Closing Thoughts: In the end, I think Strikeforce has the better card when compared to the UFC’s outing for December 4. I don’t mean to say that the UFC card is bad, though, there are actually several fights on that card that I’m really interested in. But Strikeforce simply has more to offer: bigger stars, a better main event, etc. If you could only watch one, I’d suggest watching Strikeforce. It really has all the makings of a great event.

So, that’s it on my end, fans and friends. What about you? Which show will you be watching December 4?

“I think everything about this fight is going to be challenging.  Robbie is a talented, well rounded fighter.  I don’t see a ton of holes in his game.  I just have to go out and impose my strength in the weaker parts of his game.  That is really all it is, and I think there are going to be no surprises in this fight.  It will just come down to who can impose their will.  I don’t think anything about fighting Robbie will be easy, and that is why I have prepared hard and trained great.  Going into this fight I have no excuses, but I am not overlooking any aspect of Robbie’s game.”

After losing to Ronaldo Souza at the end of 2009, Lindland was in the midst of a longer than expected layoff when he agreed to drop down to the Strikeforce Challengers series to fight Kevin Casey in order to stay sharp.

“It has been a little disappointing that I have not been able to compete as much and as frequently as I have in the past.  It’s a change in companies and the irregularity, and there are a lot of fighters on the STRIKEFORCE roster. I have not gotten as many opportunities that I would have liked.  I think that has contributed a lot to me taking the fight in the Challengers show, because there wasn’t a fight in the immediate future. So, I wanted to get back in the ring and compete.”

The third round TKO of Casey was exactly what the doctor ordered and moved Lindland’s career record to 22-7.  It sets up a world class struggle between Lawler’s fists and Lindland’s Olympic level wrestling.

“It is whoever can impose their will.  If I had my way, I would put Robbie on his back and pound a hole in his head and I’m sure Robbie would like to try to keep it on his feet and put me to sleep standing up.  I think it’s really about who can impose their will.”

Lindland went 9-3 in the UFC between 2000 and 2008 and was clearly regarded as one of the best pound for pound players in the game. Post UFC, he has bounced around MMA organizations from the IFL to Affliction to Strikeforce.  If any Strikeforce match-up  would announce he is still right at the top of the sport, it would be a win over the younger Lawler.

“I think I am still one of the top contenders in this sport, a top 10 guy and of course I lost to a champion, Jacare, and I think this is a great path back to that title contention.  A win against Robbie certainly solidifies me in that top 10.  I just need to focus on this fight.  I have been working on all aspects of my game, the standup, the ground, the wrestling, the submissions. Every bit of it.  Robbie is a well-rounded fighter and people categorize him as a big striker and a brawler, he knows how to fight on his feet. But, he knows how to wrestle and he knows how to fight on the ground. So, I have to be prepared for all aspects of the sport.  Right now, I am just focusing on coming in the best shape and being healthy.  I have zero injuries, so no excuses going into this fight. I’m looking forward to it. I am very excited about this opportunity.”

Antonio Silva vs. Mike Kyle: Silva has become quite the controversial figure in the last few months, as he’s repeatedly called out and even at some points tried to discredit huge names like Fedor Emelianenko, Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem, and even Brock Lesnar. And while I absolutely believe that Silva is not up to their level just yet, I also absolutely believe that Mike Kyle isn’t up to Silva’s level. Silva is within shouting distance of the upper-echelon, Kyle’s run to the top never fully materialized. Expect to see “Bigfoot” Silva win by Round 2 TKO.

Paul Daley vs. Scott Smith: Someone’s getting KO’d in the first round, and my money just has to be on the guy that’s never been KO’d before. Daley is an incredibly dangerous striker and Scott Smith is crazy enough (some would say “foolish enough”) to stand and bang with just about anybody in order to try and make the fight exciting and score a big win. Despite the fact that I don’t think Daley will ever be anything other than a dead fish on the ground, “Semtex” has dynamite in both hands and Smith will practically be serving up his chin on a silver platter thanks to his willingness to engage. Paul Daley wins by Round 1 KO.

Robbie Lawler vs. Matt Lindland:  This is another good match featuring some great strikers, but I don’t see this one ending definitively. I can’t really pick out one reason why I feel this way, it’s more like a bunch of small reasons coming together. I think both men are going to absorb a lot of damage, and while there may be some close calls here and there, I think these two are going to grind out a decision. My gut and my head favors Lindland due to his vast experience and his sheer toughness. Matt Lindland wins via Unanimous Decision.

Dan Henderson vs. Renato Sobral: I’ve still got plenty of faith left in Dan Henderson. I won’t say “the best is yet to come”, I think any fan of the man knows that we’re probably past that point. But that doesn’t mean that Henderson is done as an elite-level Mixed Martial Artist. Everything that’s been reported leading up to this card leads me to believe that we’ll see the old, beastly “Hendo” re-emerge against Sobral. Dan Henderson wins by KO in Round 2.

So that’s what I think, fans and friends. Now it’s your turn to take the crystal ball out and/or consult your inner Nostradamus. What do you think will happen at Strikeforce: “Henderson vs. Babalu”?

Here are some highlights from a recent interview Sherdog conducted with Lindland: “Robbie is a well-rounded fighter… I’ve never seen Robbie in a fight that wasn’t exciting. I’m looking forward not just to performing, but also to kicking the **** out of Robbie… I think I’m still one of the top contenders. I lost to ‘Jacare,’ who is the champion, and I think this is a great path back to title contention… I’m healthier than I’ve ever been. I’ve had zero injuries, and I have no excuses. I’m looking forward to it.”

I’ve got a ton of respect for Matt Lindland. He’s faced some amazing competition, and even though he’s lost to a lot of them, his wins still hold a commanding lead when compared to his losses, and for the most part he’s remained an explosive, entertaining, and dangerous fighter throughout all the long years he’s spent mixing it up in cages and rings across the world. Lindland/Lawler is some very smart booking and should be an amazing fight, and I recently talked at length about it in a previous article.

In regards to what the future holds for “The Law”, now more and more I think that Lindland may have it in him to finally capture the gold that he’s been chasing for so very long. If he can get past Robbie Lawler, he’ll have a firm leg to stand on in Strikeforce’s growing (but, let’s be honest, not exactly star-studded) Middleweight division. If he wins in a big way, Lindland may find himself challenging for the championship outright. He’ll have his hands full against current champion Ronaldo Souza, however.

That may even be an understatement. Lindland and Souza certainly have enough of a rivalry to justify a rematch: Souza spoiled Lindland’s Strikeforce debut and would go on to win one single other fight before fighting for and ultimately winning the vacant Strikeforce Middleweight Championship. Souza stands poised as the best Middleweight in Strikeforce for several reasons: his ground game has always been amazing, but recently, his striking has shown noticeable improvements. Lindland would still hold the advantage in terms of pure KO power, but if Souza survived long enough in the first round of their first encounter to snatch up a submission win in the dying seconds of Round 1, he’ll likely be able to hold his own if the championship rematch heads into the later rounds.

Nevertheless, I think the future looks quite bright for Matt “The Law” Lindland. I’m eagerly looking forward to his upcoming fight, since I know it’s going to prove once and for all if Lindland is ready for championship gold. It should be a great fight and a great performance, so I wish Matt Lindland all the best.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think the future holds for Matt Lindland, both in the here and now as well as further on down the road?

As a big fan of wild brawls, I can say with certainty that I’m really looking forward to both fights. This is very smart match-making on the part of Strikeforce, and I think everyone matches up really well against everyone else. All four men are known for their awesome punching power. You can never fully count out Robbie Lawler or Scott Smith, but you also have to respect the one-hit KO power of Matt Lindland and Paul Daley.

I think Robbie Lawler vs. Matt Lindland will be the more technical fight of the two. Matt “The Law” Lindland is a very gifted, very wily veteran, so I don’t see him engaging just for the sake of engaging unless he’s absolutely sure that he’ll win the encounter. I see both men pushing the pace, but doing so in a very cerebral fashion. If Lawler wins, it’ll be a big win against a crafty veteran, the kind of victory that really helps set you up as a possible championship challenger. If Matt Lindland wins, he’ll have fully committed himself to a career rebirth that one day just might result in him wearing some Strikeforce gold.

Scott Smith vs. Paul Daley will see fists flying from the second the bell rings, though. I think Smith is honestly one of the best match-ups Strikeforce has for Paul Daley as he makes his way into the promotion. Smith will push the pace with reckless abandon, and he’s made more than one stellar comeback throughout his career. I’d honestly be quite shocked if this fight lasted all three rounds, I’d be even more shocked if it was a boring fight. This fight in particular has all the potential necessary to quite possibly steal the show.

If any of these four men finish their fight in dominating fashion, I think we’ll see them emerge as very worthy championship contenders heading into 2011. In particular, I’d go out of my way to see Paul Daley vs. Nick Diaz. That sounds like an absolutely amazing match on paper. But no matter what the future holds, I’m definitely looking forward to both Smith/Daley and Lawler/Lindland when Strikeforce goes live on December 4.

And what about you, fans and friends? What are your predictions and analysis for these two matches, and which two of these four men do you think will soon be challenging for a Strikeforce championship?

The main event of the evening on said card will feature a special attraction pitting legends and former champions Dan Henderson and Renato “Babalu” Sobral against one another. While this bout has already been promised an immediate title shot against current light heavyweight kingpin Rafael Cavalcante (who defeated Muhammed Lawal last August for the promotion’s title), two more title shots may be waiting on the wings for two men.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker recently revealed that the winners of Robbie Lawler/Matt Lindland and Paul Daley/Scott Smith could be in line for a title shot in their respective weight classes.

Robbie Lawler, the former Icon Sport middleweight champion is in desperate need of a win, and an impressive one at that. Since entering the San Jose based promotion in June of last year, “Ruthless” has lost two of his last three bouts, albeit against top flight competition in Jake Shields and Renato Sobral. Sandwiched in between the losses was an impressive come-from-behind knockout victory over K-1 striker, Melvin Manhoef. The native of Holland battered Lawler with leg kicks galore, before releasing his guard and opening him up for a right hook to the jaw, knocking him down before Robbie followed up with some telling ground-and-pound blows.

Lindland is in the twilight of his career. The 40-year-old co-founder of Team Quest, like Lawler, has lost two of his last three matches. A first round knockout loss to current UFC contender Vitor Belfort and submission loss against current Strikeforce champion Ronaldo Souza blemish his record in recent performances. Matt was able to halt the two-fight losing skid with a third-round TKO win over prospect Kevin Casey last May at the Strikeforce Challenger Series 8 show, where the two men served as the main-event of the evening.

The two middleweights, should one win, could face the aforementioned title holder “Jacare” in the foreseeable future, most likely in the early goings of 2011.

Paul Daley, the most well off of the bunch heading into his Strikeforce debut this December. Despite still carrying a trail of controversy following his bout with Josh Koscheck in his final appearance in the worlds largest mixed martial arts organization at UFC 113 last May, he has since gone on to win his next two fights following the decision loss. Wins over PRIDE veteran Daniel Acacio and American Top Team product Jorge Masvidal anchor Daley’s most recent accolades.

Scott Smith, the proverbial comeback kid, will make his welterweight debut when he meets Daley this December. Beginning his career as a heavyweight, Smith eventually pared down to the middleweight division where he has found most of the success in his career. With knockout power in either punch, “Hands of Steel” has made a habit of knockout out his opponents. His victims include former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le, as well as UFC veterans Benji Radach and Kyle Noke.

These two welterweights, who have an affinity for punching people in the face, should provide an action packed fight which will produce the next contender for the welterweight title–more so for Daley, who is considered among one of the world’s best in the 170-pound division, and Smith can already account a loss to the champion in Nick Diaz.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the potential title challengers? Who would you rather see each respective champion face next? Would you like to see Diaz vs Smith II? Or would you be in favor for a Daley vs Diaz clash? Or how about Lawler, does his knockout power overcome Lindland’s wrestling pedigree in this middleweight fight? Who will come out victorious? Sound off in the comment section below.

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”?

The news, which was highlighted previously on Fighters.com , where according to Vitor himself on Twitter, “this year I am not going to fight for the title because the champion (UFC Middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva) is hurt but November we will be in action for sure that is what I can say.”

Silva, who was later reported injured prior to his bout with contender Chael Sonnen at UFC 117, is on an indefinite hiatus away from the cage. Anderson sustained fractured ribs before his last outing with Sonnen, while training with Judoka Satoshi Ishi and former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.

So, that definitely rules out Anderson for the rest of the year, and Vitor accordingly. But what about Sonnen? According to Belfort, in an interview with Sherdog.com, Chael is off the table as well for the surging middleweight, who began his career at 185 initially with a victory over Terry Martin under the Affliction banner in 2008, knocking out the UFC veteran on strikes in the second round.

The Brazilian followed up the performance with another commanding stoppage over the well traveled and well respected Matt Lindland, knocking out the former top middleweight in just 37 seconds, in January of 2009.

In his UFC return after the collapse of the aforementioned promotion Affliction, Belfort immediately put himself on the map when he needed just over three minutes to top former middleweight champion Rich Franklin at UFC 103 in Dallas, Tex., knocking out the former math teacher turned MMA fighter last September.

Since then, Belfort’s absence has gone noticed, and while many speculated that a match pitting both Sonnen and Vitor would be the next logical step, that doesn’t appear so likely now.

“I talked to Lorenzo (Fertitta) this week and will return in November,” Belfort said in his interview with Sherdog.com. “I just asked him to not be (on the November card in Germany). I’m tired of traveling. I would like to return to fighting here in America. According to my conversation with Lorenzo, my opponent will not be Sonnen, but another guy that will be decided soon.”

So, if not Sonnen, and not Anderson, than who? The only middleweight fighter that stands out to me, who isn’t already tied up in a fight, would have to be Chris Leben–or even Yushin Okami.

Nate Marquardt is tied up in his middleweight affair with Rousimar Palhares at UFC Fight Night 22 in September, Demian Maia is mixing it up against Mario Miranda at UFC 118, Alan Belcher is sidelined with a detached retina that may keep him away from fighting for good, and in my mind, there are no other viable contenders besides Okami and Leben.

Do you disagree? Anybody else in mind for Vitor?

As stated before, controversial Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz will make the first defense of his championship in the October 9 card’s headline attraction. Diaz’s opponent has yet to be named. Diaz most recently defeated Japanese star Hayato Sakurai at the Japanese-based DREAM’s “Dream.14” event, where he went back to his consistently-underrated ground game and caught “Mach” in a slick armbar. Diaz was last seen stateside TKO’ing Marius Zaromskis, the DREAM Welterweight Champion, at Strikeforce’s “Miami” event. The fight was to crown the first-ever Strikeforce Welterweight Champion.

Fellow Welterweight Champion Sarah Kaufman will also make her return to the Strikeforce cage in the second defense of her Welterweight Championship. Kaufman was vocal about her displeasure in being consistently placed on the lower-end “Strikeforce Challengers” series of events, especially when she became champion. Actions speak louder than words, as we all know, and Kaufman’s recent monster-slam KO of challenger Roxanne Modafferi seems to have won over the Strikeforce top-brass, since Kaufman will now likely co-main event a major Strikeforce card. Her opponent is scheduled to be Marloes Coenen, who is coming off of a loss to Strikeforce Women’s Middleweight Champion Cristiane Santos. This wouldn’t be the first time that the loser of a fight has been awarded with a championship opportunity, but few can doubt that the appeal of Sarah Kaufman having a rematch with Strikeforce 135-Pound tournament winner Meisha Tate sounds far more appealing.

In the final fight announced so far for the October card, rising star Luke Rockhold will face undoubtedly the stiffest test in his career as he takes on famous MMA veteran Matt “The Law” Lindland. Rockhold’s six-fight winning streak dating back to 2008 is on the line in this fight, as is Matt Lindland’s chances of ever being on a major card again, since “The Law” is 1-2 in his last three fights and debuted with Strikeforce on the lower-end “Strikeforce Challengers” series of shows. It will be a classic match-up of the striking expert vs. the submission expert, so it might just steal the show.

But in all honesty, I’m looking forward to seeing Nick Diaz moreso than any of the announced fighters. Coming from someone who used to hate both Diaz brothers with a near-blinding passion, this is high praise. I still think Nick is highly controversial and still has a wildly-out-of-place “street thug” attitude, but he’s grown into such a complete Mixed Martial Artist that he’s honestly one of the best talents Strikeforce has to offer. I think it will be very interesting to see who he’s matched up with, and if he can continue to be one of the few MMA fighters that have ever made the “punches in bunches” strategy actually work.

And what do you think, fans and friends? With two championship fights anchoring this show, how do you think the October 9 Strikeforce event is shaping up so far?

This war of words will finally come to blows inside the Octagon as the Pride veteran Rampage takes on “The Ultimate Fighter” (TUF) season two winner Evans, finally ending the feud. This fight has some major significance as it is the first ever UFC event headlined by two African-American fighters but also will help to shape the top of the UFC’s light heavyweight division.

It has been very apparent these men dislike each other to put it mildly. During their time on TUF Evens criticized Rampage for the way he handled his team even going so far as to say he quit on them. Jackson has called Rashad “fake” and said that he needs to be “shut up.” The tension between the two got even deeper during the conference-call for this event.

Rashad Evans said that Jackson was “perpetuating negative stereotypes with his public persona” while Quinton Jackson fired back saying Evans was “being gay”. As you can see from their verbal jabs, these men could not be more different.

Rashad grew up in a nice neighborhood in upstate New York where he was a National Junior College wrestling champion before moving on to wrestle at Michigan State where he graduated with a degree in Psychology. In contrast, Rampage grew up in some of the most downtrodden parts of the city fighting the the lure of the streets every day on his way to a rags to riches story.

Stylistically this fight is a very tight affair with Rashad having the perceived edge in wrestling and Jackson the edge in striking.  May fans that I have talked to seem to believe that the wrestling Rashad brings to the Octagon will be the determining factor in this fight. However one must realize that Rampage Jackson has done very well against wrestlers he has faced. He did very well against Olympic wrestler “Hendo” Dan Henderson (25-8) and beat another in a controversial decision when he faced “The Law” Matt Lindland (22-7).

I feel the biggest factor in this fight will be Rampage and the log layoff he has had due to filming the movie “A-Team”. Ring rust has always been a major factor in fights and he will have to have had an amazing training camp to not gas out in this fight.

That being said, Rampage will look to exploit the major weakness in Rashad, his chin. Rampage has very accurate and powerful strikes with a solid chin. I would not be shocked at some point in the beginning if we saw Rashad try and stand with Rampage.

If this fight goes three rounds I think Rashad takes the decision but my gut tells me to expect a Rampage knock out of Rashad Evans in the first or second round.

I think Dana White would be happy with a Rampage win as it sets up a re-match from the Pride days between Rampage and the current UFC light heavyweight champion, “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (19-4). That fight would be an easy sell for the UFC as they would be able to use the footage from the earlier fight to push this one.

Who do you think wins this fight and how?

Maybe the term hiding is a bit harsh and slightly inaccurate but we will get into that later.

Sonnen was last seen inside the Octagon at UFC 109 where he shocked many in the mixed martial arts (MMA) world by putting on a very dominate performance in route to a win over fourth-ranked “The Great” Nate Marquardt (29-9-2). Nate was in line to get a shot at current Fighters.com and UFC middleweight champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4) if he were to defeat eighth-ranked “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8). Although according to reports from Tatame today, Vitor has injured his shoulder and looks to be out of the fight with Silva at UFC 112. As I write this Dana has just confirmed this fact.

Chael Sonnen derailed Nate’s title run and has now positioned himself as the top contender for the title. He is also a contender for the State Representative in House District 37.

Today’s major media still looks at mixed martial artists as thugs and neanderthals, bar brawlers if you will. This is always fought with mentioning fighters such as “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5) who at one time was the UFC middleweight champion and has a masters degree and was a high school math teacher before becoming a full time fighter. Imagine the 180 the press would have to do, and men like Bob Arum, if Chael does what his training partner and friend came up just short of doing.

“The Law” Matt Lindland (21-7)recently ran in the last cycle and finished in second. Now we see another Team Quest fighter making a stand for Oregon.My problem is his lack of information on his site about his real carreer.

Sonnen is not offering up the information on his website devoted to his political career. While searching through www.votesonnen.com I found no mention of him as a fighter until the recently added video from “Fox and Friends” and this concerns me. Chael needs to find a way to incorporate his career in the UFC into his political aspirations. I know some will say he needs to separate them a bit so that he does not turn away potential voters who may feel MMA is barbaric but I think this is a way to show them that he is not a Gladiator in the Coliseum but a professional athlete who trains hard and is on the same level as any NBA or NFL star.

Chael Sonnen gaining a shot at the title only helps his political aspirations in my opinion and he could go a long way in helping to legitimize our sport in the eyes of the uninitiated.

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)

Lindland and Souza are set to clash, while Lawal will make his Strikeforce debut versus an opponent to be determined.

Lindland signed a three-fight deal with Strikeforce in August on the heels of Affliction’s announcement to close-up shop. The former Olympian is coming back from a brutal knockout at the hands of UFC middleweight title challenger “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8) at Affliction in Anaheim in January 2009.

Souza, the 2005 Abu Dhabi submission grappling champ, signed with Strikeforce at the same time as Lindland following a five-fight run in Japan’s DREAM promotion.  Similar to Lindland, Souza is also coming off a September 2008 knockout loss to Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi (23-2-1). Most recently, Souza experienced a no contest against “Mayhem” Jason Miller (22-7) in May 2009 at DREAM.

Lawal experienced success within the Japanese Sengoku promotion following a respectable collegiate wrestling career. A former NCAA Division II champion, “King Mo” was in consideration to fight Mousasi at Strikeforce in Chicago Friday, but chose to make his debut later in December.

Queen is 2-0 in “The Law” Matt Lindland‘s (21-6) Sportfight promotion, but enters his first title fight after suffering a 12-second TKO to Matt Kovacs (2-4) at Professional Fighting Association in Couer d’Alene 27 March.

Hayes will make his Sportfight debut challenging for the heavyweight title. He TKO’d Daniel Krug (0-1) at CageSport in Tacoma 25 July.

Wilson is 6-2-1 in Sportfight and recently tapped Shawn Bias (14-7) at Palace Fighting Championship in Lemoore, south of Fresno, 23 April.

Johnson will debut in Sportfight after knocking out John Martinez (1-3) Cagesport 25 July.

The card also features a bantamweight matchup between Tyson Nam (4-2) and “Prince” John Albert (5-0).

Jake McKnight (2-3) will fight a yet to be named welterweight.

Heavyweights Daniel Stewart (1-0) and “Freight Train” Will Courchaine (2-2) will square off.

Chis Yee (4-3) and Mike Sims (0-0) will fight at 155 pounds.

And, heavyweights John Krohn (2-2) and Tim Perales (3-2) will fight.

Sportfight is Lindland’s Oregon-based promotion which has featured former UFC lightweight champion “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-4-1), UFC middleweights Chael Sonnen (22-10-1), “Crippler” Chris Leben (18-6), and “Short Fuse” Ed Herman (15-7), heavyweight “Snowman” Jeff Monson (27-8), DREAM lightweight “JZ” Gesias Cavalcante (12-2-1), and Sengoku lightweight “Lion” Ryan Schultz (20-11-1).

Lindland’s promotion debuted in 2004.

Sportfight 25 Wildcard took place at Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde, Oregon last April.

Matchups for Sportfight 26 will be announced soon.

Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio made the decision to match Lindland against fellow middleweight “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (16-8), rather than have the fight with Sobral at a catchweight between 190-195 pounds.

Sobral defeated Bobby Southworth (9-5) over a week ago via TKO due to a cut to win the light heavyweight title.

Sobral’s agent Richard Wilner told Five Ounces of Pain that “Babalu” is still expected to fight on the card.

Lindland last fought at Affliction: Banned in July, defeating “Negao” Fabio Nascimento (16-8) via unanimous decision.

Belfort’s most recent fight was also at Banned.  He KO’d Terry Martin (18-6) in round two.

Liddell’s lead trainer at The Pit in San Luis Obispo, John Hackleman, will join Liddell.

Affliciton middleweight “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5-0) will also travel from Team Quest in Portland to teach takedown techniques; and, ATT’s own Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion, Ricardo Liborio (0-0-1), will round out the day on the mat.

The seminar is a rare opportunity for east coast mixed martial artists to train alongside some of the best from the west.

Doors will open at 10:00; and, admission is $100, payable at the door.  American Top Team is located at:

4631 Johnson Road
Coconut Creek, Florida 33073

“Babalu” Renato Sobral (29-8) will fight “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5).

“Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (14-3) will fight “Janitor” Vladimir Matyushenko (21-3).

“Headhunter” Paul Buentello (26-9) will face “Baby Fedor” Kiril Sidelnikov (3-1).

“Machine” Mark Hominick (14-7) will face LC Davis (9-1).

“Thorobred” Jay Hieron (13-4) will fight Jason High (6-0).

Albert Rios (6-2) will face “Tigre” Antonio Duarte (7-1).

Brett Cooper will also fight, although no opponent was named.

The event is headlined by Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (28-1) versus third-ranked “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (14-5).

A lightweight match between Chris Horodecki (12-1) and “The Upgrade” Dan Lauzon (10-2) was previously reported.

No opponents have yet been determined for seventh-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (19-5) and “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (16-8).

Sobral is fighting Bobby Southworth (9-4) Friday for the Strikeforce light heavyweight title.  He won a unanimous decision over “Iron” Mike Whitehead (22-6) at Affliction in July.

Lindland last fought in July, winning a unanimous decision over “Negao” Fabio Nascimento (16-8).

Nogueira and Matyushenko were originally scheduled to face off in October before Day of Reckoning was postponed.

Nogueira won his last match 1 November at Sengoku 6, defeating Moise Rimbon (12-8-2) in a unanimous decision.

Matyushenko will try to extend his win streak to nine.  His last victory came in April in the IFL when he TKO’d Jamal Patterson (4-2) in the second round.

Buentello defeated “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge (23-19-1) via unanimous decision last week at Glory 10.

Sidelnikov, from Russia’s Red Devil Sports Club, TKO’d James Jack (3-2-1) in round one at the M-1 Challenge in September.

Hominick submitted Savant Young (1-2) with a second-round armbar at Affliction in July.

Davis KO’d Rafael Dias (12-5) in round three at the IFL’s April event.

Hieron won a unanimous decision over Chris Kennedy (6-6) in October.

High submitted Markhaile Wederbrun (4-3) in 45 seconds with a guillotine choke in June.

Rios last fought in November 2007.  He TKO’d Rafael Salomao (6-1) in round one.

Duarte submitted Gerardo Morales (0-2) with a third-round guillotine choke in May.

Cooper KO’d Dusty Arden (11-6-1) in round two in June.

Emelianenko versus Arlovski had been reported previously, as well as the date of the event, but Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio last week would confirm neither the main event, the date, nor the venue for their second show.

Other fighters on the card are sixth-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (23-5), “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (14-3), “Janitor” Vladimir Matyushenko (21-3), “Babalu” Renato Sobral (30-7), “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (17-8), “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5), and the IFL’s Jay Hieron (16-4) and Chris Horodecki (12-1).

The match-ups have not yet been announced.

However, Atencio had already confirmed Arlovski as Emelianenko’s opponent to MMA Rated 10 October, according to that website.

Additionally, Barnett has announced that he won’t fight Emelianenko, according to MMA Weekly.

“It’s just not a fight that’s going to happen in January.  And I think that the feeling is actually mutual,” Barnett told that website 2 October.

Atencio also wouldn’t commit on a date or location of Affliction’s second event, originally scheduled for Las Vegas 11 October.

Atencio said Affliction: Day of Reckoning would “take place in the first quarter of ‘09.”

Atencio told Five Ounces of Pain, “I haven’t finalized or signed the papers [with a venue] yet, and until I sign the papers with the venue and everything else, I just don’t want to have to re-schedule again.  I don’t want to have to do that to the fans.”

After a successful debut in Anaheim, east of Los Angeles, 19 July that produced exciting heavyweight brawls between Arlovski and “Big” Ben Rothwell (29-6) and Barnett and “Rock” Pedro Rizzo (16-8) and re-established Emelianenko as the Heavyweight Champion after a 36-second destruction of seventh-ranked “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (24-5), Affliction has tread a rocky road to a sequel.

Affliction was criticized for the comparitively exorbitant purses paid to fighters on their first event.  According to the California State Athletic Commission, Sylvia was paid $800,000, Arlovski was paid $750,000, and middleweight “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5) was paid $300,000.

Sylvia’s reported purse was eight times the $100,000 he was paid in his previous loss versus “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1) at UFC 81 in Las Vegas 2 February.  Arlovski’s was 4 1/2 times what he was paid in his previous win over “Irish” Jake O’Brien (10-2) in Columbus 1 March.

None of the reported purses include additional bonuses or percentage of pay-per-view buys.  It’s likely Affliction’s contracts are structured differently than the UFC contracts and the fighters may have grossed roughly equal amounts as they had earned for their previous UFC fights.

But, did Affliction’s event gross as much as a UFC event?

In August Wrestling Oberserver reported that Atencio had asked fighters to take a pay cut for the second Affliction event.

Barnett subsequently denied the report.

“Vitor is out, I spoke with him I think yesterday and he told me,” Atencio said.

“Actually, it was on Tuesday we had a conversation for aboutan hour or so, and yeah, I guess he broke his hand in two places is what he told me and he had been having 2, 3 and 4 opinions on it. He finally got the opinion that he wanted I guess and they told him to step out for a while.”

Atencio is currently looking for new opponent for Lindland, and hopes to finalize the card by the end of next week.

Belfort must first be cleared to fight by a doctor.  He is currently serving a 180-day medical suspension.

Buentello won a unanimous decision over “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge (23-18-1) at Affliction: Banned in July.

Nelson, the IFL Heavyweight Champion, most recently won via first-round TKO over “Hillbilly Heartthrob” Brad Imes (11-5) in May.

The Buentello-Nelson match is part of the preliminary card which will air on HDNet before switching to the main card on pay-per-view, according to MMA Junkie.

Affliction also announced that IFL lightweight Chris Horodecki (12-1) has signed a three-fight deal with them and will make his Affliction debut at the October event.

No opponent has yet been named for Horodecki.

Not participating in the event is Fighters.com’s tenth-ranked heavyweight Aleksander Emelianenko (13-3), who is still dealing with licensing issues.

He was denied a license by the California State Athletic Commission for his scheduled fight in July.

Belfort will face middleweight “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5), but no opponent was named for light heavyweight Nogueira.

“I’ll fight in October 11th, but it’s not certain yet against who. They’re speculating a lot of opponents, but they didn’t say anything yet”, Nogueira said.

All three fighters won their matches at the last Affliction show 19 July. Belfort KO’d Terry Martin (17-5) in the second round, Lindland earned a unanimous decision over “Negao” Fabio Nascimento (8-4), and Nogueira pounded out a first-round TKO of “Babyface” Edwin Dewees (35-13).

Just thirty-six seconds to answer questions raised by Fighters.com about Emelianenko’s two-year hiatus from top competition.

At the bell, Sylvia exited his corner in an awkward, low crouch.

Obviously…Emelianenko wasted no time blasting Sylvia with a left, right hook combo, followed by an uppercut.

“I’ve never been hit that hard in my life,” said Sylvia after the fight.  “He’s not human.”

The “Maine-iac” dismantled to the mat; and, Emelianenko stuck in a rear naked choke that forced Sylvia to tap.

After the fight, the Russian was nonchalant, but not arrogant about his destruction of one of the world’s top heavyweights.

The victory cemented him as the top heavyweight in the world, the top pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the world, and perhaps the greatest mixed martial artist ever.

How “Pitbull” Got His Bite Back

“Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (13-5) knocked out “Big” Ben Rothwell (33-6) at 1:13 of round three with a straight right, right uppercut combo.

Rothwell twirled gracefully to the mat as the referee waved off the fight, a classic between the heavyweights.

Rothwell kept it competitive, but Arlovski beat-up “Big” Ben with flurries of devastating striking that caused blood to ooze from every orifice in Rothwell’s head by the end of round two.

Babyface Avenger

“Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (26-5) avenged his 2001 knockout loss to “Rock” Pedro Rizzo (16-8) with a KO of his own at 1:44 of round two.

Barnett kept Rizzo at bay throughout the fight with a long teep and even landed a spin kick to Rizzo’s midsection in the first round.

In the second round, Barnett bounced an overhand right off Rizzo’s noggin and followed with a left hook  that laid Rizzo out.

When asked if he wanted to fight one of the fighters in the main events, Barnett responded, “They’re all bad asses, but they ain’t me.”

Li’l Nog’, Big Knockout

High kick, leg kick, spin kick, “Bam Bam” Edwin Dewees (35-13) even threw a quasi-drop kick from the corner of the ring at “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (14-3); but, it was knees in the Thai clinch and a big left hook from Nogueira that counted.

Nogueira TKO’d Dewees at 4:06 of round one after that left hook dropped “Bam Bam” through the ropes.

“My left one very hard,” Nogueira told the crowd after the fight.

Dewees fought aggressively in his light heavyweight debut; but, Li’l Nog’ avoided Dewees’s wide array of kicks and stalked him into the corner for the TKO “W”.

Nogueira wrapped Dewees in a Thai clinch and hammered knees into his midsection before slamming left and right hooks into Dewees’s head.

Belfort Goes Kaboom!

“Phenom” Vitor Belfort (17-8) knocked Terry Martin (17-6) cold with a straight lead punch at 3:12 of round two in Belfort’s debut at middleweight.

The match-up was always just inches from a slug fest as Martin stalked with a 1-2 combo and Belfort retreated and swung his lead hook, neither fighter connecting much.

In round two, Belfort closed with a flying knee that Martin scooped for a takedown attempt.

Belfort defended, finding a bit of space before launching a right uppercut that lifted Martin’s chin for an on-the-butto straight down the pipe.

Martin nearly folded forward before momentum left him dazed against the ropes.

After the fight, Belfort said of his new 185-pound physique, “It feels so fast!”

Ambrose Steps Into “Quicksand”

Welterweight JJ Ambrose (8-2) stepped into “Quicksand” when he opened round one of his fight with Xtreme Couture’s Mike Pyle (17-5-1) by clinching in the corner.

Pyle manhandled Ambrose to the mat, mounted him, and softened him up with punches until Ambrose surrendered the inevitable rear naked choke at 2:51.

“I was looking for the submission,” Pyle said after the tapout.  “Anyone can get lucky and knock someone out, but you can’t get lucky and submit someone.”

Hominick Taps Young

“Machine” Mark Hominick (16-8) fumbled with a leg triangle in the second round versus “Savant” Trenell Young (9-8) and got dumped on his head for it.

But, Hominick got a second chance and transitioned from a leg triangle to an armbar for the tapout “W” at 4:25 of round two.

“The Law” Comes To Bear On “Negao”

About the time I finished the sentence, “Nasciemento looks like he’s caught in the headlights,” middleweight “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5) dropped “Negao” Fabio Nasciemento (8-4) with a left hook in the first round and pounced into a guillotine choke.

“I was thinking about something Dean Lister told me, ‘Never squeeze so hard that you burn your arms out,’” said Lindland after the fight.

Nasciemento spent the next minute-and-a-half wriggling free, only to take a whipping with Lindland inside his guard drilling elbows.

A brawl broke out in the second round.

Both fighters traded elbows, uppercuts, and hard hooks from close range with, surprisingly,  Nasciemento getting the best of the exchange until Lindland slammed him into a corner and resumed the G’n'P whipping that started in the first.

Both fighters were gassed throughout a sloppy round three in which much was thrown, but not much landed cleanly.

Lindland shot, depositing Nasciemento through the ropes where Nasciemento’s head hit the judges table in a loud “Donk!”

The decision was unanimous for Lindland by scores 30-27 twice and 30-26.

Buentello Takes Easy UD

In a fight sometimes as sloppy as its making, “Headhunter” Paul Buentello (26-10) won a UD over late replacement “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge (23-18-1) by scores of 30-27 times three.

The first session paced like a brisk spar as the big boys took each other’s pulse.

Goodridge whittled away with a leg kick while Buentello cranked a jab.

Three times Goodridge clammed-up at the knuckle end of Buentello’s jab; and, Buentello closed to clinch, but couldn’t solve Goodridge’s defense, eventually backing off.

The fight heated up in the second round with Goodridge wheeling haymakers; but, Buentello steadily cranked his jab.

This round, Buentello chipped at Goodridge’s skull with his elbow in the clinch.

Goodridge grabbed for a single-leg takedown at the ropes; but, Buentello turned him into the corner and backed out.

Buentello loaded-up a couple of heavy shots that staggered Goodridge to end the round.

In the third round, Buentello busted Goodridge’s mouth with a lead straight.  Goodridge backpedalled; and, Buentello closed with a flying knee.

Buentello put in a solid effort to end the fight with some hard overhands; but, when “Daddy” wouldn’t go quietly, Buentello settled for the decision victory.

“Babalu” Wins Battle of Attrition

Is “battle of attrition” the literary term for “boring fight”?

If so, the first two rounds between “Babalu” Rento Sobral (30-7) and Mike Whitehead (23-7) were a battle of attrition; but, I wouldn’t even bother downloading them.

Fast-forward to round three and “Babalu” pieced together enough action to win a UD by 30-27 three times.

You can give the first two rounds to “Babalu” if you want.  Somebody had to win them; but, Fighters.com agrees with the “W” for Sobral based on round three.

Sobral sunk three guillotines in the round.  Unfortunately two of them were as Whitehead tackled him through the ropes and Whitehead defended the third choke attempt.

Sobral also connected with a front kick and a spinning hook kick to Whitehead’s jaw.

A spent Sobral confied after the fight, “I’m getting old.”

Whitehead admitted, “I couldn’t put it all together.”

“Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (13-5) def. “Big” Ben Rothwell (33-6) via KO, 1:13 of round three.

“Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (26-5) def. Pedro Rizzo (16-8) via KO, 1:44 of round two.

“The Machine” Mark Hominick (16-8) def. Savant Young (9-8) via submission (armbar), 4:25 of round two.

“Babalu” Renato Sobral (30-7) def. Mike Whitehead (23-7) via unanimous decision (30-27; 30-27; 30-27)

“The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5) def. Fabio Negao (8-4) via unanimous decision (30-26; 30-27; 30-27).

“Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (14-3) def. “Babyface” Edwin Dewees (35-13) via TKO, 4:06 of round one.

“Quicksand” Mike Pyle (17-5-1) def. JJ Ambrose (8-2) via submission (rear naked choke), 2:51 of round one.

“The Phenom” Vitor Belfort (17-8) def. Terry Martin (17-5) via KO, 3:12 of round two.

“Head Hunter” Paul Buentello (26-10) def. “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge (23-18-1) via unanimous decision (30-27; 30-27; 30-27).

Nogueira was widely-ranked among the top ten light heavyweights in the world until seventh-ranked light heavyweight “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-2) literally knocked him out of the rankings in Soko’s PRIDE debut in February 2007.

“Minotoro” bounced back in a tough second-round TKO over Canadian Todd Gouwenberg (7-4) in the since-defunct Hardcore Championship Fighting last February.

“Tiger” is an MMA original, fighting on the first Pancrase card in 1993.  Since 2003 he’s 6-10-1 with fights in the UFC, WEC, IFL, and other promotions.

Recently, he picked up a “W” in April when Jeremiah Constant (6-4) was DQ’d, White’s first fight since losing to Marcelo Tigre (12-3) due to an injury White suffered in the first round.

“Babalu” Renato Sobral (29-7) and “The Law” Matt Lindland (20-5), both also appearing on Affliction’s debut card in separate fights, make more compelling matchmaking for Nogueira.

Nogueira, Sobral, and Lindland are all matched versus fighters they seemingly hold significant advantages over.

With respect to MMA’s classiest act, I disagree.

The UFC’s stranglehold over the top of the sport has ensured the best fighters fight each other.

The best match-up in boxing right now is WBC welterweight titlist Floyd Mayweather, Jr. versus WBA and IBF welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto.

For those not in the boxing know, it ain’t happenin’.

Mayweather is ducking the young bull Cotto for more lucrative, less competitive rematches with Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.  Those happen to be match-ups Mayweather is more likely to win.  Hell, he’s already beat them both.

It’s the UFC’s umbrella over the sport that has made sure champions fight contenders, not pretenders who allow champions to hold on to belts maximizing the marketability of their reign.

You see, when free agent fighters and their management pick their opponents, whether in boxing or MMA, they tend towards safe fights.

Exhibit A:  Everyone’s favorite MMA ducker, sixth-ranked heavyweight “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (27-1).

While a showdown with third-ranked “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (21-5) has been an option, Emelianenko has picked fights against middleweight “The Law” Matt Lindland (20-5) and kickboxer “Techno Goliath” Hong Man Choi (1-1).

Such is matchmaking when managers and free agent fighters seek to prolong their marketability versus the safest reasonable opponents.

I mean, Lindland and Choi are both world champions, right?  Nevermind that their championships were in a different weight class and sport respectively than Emelianenko.

I’m not advocating for the UFC.  I could care less about which promoter logo is atop a fight card.  It’s the card itself that interests me.  The fact is, the UFC’s centralized organization of the sport has produced the best fights and, by definition, avoided “becoming a fractured sport the way boxing has.”

Notes From Around MMA

* Top Strikeforce lightweight contender “The Punk” Josh Thomson (14-2) maintains “The Carpenter” Clay Guida (23-9) oiled up before their March 2006 title fight, won by Guida by UD.  Thomson claims, “I mentioned it to Clay’s brother one time.  I said, ‘Clay was really slippery in that fight…’  He just looked at me, shrugged, and said, ‘You do what you have to do to win.’  I just thought, ‘Whatever, douche bag.’  But, Clay…I think his career has leveled off.  He got a few big wins, but he’s taken some losses the last couple of years.”

* Couture (16-8) told IGN he’s pursuing a video game deal with EA Sports.  He also claimed, “I don’t care where the fight happens,” in response to a question about fighting sixth-ranked Emelinanenko in the UFC.  Couture had previously expressed his desire not to fight Emelianenko in the UFC.

* UFC middleweight Rob Yundt (6-1), who lost his UFC debut in February to “Cachorrao” Ricardo Almeida (9-2), will return to the Octagon 21 June on the TUF 7 finale versus one of the TUF contestants.  The UFC won’t reveal Yundt’s opponent to him until that fighter is eliminated on the show.

* The Tennessee House of Representatives passed a bill to legalize and sanction MMA in the state by a vote of 95-2.  The bill is held-up in the Senate by Senators Dewayne Bunch of Cleveland and Bo Watson of Hixson.  The two southeast Tennessee legislators have attached an amendment earmarking the profits from MMA events for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Division I wrestling team.  According to the Nashville Post, the amendment may violate NCAA rules.  Tennesseans are urged to contact their state Senators and urge the passing of the bill next week without the earmarking amendment.

* Fourth-ranked welterweight “The Terror” Matt Serra (9-5) and UFC light heavyweight “The Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-1), both New York state residents, and UFC executive Marc Ratner were lobbying New York state Senators Tuesday to legalize and regulate MMA in the state.  A bill legalizing and regulating the sport in New York has passed the state’s assembly, but is opposed in the senate.

* Canadian kickboxer “Black Sniper” Michael McDonald (1-1), 2002 and 2004 K-1 North American Grand Prix Champion, won a decision over American kickboxer “The Jet” Rick Roufus (1-1) in an MMA bout fought under the radar in Romania last month.

* “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-5) and “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (1-1) will go head-to-head 31 May in a ratings battle.  SpikeTV will air Ultimate Iceman to compete directly with CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights at 9:00 PM EST.  SpikeTV will air an entire day of UFC programming on 31 May, beginning at 11:00 AM EST.

* Star magazine reported that actress/singer Mandy Moore has a crush on top-ranked welterweight “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (16-2).  Moore was in the UFC 83 crowd last month when St. Pierre claimed the UFC welterweight title from Serra (9-5).

* You know it’s a slow MMA news cycle when eighth-ranked lightweight “The Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (32-2-1) testing negative for steroids in a Nevada State Athletic Commission test is a headline.  Of course he tested negative!  The headline is if he had tested positive…again.

* As I concluded after the first episode of this season’s The Ultimate Fighter, Jeremy May (5-5) is a douche bag and nothing could’ve made me happier than seeing him get smashed by fellow-Cincinnatian Matt Brown (9-6) last night.

On Inside MMA 18 April, Lindland had floated “The Soul Assassin” David Terrell (6-2) and Brazilian Top Team leader Murilo Bustamante (14-7-1) as possible opponents.

Even after setting the bar…there, a match-up versus Negao is likely to disappoint Lindland fans who haven’t seen him fight since hurdling two weight divisions in a losing effort to Fighters.com’s sixth ranked heavyweight “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (27-1) in April 2007.

Negao would also enter the fight off a loss to BTT’s “Toquinho” Rousimar Palhares (7-1) (who debuts in the UFC at 84) last December.

Perhaps most notably, Negao won a UD over UFC welterweight “Jucao” Roan Carneiro (12-6) in 2006.

The Affliction debut was rumoured to be taking place in Dallas, but now seems likely to be held in Anaheim, outside of Los Angeles.

Sherdog reported Tuesday that a rematch between third-ranked heavyweight “Babface Assassin” Josh Barnett (21-5) and “The Rock” Pedro Rizzo (16-7) has also been added to the card.

Banned.

It’s a swipe at the UFC’s apparent ban of the company’s apparel due to Affliction’s relationship with UFC heavyweight co-titlist “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-8), who is in litigation to tap out of his UFC contract.

“The Law” Matt Lindland (20-5) made the announcement on Inside MMA.  Lindland is scheduled to fight in Dallas, though no opponent has been named.

Fighters.com’s fifth-ranked heavyweight “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelinenko (27-1) confirmed at his websitethat a match-up versus third-ranked “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia will headline the card.

However, Adrenaline MMA, Emelianenko’s former promoter (then known as M-1 Global), won’t release the Russian from his agreement with them until Emelianenko repays a $1.5 million signing bonus.

Thursday, Adrenaline MMA VP Brian Patton told Fighters.com, “Fedor [fighting Sylvia] is still not official.”

Sylvia signed with Adrenaline MMAafter receiving his release from the UFC.  Adrenaline MMA’s CEO, Monte Cox, is Sylvia’s manager.

Patton confirmed Adrenaline MMA’s other heavyweight, Ben Rothwell (29-5), will also appear on the card if Emelianenko repays the final $500,000 he owes the promotion.

“Rothwell is scheduled to fight in July; but, I would think Fedor’s deal would need to come through in order to pull off both fights,” Patton explained.  “Big difference only having one of those fights to promote as a promoter versus both fights.”

The card will debut popular MMA apparel maker Affliction’s live events promotion.  Currently, a main event between Fighters.com’s third- and fifth-ranked heavyweights, “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (24-4) and “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (27-1), is in negotiations.

The middleweight doesn’t have an oppenent signed, but said he’d like to fight former UFC champion Murilo Bustamante (14-7-1) or “The Soul Assassin” David Terrell (6-2).

Another heavyweight fight between Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked heavyweight “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski and Miletich fighter Ben Rothwell (29-5) is likely on the card.

Lawal answered a few questions for Fighters.com; and, the first question I always ask wrestlers with MMA aspirations is whether they’ve ever been punched in the face.

“I have been punched and kicked in the face,” Lawal answered.

It’s a silly question until you’ve watched tough bastards who’ve avoided fist fights on reputation and appearance cower after taking a few hard shots to the dome.

No one likes to get punched in the face.  It’s a skill.

Lawal has chosen the right path to pick-up the skills wrestlers before him have learned to be MMA champions.

“I want to be a fighter,” Lawal claimed.  “Not just a wrestler.  I love MMA and I’m an avid student of the MMA game.

“I’ve sparred with Sokoudjou, Cyril Diabate, Dan Hendo’, Chael Sonnen, Matt Lindland, Brian Stann, Alberto Crane, Mark Bocek and a few others.  I’ve trained with Matt and Dan, also GSP and Nathan Marquardt.”

Lawal has a legit’ shot at Olympic gold in Beijing, which would be great for MMA, but could be terrible for Mo.

Entering the sport as the big show could prevent Lawal from touring the small-ball circuits that prepare rookies for the big shows.

See Brock Lesnar (1-1).  The former wrestling champion has all the physical talent to rule MMA’s weak heavyweight division…eventually.  Because of his celebrity, he took only one warm-up versus “Mr. Shark” Min Soo Kim (3-6) before former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir (11-3) taught the rookie what a kneebar is in an anti-climactic minute-and-a-half.  Lesnar already has another former UFC champ on his docket, “The Hammer” Mark Coleman (15-8).

But, Lawal seemed aware of the error in Lesnar’s ways, saying, “I knew Brock would lose due to the inexperience factor with submissions.  It changes my attitude with the fact that I’m going to strive harder to be a well-rounded fighter.”

Lawal has high aspirations.  “I want to do everything Dan [Henderson] has done and more.  I want to fight at middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight.  I want to be an MMA legend.”

He may first make himself an Olympic legend.  He’s ranked third in the U.S. Senior Freestyle Rankings at 211.5-pounds, but said, “I am dropping back down to [185-pounds] for wrestling.”

Lawal gives MMA fans more reasons to watch the combat sport events at this summer’s Olympics.  Besides Lawal, could there be a future MMA star among the wrestlers?  The judoka?  Beijing has added San Shou to the 2008 exhibition schedule, the base martial art of new Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cung Le (6-0).