Strikeforce: “Henderson vs. Babalu” was a Christmas treat come early. Fans were treated to not one, not two, not even three, but four straight (T)KO victories, at least two of which will probably stay on their respective fighter’s highlight reels for the rest of their career. I was proud to be a Strikeforce fan on December 4, and I absolutely can’t wait to see what’s next for the promotion. In that vein, here’s the latest “What’s Next” featuring Strikeforce: “Henderson vs. Babalu 2”. ...

What a way to end the year! Strikeforce “Henderson vs. Babalu” is now a thing of the past, and trust me fans and friends, this is the event that everyone should have seen. Does it get much better than four straight, dramatic finishes featuring some of the best talent Strikeforce has to offer? In the main event, Dan Henderson firmly set himself up for a big comeback by KO’ing former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Renato Sobral. Without a doubt, Strikeforce ended 2010 with a roar and not a whimper. Here are the full results to Strikeforce: “Henderson vs. Babalu”. ...

Today, all but one of the competitors competing under the Strikeforce banner for tomorrow's event, made the required weight limit for their respective bouts. 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. ...

Hello once more fans and friends and welcome to another edition of “Crash Course”. For those unaware, “Crash Course” is an ongoing series where I take an upcoming MMA event and give a quick rundown on why you should care about it. The goal of “Crash Course” is pretty simple: by the time you’re done reading you should know everything you need to know in order to fully enjoy some good, upcoming MMA action. So let’s get right to it with today’s edition, which focuses on the upcoming Strikeforce: “Henderson vs. Babalu 2” event. ...

Strikeforce will look to end its remarkable 2010 run with the upcoming December 4 “Henderson vs. Babalu” event. Featuring the return of multi-promotion star and veteran Dan Henderson, as well as the return of former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Renato Sobral, the event will compete head-to-head with the UFC’s outing on December 4, their “Ultimate Finale” event for the twelfth season of “The Ultimate Fighter”. As is customary for a big card, here are my official picks and predictions for Strikeforce: “Henderson vs. Babalu”. ...

It’s always tough when your debut is spoiled. It’s even tougher when your debut is a high-profile fight with a championship on the line. And that’s just where former PRIDE FC and UFC star Dan Henderson found himself early in 2010: “Hendo” was seen as the next Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, with current champion Jake Shields seen and even booked mostly as an afterthought. Of course, that didn’t happen. Recently, Henderson has revealed that a difficult weight cut and some problems with medications contributed to his lackluster performance against Jake Shields. Here are all the details. ...

I hope you had a good Thanksgiving, fans and friends. I know I did. But how soon we forget the day where football is played and heinous amounts of food is ingested. All attention now turns to Christmas and the Christmas season, the all-too-brief period of time where we’re supposed to unite in the spirit of the season while also giving generously to the needy. And this Christmas season, strikeforce is looking to do just that, as they recently announced a partnership with Toys for Tots that will go into effect at their upcoming “Henderson vs. Babalu 2” event. ...

We’re now closer than ever to the year’s end. All-too-soon it’ll be time to bid a fond farewell to a year that had more shocking surprises and upsets in MMA than any in recent history. But the year is not over yet, and it’s not going quietly. There’s still plenty of awesome MMA to keep you occupied in these long winter months, so here are my Top 5 fights for the remainder of 2010 that you absolutely must watch. ...

While it’s flown under most people’s radars, the UFC and Strikeforce will once again be going head-to-head in the war for the MMA viewing audience. On December 4, Strikeforce will hold its “Henderson vs. Babalu” event the same day that the UFC will hold its “The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale” show. There’s going to be a lot of good MMA happening on December 4, and rather than forcing fans to pick one show or the other, here’s my list of the top 5 fights from both shows, the ones you should watch no matter what organization you swear allegiance to. ...

Former UFC title challenger and dual PRIDE champion Dan Henderson will meet Renato "Babalu" Sobral at "strikeforce: St. Louis" in December. That much we already knew. What we didn't know, which was revealed recently, that the winner of the bout will in fact be granted a light heavyweight title shot against current champion Rafael Cavalcante. The Black house fighter recently claimed championship gold when he was able to knockout the previously undefeated Muhammed Lawal for the 205-pound title last August at "Strikeforce: Houston", in the second round. ...

Perennial middleweight contender Scott Smith is looking to get back into the win column. After a notable win over former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le came after the result of a late-rally third round knockout in December of last year in San Jose, California, Smith would not fair so well in the rematch. After taking much time off from the fight game (a 21-month absence to be exact) to focus on a budding movie career, Le, a former San Shou world champion, came back reinvigorated in his rematch with Smith which took place last June, and after hurting his opponent several times with body kicks, would eventually earn the TKO victory in the second round, leaving Scott Smith with the biggest win of his career taken away just as fast in defeat. ...

While some sources were indicating that Dan Henderson, the former Pride Welterweight and Middleweight champion, was going to get an immediate title shot against current strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, it doesn't appear to be so. The former UFC title challenger will instead meet fellow UFC cast out Renato "Babalu" Sobral on December 4. The bout is expected to take over headlining duties for the December 4 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. ...

Strikeforce: Los Angeles takes place this evening at the famed Nokia Theatre with the first preliminary fight starting at 7 pm PT. The first televised fight on Showtime will be at 8 PT. "The Reverend of MMA"  Turk Vangel will be cageside bringing you all the action with live updates posted here. ...

May 29 is the date for DREAM 14 and the much anticipated Light Heavyweight Grand Prix but it now seems the tournament is being scratched due to disinterest. ...

Two former UFC fighters will lock horns at Strikeforce in Los Angeles June 16 in a 195-pound catchweight bout.  Former UFC light heavyweight challenger and Strikeforce champion  “Babalu” Renato Sobral (35-8) and former EliteXC middleweight champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (17-5) will matchup at Los Angeles. "Babalu" comes into the fight off a title defense loss to “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (25-3-1) at Strikeforce in San Jose in August 2009. Lawler knocked out Melvin Manhoef (23-6-1) at Strikeforce in Miami in January. ...

Strikeforce light heavyweight champion “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1), former Strikeforce champ and UFC challenger “Babalu” Renato Sobral (31-9), and “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (7-6) will compete in a light heavyweight tournament to begin at DREAM.15 May30, according to MMA Junkie. ...

Regardless who wins the middlweight matchup at UFC 102 in Portland Saturday, Demian Maia (10-0) and "Great" Nate Marquardt (28-8-2) might get a second shot at each other 25-27 September at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting World Championships 2009 in Barcelona.

Both UFC title contenders will compete in the -87.9kg division, along with "Toquinho" Rousimar Palhares (11-3). Sengoku judoka Kazuhiro Nakamura (13-9) and DREAM welterweight Andre Galvao (3-0).

UFC welterweight champ "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (19-2) will compete in the -76.9kg division, along with the UFC's "Zenko" Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-3), Japanese free agent "K-Taro" Keita Nakamura (15-4-2), and Brazilian free agent "Uirapuru" Marcelo Azevedo (3-5).
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“Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (22-2-1) arrived at 205 after melting Strikeforce light heavyweight champ “Babalu” Renato Sobral (31-9) by TKO against the fence in one minute for the title at San Jose Saturday.

Mousasi landed 13 strikes to Sobral's one, leaving "Babalu" frighteningly wide-eyed and unconcious as referee "Big" John McCarthy pulled Mousasi off.

A stoic Mousasi resembling his mentor, Fighters.com's Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko’s (29-1) , hip tossed the champion and former UFC title challenger after Sobral caught Mousasi's body kick. From side control, Mousasi hammered Sobral's face until the fight's conclusion.

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Strikeforce light heavyweight champion “Babalu” Renato Sobral (31-8) and challenger “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (21-2-1) made the 205-pound weight limit for their title fight in San Jose Saturday with pounds to spare. Defending champion "Babalu" weighed 201 pounds while challenging prospect Mousasi weighed 204 pounds. Heavyweight UFC cast-off "Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1) weighed 228 pounds. His late replacement opponent, American Kickboxing Academy's "MAK" Mike Kyle (11-6-1), weighed 219 pounds. ...

Strikeforce light heavyweight champion "Babalu" Renato Sobral (31-8) and "Dreamcatcher" Gegard Mousasi (21-2-1) will tangle at Strikeforce in San Jose 15 August after originally being scheduled for Affliction M-1 Global’s scrapped Trilogy card in Anaheim 1 August. With the switch, "Babalu" will defend his Strikeforce gold from DREAM's middleweight champion, now fighting at 205 pounds. Mousasi dutifully remarked, "I am very happy that Strikeforce has resurrected this fight and that I will have the opportunity to become Strikeforce world champion. Strikeforce is one of the world’s top promotions and I am proud to be a part of their roster of world-class fighters." ...

"Yes, Tito and I made up," Tweeted UFC President Dana White Friday, confirming the announcement former UFC light heavyweight champion "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) made on Tapout Radio Thursday. "I wanted to be a man and squash things between me and him," the free agent fighter said. Ortiz hasn't fought since losing a unanimous decision to Fighters.com and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion “Dragon” Ryoto Machida (15-0) at UFC 84 in Las Vegas in May 2008, fulfilling his UFC contract. ...

“African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou has signed to be “Babalu” Renato Sobral’s (30-8) new opponent, and welterweight Patrick Speight (7-1) will face Brett Cooper (6-3) at Affliction: Day of Reckoning 24 January in Anaheim, CA, the organization announced Thursday. Sokoudjou, Fighters.com's tenth-ranked light heavyweight, was recently released from the UFC after his second-round TKO loss to ninth-ranked "Banha" Luis Arthur Cane (7-1) at UFC 89 in October. Sobral last fought at Strikeforce: Destruction in November, winning Bobby Southworth’s (9-5) light heavyweight title with a referee stoppage due to a cut. Speight suffered his first career loss in October via unanimous decision to Alex Cisne (4-1) at King of the Cage. Cooper KO’d Dusty Arden (10-6-1) in round two in June. ...

New Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion “Babalu” Renato Sobral (30-8) has been pulled from his bout with middleweight “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5) at Affliction: Day of Reckoning 24 January in Anaheim, according to MMA Weekly Monday. 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. ...

New Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion “Babalu” Renato Sobral (30-8) shared his thoughts on winning Bobby Southworth’s (9-5) belt at the post-fight press conference Friday night after Strikeforce: Destruction in San Jose. ...

Former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Bobby Southworth (9-5) spoke to the press after losing his title to “Babalu” Renato Sobral (30-8) Friday night at Strikeforce: Destruction in San Jose. ...

“Babalu” Renato Sobral (30-8) defeated Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Bobby Southworth (9-5) via TKO on doctor’s recommendation to win his belt at Strikeforce: Destruction Friday night in San Jose. Sobral went in and clinched.  Southworth grabbed Sobral’s leg and managed to wrestle him to the mat.  Southworth in his guard, Sobral climbed up Southworth’s back in a triangle attempt, but Southworth stood up out of it.  They clinched at the fence, each fighter trying some knees and punches, until referee “Big” John McCarthy separated them. "Babalu" crowded Southworth at the cage and threw a huge left elbow into Southworth’s face, causing sweat to fly.  The referee called a time out as blood started dripping out of Southworth’s right eyebrow with ten seconds left in the round, but allowed him to continue. Despite a strong finish by Southworth in the final seconds, with the crowd cheering so loud no one heard the horn, the referee called the fight after the first round. ...

Fighters.com was live at the Strikeforce: Destruction weigh-ins Thursday night at the Hotel DeAnza in San Jose. All fighters made weigh and, despite a delayed start and “Diesel” Joe Riggs’s (28-11) displeasure at having to strip, everything went smoothly. Riggs was not the only one who had to strip further than his ginch; the California State Athletic Commission requested that each fighter have only one crack at the scale, resulting in several weigh-ins behind towels. Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Bobby Southworth (9-4) looked cut.  He told Fighters.com Thursday afternoon that he had hired a new strength and conditioning coach. “Everybody’s been commenting on how my physique looks and how I’ve been performing.  So we’ll see how I perform tomorrow night,” Southworth said. Join Fighters.com Friday night for the live results. ...

Six more bouts were made official Monday for Affliction Day of Reckoning 24 January in Anaheim. “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. ...

Strikeforce has confirmed the full line-up for its Destruction event, which takes place 21 November in San Jose. Two title fights, between Strikeforce Lightweight Champion “The Punk” Josh Thomson (14-2-1) and Yves Edwards (34-14-1) and between Light Heavyweight Champion Bobby Southworth (9-4) and “Babalu” Renato Sobral (29-8), will headline the event. Also featured is a welterweight bout between “Diesel” Joe Riggs (28-10) and Luke Stewart (4-1). The rest of the card includes: Lemont Davis (1-2) versus Brian Schwartz (0-1) at 175 lbs Brad Royster (1-1) versus Darren Uyenoyama (4-1) at 135 lbs Tony Johnson (0-1) versus Eric Lawson (2-2) at 185 lbs Alvin Cacdac (3-4) versus Jose Palacios (1-1) at  145 lbs Bobby Stack (2-1) versus Cyrillo Padilha (1-1) at 155 lbs Zakary Bucia (0-1) versus Jaime Rodriguez (0-0) at 155 lbs Kurt Osiander (2-0) versus Raul Castillo (2-0) at 185 lbs Nik Theotikos (5-0) versus Luke Rockhold (2-1) at 185 lbs ...

Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champion and WAMMA Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (28-1) and third-ranked “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (14-5) will headline Affliction: Day of Reckoning, which will take place 24 January at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA, the organization confirmed on their official website. 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. ...