5. Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 132

I admit, part of the reason why this fight got on this list is because I’m vindictive. I really, really don’t like Dong Hyun Kim. I don’t like his style, and I certainly didn’t like the trash-talking he did before this fight. I wanted Carlos Condit to KTFO him, and then Carlos Condit went out and KTFO’d him. It was an awesome moment and a big step forward in Condit’s career, and I think Condit deserves a shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship because of it. So while part of the reason is mean-spirited, I think this fight definitely deserves a spot on this list based on its merits, its dramatic finish, and what it did for the career of Condit.

4. Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben at UFC 132

The shortest of the three one-round fights featured on this list, Silva vs. Leben earns a spot as one of the best fights of the month because we got exactly what we paid for. We knew how good both Silva and Leben were at brawling, and we all hoped that they’d meet in the middle at the sound of the first bell and start throwing bombs. And that’s exactly what they did, resulting in a spectacular KO of Silva in under thirty seconds.

3. Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader at UFC 132

Just about everyone, even me, had this fight pegged as the final loss of Ortiz’s UFC return and perhaps the final fight of his career. Instead, Ortiz showed up like a man possessed and promptly destroyed Bader faster than even current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. It’s incredibly rare to see a fighter virtually resurrect himself with one performance, but that’s exactly what happened here and that’s exactly why this fight gets a spot on this list.

2. Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber at UFC 132

The previous three were all one-round fights, but their dramatic ends and the fact that all three fights featured major stars is reason enough to put them on this list. This, however, was a five-round war of attrition that saw both men pushed to their absolute limits. Above all else, I think this fight, the main event of UFC 132, proved that lighter-weight fighters are here to stay and can be just as exciting as any of the larger weight divisions.

And the number-one best fight of July 2011 is…

1. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson at Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Henderson”

This was honestly the only fight I felt really moved by that didn’t take place at UFC 132, which I think was one of the best events in UFC history. Nothing else besides this fight matched up to the excitement and anticipation of the previous four encounters. But this fight definitely stood out above the previous four as an amazing encounter between two veteran legends. It was a finish I’ll never forget and that will likely inspire debate for years to come. It was a fantastic one-round fight, and definitely the best fight of the month.

And what about you, fans and friends? What were some of your favorite fights of the month?

August 6, 2011 – UFC 133 “Evans vs. Ortiz 2”: One of the most injury-plagued events in recent memory, UFC 133 limps into battle to start off the month. Rashad Evans faces Tito Ortiz in what is definitely a “do or die” fight for both men. Another top fight sees Vitor Belfort take on international star Yoshihiro Akiyama. While not nearly the card it used to be when this event was first announced, UFC 133 does boast a wide array of talented veterans and hungry upstarts.

August 12, 2011 – Strikeforce “Challengers 18: The somewhat under-rated “Challengers” show continues to trudge on despite a recent report that states that over 70% of the tickets to the last “Challengers” show were comped. Jorge Gurgel returns at this event, while Gian Villante will take on Keith Berry.

August 14, 2011 – “UFC on Versus 5”: Now this is a card all fight fans should really be able to sink their teeth into. In the main event, hard-hitting strikers Chris Lytle and Dan Hardy face off in what could be one of the best all-out brawls of the rest of the year. You’ve also got a big Lightweight fight that pits Jim Miller against Benson Henderson.

August 20, 2011 – Bellator 48: The vastly under-rated Bellator promotion returns near the end of August with a stacked card. In the main event, Bellator Heavyweight Champion Cole Konrad faces UFC veteran Paul Buentello. The co-main event sees the final fight of Bellator’s “Summer Series” Featherweight Tournament, with Pat Curran taking on Marlon Sandro.

August 27, 2011 – UFC 134 “Silva vs. Okami”: For the first time in over a decade, the UFC returns to Brazil and it’s bringing the best Brazilian stars they have with them. Anderson Silva defends his long-held UFC Middleweight Championship against Yushin Okami in the main event, while Mauricio Rua looks to avenge one of the biggest losses of his career when he rematches Forrest Griffin.

August 27, 2011 – ProElite’s Return: I’m throwing this one in here as a bit of a novelty. On the same day as UFC 134, ProElite will rise from the ashes with a show in Hawaii. Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski is expected to headline the show, which also features the debut of BJ Penn’s brother Reagan Penn.

And now, here are some thoughts on how I think the month will unfold.

Call me crazy, but my gut tells me that Tito Ortiz is going to beat Rashad Evans. I’ll go into far more detail as we get closer to the date of the show, but in the here and now, I think lightning just might strike twice.

I hate to say it, but I’m beginning to lose faith in the “Challengers” series. The fights just haven’t been as exciting lately, and the show just isn’t the under-rated fun spectacle it used to be.

UFC on Versus 6, however… now that looks like an awesome card. As a fan of Chris Lytle, I can’t wait to see him go up against Dan Hardy. Miller vs. Henderson is also a must-see fight for me.

Finally, I think UFC 134 will probably be one of the best events of the rest of 2011. I can’t wait to see Anderson Silva fight again.

The Under-Appreciate Undercard Award: The prelims of “Fedor vs. Henderson” receives this award for having several interesting outcomes and great finishes… but only for the people in attendance. For the viewers watching at home, like so many non-UFC events the prelims were nowhere to be found. It’s too bad, too: there were three finishes, two of which came in the first round, and one of which was a gigantic upset that came in at just fifteen seconds. Add in a controversial win for Gesias Cavalcante against Bobby Green, and you’ve got a recipe for a show that really should’ve been seen.

The Scott Smith Award For Most Inspiring Comeback After Getting Your *** Kicked: No one. Not even Scott Smith, the inspiration behind this award, was able to make a comeback after getting pummeled. Quite the opposite in fact: instead of spending three rounds getting beat down and then mounting an improbable highlight-reel comeback… Scott Smith just spent three rounds getting beat down. It’s unfortunate, and I think it sends the message that perhaps 170 just isn’t working for Smith.

The “What Did You Expect?” Award: This one goes out to all the fans critical of Tyron Woodley following his performance against Paul Daley. Don’t even try to kid yourselves: we all knew Woodley wanted to take this to the ground. When you have a fighter like Daley that is so very good in one area and so very bad in another, of course you want to take him out of his element. You’d have to be crazy (or Nick Diaz) to not try and do so. The only thing that surprised me in this fight was Paul Daley’s improving takedown defense. It wasn’t the prettiest, flashiest, or most entertaining performance, but Tyron Woodley got the win and he did it his way.

The New Face of Women’s MMA Award: This one goes out to new Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion Meisha Tate. By the way, it feels great to finally stop calling that the Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Championship. It may not be “business as usual”, but thanks go out to Zuffa for being the ones more than likely behind that name change. Anyway, with Cristiane Santos still in contract disputes and Gina Carano more than likely taking time off to promote her movie, Meisha Tate became the de factor Face of Women’s MMA at “Fedor vs. Henderson”. Here’s hoping she brings some stability to her division and starts racking up defenses on her belt.

The “Thanks for the Memories” Award: Fedor Emelianenko, plain and simple. Whether or not he retires is open to debate, pretty fierce debate right now in fact, but if I ever met the man in person and could only say one thing to him, “thanks for the memories” would honestly be it. I know people will still be debating the merits of Fedor Emelianenko by the time we’re all old men watching UFC 350 as it’s directly streamed into our brains, but for me? There was nothing like watching Fedor Emelianenko fight in his prime. That’s something I will never, ever forget.

So that’s what I think. And remember, it’s all in good fun… mostly.

It’s that time once again. Another major MMA event has come and gone, and it’s time for my unofficial “Best Performance of the Night” award. Considering how many interesting performances were turned in during Strikeforce’s “Fedor vs. Henderson” event, it was definitely a bit of a challenge to single out one fighter and give him (or her) this award. But even though I’m going with the obvious pick, I feel perfectly fine in doing so. Here’s why Dan Henderson’s amazing stoppage win over Fedor Emelianenko took home “Best Performance of the Night”.

Let’s begin as we always do: by putting the situation into context.

Coming into this bout with Fedor Emelianenko, longtime MMA veteran Dan Henderson was on a serious upswing. He took a few steps back when contract negotiations with the UFC broke down and he went to Strikeforce only to lose to Jake Shields, but even that only momentarily deterred the wily veteran. All told, Henderson had won five out of his last six fights with three (T)KO’s before stepping into the cage with Emelianenko. And in that time, Henderson managed to both revitalize his career and claim the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship.

His opponent, Fedor Emelianenko, was at a crossroads. The man once hyped as an inhuman wrecking machine had been made to look human on not one but two separate occasions. Many people thought it was a fluke that Fedor Emelianenko lost the first time. Many people considered that a multitude of factors led to him losing a second time. Many people seemed unable to grasp even the notion of Emelianenko losing a third time.

Of course, the flip side of the argument contended that Emelianenko was never all that great and that his recent troubles were proof positive that he was all hype and nothing but hype. It’s one of the great ironies of the sport that a man so humble and sincere remains one of the most polarizing figures in MMA today. Emelianenko fans are just about rabid in their adoration, the cynics almost equally as fervent in their hate. But both could agree on one thing: this fight would decide the future for Fedor Emelianenko.

And in one of the best performances of his career, Dan Henderson defeated “The Last Emperor” and he did something no man, not even the gargantuan behemoth Antonio Silva, had ever been able to do: he didn’t just rock Emelianenko, he legitimately knocked him unconscious.

It was one of the most hectic, intense first-round fights in recent memory. It began with both men throwing bombs, it nearly ended with Henderson going down and out. But Henderson managed to stay alive and get back to his feet, nailing an uppercut that caused Emelianenko to go limp and face-plant the canvas. What followed was a stoppage that many contend was early, although some contend was justified.

As I said in the past, I’m deliberately choosing to stay out of this argument because, as a realist, I honestly think there isn’t much of a point. I won’t stop people from arguing, I won’t even argue against the arguing (try to wrap your head around that), but I will focus on the bigger picture. And the bigger picture is this: in a career that spans decades, promotions, championships, brutal wars, brilliant knockouts, and everything here, there, and in-between… this was one of the proudest moments of Dan Henderson’s career.

That’s what I’ll be taking away from this fight. Feel free to argue about whether or not the stoppage was early, but at the end of the day, let’s give credit where credit is due. There’s not a doubt in my mind that Dan Henderson deserves this award for “Best Performance of the Night” at “Fedor vs. Henderson”.

5. Tarec Saffiedine’s second-round beatdown of Scott Smith.

Tarec threw everything except the kitchen sink at Scott Smith and Smith just wouldn’t stay down. It takes a lot of power to KO someone like Smith, and Tarec just doesn’t have it right now. Still, I think that the combined power of his second round flurry would’ve stopped a good amount of opponents. Even if he didn’t earn the stoppage, Tarec Saffiedine gave Scott Smith one hell of a beating, most notably in Round 2. It was such a heinous beatdown that one judge even scored the round a 10-8, and it was definitely one of the best moments of the night.

4. Tim Kennedy’s fired-up post-fight speech after beating Robbie Lawler.

Tim Kennedy is a warrior, there’s no other way to describe him. He’s tough as nails, and he handily won a fight while bleeding like a faucet. Afterwards, he gave a very passionate speech about the armed forces. A few people are already saying that Kennedy may have gone a bit overboard, but I disagree. Kennedy gave a great post-fight speech after a very complete performance against a very tough challenger.

3. Paul Daley actually showing some takedown defense and making his fight with Tyron Woodley competitive.

A made a certain bet with a certain friend that Paul Daley couldn’t defend a certain number of takedowns. Lo and behold, he actually defended far more of them than I ever thought possible. It still wasn’t enough to save him from a loss, but still, it was more than enough to give him a serious shot of defeating Tyron Woodley. Daley even embraced Woodley after three rounds of Woodley trying to do nothing but take him down. Not only is Paul Daley seemingly maturing, he also seems to be evolving and finally learning good takedown defense. That was a big surprise to me, and it deserves a spot on this list.

2. Meisha Tate submitting Marloes Coenen.

Speaking of unexpected occurrences, who thought that Marloes Coenen would end up getting submitted my Meisha Tate? Especially after Tate spent almost an entire round on her back defending submissions. Other than the obvious first-place winner, this was the most unexpected outcome of all the “Fedor vs. Henderson” fights.

And my personal pick for the best moment of “Fedor vs. Henderson” is…

1. Dan Henderson dropping and stopping Fedor Emelianenko.

How could anything else be number 1? For his entire career, Emelianenko has never been stopped due to strikes. Practically no one has even wobbled his chin. But at least for a few seconds, Emelianenko was legitimately knocked unconscious. The debate on whether or not this was an early stoppage still rages, but it was undoubtedly a moment we’ll be talking about for months. So of course it takes the top spot on this list.

So there you have it, fans and friends: those are the moments I’ll be remembering from Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Henderson”.

Next for Scott Smith: Smith just hasn’t looked that good in Strikeforce’s Welterweight division. With Smith getting up there in years and now having a three-fight losing-streak, I think a return to Middleweight is called for. Aside from Robbie Lawler, Tim Kennedy, Ronaldo Souza and a sparse handful of others, Strikeforce’s Middleweight division is pretty barren right now. If Strikeforce doesn’t release Smith for his three-fight losing-streak, I think Smith should jump back up in weight and fight Melvin Manhoef.

Next for Tarec Saffiedine and Tyron Woodley: Each other, with the vacant Strikeforce Welterweight Championship on the line. My early prediction for this fight is that Woodley’s takedowns are just too good right now, and let’s not forget that Woodley has already beaten Tarec. I smell a repeat performance with Woodley winning the vacant championship in a fight that honestly probably won’t be that good.

Next for Tim Kennedy: A rematch with Ronaldo Souza and another chance to claim the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship. With how close their first fight was and the experience Tim Kennedy has shown in his recent fights, I’ve got a good feeling about this rematch. It’ll probably be just as neck-and-neck as their first encounter, and I think Kennedy has a real shot at dethroning Souza.

Next for Marloes Coenen: I think the Bantamweight experiment just isn’t working for Coenen, so like Scott Smith, a jump back up in weight is called for. Coenen should fight Amanda Nunes, who hasn’t been seen since her amazing first-round KO win.

Next for Meisha Tate: A rematch with Sarah Kaufman, who already holds a victory over Tate. That should be a pretty fun fight so long as the right Tate and the right Kaufman show up. When Tate is not afraid to go for broke, she can and does finish fights. When Kaufman isn’t afraid to strike, she can and does put on entertaining fights. Hopefully this fight ends up delivering.

Next for Dan Henderson: It’s a tricky situation that “Hendo” finds himself in. He could wait on the sidelines and face the winner of the upcoming Roger Gracie vs. Muhammed Lawal bout. Other than that, I’m drawing a blank on worthy contenders for Henderson’s throne. Ovince St. Preux is a distant possibility, he’s on a good win-streak but he’s competed mostly on “Challengers” shows. It’s honestly really tough to say what the future holds for Henderson right now.

Next for Fedor Emelianenko: Retirement, plain and simple. You could make a case for him sticking around for one more fight and possibly a rematch with Henderson, but in all honesty, I just want Fedor Emelianenko to retire right now. I think he has nothing left to prove and that it’s become clear that his advancing age has begun to wear down on him. Although I’ll always enjoy watching him fight, I just don’t want to see Fedor lose anymore. So I think it’s time for him to call it a career.

Dan Henderson defeats Fedor Emelianenko by TKO (referee’s stoppage due to strikes) at 4:12 of Round 1. Miesha Tate defeats Marloes Coenen by submission (head and arm choke) at 3:03 of Round 4. Tim Kennedy defeats Robbie Lawler by unanimous decision. Tyron Woodley defeats Paul Daley by unanimous decision . Tarec Saffiedine defeats Scott Smith by unanimous decision. JZ Cavalcante defeats Bobby Green by Split Decision of Round 1. Tyler Stinson defeats Eduardo Pamplona by KO at :15 seconds of Round 1. Alexis Davis defeats Julie Kedzie by unanimous decision. Derek Brunson defeats Lumumba Sayers by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:33 of Round 1. Gabriel Salinas-Jones defeats Bryan Humes by submission (brabo choke) at 1:19 of Round 3.

For two rounds of their three-round fight, Tarec Saffiedine put on the best performance of his career against Scott Smith. I never doubted Tarec’s skills as an upcoming Mixed Martial Artist, I only thought he wouldn’t be able to contend with Smith’s versatility and veteran status. Nothing could be further from the truth: round 2 in particular was a perfect example of Tarec showing signs of becoming a champion one day. He may’ve played it a bit safe in Round 3, whether it was in fear of a comeback or simply because his assaults on Smith gassed him out a bit, but still, I think Tarec definitely earned his shot at the vacant Strikeforce Welterweight Championship.

The same can’t be said for Tyron Woodley, sadly. Don’t get me wrong, I knew exactly what would happen. I was surprised that Daley’s takedown defense had gotten that good, but still, Daley’s Achilles Heel will always, and I do mean always, be the ground game. To be honest, I was surprised Daley didn’t pull another Josh Koscheck moment since Woodley wanted absolutely nothing to do with Daley’s stand-up and even employed some “Lay and Pray” tactics a few times. I’m not too high on “T-Wood” right now, but a win is a win and he’ll probably be fighting Tarec for the vacant strap.

Tim Kennedy and Robbie Lawler had a very hard-hitting war that I enjoyed for the most part. There’s not much I can say about it in particular, it was just a good fight on many different levels even though it wasn’t a “great” fight per se. Kennedy’s fired-up post-fight speech combined with his toughness displayed against Lawler definitely makes me believe that Kennedy is ready for another shot at Ronaldo Souza and the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship.

It’s too bad that Marloes Coenen had one good fight at 135 and has now had two bad fights at 135. Well, this wasn’t a bad fight entirely, she did have Tate in a lot of trouble a few times. But I think the drop to 135 is really beginning to slow Coenen down, and without the belt and with Cristiane Santos still a free agent, maybe a return to 145 is called for.

And the main event… what to say about the main event. If this truly is the last we’ve seen of Fedor Emelianenko, at least he went out on his shield. I know the subject of whether or not the stoppage was early is already lighting up the internet, but allow me to say this: as a realist, I won’t debate the stoppage because nothing I say or do will change the fact that Henderson won.

Instead, I only wish to remember the good days. I’ll always remember Fedor Emelianenko as a humble man, who had a shroud of mystery put on him by the media thanks to his ability to absolutely destroy people. But underneath that shroud was one of the kindest, gentlest souls that ever fought for a living. Fedor Emelianenko is still the greatest Mixed Martial Artist of all time, and he’s a pretty amazing person as well. And that’s what I’ll remember most about him. And that’s all that matters to me. And frankly, I think that’s all that really should matter.

Whether he retires or not, I’ll never forget Fedor Emelianenko. “Fedor vs. Henderson” was a pretty good event overall, even with the bittersweet finale that may have seen Fedor’s career come to a close.

5. This could be one of Strikeforce’s last mega-cards.

With much of the internet still reeling from the news of Alistair Overeem’s departure, and with both Fedor and Henderson rumored to be walking from Strikeforce if they lose this fight or even if they win, this just might be the beginning of the end for Strikeforce. Luckily, this event is packed with stars. As the roster continues to get whittled down, that’s going to cause Strikeforce to spread out more of their bonafide stars in order to make individual shows more appealing. “Fedor vs. Henderson” is an interesting mix of veterans, legends, prospects, and championships… and it may be one of the last of its kind.

4. The winners of the two Welterweight fights will likely face each other for the vacant championship.

With Nick Diaz leaving for the UFC and leaving the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship behind, you have to think that this is the only path to take that makes sense. So, with that said, that should motivate all four men (Paul Daley, Tyron Woodley, Scott Smith, and Tarec Saffiedine) to come out guns blazing and looking to assert themselves in the post-Diaz era of Strikeforce Welterweights. And that should make their fights even more exciting.

3. The winner of the Middleweight fight gets to rematch Ronaldo Souza.

Robbie Lawler and Tim Kennedy are two very different fighters that posed two very different threats to Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Ronaldo Souza. Even though he beat them both, both Lawler and Kennedy are top-division fighters and it only makes sense to put them against each other with the winner getting a rematch against “Jacare”. This is an interesting fight that could end in many different ways, so it’s definitely worth watching.

2. Marloes Coenen and Meisha Tate will more than likely be fighting for the future of Women’s MMA.

Since being acquired by Zuffa, Strikeforce has reduced its focus on its women’s MMA division, some would say drastically. But if anything can make the Zuffa brass think twice about abandoning WMMA, it’s this fight. These are two of the best and most popular female fighters in the world going toe-to-toe for what could be five full rounds. It should be a great fight, and it should also be a firm indicator on what will happen to WMMA in the immediate future.

And the number-one reason to watch “Fedor vs. Henderson” is…

1. The main event, period.

I’ve talked about this event for so long and through so many articles that I’ve honestly ran out of things to say. Well, almost. So to end my pre-event coverage on “Fedor vs. Henderson”, let me say this: I wish neither man had to lose. I’ve followed both of them for a long, long time, and I’m proud to consider myself a fan of both. If this fight lives up to the hype, it should be one of the best, most nostalgic fights of the year. There’s no way I’m missing this one.

So there you have it, fans and friends: five great reasons to tune in and see “Fedor vs. Henderson”.

Scott Smith vs. Tarec Saffiedine: I’ve just got to go with the veteran here. I think Saffiedine will eventually work his way to the top or near it, but it won’t be against Strikeforce’s “Comeback King”. Tarec will make Smith work for it, but Smith has been in there with the best and he’s even beaten a few of them. Humbling losses aside, Smith still commands my respect for continually facing the best for the last several years running. Scott Smith wins by TKO in Round 2.

Paul Daley vs. Tyron Woodley: We all know what’s going to happen here. Tyron Woodley is going to take Daley down and keep him there. It’s going to be the Josh Koscheck fight all over again, except maybe with more Ground and Pound. The only hope Daley has is to nail that massive bomb and walk away with a first-round KO. All other outcomes end with Tyron Woodley taking home the Unanimous Decision.

Tim Kennedy vs. Robbie Lawler: Tim Kennedy displayed some good striking against Ronaldo Souza and has always been a good ground fighter, so I think he’ll be pretty evenly-matched against Robbie Lawler. I think Kennedy has better wrestling than Lawler, so Kennedy will stand for a bit but shoot for and keep getting the takedowns once he feels Lawler’s power. Like Daley/Woodley, Lawler has go to nail that bomb. Otherwise, Tim Kennedy is too versatile and well-rounded. Tim Kennedy wins by Unanimous Decision.

Marloes Coenen vs. Meisha Tate: Part of me wants to side with Tate, but I think the odds are just too stacked against her. I don’t think Tate has the punching power to knock Coenen out, and she’ll have problems getting the takedown due to Coenen’s long frame. Even worse, those long legs of Coenen will wrap up the smaller Tate before long and Tate will have to submit or risk either napping or something snapping. Look for Coenen to win by submission in either Round 2 or 3.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson: That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? I hate to have to pick between two of my favorite fighters, and I do hope that this fight lives up to its potential. I’m echoing the sentiments of my friend here: if this fight sucks, I’ve lost all faith in Strikeforce.

That said, my stance on this subject remains unchanged: I’ll always believe in Fedor Emelianenko. I think Emelianenko is going to beat Henderson, but I think it’s going to be a complete war of attrition. Fedor’s combined assaults both on the feet and on the ground will just be too much for Henderson, the grizzled veteran. In the end, my prediction is that this will be a “Fight of the Year” candidate and that Fedor Emelianenko will win by Unanimous Decision.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends.

The news hit the internet like a tidal wave and has since been investigated and confirmed by all the major news sites: Sherdog.com, MMA Weekly, MMA Fighting, take your pick. I wish it wasn’t true, fans and friends, but the facts don’t lie: Alistair Overeem is no longer a Strikeforce fighter.

Overeem is most famous for holding three belts at once: the DREAM Heavyweight Championship, the Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship, and the K-1 World Grand Prix Championship. At 35-11, Overeem hasn’t lost since 2007.

In all honesty, this is even more of a shocking loss than Cristiane Santos (and by the way, Santos still hasn’t officially signed to a new contract, so she’s still a free agent, meaning that I actually don’t have the worst timing ever). Whereas the release of “Cyborg” led me to believe that Zuffa wanted nothing to do with Strikeforce’s women’s division, the release of Overeem leads me to believe that Zuffa wants nothing to do with Strikeforce as a whole.

Honestly, how do you justify this as “business as usual”? How do you take the last big mega-star still in the Heavyweight tournament out of said tournament and then cut him entirely? This is bordering on insanity.

I honestly think Zuffa is beginning to systematically destroy Strikeforce in order to fold it into the UFC the second the Showtime contracts are done.

Just take a look at their current championships: the Heavyweight title is now vacated. When Dan Henderson fights Fedor Emelianenko, it’ll be the last fight on his contract. And with their previous history of bitter contract negotiations, there’s at least a fifty-fifty chance that the Zuffa brass will allow Henderson to walk with his championship too. Middleweight is “so far so good” with Ronaldo Souza as champion, but who can really challenge him? Then we have the Welterweight Championship which was also recently vacated when Nick Diaz signed to the UFC. And finally, we run into the same problem of a lack of competition for Gilbert Melendez, Strikeforce’s Lightweight Champion.

It honestly infuriates me that they’re being so transparent in their attempts to kill Strikeforce while still holding true to this “business as usual” nonsense. If Zuffa didn’t own Strikeforce, there would have been little chance that Overeem would have left, or Santos would have left, or Diaz would have left. Whether it was smart business or wasteful spending, Strikeforce did everything it could to keep its main attractions both in Strikeforce and happy with their paydays.

This news is still sending shockwaves throughout the MMA community, and rightfully so. This is the beginning of the end, fans and friends. With the champions departing in droves or not being able to come to new agreements, Strikeforce has nowhere to go and its fighters are left with nothing to fight for. As we all suspected, Strikeforce will more than likely cease to exist as soon as its deal with the Showtime network is over and done with.

Strikeforce and Zuffa really lost a lot of my respect for this. Alistair Overeem is one of my favorite fighters, and one of the few “best in the world” fighters Strikeforce has left to offer. Now that Overeem is gone, both the Heavyweight Grand Prix and the Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship have lost all meaning to me. No matter who wins the tournament and/or the belt, I’ll always wonder “could they have beaten Overeem?” And pardon the language, but it’s a damn shame that I’ll never be able to know.

5. Fedor Emelianenko may have his eyes on retirement rather than this fight.

It pains me to start off this list with this reason, it really does. Remember, I consider Fedor Emelianenko the greatest Mixed Martial Artist of all time. But I just can’t shake the feeling I got when Fedor openly talked about retiring following his tough loss to Antonio Silva. Fedor has always been mentally strong, but part of me believes that his heart may not be in it anymore, in full or in part. That’s just a suspicion, though, which is why it’s starting off this list.

4. Dan Henderson is riding a wave of momentum not seen since the PRIDE days.

I think even his three-fight win-streak in the UFC that included his monster KO over Michael Bisping doesn’t quite come as close to Henderson’s current streak. Henderson has looked like a force that can’t be stopped in Strikeforce’s 205 division, he made quick work of both Renato Sobral and Rafael Cavalcante. Henderson isn’t just the best fighter at 205 in Strikeforce, he’s one of the best fighters in Strikeforce period. And that’s a huge motivational advantage going into a big fight like this.

3. If you’re a good enough fighter and you’re not dealing with a gargantuan weight difference, size honestly doesn’t matter.

As I’ve described before, a twenty-five pound weight difference is downright minuscule compared to a fight where an average Heavyweight fights this “new breed” of Heavyweight that has to cut weight to get to 265 and actually has skill. Let’s not forget, many fighters have moved up in weight to challenge themselves against the best and a few have had very memorable runs because of it. And let’s not forget that this sport of ours was practically founded on the principle that size doesn’t matter… just ask Royce Gracie.

2. No matter how old he is, no matter how good the chins of his opponents are… if Henderson hits you with that bomb, you’re done.

The last three wins of Dan Henderson’s career have all come by (T)KO. And the one TKO should’ve realistically been a KO, since all three of those wins were “KTFO” moments. Dan Henderson still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve, that’s the only way he can still nail that bomb after all these years. Everyone knows it’s there, everyone tries to avoid it, but when it connects, you can’t do anything about it because you’re too busy losing your grip on consciousness. Fedor Emelianenko has never been properly stopped due to strikes, but if Henderson nails that killer hook, he’s got a chance of crumbling Fedor’s seemingly-impervious chin.

And the number-one reason why Dan Henderson could beat Fedor Emelianenko is…

1. Fedor Emelianenko is on a two-fight losing-streak.

Did I expect Fedor Emelianenko to retire (technically) unbeaten? I honestly did. Even with my “anything can happen in MMA” stance, even with my “if you’ve never been knocked out before you just haven’t met the right striker” stance, even with all of that… I never expected Fedor Emelianenko to lose. Now he’s lost twice. The enigma has been solved, “The Last Emperor” has been taken from the throne. It’s now undeniable that Fedor Emelianenko can be beaten. And that’s the biggest reason why Dan Henderson could beat Fedor Emelianenko.

5. Since he’s getting older, Light Heavyweight is a better weight for Dan Henderson and at 205 the weight difference isn’t as bad as people assume it to be.

Think of it this way: at 205 going up against Fedor at 230, Henderson has to cope with a weight difference of twenty-five pounds. When Fedor was 230 going up against Antonio Silva, who has to cut weight to 265 and probably weighed somewhere around 280 when he stepped into the cage, Fedor had to deal with anywhere from a thirty-five to fifty pound difference. The last time Henderson fought at Middleweight, he began to show signs of slowing down. Henderson looks healthier at Light Heavyweight, he’s been dominant so far in Strikeforce at Light Heavyweight, and the weight disparity is in line with what most smaller Heavyweights have to deal with when going up against the “new breed” of hulking behemoth Heavyweights that have actual skill on top of their mountains of muscles.

4. The UFC itself has done this.

It’s funny that a lot of people are criticizing this fight when in fact the UFC has done something like this and worse, even. If having a champion move up in weight to take on a larger opponent is the basis for a “freak show” fight, then fights like BJ Penn vs. Georges St. Pierre 2 was a “freak show” fight, or Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin, or Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin. In fact, you could make a serious argument that Silva/Irvin was more of a “freak show” fight than this fight, because Irvin had done absolutely nothing to earn a shot against Silva and the fight was booked primarily to steal viewers from the Affliction promotion.

3. Fedor Emelianenko has never been the biggest Heavyweight.

As I mentioned in my first part of this two-parter, the fact that Dan Henderson has fought at Middleweight is the biggest reason why this fight could be perceived as a “freak show” fight. But let’s not forget that Fedor Emelianenko has never been the largest, most muscular Heavyweight. At a chubby (most would say “healthy”) 230, people have been thinking that Fedor Emelianenko could and maybe should cut to Light Heavyweight ever since Werdum beat him. Although Dan Henderson is a smaller fighter, make no mistake: Fedor Emelianenko is not Brock Lesnar or Antonio Silva.

2. Dan Henderson has talked about the possibility of fighting Fedor in the past.

How is it a “freak show” fight when one of the fighters has specifically mentioned in several interviews all throughout the years that he’s interested in facing his opponent? Henderson may not have seriously pursued a fight with Fedor until Strikeforce offered it to him, but he was always open to the possibility of fighting “The Last Emperor”. No one is being forced to fight here, they both want to fight each other in order to test their skills and get another great fight on their amazing, star-studded records. That doesn’t sound like a “freak show” fight to me at all.

And the number-one reason why this isn’t a “freak show” fight is…

1. It’s two legends fighting each other.

Fedor Emelianenko has earned my respect throughout the years. So has Dan Henderson. Since practically the start of their careers, both men have been fighting the top competition in the world, in rings and cages throughout the world. Both are veterans of many, many fights and both hold a commandingly positive record that is highlighted by brilliant finishes, dramatic submissions, and even amazing come-from-behind victories. If that’s the formula for a “freak show” fight, then I’ll dare to say it: I’d like more of this kind of “freak show” fight.

A Look At The Continuing Growth Of MMA Gyms In Alabama (MMA Training)

UFC President Dana White Looks To Fix Things (Fightlinker)

Strikeforce Star Paul Daley Talks UFC Ban (Fightline)

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker Talks About A Variety Of Subjects (MMA Fighting)

The Career Statistics Of Fedor Emelianenko (MMA Mania)

The Event: Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Henderson, currently scheduled for July 30, 2011 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The main card will be broadcast live on the Showtime network starting at 10 PM ET and PT.

Why You Should Care: The main event between Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson is a “dream fight” for any longtime follower of the sport. If that wasn’t good enough, you’ve also got a championship on the line. And to top it all off, you’ve got a trifecta of interesting non-title match-ups that will more than likely determine the next people to compete for a Strikeforce championship.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: Fedor Emelianenko needs a win badly, and Dan Henderson wants to beat the MMA icon in hopes of becoming one himself. They’ll come out of their corners of the cage without any hesitation and looking to dramatically finish each other. It’s a battle of legends, and it has all the makings of a legendary fight.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: So far, Marloes Coenen has been both hot and cold at 135 pounds. She’ll need to be on her A-game when tackling the unique challenges that Meisha Tate poses. This is simply a matter of the two best fighters in a division fighting each other, and this fight has several interesting possibilities that should all make for an excellent encounter.

Why You Should Watch This Card: With just one event, Strikeforce will bring some stability after the Zuffa purchase shook the promotion to its core. With this event, we’ll know where both Fedor and Henderson stands. We’ll know if championship-level women’s fighting has a place near the top of an MMA card. We’ll know who will challenge for the Middleweight Championship, and we’ll also probably know the two men who will battle to win the vacant Welterweight Championship. There’s a lot on the line for this event, and if that motivates all the fighters to bring their best, this should be one of the best cards of the year.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: I honestly can’t think of a reason, so I’m taking the road far less traveled and omitting this section from this entry into my “Crash Course” series. No matter who you are, you should probably watch this event. It’s just that good.

Closing Thoughts: Outside of the UFC, I have to say that this is my most-anticipated event for the rest of the year. I sincerely hope that my favorites like Fedor Emelianenko pull through, and I look forward to what should be some very memorable encounters. With the way Strikeforce has changed since the Zuffa purchase, many people think that Strikeforce is on life support and will be gone soon. But even if Strikeforce will soon be no more, at least it’s going to go down in a blaze of glory, promoting great events and awesome fights up until the very end.

5. Henderson is only two fights removed from a humbling loss to Jake Shields.

Believe me, I can and will discuss how Fedor losing two straight could end up being a major advantage for Henderson when I post that topic tomorrow. But let’s not forget that Henderson had one good round against Jake Shields before spending the next four on his back, getting dominated. Let’s also not forget the two very tough losses Henderson was handed in the UFC. It may not be the biggest advantage, which is why it starts out this list, but the fact that Henderson has been beaten eight times and even humbled a few times should give Emelianenko some sort of mental advantage.

4. Fedor’s chin is outstanding.

After two rounds of being absolutely dominated by the behemoth known as Antonio Silva, Fedor Emelianenko wanted more. At one point, Antonio Silva had Fedor Emelianenko in Full Mount and was unloading on him with massive punches from his pair of gargantuan fists. It was a situation that a few of Silva’s opponents had found themselves in before… and they all got knocked out. Emelianenko’s chin is still great to this day, so even if Henderson is able to drop the bomb, Fedor just might be able to power right through it.

3. Emelianenko’s top game is quite good, and he’s always had a slippery bottom game.

Emelianenko has always had a fantastic top game, and he’s never stayed on the bottom for long. That wasn’t true against Antonio Silva, but there’s a reason for that. As much as I like Antonio Silva and respect his skills as a ground fighter, the fact that he probably weighed in excess of 280 pounds when he stepped into the cage against Fedor was the chief reason why Fedor couldn’t get out from under him. Against Henderson, Fedor has a real shot of keeping this fight wherever he wants it and getting out of any of Henderson’s successful takedowns.

2. Emelianenko will likely have a size/strength advantage.

Being a bit shorter or a little less heavier didn’t matter as much back when Fedor was ruling over PRIDE FC with an iron fist, since most (if not all) of the guys with freakish physiques were glorified “freak show” fighters. But in today’s world of massive Heavyweights that are world-caliber fighters, Fedor’s relatively smaller size has begun to give him problems. He won’t have those problems against Dan Henderson, and for the first time in a while, Emelianenko will face someone that is actually smaller than him. And that’s a pretty big advantage.

And the number-one reason why Fedor Emelianenko could beat Dan Henderson is…

1. It’s Fedor Emelianenko.

You can love him or you can hate him, but I truly consider Fedor Emelianenko the greatest Mixed Martial Arts fighter of all time. That’s just how I feel, and I honestly don’t know if anything will ever be able to change that opinion. Win or lose, Fedor Emelianenko is a champion. He’s an incredibly humble man, and a true ambassador of the sport. Others may have left him, but I’ll always believe in Fedor Emelianenko. Because it’s Fedor. And that’s the best reason why he could beat Dan Hendrson.

5. There’s really nobody for Henderson to face in the Light Heavyweight division.

The one flaw that continues to hamper Strikeforce time and time again is the relative weakness of most of their weight divisions. At 205 specifically, no one (and I do mean no one) has been able to hold onto that championship. Even worse, they keep winning it in dominant fashion only to get humbled and lose it in their next fight. Realistically, Henderson has to wait for some upstart 205’ers to work their way up the card or else face a host of former champions whose prestige took a real hit when they lost the title.

4. All the other good Heavyweights for Fedor to beat are either tied up in the Grand Prix, recovering from losses, or fighting elsewhere.

Alistair Overeem is pretty angry at Strikeforce right now and has signed to fight at another organization, although he’s contractually allowed to do so. Even Andrei Arlovski is going to fight in another promotion soon. Everyone that won their first fight in the Grand Prix is still in the Grand Prix, everyone else just got done fighting and needs time to recover. The other Strikeforce Heavyweight fighters aren’t really big enough names to deserve a fight against Fedor.

3. This is the last fight of Dan Henderson’s contract and Zuffa needs an excuse to let him go if he plays the same card twice.

When Dan Henderson has to renegotiate his contract with the now Zuffa-owned Strikeforce after this bout, it may open up old wounds. Remember, the UFC practically forced Henderson to sign with Strikeforce. The UFC didn’t take too kindly to Henderson holding out for more money, so they promptly showed him the door despite the fact that he was coming off of one of the best knockout victories of his career. Zuffa would look like an even colder corporation if they let Henderson walk as a Strikeforce champion. But if he’s coming off of a humbling loss and still asks for more money? That may be a good enough reason to let him go, even with the title.

2. Fedor Emelianenko is on a two-fight losing-streak.

What do you do with the man who commands the highest pay rate in the company but has lost two fights in humbling fashion? You give him a third fight against an opponent where his reputation will be even more damaged if he loses… and then you cut him. This is a win-win situation for Zuffa, who gets to reduce at least one of the highest salaries in Strikeforce. And believe me, given their history, Zuffa will be more than happy to cut Fedor on the heels of a three-fight losing-streak.

1. Dan Henderson has fought at Middleweight.

Try as I might, I just can’t take this away from the cynics. It’s true: Dan Henderson is a smaller fighter. He’s a Light Heavyweight at best, and he’s taking on a man that routinely weighs in at 230. The blow is softened somewhat when you realize how good of a fighter Henderson is… but still, this is the strongest indicator that at least part of this fight has a “freak show” factor.

Dan Henderson is a veteran of almost forty fights, and has been competing in Mixed Martial Arts since 1997. Henderson would compete for the UFC twice, both times at UFC 17, before embarking on a Japanese excursion that would carry him into the new millennium and beyond. In one of the most legendary MMA promotions of all time, PRIDE FC, Dan Henderson set himself apart as one of that organization’s best fighters.

Henderson fought everyone, and I do mean everyone, in PRIDE. He even once held two titles at the same time in the organization. Henderson would transition to the UFC and promptly lose back-to-back fights, although he would rebound with three straight victories. In the UFC, Henderson’s crowning achievement was an amazing KO win over Michael Bisping at UFC 100. After contract negotiations between Henderson and the UFC broke down, “Hendo” would end up signing to Strikeforce and is now currently the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion.

His opponent, Fedor Emelianenko, is widely regarded as one of the greatest Mixed Martial Arts fighters of all time. Until 2010, Emelianenko carried an astounding 31-1 record. Even more astounding, many fans believe that he was technically undefeated due to the nature of his loss (it takes some explaining, so look it up if you’re interested). But then Fabricio Werdum shook the world as we knew it and submitted Fedor Emelianenko in the first round. And then Antonio Silva brutalized Emelianenko for two rounds and forced a doctor’s stoppage at the start of the third.

For so long, it was simply assumed that it was impossible for Fedor Emelianenko to lose. Now he’s lost two fights in a row, and both have been stoppages. I’m not the only one that believes that Fedor will retire if he loses this fight. Thankfully, I’m also not the only one that believes that this is going to be an incredible fight.

I really want Fedor Emelianenko to win this fight, and I think he can. He’ll definite have a size advantage, that’s for sure. He’ll be able to stand and trade with Henderson without fear of being bullied in the way that “Bigfoot” Silva was able to bully him. Emelianenko also has a great ground game considering he’s going up against the wrestling-based Henderson.

But Henderson can seize the moment if he wants to badly enough. He’s looked great in his last two fights, and I think we’re right in the middle of Dan Henderson’s big comeback. If Henderson doesn’t let the pressure get to him, he definitely has a shot at beating “The Last Emperor”.

In the end, this should be an incredible fight and it’s one of those fights where I wish neither man had to lose. There’s no way I’m missing this one.

Marloes Coenen has had an interesting career as one of the top female fighters in Strikeforce. Coenen is a rarity in women’s MMA: a world-class veteran. Coenen has fought over twenty times, has been fighting for over a decade, and has a highly respectable record of 19-4. Her large, long frame has resulted in her claiming fourteen of her nineteen wins by submission. And in recent years, thanks to the Golden Glory camp (which trains the likes of Alistair Overeem), Coenen has displayed some impressive striking ability.

Coenen made her Strikeforce debut in 2009 and won by first-round submission in barely over a minute. The win gave Coenen a title shot against Cristiane Santos… but Cristiane Santos being Cristiane Santos, Coenen was dismantled and brutalized for three straight rounds before “Cyborg” closed the deal and stopped Coenen with a TKO. Coenen then immediately dropped down to 135 and was immediately given a title shot, which was a bit controversial.

Ultimately, Coenen would win the title in her best overall performance in Strikeforce to date, displaying crisp striking and a very good submission game. Coenen then met a major setback in her first defense of her belt when she fought Liz Carmouche. For three rounds, Coenen was more or less at Carmouche’s mercy. But at the start of round four, Coenen was finally able to secure a submission and won the fight.

Carmouche’s opponent, Meisha Tate, is also widely regarded as one of the best female fighters in Strikeforce as well as one of the most attractive. Tate’s record of 11-2 boasts several major victories over tough competition. In what has so far been the crowning achievement of her career, Tate won a special one-night single-elimination 135-pound tournament at Strikeforce’s “Challengers 10” event. Tate wound up beating both Maiju Kujala and Hitomi Akano by Unanimous Decision. And since those two wins in August of 2010, Tate has sat on the sidelines waiting for her opportunity to challenge for a championship.

This is honestly a really tough fight to call, for several reasons. First and foremost, Marloes Coenen looked amazing when she won the title but looked pretty bad in her first defense. So one of the largest factors in this match-up is which Marloes shows up. Another major factor is Tate’s inactivity, it’s been almost a year since she stepped into the cage. And as I keep saying, ring rust is very real.

In the here and now, I will say this: I’m very glad that this fight takes the co-main event slot. I think it’s going to be a very entertaining scrap, and I think it’s going to send the message that women’s MMA is a viable option in any promotion. Hopefully, this fight lives up to all my expectations and becomes a reminder to the Zuffa brass that women’s MMA is here to stay.

“Ruthless” Robbie Lawler is a veteran of over twenty-five fights and several major promotions. Lawler fought in the UFC from 2002 to 2004 and exited the promotion right on the cusp of “The Ultimate Fighter” exploding the UFC back into mainstream acceptance, after a pair of tough losses to Nick Diaz and Evan Tanner. Lawler then faced some pretty tough competition on the regional circuit before winning the Elite XC Middleweight Championship by knocking out Murilo Rua. Lawler would hold onto that title up until Elite XC self-imploded and shut down.

Since then, Lawler has transitioned to Strikeforce and faced some very tough challenges, walking away with a 2-3 record inside the Strikeforce cage. Of course, since it is Robbie Lawler, both wins were highlight reel KO’s. Most recently, Lawler fought for and lost his chance at the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship when reigning champion Ronaldo Souza submitted him.

His opponent, Tim Kennedy, is a veteran… period. Even while fighting as a professional Mixed Martial Artist, Tim Kennedy was still working full-time for the United States Army. Kennedy has fought fifteen times in over a decade, and has a very respectable record of 12-3. In his time inside cages around the world, Kennedy has competed in the WEC, the IFL, HDNet Fights, and most notably Strikeforce.

In Strikeforce, Kennedy has lost only one time: ironically, it was to the same man Robbie Lawler just lost to. Lawler was Souza’s first defense of the championship, Kennedy was Souza’s opponent in a fight to claim the vacant Strikeforce Middleweight Championship after Jake Shields left the promotion with the title in order to jump ship to the UFC. Kennedy would end up losing a close decision, and when I openly asked if Kennedy deserved an immediate rematch, an overwhelming majority of fans say that they felt he did deserve one.

With the way the Middleweight division is right now, I’m almost certain that the winner of this fight will get a rematch with Souza. But who wins this fight? Well, that’s tough to say. In terms of pure stopping power, you’ve got to give it to Robbie Lawler. If he can catch you, you’re going to get dropped. But can he catch Tim Kennedy? I think that, above all else, will be the deciding factor in this match.

In his entire career, Tim Kennedy has never been properly (T)KO’d before, his only TKO loss was due to a cut. So if Robbie Lawler is going to stop him, he’s going to have to hit him hard and hit him frequently. If he can, Lawler will be able to take the decision and maybe, just maybe, knock Kennedy out. If not, Kennedy will use good grappling and tight clinch work to wear down Lawler during Lawler’s initial rush, and in the later rounds Kennedy will begin to assert himself once Lawler begins to tire and his punches begin to lose their power.

There are many different ways this fight could go, so I’m definitely looking forward to it.

Tyron Woodley may not be young (he’s nearly thirty) but he certainly fits the mold of most hungry young upstarts. Woodley has a background as a collegiate wrestler, and he’s one of many fighters that continues to prove that that’s the best base for heading into MMA. Woodley would be fighting in Strikeforce in only his third fight as a professional Mixed Martial Artist.

In Strikeforce and on the underground, Woodley is widely regarded as the best Strikeforce Welterweight you’ve probably never heard of. Woodley has competed six times in Strikeforce, and unlike some other wrestling-based fighters, Woodley has proven time and time again that he’s a finisher. Currently, Woodley is a perfect 6-0 in Strikeforce and a perfect 8-0 overall. Even better, six of those eight wins were stoppages, and five of them were first-round stoppages.

Woodley’s opponent, Paul Daley, needs little introduction. When he steps into the cage against Tyron Woodley at “Fedor vs. Henderson”, it’ll be the fortieth time Paul Daley tests his skills as a professional Mixed Martial Artist. Even crazier than that, Paul Daley is actually younger than Tyron Woodley. And despite his recent troubles, Paul Daley is still one of the best pure strikers in the Welterweight division. Not in Strikeforce’s Welterweight division… the entire Welterweight division in MMA, period.

Paul Daley has won eight of his last ten fights, and is coming off a loss to Nick Diaz in one of the most entertaining fights of the year and even of the last several years. Seven of those wins were all stoppages due to strike: a few TKO’s, a submission due to an elbow, and four stone-cold KO wins. Daley has competed in and scored big victories in major promotions across the world, including Strikeforce and the UFC.

For this fight, Paul Daley has gone on record saying that he thinks this will be one of his last chances to win a major championship. I’m not quite sure I agree with that, but I do acknowledge that Daley really needs to assert himself now that Nick Diaz has left to the UFC.

Love him or hate him, Paul Daley is an entertaining fighter and he can knock anyone out given the right punch. You don’t (T)KO people twenty times in your career and not have the kind of power that can blast through any chin no matter how strong it is. But as always, Paul Daley’s painfully-obvious Achilles Heel is the ground game.

It may not make for the most exciting fight, but Tyron Woodley can and will grind out the decision if he chooses to keep Daley on his back. I don’t expect Woodley to approach this fight with the same reckless abandon as Nick Diaz, who stood toe-to-toe with Daley and even taunted him for no other reason than to prove to you that he could.

More than likely, if Tyron Woodley stands with Paul Daley he’s going to get knocked out. More than likely, Paul Daley will be dealt another difficult loss if Woodley can close the distance while not getting blasted and score the takedown. This is shaping up to be a very interesting encounter.

Tarec Saffiedine has only been fighting for about four years, but in that time he’s managed to achieve a nice underground following. Saffiedine had some entertaining battles in the Japanese-based DREAM promotion before transitioning to Strikeforce in February of last year.

Tarec quickly established himself in Strikeforce, winning two straight fights that included a fantastic KO victory. After beating former WEC and UFC veteran Brock Larson outside of Strikeforce, Saffiedine was matched up against fellow rising star Tyron Woodley. Woodley would end up winning the bout by Unanimous Decision in only the third loss of Tarec’s career.

Saffiedine’s opponent, Scott Smith, is one of the bigger name-value fighters Strikeforce has. Smith is a UFC, Elite XC, and Strikeforce veteran. He fought for the Elite XC Middleweight Championship. He fought Nick Diaz in a Catchweight super-fight. He gave the UFC one of the best come-from-behind victories ever seen when he KO’d Pete Sell. He gave Strikeforce one of the best come-from-behind victories they had ever seen when he beat Cung Le. Smith has been fighting for over a decade and is a veteran of almost thirty fights.

So, why is Smith fighting someone like Tarec? It’s simple, really: Smith is on a bad two-fight losing-streak. The rematch with Cung Le went exactly like their first bout: Le controlled and dominated Smith. Unlike their first bout, there would be no incredible comeback, and Smith would end up being TKO’d in Round 2. Smith then fought Paul Daley in a major Welterweight showdown. And just like against Le, there would be no major comeback from Strikeforce’s “Comeback King”. After two minutes of action, Smith would eat a killer hook that stone-cold KTFO’d him. It was honestly one of the best knockouts of Paul Daley’s career, which really says something.

Make no mistake, this is a “do or die” fight for Scott Smith. Realistically, this is the perfect fight for Tarec Saffiedine. Smith has him beat in experience, especially in experience against world-caliber opponents, but he’s looked pretty bad in his recent victories. Anyone can get KO’d, I won’t argue that, but it’s the nature in which Smith was KO’d: he was controlled thoroughly and then dropped viciously.

That leads me to believe that Tarec has a good chance of winning this fight. Thanks to the loss to Daley, half of Smith’s professional losses have been by (T)KO. So there is a chance that Tarec could knock out Smith.

Then again, you could make a serious argument for Smith looking great against some people and only really looking bad against top-caliber opponents. That argument also goes hand-in-hand with the argument that Tarec Saffiedine is not a top-caliber opponent at this point in his career. So Smith definitely has a shot of winning, he’s even got a shot at KO’ing Tarec since Smith has an overwhelming majority of his wins (fourteen of seventeen) by (T)KO.

In the end, this fight is going to be a back-and-forth war up until someone gets KTFO’d. Whoever that ends up being depends on a lot of things: pre-fight preparation, the mentality each fighter has going into the fight, etc. But one thing’s for sure: this one has a whole lot of potential.

The “Fedor vs. Henderson” prelims start out with a fight between Bryan Humes and Gabriel Salinas Jones. This is a bit more up Strikeforce’s alley, with both men not having much of a name. At the time of this post hitting the net, Jones doesn’t even have a profile on Sherdog’s ridiculously-massive “FightFinder” network. Currently, Bryan Hume is 6-1 with four stoppage victories and hasn’t competed since May of last year.

After that we get Derek Bronson taking on Lumumba Sayers. Brunson is a perfect 7-0 with six stoppage wins and is coming off of a decision win at Strikeforce’s “Challengers 16” event. Sayers is 4-1 with all four victories by submission.

Next up, Alexis Davis faces Julie Kedzie in the lone female fight on the “Fedor vs. Henderson” preliminary card. Davis is currently an experienced 9-4 and has won  two of her last three bouts, winning both of them by Rear Naked Choke. Julie Kedzie is even more experienced at 16-8 and is currently on a four-fight win-streak.

We start to get into the real meat of the “Fedor vs. Henderson” prelims with an interesting encounter between Eduardo Pamplona and Tyler Stinson. Pamplona makes his “Arena Series” debut after a blistering first-round TKO win at Strikeforce “Challengers 16”. Pamplona’s record stands at a quite enviable 15-2: he lost at the beginning of his career, and then to Robbie Lawler in 2007.

Tyler Stinson, meanwhile, has a near-ridiculous record of 20-7, which is crazy because he’s only been competing since the summer of 2006. At one point, Stinson competed seven times in one year. From 2008 to 2010, Stinson competed five times per year. Stinson has eighteen of his twenty wins via some form of stoppage (thirteen (T)KO’s and five submissions).

And in a fight that should’ve made the main card if it weren’t for all the other intriguing match-ups, the preliminary card of “Fedor vs. Henderson” boasts the return of Gesias Cavalcante. “JZ” is still hunting for his first win in Strikeforce: he recently went to a No Contest against Justin Wilcox thanks to an unfortunate eye poke, and he lost his first Strikeforce fight thanks to a very controversial decision. Cavalcante is a veteran of over twenty fights and has competed all around the world.

His opponent, Bobby Green, is a veteran of almost twenty fights. This will be Green’s Strikeforce debut, and he’s got his work cut out for him. Nevertheless, Green has won four out of his last five fights and has won thirteen of his fifteen wins by stoppage.

Overall, I think this preliminary card is going to be pretty good and I’m a bit let down that I may not be able to see it. Hopefully Strikeforce is able to work out some type of eleventh-hour deal to get these prelims in front of the public.

Let’s begin as we always do, fans and friends: by putting the situation into context.

Although he debuted in Strikeforce with a “just barely cutting it” record of 4-4, Ovince St. Preux impressed with a first-round, first-minute TKO. OSP would return later that year, and would go on quite the interesting run. From November 2010 to January 2011, Ovince St. Preux fought three times in three months. All three of those opponents were tough tests for St. Preux.

The first, Abongo Humphrey, was a former Heavyweight with a 7-1 record. The second opponent, Benji Radach, was a veteran of over twenty-five fights. And the final opponent, Antwain Britt, had won nine of his eleven wins as a professional Mixed Martial Artist via some form of (T)KO. St. Preux would end up taking all three to a decision, and beating them all by Unanimous Decision.

Towards the end of this interesting run, it was clear that Ovince St. Preux needed to take some time off to heal and regain his cardio. He did just that, taking off roughly six months before accepting a fight at “Challengers 17”.

His opponent, Joe Cason, was 8-0 with six (T)KO’s and two submissions, with one submission due to strikes. Still, he had yet to compete anywhere near the main stage and hadn’t gotten a quality opponent under his belt, win or lose. Perhaps against another fighter, maybe a fellow Strikeforce newcomer, Cason could’ve impressed with his fiery punching power and worked his way up to a showdown with OSP. As it stood before their fight, though, it was clear that Cason was supposed to play the role of the sacrificial lamb.

And that’s exactly what happened. There was no “Cinderella Story” here.

From the moment the first bell rang, it became clear that the last thing OSP wanted to do was get another decision win on his record. St. Preux blasted out of his corner of the cage and immediately pressed the action, with Cason trying and ultimately failing to keep the pace and score some shots of his own. In the end, Cason would end up fully overwhelmed and tapping due to strikes after just seventy-two seconds.

Strikeforce’s Light Heavyweight division is honestly a bit of a mess right now. No one has managed to hold onto the championship, and there’s rumors that Dan Henderson may never get a chance to defend the belt he recently won. With that kind of atmosphere, you’ve got to think that St. Preux is only a win or two away from getting a shot at the championship. And with the performances he’s been giving in Strikeforce, especially the one he gave at “Challengers 17”, you’ve got to figure that Ovince St. Preux could end up being a Strikeforce champion by 2012 at the latest.

5. Adlan Amagov making his successful Strikeforce debut against fellow newcomer Ron Stallings.

It may not have ended in a finish, but there were certainly a good amount of interesting moments in this fight. Amagov in particular tried all manner of flashy strikes, but unfortunately it resulted in him gassing out near the end of this fight. Still, he toughed it out and took a close decision win over Stallings, who also displayed some good skill. I think both of these fighters deserve another fight in Strikeforce.

4. Devin Cole going to war with Shawn Jordan.

Sometimes, you’ve just got to sit back and enjoy two big Heavyweights punching each other repeatedly in the face for three straight rounds. Neither man was an athletic specimen, and neither man gave us much of anything other than some good brawling. But if you can appreciate it for what it was, this was a pretty entertaining fight between two tough Heavyweights that love to scrap.

3. Sarah Kaufman forgoing her inhibitions and striking with Liz Carmouche.

I wasn’t too high on Sarah Kaufman during the first round of her fight with Liz Carmouche, mostly because she seemed hesitant to engage. But when she did start engaging, she honestly displayed the best striking I’ve yet to see from her. Kaufman basically out-struck the striker, and by the end of the night Carmouche’s face was both bloody and bruised. I’ve always felt that Kaufman was a hit-or-miss fighter depending on how much she’s willing to engage, but the latter rounds of this fight were definitely a big hit.

2. Bobby Voelker dropping and stopping Roger Bowling.

I’ve been a semi-fan of Roger Bowling for a few months; I think he’s an entertaining fighter and a bright young prospect. But Bobby Voelker is a grizzled veteran, and he simply picked Bowling apart. When the time came, Voelker nailed a beautiful kick that caused Bowling’s legs to wobble. It was one of those great “out on your feet” moments, and Voelker responded by pouncing on his foe and finishing the fight. It was definitely one of the most dramatic stoppages of the night, and quite the way to end what’s been a very entertaining trilogy of fights.

And my personal pick for the best moment of Strikeforce “Challengers 17” is…

1. Ovince St. Preux demolishing Joe Cason.

How can you not love Ovince St. Preux? Fully rested and with a full training camp, the man is an animal. OSP fought three times in three months and won all three fights, and yet he still showed up at “Challengers 17” with something to prove. And he definitely proved that he’s a force to be reckoned with. It doesn’t get much better than the all-out blitzkrieg smackdown OSP gave Joe Cason at “Challengers 17”.

Next for Adlan Amagov: As a Strikeforce newcomer that debuted on a “Challengers” event and won by Split Decision, we should expect to see Amagov compete on “Challengers” on at least two more occasions. Amagov is a good striker, but his cardio really seemed to wane near the end of this fight. The “Challengers” series will allow Amagov to regroup, refocus, and face some good opponents. So that’s definitely where he’ll be at for the immediate future.

Next for Liz Carmouche: Carmouche will also stay on the “Challengers” cards until she starts dramatically finishing people again. I don’t know what went wrong in her bout with Kaufman, but that simply wasn’t the Liz Carmouche that dominated Marloes Coenen. Like Amagov, “Challengers” will allow Kaufman to regroup and change what needs to be changed. Liz Carmouche can still be a major player in Strikeforce’s women’s division, it might just take longer than most people assumed.

Next for Sarah Kaufman: With this win, Sarah Kaufman will likely be getting the next shot at the championship once Marloes Coenen and Meisha Tate fight. If she were to fight Coenen again, Kaufman has got to find a way to deal with Coenen’s long range and very good submission game. If it’s Tate she has to face, Kaufman needs to attack her with the same tenacity she showed in the later rounds against Carmouche. Either way, I think Kaufman does have a shot at winning the title again.

Next for Ovince St. Preux: With this win, I think Ovince St. Preux has earned himself a consistent spot on the main card until someone, if anyone, is able to beat him enough to knock him back down to the “Challengers” level. Strikeforce’s Light Heavyweight division is wide open now, so with a few more victories OSP could very well get a shot at the championship.

Next for Devin Cole: Cole finds himself in an interesting situation. So many of Strikeforce’s top Heavyweights are in the Grand Prix, and even if they weren’t, I don’t think Cole is ready for them yet. There’s simply a lack of mid-level talent in Strikeforce’s Heavyweight division. Realistically, I think the only viable opponent for Cole right now is Shane del Rosario.

Next for Bobby Voelker: With four wins in five fights and two big TKO’s over Roger Bowling, I think it’s time to give Bobby Voelker a real shot at possible Welterweight Championship cotendership. With the massive hole that’s been left in the division in the wake of Nick Diaz signing to the UFC, realistically it’s anyone’s game right now. If he’s willing to seize the moment, Voelker should emphatically campaign for a “contender eliminator” fight with anyone that’s willing to fight him.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends.

Results courtesy of MMA Junkie.

Bobby Voelker defeats Roger Bowling via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:16. Devin Cole defeats Shawn Jordan via unanimous decision. Ovince St. Preux defeats Joe Cason via submission (strikes) – Round 1, 1:12 Sarah Kaufman defeats Liz Carmouche via unanimous decision. Adlan Amagov defeats Ron Stallings via split decision. T.J. Cook defeats Lionel Lanham via TKO (punches). Anthony Smith defeats Ben Lagman via knockout (punch).Bill Cooper defeats Maka Watson via submission (rear-naked choke). Sterling Ford defeats Brian McLaughlin via unanimous decision.

The official start of the broadcast started with an interesting war of attrition between Amagov and Stallings. Although Mauro Ranallo made a joke about Stallings stalling, this fight was very active for the most part. It was a tough bout for both men, and both men were pushed to their limits. Ultimately, I definitely think Amagov deserved to win, I even think he deserved to win by Unanimous Decision.

The Kaufman/Carmouche fight was an interesting if not slightly underwhelming encounter. I honestly thought Carmouche would have put on a much better performance. Ultimately, Kaufman started out hesitant but quickly found out that she could hang with Carmouche standing, and towards the end of the fight Kaufman was resoundingly beating Carmouche in striking. Carmouche had a golden opportunity to capitalize on her narrow loss to Marloes Coenen, but now it appears that it’ll be Sarah Kaufman that gets another shot at the gold.

And of course, I really, really enjoyed the return of OSP. I think OSP knew he needed to finish even though he was returning from fighting three times in three months, and he attacked with all the killer aggression I’ve come to expect from a focus, healthy, and not over-trained OSP. I definitely think St. Preux is going to be a major force in Strikeforce in a very short time.

Devin Cole also had a pretty entertaining brawl, and quickly set himself up as a potential star. His fight had a little bit of everything, and it was pretty competitive as well.

And in the main event, Bobby Voelker proved that he continues to have Roger Bowling’s number and may have had it all along, thanks to the controversial way their first encounter ended. Voelker has definitely found new life in Strikeforce, and deserves a spot on the main card now.

Overall, I pretty much enjoyed myself for this event. It had an interesting mix of many different kinds of fighters, and they all did their best or mostly did their best to put on entertaining performances. It was a solid event overall, and quite a good alternative to watching most other late-night programming.

Roger Bowling vs. Bobby Voelker: As much as I’ve enjoyed seeing Roger Bowling fight, I just think that Voelker has his number. The first fight ended in a “technical decision”, so it wasn’t without some controversy. However, the rematch ended with Voelker emphatically beating Bowling by TKO. Bowling has fought since then, though, while Voelker has sat on the sidelines. This is going to be a very tough fight for both men, but I have a gut feeling that Bobby Voelker will win by Unanimous Decision.

Devin Cole vs. Shawn Jordan: I have no idea who Shawn Jordan is, so I can only base this prediction on his record and what I know of Devin Cole. Shawn Jordan is 10-2, but both losses have been by KO. That’s a pretty big bullseye for someone like Devin Cole, who has a majority (ten of eighteen) of his wins by KO. I think Cole’s recent losing streak and the fact that Cole has had no time whatsoever to train for Jordan specifically will allow Jordan to keep it competitive for a round or so. But eventually, I think Cole will land a solid punch and win by KO in either Round 2 or 3.

Joe Cason vs. Ovince St. Preux: This is also a fight that I can only judge based on internet research and my first-hand experience of the fighter I’m more familiar with. Towards the end of his “three fights in three months” stint, I could tell that all those fights were wearing OSP down. His cardio wasn’t as good, and he wasn’t able to finish. Still, the man fought three times in three months. I’ve got nothing negative to say about Ovince St. Preux, and I think this he’s definitely going to win this one in dramatic fashion. Ovince St. Preux wins by TKO in Round 1.

Liz Carmouche vs. Sarah Kaufman: I just can’t shake the feeling that Sarah Kaufman had one good win as a champion but ultimately fizzled as a top-division Strikeforce fighter. Kaufman is a good fighter, but she’s just not that entertaining. She’s finished a lot of people outside the Strikeforce cage but only one person in it, which leads me to believe that she can look amazing against relatively weak competition while faltering against Strikeforce-caliber females. Meanwhile, Liz Carmouche has looked amazing, period, and likely would have gold around her waist right now if not for getting caught in a desperation submission. I’m pretty confident that Liz Carmouche will win by Unanimous Decision, or possibly a TKO in Round 2.

Ronald Stallings vs. Adlan Amagov: Both men will be making their Strikeforce debuts against each other, and they’re both within shouting distance of each other’s records. I’ve never seen either of these two fight, so the best I can do is an educated guess. Amagov has only ever lost in his professional debut and has TKO’d his last two opponents, but Stallings seems to be a pretty tough guy, so I think Amagov will win by Unanimous Decision.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends.

5. As always, there’s nothing else on and “Challengers” deserves your views.

For the most part, you’re usually in for a good event when you watch a “Challengers” show. Very few of them have been actually great, but very few of them have also been bad. The show can be slightly hit-or-miss, but I think the hits come more often. Remember, this is a series that was at one time in the running to be crowned my new “dark horse favorite”. That’s high praise, and realistically, what else is on? If you give me a choice between repeats, the news, or a live MMA show that might be passable at worst and quite good at best… I’ll definitely pick “Challengers” every time.

4. Can Devin Cole avoid a three-fight losing-streak?

Cole is a veteran of almost thirty fights, but he’s on a two-fight losing-streak, which is unfortunate considering that he had won six of his last seven with one draw before those two losses. Cole would have been fighting Lavar Johnson, but Johnson pulled out just yesterday. Cole will now face an unheralded newcomer, meaning that this is a fight that Cole has to win ever more now. If Cole loses his second Strikeforce fight to a replacement opponent that came in on ultra-short notice… then consider Devin Cole out of Strikeforce.

3. The return of Ovince St. Preux

The man known as “OSP” has been sitting on the sidelines since January of this year, when he ended a stint that saw him compete three times in three months and win all three bouts by decision. OSP is currently 10-4 and hasn’t lost since 2009. I don’t know much about St. Preux’s opponent, but I do know that I’ve enjoyed seeing OSP continue to evolve and I think he could be a major player for Strikeforce a few years from now. So I’m definitely excited to see him fight at “Challengers 17”.

2. Sarah Kaufman vs. Liz Carmouche should be a hard-hitting war.

In Strikeforce, both of these women are coming off of tough losses to Marloes Coenen, the current Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Champion. That doesn’t mean that they’re not entertaining fighters, however. Before the loss to Coenen, Kaufman was coming off of a great KO slam win over Roxanne Modafferi. Before her loss to Coenen, Carmouche was unbeaten at 5-0 with four stoppages. These women aren’t shy to engage, and want to make a stepping stone out of each other. This fight has a lot of show-stealing potential.

And the number-one reason to watch “Challengers 17” is…

1. The third and final encounter between Roger Bowling and Bobby Voelker

It’s 1-1 between the tough veteran Voelker and the hungry upstart Bowling, and this will decide once and for all which one is the better fighter. Both men’s most-recent loss has been to each other. For Roger Bowling, Voelker is the only man that’s ever beaten him. For Bobby Voelker, Bowling is the only loss Voelker has in Strikeforce after a career spent grinding it out in the minor leagues. There’s a lot on the line for both men in this fight, and it should be an excellent third encounter.

The Event: Strikeforce “Challengers 17”, currently scheduled for July 22 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card will be televised live on Showtime starting at 11 PM ET.

Why You Should Care: This is the first “Challengers” event to take place in the new home of the series, the Palms Casino Resort. In addition to that, you’ve got Roger Bowling and Bobby Voelker fighting for a third and likely-final time. You’ve also got well-traveled veteran Devin Cole taking on “Challengers” mainstay Lamar Johnson. And to top it all off, you’ll be getting a great female encounter when Liz Carmouche fights Sarah Kaufman.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: In his first fight against Bobby Voelker, the 7-0 (at the time) Bowling took a technical decision after an accidental eye poke sent the fight to the judge’s scorecards preemptively. In the rematch, Voelker TKO’d Bowling in the second round. Voelker is a veteran of over thirty fights, while Bowling is a hungry young upstart. It’s a rivalry that has led to two good fights, and there’s a high chance of the final third encounter being as good or likely better than the first two.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: Although it may not take the official co-main event slot when all is said and done, the other fight I’m looking forward to the most on this show is definitely Liz Carmouche vs. Sarah Kaufman. Kaufman is a former champion, while Liz Carmouche recently suffered the first defeat of her career when Marloes Coenen snatched up a Hail Mary armbar after spending the bulk of their fight at the mercy of Carmouche. These are two of the best female fighters in Strikeforce going at it, so what’s not to love?

Why You Should Watch This Card: This is a pretty solid card for a “Challengers” event. It’s got a little bit of everything, and all the fights have their fair share of appeal. There’s not one fight that screams out to be watched over the others, but that means that the show isn’t being built on one fight alone. Unfortunately for some “Challengers” shows, the only interesting fights have been the co-main and main event attractions. For “Challengers 17”, we should be in for a good event overall.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: As always, the status of the “Challengers” series as late-night programming remains the biggest reason not to watch the series. This event has a good line-up of fighters with all kinds of records and from all walks of life, so I definitely think it’s worth watching. But only if you have the time.

Closing Thoughts: I’m not as excited for this event as I have been for other “Challengers” events, but I do think I’ll be in for a good night of fights. Overall, I like this card and I’ve got a good feeling that several of these fights will end up surprising me before the night is over.

MMA Fighting gives us a pretty good breakdown on the situation. In an interview on “The MMA Hour” with noted journalist Ariel Helwani, Overeem stated that Strikeforce officials had contacted him to let him know that he would be fighting September 10, which is the rumored date when Strikeforce will hold the Heavyweight tournament semi-finals. Overeem didn’t agree to the bout, saying that he would rather fight in October.

Overeem was then apparently threatened with removal from the tournament if he decided to stand his ground. Overeem responded by saying that he didn’t like to be threatened. Zuffa’s response was pretty simple: we don’t make threats. A few hours after the interview with Overeem went out, it was reported and eventually confirmed that Overeem had indeed been pulled from the tournament and will now be replaced by undefeated prospect Daniel Cormier.

Part of me is completely baffled by this announcement, and another part understands it completely but doesn’t agree with it at all. The optimist in me has to wonder… why would you take out one of the biggest attractions of this tournament simply because he wanted to wait a month to fight? Whatever happened to negotiating with a fighter, whatever happened to give-and-take? Strikeforce used to bend over backward to accommodate their top-division fighters, and now one of the most exciting fighters of this tournament has been pulled simply because he wanted to fight in October and not September.

On the other hand, the realist in me knows that Zuffa wanted and perhaps even needed to make an example out of Overeem. This is the new regime, and they don’t play by the old regime’s rules. Apparently, if you’re a Strikeforce fighter you now fight when and where Strikeforce tells you, and if you don’t agree then there’ll be consequences. By singling out one of Strikeforce’s biggest stars, their Heavyweight champion in fact, Zuffa has sent the message that they’re not to be messed with and that no one fighter is more important than the organization itself.

Also, Overeem has made a good living in Japan, both in K-1 and Japanese MMA promotions, and his Strikeforce contract allows him to compete for other organizations. The UFC has been notoriously opposed to allowing their fighters to fight anywhere else. Perhaps that has something to do with the situation.

In the end, I have to say that I don’t agree with this decision at all. Alistair Overeem may not have given the best performance against Fabricio Werdum recently, but I was incredibly pumped up for what should have been an awesome striking war against Antonio Silva. I don’t think Overeem was making any huge demands, and I don’t think he was being unprofessional. I think the UFC saw an opportunity to make an example out of someone and they took it. And while it may be a smart business move, it certainly comes across as incredibly callous.

When I say that this story took everyone by surprise, that doesn’t really do justice to the feelings I had when I woke up and the first thing I saw on all the major MMA websites I follow was “Zuffa buys Strikeforce”. Several websites used the term “hell freezes over”, even one of my former fellow writers at Fighters.com shared that sentiment when he covered the news.

Generally, a promotion doesn’t get sold when it’s in the middle of the biggest, best run in its history.

With the help of several amazing shows, Strikeforce had been knocking on the UFC’s door up until this shocking announcement. They were still the second-best, but I was beginning to believe in them more and more, to follow and support them more and more, and to honestly start thinking that Strikeforce could one day be a viable alternative to the UFC.

It wasn’t just that Strikeforce had the cash and the TV deals to sign and feature major stars… that was a big piece of the puzzle, but not the biggest. The reality of the situation is that Strikeforce was putting on as good or sometimes even better fights than the UFC on an increasingly-frequent basis.

It wasn’t “PRIDE vs. UFC , Part 2”, but it could’ve been just that given a few more years.

And then… “Zuffa purchases Strikeforce”.

My head and the heads of everyone else swam with the possibilities. Did this mean champion vs. champion super-fights? Did this mean any sort of co-promotion, period? What would change, what would stay the same?

In the original interview announcing the deal, UFC President Dana White used the term “business as usual” to answer just about all of those questions. However, the reality was anything but.

“Business as usual” meant taking a month off to restructure, it meant several high-profile firings, it meant that Strikeforce would follow the Unified Rules of MMA, it meant that Strikeforce would promote upcoming UFC shows and vice-versa, it meant that the under-appreciated “Strikeforce Challengers” series of events would be uprooted and permanently planted in Las Vegas, the UFC’s home base.

In short: “business as usual” turned out to be a series of changes both big and small, both behind the scenes and in plain view, both far-reaching and only affecting those closely tied to the situation.

But one thing was for certain: once again, the MMA world would never be the same because once again, the UFC bought had fought and beaten its competition.

Whenever I think of this story, the first thing I remember is how massively it changed the world of MMA. The second thing I remember is, strangely enough, a video blog from Dana White. I don’t remember when it took place, I honestly don’t remember much of anything else in the video besides this one segment. In it, Dana White proudly holds up a miniature, custom-built headstone that had all the logos of all the promotions he either bought or counter-promoted into bankruptcy on it. White then proudly said “I’m the Grim Reaper mother ****ers”.

Zuffa’s purchase of Strikeforce was a firm reminder of one simple thing: if you want to try and become a serious challenger to the UFC, you better be prepared to die trying. Because more often than not… you do.

We head to MMA Junkie for a report that states that Strikeforce officials are looking to hold the semi-final round of their Grand Prix on September 10. As of this writing, a city, state, and venue are all unknown. In addition to those two fights, September 10 is also being targeted for other potential big fights, like Ronaldo Souza vs. Luke Rockhold, Muhammed Lawal vs. Roger Gracie, and Gegard Mousasi vs. Mike Kyle.

The four men advancing to the second round gave very interesting, very varied performances to make their way there. Sergei Kharitonov entered the tournament an unknown and proceeded to set himself up as a “dark horse” with a fantastic KO victory over former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski. Catch-wrestling specialist Josh Barnett dominated and submitted Brett Rogers. Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum both gave baffling performances in what is so far the weakest fight of the tournament, but Overeem did enough to win a decision. And in the biggest, best fight of his life, Antonio Silva managed to defeat MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko.

I’m really excited for this tournament, and I think these two fights would both be huge, absolutely huge, additions to what is looking to be a great September 10 card.

Something tells me that the winner of Kharitonov/Barnett will have a real shot at winning the entire tournament, no matter if it’s Overeem or Silva that they face. Josh Barnett looked excellent against Brett Rogers, and if for only a few minutes, he reminded us why so many people used to rank him very high on the Heavyweight charts. Meanwhile, Kharitonov showed off some very impressive, very technical striking against Andrei Arlovski. Although it seems to fit the typical “striker vs. wrestler” mold, I think this fight will be entertaining no matter where it goes or how long it lasts.

In regards to Overeem vs. Silva, I think this is the fight where Overeem will re-assert himself as a destroyer. A lot of people criticized Overeem’s performance against Werdum, but in my opinion, it takes two to tango. Overeem wanted nothing of Werdum’s ground game, and Werdum didn’t want to do anything except pull guard and hope Overeem followed him to the ground. The fact that an MMA fight always starts standing means that the ground fighter has to work to take it to the ground, not just pull guard over and over and over. So I honestly blame Fabricio Werdum more than Alistair Overeem.

Against Antonio Silva, Overeem will face someone who loves to strike and just happens to also be pretty good at the ground game. Silva will come out with something to prove and will probably try to knock Overeem out, and that’s going to give Overeem ample opportunity to show off why he won a championship in the most prestigious kickboxing organization in the world.

Overall, I’m very excited for these two fights, and if they occur as planned, September 10 could be the date for one of Strikeforce’s best cards of the year.

A Great “ESP-XC” MMA Workout (MMA Training)

The Worst Referee Ever (Fightlinker)

An Interview With ufc Gym Vice President (Find MMA Gyms)

Rich Franklin Talks UFC 133 (Fightline)

Nate Marquardt Now Cleared To Fight (Five Ounces Of Pain)

Well-Known Manager Alex Davis On Fight Management (MMA Junkie)

Kazuo Misaki Signs With strikeforce (MMA Weekly)

MMA Junkie gives us an interesting breakdown of the situation. The report was completely bogus, meaning that someone managed to hack Strikeforce.com. The report also gives an interesting theory: once Strikeforce was acquired by Zuffa it underwent substantial restructuring, and that meant firing some employees. Perhaps one of those employees decided to pull a prank on their former bosses.

Whatever the case, whoever is behind this is probably laughing a whole lot right now. In terms of internet lingo, I can’t think of a reason why someone would do this except that they “did it for the lulz”.

As interesting as a match-up between Anderson Silva and Fedor Emelianenko sounds, this report immediately felt bogus to me the second it was stated that Emelianenko could weigh in at 185 pounds.

I know Emelianenko isn’t the fittest Heavyweight in the game, but he’s not Roy Nelson. And that’s not meant to disrespect Roy Nelson, only to offer up a comparison. Emelianenko is chubby, and he could lose a few pounds, but he routinely weighs in at or around 230. I think Emelianenko could drop to 205, sure. It’d be hard for him since he’s never cut weight before, but I could see him making Light Heavyweight and showing up in really good shape when he does.

But losing an additional twenty pounds when he has to lose at least twenty-five already if he wants to make Light Heavyweight? That’s forty-five pounds he needs to drop, and I simply don’t think Fedor Emelianenko has that in him. Perhaps if this was the start of his career, and if the start of his career had taken place in the here and now, where monstrous weight cuts are becoming increasingly normal. But with Emelianenko’s many years in rings and cages across the world, with rumors of his retirement continuing to grow on a per-fight basis… Fedor Emelianenko at Middleweight just ain’t happening.

I think the reason why this rumor gained so much attention in the short time that it was posted is very simple: as fight fans, these are fights we all want to see, but we’ve come to terms with the fact that we’ll probably never see them. So we stick to fantasy match-ups where everyone is in their prime and everyone fights at the same weight class. Then, when something comes along that gives us even a glimmer of hope that these fights will become reality, we spread it as quickly as we can simply in the hope that it’ll be confirmed as true.

In the end, we’ll have to be content with Fedor Emelianenko fighting Dan Henderson, with Anderson Silva fighting Yushin Okami, with Georges St. Pierre fighting Nick Diaz, and with Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre being the only super-fight that still has a real chance of happening. And no matter how big or small you consider that consolation, I think we should all simply sit back and enjoy our favorite fighters fighting whomever is put in front of them for as long as we can and for as long as they decide to continue fighting.

5. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson

It’s the last call for a legend, and one of the greatest MMA fighters in MMA history. If Emelianenko can’t beat Dan Henderson, I have a strong feeling that he’ll retire. And Dan Henderson is currently riding a major wave of momentum now that he’s Strikeforce’s Light Heavyweight Champion. It’s going to be an awesome showdown between two of the best old-school MMA veterans still actively competing today.

4. Jon Jones vs. Quinton Jackson

It may not have the bitter rivalry of the inevitable showdown between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans… but this is certainly one colossal match-up. I honestly and fully believe that this fight will set the stage for years to come: depending on how Jones does against Jackson, we’ll know for sure whether or not Jones is “the chosen one” that will break the curse of UFC Light Heavyweight Champions losing the belt in their first few fights. I definitely can’t wait to see this fight.

3. Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami

Yushin Okami can’t beat Anderson Silva… right? Of course he can. Anybody can beat anybody, and anything can happen in Mixed Martial Arts. And this is a rematch that’s been years in the making. To a loyal contingent of fans, Okami is one of the most under-rated, under-appreciated fighters currently fighting in the UFC. To a vast majority of people, Anderson Silva is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. Any time Anderson Silva fights, you can definitely expect it to chart high on my lists like this. The fact that there’s such an interesting story between Okami and Silva is just icing on the cake.

2. Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Silva

Now this is a fight everyone can really dig their teeth into. Alistair Overeem has been living up to his nickname “Demolition Man” for a long time now, although he didn’t give the best performance against Fabricio Werdum. Meanwhile, Antonio Silva gave arguably the best performance of his life when he defeated Fedor Emelianenko. Whether you’re an Overeem fan, a “Bigfoot” fan, or simply a fan of great fights, this should definitely be the premiere showdown for the rest of Strikeforce’s year.

And my number-one most-anticipated fight for the rest of 2011 is…

1. Nick Diaz vs. Georges St. Pierre

The night Nick Diaz faced Paul Daley, I was on the edge of my seat from the moment that fight started. When Nick Diaz vs. Georges St. Pierre goes down, I won’t even need a seat. I’ll be too busy pacing back and forth. I’ve followed Nick Diaz for a long, long time, and in that time, he’s changed from one of the fighters I absolutely despise to one of only a handful of fighters I consider my favorites. Even though he’s incredibly controversial and one of the biggest “bad boys” in MMA, I just can’t help but love Diaz’s take-no-prisoners style and his gruff type of “us against the world” affection that he shows to both his fans and his teammates. I know that Nick Diaz is a legitimate “best in the world” athlete, and I want him to prove that against Georges St. Pierre. But to do that, he’ll have to beat a man that I consider one of the greatest Mixed Martial Artists of all time. This isn’t just my most-anticipated fight for the rest of 2011, it’s probably my most-anticipated fight of the last few years. Everything, and I do mean everything, will be on the line when Nick Diaz fights Georges St. Pierre.

Full Contact Fighter recently broke the news, citing the manager of “Cyborg” as a reference. Here are the highlights: “Despite conflicting reports recently as to whether Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos has departed ways with Strikeforce,  her manager Master Rudimar Fedrigo has confirmed to FCF today that the 145lb. champion has renewed her contract with the promotion… Late last week Fedrigo informed FCF that he and Santos were still in talks with Strikeforce, despite reports that negotiations between the two parties had broken down. At the time, Fedrigo stated that Santos “really wants to renew with the event” and that it was a “financial issue” that was preventing a new agreement from being reached.”

So there you have it, fans and friends… apparently I have the most awkward timing in the world.

I’d like to say this before I say anything else: what I wrote about Cristiane Santos yesterday was from the heart. Those of you that know me and have followed me on this site know that I consider myself a fan of Mixed Martial Arts and nothing more. I’ve even joked about my situation several times: I consider myself a fan that got lucky and was given an awesome opportunity to share his views on this amazing sport and actually get paid to do so.

So, to those that think I was ranting and raving and picking on Strikeforce, I honestly wasn’t. I really like Strikeforce. I’m a huge fan of the promotion. But I’m also a fan of Cristiane Santos. So, and I know this is going make me sound a lot less masculine but I’m going to say it anyway, I was honestly more hurt than angry when it was reported last week that a new agreement hadn’t been reached in time for Santos to stay exclusively tied to Strikeforce. I was even more confused than angry to be honest. As I said, I just didn’t understand how a promotion could fail to re-sign a destroyer like Cristiane Santos.

So, with all that out of the way, all I have to say on this story is “hell yes”.

Am I ready to see Cristiane Santos back in a Strikeforce cage? Hell yes. Do I think she’ll be just as dominant even though she hasn’t fought in a while? Hell yes. Do I think Santos will face some tough challenges that will really bring out the best in her? Hell yes. Do I think Santos will become an even bigger star now that she’s got the Zuffa marketing machine behind her? Hell yes.

I’m very, very happy that Cristiane Santos has re-signed with Strikeforce. I won’t even pull the “it took them long enough” card. Part of me wants to, but I know that if I do, I’ll be throwing stones in a glass house based on the irony of posting a sincere heart-to-heart about Cristiane Santos leaving Strikeforce the day before Cristiane Santos re-signs with Strikeforce.

So, to be honest, I do feel a little stupid right now. But I suppose I’ll just laugh it off and chalk it up to one hell of a coincidence. And to be perfectly honest, I’ll take a few hits from the nay-sayers over the internet if it means seeing “Cyborg” back in the Strikeforce cage again. That’s all that really mattered to me from the get-to. I’m very, very, very happy that Cristiane Santos is back with Strikeforce.

Nick Diaz… what else can I say about Nick Diaz? A whole lot, to be truthful. Nick Diaz struggled to reach his potential all throughout his UFC run, and that’s where he first established his status as a bad boy who loves to take risks and will eat your best shot just so he can laugh at you when it doesn’t knock him out. It would take a close loss to KJ Noons in Elite XC for Diaz to finally go on the epic run all his fans knew he had in him.

And what a run it’s been: across several different promotions, Diaz has ruled the non-UFC Welterweight division with a pair of iron fists. When Elite XC imploded and Strikeforce became the new “next big thing” by acquiring the bulk of Elite XC’s assets, Strikeforce called on Nick Diaz to headline. He responded by TKO’ing Frank Shamrock and humbling the former multi-promotion champion to the point where Shamrock would announce his retirement shortly afterwards.

When Strikeforce needed to crown their first Welterweight Champion, they again called on Nick Diaz and he again delivered. He out-struck and finished Marius Zaromskis, who was coming off of a great streak of high-kick KO’s in Japan. After going to Japan and submitting veteran Hayato Sakurai, Diaz then got sweet revenge on KJ Noons. After another win, this time a submission victory over Cristiane Santos, Diaz was on his way to becoming the most dominant champion in Strikeforce history. And that’s not the hype talking: before his fight with Paul Daley, no Strikeforce champion in the history of the promotion had ever successfully defended his or her championship at least three times.

And for the most part, everyone thought Paul Daley would be cannon fodder when (not if) Nick Diaz brought this fight to the ground. Daley’s lack of ground game was always his Achilles Heel, and Diaz has that vaunted BJJ black belt under Cesar Gracie. A few fans were hopeful that Diaz would strike with Daley, but a lot more were realistic in thinking that the smarter move by far was to take this fight to the ground. As great of a striker as Nick Diaz is, Paul Daley’s nickname is a British explosive for a reason.

But of course, with Nick Diaz being Nick Diaz, doing the smart thing was one of the last things he wanted to do.

We all thought Nick Diaz would be a fool if he were to stand there and openly taunt a knockout artist like Paul Daley… and then he stood there and openly taunted Paul Daley. We all thought Paul Daley may finally be able to crack Nick Diaz’s chin… and then Paul Daley cracked Nick Diaz’s chin. But remarkably, Diaz survived and even thrived, to the point where the fight would end only minutes later with Paul Daley suffering the first proper (T)KO loss of his career.

It was, perhaps, one of the most exciting one-round fights in MMA history. It was an all-out brawl between two heavy-handed strikers. It was a fantastic comeback. It was an unexpected finish, given that no one had ever stopped Daley due to strikes. It was all that and more. Even though the fight lasted just one round, I definitely think Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley is the “Fight of the Half-Year”.

I’ll begin by offering a concession to Strikeforce: I don’t think women’s MMA will ever be on the level of men’s MMA. I know that sounds equally stupid and sexist, but I only mean that as it applies to mainstream acceptance and marketability. No matter what, some fight fans simply don’t find women’s fights interesting. If we go into why that is, we’d be here all day and that’s not the point of this topic. Whether it’s the smaller weight or the fact that they’re women, it’s probably unlikely that women’s MMA will ever reach the same level of respect, hype, and marketability as men’s MMA.

But with that said: in releasing Cristiane Santos, Strikeforce not only shot itself in the foot, but it let go of its best chance at making women’s MMA a respectable, marketable aspect of their promotion. And that’s not the fan in me talking, that’s the realist.

Allow me to explain myself by asking one simple question: what do MMA fans like the most? You can say it’s the ground game, or the technical stand-up, or all the many nuances that make this sport so multi-faceted. But I know and (be honest) you know what most people like the most about MMA: they like seeing someone get destroyed. Everyone likes seeing people get KTFO’d, or pummeled, or beaten down. We pay to see an MMA event, but what we really want are the dramatic finishes that we never forget. We want the destroyers and the knockout artists, that’s why people like Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva were at one time two of the biggest draws in MMA history.

And you know what Cristiane Santos is? Cristiane Santos is a destroyer.

How do you fumble the ball that badly? How do you fail to see the marketing potential of a Brazilian wrecking machine that goes out and just annihilates her opponents? Santos is 10-1, she’s only ever lost in her MMA debut, she’s got eight (T)KO’s, and she destroyed anyone Strikeforce put in her path, including Gina Carano, who was viewed as “The Face of Women’s MMA”. How do you release someone like that? How do you not give in to her demands when you know that she’s going to keep going out and putting on great fights, fights that routinely steal the show?

The only reason I can think of that makes any sense whatsoever is that Strikeforce just doesn’t care as much about their women’s division now that they belong to the UFC. And when the UFC does fold Strikeforce into itself, like we all know is going to happen, their women’s division won’t be coming with them.

I always say two things when I talk about Cristiane Santos. I believe in these sayings now more than ever. The first is that Santos is so good right now that she can basically just sit out as long as she wants to, waiting for the day until women’s MMA catches up to her. The second is a saying I believe wholeheartedly: “Gina Carano may be the face of women’s MMA, but Cristiane Santos is its soul”.

And when they let Cristiane Santos walk out the door as an unbeaten champion and the best, most marketable woman’s MMA fighter in the world… they removed the heart and soul of their women’s division. And that’s a loss I don’t think Strikeforce’s women’s division will ever fully recuperate from.

5. KJ Noons vs. Jorge Masvidal at Strikeforce: “Overeem vs. Werdum”.

Who would have thought that Jorge Masvidal would be the one to out-punch, out-last, and generally school KJ Noons in a fight that almost exclusively played itself out on the feet? I certainly didn’t. I don’t know what Jorge Masvidal that was, but for the first time in the longest time, it was a Jorge Masvidal I actually liked. Tasked to shine in a major match-up, Masvidal showed up like never before and left Noons a bloody, beaten mess. Noons, to his credit, never gave up and tried his hardest to make the fight competitive. Definitely a worthy starter to this list.

4. Matt Mitrione vs. Christian Morecraft at “UFC on Versus 4”

Christian Morecraft did his best to knock out Matt Mitrione, and it was very clear that both men had a lot of bad blood for each other and wanted to take it out on each other once the Octagon door closed. But with some of the best footwork in today’s Heavyweight division, Mitrione picked Morecraft apart before KO’ing him with a three-hit combo. It was a tough fight for both men, and a very entertaining bout.

3. Nazareno Malegarie vs. Jacob DeVree at Bellator 46.

Malegarie found himself in a bit of a “sink or swim” fight at Bellator 46, coming off of his first loss as a professional. For three rounds he constantly hunted for submissions, and for two of those rounds, DeVree was simply too elusive and made Malegarie pay for every attempt, scoring some good Ground and Pound and most likely walking away with the fight on the judge’s scorecards. But in the third and final round, Malegarie finally locked in a submission and forced the tapout. It was a great come-from-behind victory, and a pretty great fight as well.

2. Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry at “UFC on Versus 4”.

How could I not have this fight very, very high on a list like this? It was one of the most amazing comebacks of all time. This is a fight that will live on in highlight reels for years to come. Many people consider it one of the best comebacks in MMA and UFC history, others contend that it’s the best one period. But me? I just want to sit back and enjoy this fight… again and again and again. It’s a memory I won’t forget for a long time, and only one fight was better in terms of entertainment.

And the number-one fight of June 2011 was…

1. Junior dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin at UFC 131: “Dos Santos vs. Carwin”.

Destruction. Pure devastation. That’s what JDS did to Carwin at UFC 132. You could make a serious argument that the fight should have been stopped when JDS caught Carwin flush with a flurry and nearly knocked him out. But the fight went on, and by the end, Carwin looked as if he had spent the last fifteen minutes banging his head into a wall. And to be honest… he kinda did. The wall just happened to be hitting him and not him hitting it, and the wall was in the form of a dangerous Brazilian’s fist. Junior dos Santos gave a near-flawless performance at UFC 131, and with that and Carwin’s efforts to stay in the fight, I think this fight definitely deserves to be highlighted as the best fight of July 2011.

5. Paul Daley vs. Tyron Woodley at Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Henderson”

Say what you will about Paul Daley, and I’ve personally said plenty in my time, but the man is an entertaining fighter. His recent loss to Nick Diaz was one of the most exciting one-round fights of the year. Meanwhile, Tyron Woodley has been making waves on the lower-level “Challengers” shows with his growing skill and his finishing ability. With Daley’s original opponent bowing out, this is the opportunity of a lifetime for Tyron Woodley, especially now that the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship has been vacated. And that, combined with the fact that Paul Daley is rarely not entertaining, should result in one heck of a fight.

4. Pat Curran vs. Ronnie Mann at Bellator 47

Whoever wins this fight has got to be the favorite to win the entire “Summer Series” tournament. Both men gave fantastic performances in their first-round fights, and have been giving fantastic performances for quite some time. I don’t know what to expect from this fight, but only because both men are so versatile and can finish their opponent in so many different ways. It’s going to be an all-out war, and it should be one of the best fights of the month.

3. Marloes Coenen vs. Meisha Tate at Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Henderson”

In the fight that won her the championship, Marloes Coenen proved that her long arms and legs coupled with her skills as a veteran are enough to beat just about anybody. In her first defense of the championship, she proved to have the heart of a champion and never gave up, winning her fight in the fourth round despite being picked apart up until that point. Now, Coenen faces Meisha Tate, one of the most popular and well-rounded women’s fighters in Strikeforce. Can Coenen deal with such an all-around threat, especially after her image took a not-insignificant hit in her last fight? It’ll certainly be interesting to find out.

2. Joe Warren vs. Patricio Freire at Bellator 47.

As the saying goes, the “stars are aligned” for this fight and I’m thinking Freire will be able to take Warren out. Joe Warren’s last fight was one big blunder of a Bantamweight debut, prompting me to “award” Joe Warren my “Flop of the Month” for May 2011. And Patricio Freire has been looking all kinds of excellent lately. Whoever wins this fight will undoubtedly be the best Featherweight in Bellator, and it should be quite the rematch.

And my number-one most-anticipated fight of July 2011 is…

1. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson at Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Henderson”

This will be the fight that decides Fedor Emelianenko’s future. I can’t stand Fedor’s cynics, and it really angers me to think of what they’ll say if Emelianenko loses to a Dan Henderson that comes in at Heavyweight. But if Dan Henderson beats Fedor Emelianenko, it’ll be one of the biggest wins of his career and a crystal-clear statement that he’s back and better than ever.  But if Fedor Emelianenko beats Dan Henderson, he still might retire. I just don’t know what will happen to Fedor Emelianenko, even if he wins this match. And with Fedor one of my favorite fighters and one of the fighters I personally consider as a “best of all time” Mixed Martial Artist, there’s absolutely no chance that I’m missing this fight.

And there you have it, fans and friends!

As a special note, today the UFC will be holding its “UFC 132” event, which I’ve talked about at length for the past several days. So, with that said, UFC 132 will be omitted from this list.

July 22, 2011 – Strikeforce “Challengers 17”: This will be the first “Challengers” event to take place in the new, permanent home of the series: the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The change is definitely necessary, with Challengers still widely perceived as the “B-show” and especially with the recent underwhelming (in virtually all aspects) “Challengers 16” event. Thankfully, Strikeforce looks to rebound from their drab outing with a card packed with entertaining fighters.

Former champions, hungry upstarts, and battle-tested veterans all collide at “Challengers 17”. From Sarah Kaufman to Ovince St. Preux to Liz Carmouche to Roger Bowling and more, “Challengers 17” has several interesting match-ups and could be another “sleeper hit” in the grand tradition of the best “Challengers” shows.

July 23, 2011 – Bellator 47: Once UFC 132 wraps up tonight, MMA fans will have to deal with a small dry spell from the beginning of the month until the end of the month. Then we get three events in short order, including a miniature “Perfect Storm” featuring “Challengers 17” on July 22 and this card, Bellator 47, on July 23. Coming off one of the best shows they’ve ever ran, my anticipation for Bellator 47 is sky-high.

For this event, Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe Warren defends the championship against the fiery Patricio Freire, while Bellator’s Welterweight Tournament gets underway with names like Ben Saunders and Douglas Lima. And to top it all off, the event will also see both semi-final fights of Bellator’s “Summer Series” Featherweight Tournament, as Marlon Sandro fights Nazareno Malegarie and Pat Curran faces off against Ronnie Mann. From top to bottom, this card is practically exploding with potential.

July 30, 2011 – Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Henderson”: Even when you take UFC 132′s fights into consideration, the match-up between Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson has got to be the most important fight of the month. This will likely be the fight where the legendary Fedor’s career is on the line. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Fedor retired after losing to the current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, although it would break my heart. Plus, you’ve got Sarah Kaufman defending her women’s championship against the exciting and well-rounded Meisha Tate.

And now, here are some thoughts on how I think this month of will unfold.

My anticipation of “Challengers” events ebbs and flows based on the quality of the previous event. Then again, when my anticipation recedes in the way it did following “Challengers 16”, that’s usually when this series fires back with a great event and gets me excited to watch this series again. Hopefully “Challengers 17” is just such an occasion.

I think Bellator 47 could go down as one of the best events of the year, depending on how the fights turn out. For Bellator, it’s simply a ridiculously-stacked card filled with big stars in very smartly-booked fights.

And finally, all I’ll say about “Fedor vs. Henderson” is that I desperately want Fedor Emelianenko to win and not retire. But coming off of two humbling losses… I’m just not sure that he can beat Henderson. I certainly hope he can, though. My prediction for this fight as of now is… I don’t know who’ll win, but I do know that I’ll be sitting on the edge of my seat from the moment the first bell sounds.

I’ll start by getting the negativity out of the way. The show that obviously took last place and in fact came in dead last was Strikeforce’s “Challengers 16” event. It had only two fights that I would classify as “good”, with several fights that were outright boring. I’m a regular night owl, so I do like the fact that “Challengers” comes on during the late night. But even as a night owl, I found myself yawning during the “Challengers 16” broadcast. It honestly got that bad at times.

So, in a way, the least-best show of this “Perfect Storm” weekend was decided before the weekend was even through. So instead, let’s turn to the very close battle for supremacy between “UFC on Versus 4” and Bellator 46.

I’ll start with the runner-up: “UFC on Versus 4”. It was a great event, from top of bottom. It featured many finishes, several dramatic moments, and every single fight was available for free either on Versus or through Facebook. The prelims were good, the main card was good, and we got to see one of the craziest comebacks of all time.

So, make no mistake: “UFC on Versus 4” was a very good event.

It just so happens that Bellator 46 was amazing.

Everything you needed to know about Bellator, you could have learned from watching this event. They’re on an obscure network, yes. They have some relatively unknown fighters, yes. But the fighting spirit of both Bellator and its fighters is astonishing. This is a promotion that has never and will never go quietly into the night, this is a promotion that puts on shows so under-watched and under-rated that I’m beginning to think that MMA fans are outright hurting themselves by not watching and continuing to watch Bellator’s events.

So, how do you out-do a great show? By showing five fights and having four of them end in dramatic finishes, with three of them occurring inside the first round. Oh, and that fifth fight went over Bellator’s scheduled time. Rather than end the show early, Bellator instead decided to give us another fight and end their show late. Never let it be said that Bellator doesn’t care about its fans.

I’m not saying this as a Bellator fan, but simply as a realist. The UFC has the benefit of a Facebook broadcast and the muscle power of being the biggest MMA organization on the planet. Bellator simply has heart, and lots of it. When you add in the Facebook card, then yes, the UFC did have the better event because we got to see every single one of the “UFC on Versus 4” fights and most of them were good fights.

But here’s my point: when the biggest and best promotion in the world puts on a great show, it should be commended. When an upstart promotion that not many people know about puts on a show that puts virtually everything else to shame, including some of the UFC’s recent Pay-Per-Views, then that’s downright inspiring. While “UFC Prelims LIVE” is my new dark horse favorite, Bellator FC is similar to the WEC in virtually all other ways. And the last time I enjoyed a promotion this much, and found it under-rated this much, and wanted to see it succeed this much… was the WEC. For its continued efforts to break into the mainstream and for continually putting on amazing events, I think Bellator definitely won the “Perfect Storm” weekend.

5. Seeing and hearing the always-good announce team.

I’ve made no secret of my absolute hatred for the announcing team of Frank Shamrock, Gus Johnson, and Mauro Ranallo. In small bursts I can appreciate Shamrock and Ranallo, I absolutely despise Johnson, and when their powers combine, it’s like my ears are being assaulted every thirty seconds. Compare this to “Challengers”, which features the always-insightful Stephen Quadros and the equally-insightful former champion Pat Miletich. And “Challengers 16” was another good night for the team.

4. Jason High having a decent fight and still being unimpressed with his performance.

High is not a boring fighter. He’s just a wrestler. He’s a good wrestler, with good standup, although he’s been knocked out a few times. But I repeat: he is not a boring fighter. So it was a bit deflating to see him perform at “Challengers 16” in a fight that bordered on “Lay and Pray” at times. Thankfully, his displeased post-fight reaction redeemed him in my eyes. For Jason High giving us an average, bordering-on-good performance and hating himself for it, I think he deserves a spot on this list.

3. Lorenz Larkin’s comeback.

When Gian Villante spent most of the first round of his fight with Lorenz Larkin on top of Larkin and doing minimal damage, my hopes of their fight being entertaining were almost completely dashed. But luckily for this fight, Larkin made a big comeback starting in Round 2 and ultimately would win a competitive slugfest. Larkin saved both the show and its audience from another boring fight, and for that he should be commended.

2. Ryan Couture’s first loss.

It wasn’t easy seeing Ryan Couture lose for the first time. He’s got a good head on his shoulders, and he’s shown some real skill in his two pro MMA bouts. But I think this loss was good for him, it exposed some of his weaknesses while further showcasing his huge heart, impressive cardio, and growing abilities as an all-around good fighter. Plus, this was a really good, very competitive fight. It’s rare, but sometimes a fighter really does gain more from a loss than from a win. I think that’s what happened with Ryan Couture, and since it was such a fun fight, it definitely deserves a place on this list.

And my personal pick for the best moment of Strikeforce “Challengers 16” is…

1. The main event.

Caros Fodor is an entertaining fighter. James Terry is an entertaining fighter. And luckily, they matched up well with each other and gave us an entertaining fight. Neither man was gun-shy, they both wanted to finish and spent themselves in order to try and go for the finish. Their cardio wavered a bit in the third round, resulting in it being the weakest of the three rounds, but that’s only because both men put so much effort into the first two rounds. It was wild brawl and highly entertaining, and it definitely deserves the top spot on this list.

So there you have it, fans and friends: those are the moments I’ll be remembering from “Challengers 16″

Next for Julia Budd: Budd is going to stay on “Challengers” until she starts putting entertaining wins together. I understand that Budd played it safe because she was coming off of a fourteen-second KO loss, but that hardly excuses her abysmally boring performance. Budd won the fight but didn’t do herself any favors and didn’t win herself any fans at “Challengers 16”.

Next for Germaine de Randamie: The woman hyped as the “female Anderson Silva” sure did fizzle out pretty quickly. Germaine did show some impressive Muay Thai, so there’s a chance she could be called back. But with that bad of a ground game, I don’t see much of a future for her in Strikeforce.

Next for Jason High: High will get another fight at a “Challengers” event, and if he goes out and finishes his opponent he’ll be bumped up to the main show. High is an entertaining fighter that can get a little gun-shy due to the fact that he’s been KO’d a few times. But he’s got a good blend of wrestling and striking, and I can tell by his post-fight reaction that he’s a perfectionist. If High keeps pushing himself and improving, he’ll be on a main Strikeforce show by the end of this year.

Next for Lorenz Larkin: Hopefully Larkin drops to 185. He fits the 205 build well, but he’s not the most muscular man and he had trouble dealing with his opponent’s smothering wrestling. At 185 Larkin would look shredded, have good cardio, and pack a considerable punch. If he stays at Light Heavyweight, Larkin will keep winning until he comes across a 205’er with a really good wrestling game.

Next for Ryan Couture: Couture won’t be an overnight instant star, and that’s fine. His fight at “Challengers 16” showed several of his weaknesses, and I think this was a real learning experience for him. I predict that Couture will stay on Challengers for most of 2012, racking up some tough decision wins and a few submission wins. By late 2012 or early 2013, I think Ryan Couture will begin to fully realize his potential and could become a big star at Lightweight.

Next for Caros Fodor: I think Fodor is definitely deserving of a spot on the main card. No matter who his opponent is, Fodor simply keeps finding a way to break down his opponents. He may not all-out blitzkrieg destroy them, but by the end of the fight his opponents are bruised, bloody, and breathless. Fodor’s relentless pace, smart striking, and eagerness to engage leads me to believe that he’d be a perfect opponent for KJ Noons, who right now needs a good win over a tough opponent. If not Noons, look for Fodor to end 2011 on a main Strikeforce show against a main Strikeforce Lightweight. Josh Thomson would be an interesting candidate as well.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends.

Caros Fodor defeats James Terry via unanimous decision. Matt Ricehouse defeats Ryan Couture via unanimous decision. Lorenz Larkin defeats Gian Villante via unanimous decision. Jason High defeats Quinn Mulhern via unanimous decision. Julia Budd defeats Germaine de Randamie  via unanimous decision. Derek Brunson defeats Jeremy Hamilton via unanimous decision. Eduardo Pamplona defeats Jerron Peoples via TKO (punches) at 2:40 of Round 1. Trevor Smith defeats Keith Berry via technical submission (north-south choke) at 3:02 of Round 2.

To be bluntly honest, the night started out bad and got worse. In some small way, I’m a bit thankful that Julia Budd adopted a total “lay and pray” style to win her fight. Before this fight, I admit that I was a bit prejudiced. My prejudice was simple: I thought all female fights were entertaining, and that all female fighters were exciting. I was so accustomed to women fighters stealing the show with their really exciting performances that I forgot that “lay and pray” transcends all boundaries. In a way, Julia Budd opened my eyes. So part of me does thank her for showing me that no matter what sex you are or what weight division you compete in… anyone can go out there and lay on their opponent for three to five rounds and take advantage of a broken judging system to get the win.

Jason High was a bit more active against Quinn Mulhern, but that just wasn’t enough to save his fight from “average at best” territory. Even High wasn’t impressed by his performance! Everything you needed to know about High could be seen in his immediate reaction to the fight: giving himself a thumbs-down and seeming downright apologetic in his post-fight interview. I think High realized that he came to the border of “lay and pray”, and that’s not something he wants to do. So I do hope Jason High rebounds with a more-exciting performance next time.

Gian Villante started out his fight with Lorenz Larkin with some Lay and Pray, but fortunately for both this fight and my sanity, Lorenz Larkin dug deep, got a second wind, and took the next two rounds. I think Larkin is an interesting man and he can be a good fighter, just not at his current weight class. He has too much trouble dealing with wrestlers, his cardio is a bit too shoddy. If he stays at his current class he’ll remain on Challengers for some time, but I’d really like to see what he could do at Middleweight.

I enjoyed the next fight a lot, but it was very deflating to see Ryan Couture suffer his first loss. I certainly think he’ll go far, just not as soon as most “instant stars” of today. Matt Ricehouse is certainly an interesting fighter, and I’m looking forward to seeing more from him as well.

And in the main event, Fodor and Terry had a fun little fight that may not have ended via stoppage but was definitely the most-exciting fight of the night. Both men displayed crisp striking and good cardio, and overall I’ve got nothing really negative to say about this bout. It wasn’t as amazing as I’d hoped, but it was definitely a good fight.

Overall, I just have to wonder what happened to “Challengers”. This was not the series that used to be at the forefront to replace the WEC as my “little promotion that could”. This is an event where it became very obvious that “Challengers” is the “B” show. This is another “Challengers” event that I was particularly excited for, and it ended up really disappointing me. And the funny thing is, I’ve been most-impressed with “Challengers” events that I had no strong opinion on going in. I don’t know what that says about the “Challengers” series as a whole, all I know is that this was honestly one of the worst “Challengers” events I’ve ever seen.

We head to MMA Fighting for the official word. According to their report, an injury has forced “Cyborg” Santos to pull out of his upcoming fight with the British knockout artist. It is currently unknown who will replace Daley, it’s not even known whether or not Daley will still be competing on the card.

Ironically, both men have one big thing in common: they both lost to Nick Diaz in supremely humbling fashion in their most-recent fights. Heading into his showdown with Diaz, Santos held a barely-positive record of 18-13 and was soundly trounced by Diaz before succumbing to a second-round armbar. Many felt that Strikeforce was grasping at straws when putting someone like Santos, a longtime journeyman, into such a pivotal match-up.

Diaz’s next opponent, Paul Daley, was much more of a threat to Diaz’s reign. In perhaps the most exciting single-round fight of the last several years, Daley and Diaz fought an all-out war that saw both men dazed and hurt several times. After coming back from the razor’s edge and avoiding the first real KO loss of his career, Diaz ended the fight in the first round, stopping Daley due to strikes and giving “Semtex” the first real TKO loss of his career.

I definitely would’ve liked to see this fight, but if one of these fighters had to get injured, I’m glad it’s Santos. I know that sounds pretty insensitive, but I can’t help the way I feel. I think Paul Daley is a great addition to Strikeforce’s roster and gives them a badly-needed injection of talent. I think Daley will be a one-dimensional striker for the rest of his life, but he’s so entertaining and usually so dominant in that one dimension that I just can’t hold it against him. If he does decide to take a new opponent for “Fedor vs. Henderson”, I’ll certainly enjoy watching him fight.

Meanwhile, Evangelista Santos has never struck me as anything more than an up-and-down journeyman whose performances vary wildly based on the quality of the competition he’s facing. Much like I consider Valentijn Overeem “the other Overeem”, I consider Evangelista Santos “the other Cyborg”.

Of course, the removal of Santos makes me wonder who’s ready and deserving of a shot against Daley. But that just makes me think of an even bigger question that needs to be answered: what’s left for Paul Daley in Strikeforce? I’ll go one step further: what’s left for any Welterweight in Strikeforce?

When will Strikeforce crown a new Welterweight Champion now that Nick Diaz has vacated the belt and signed with the UFC? And let’s be honest: that new champion is going to have a long, hard road ahead of him if he wants to emerge out of the shadow of Diaz. Nick Diaz was one of Strikeforce’s biggest stars and one of its top draws both in television ratings and live attendance/gate receipts. He was mathematically, figuratively, and literally the most-dominant champion in Strikeforce history. Whoever wins the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship now that it’s vacated… I’ll always wonder “could he have beaten Nick?”

And I have a sinking feeling that I’m going to answer “no” to that question, time and time again. So, really, where does the Strikeforce welterweight division go from here?

Let’s first head to MMA Junkie for the all-important dollars and cents. According to their report, “Overeem vs. Werdum” drew 7,639 fans for a total gate of approximately $543,000. The website also lists an interesting comparison: the UFC held its “UFC 103” event at the same venue and drew 17,428 fans for a gate of approximately 2.4 million dollars.

We then head to Sherdog for the list of “Overeem vs. Werdum” medical suspensions, which was only released yesterday. They are as follows:

Alistair Overeem: suspended until June 28

Fabricio Werdum: suspended until June 28

Josh Barnett: suspended until June 28

Brett Rogers: suspended until June 28

Jorge Masvidal: suspended until June 28

K.J. Noons: suspended until July 19

Daniel Cormier: suspended until June 28

Jeff Monson: suspended until June 28

Chad Griggs: suspended until June 28

Valentijn Overeem: suspended until July 19

Gesias Cavalcante: suspended until June 28

Justin Wilcox: suspended until Aug. 3

Magno Almeida: suspended until June 28

Conor Heun: suspended until Aug. 28

Nah-Shon Burrell: suspended until June 28

Joe Ray: suspended until July 27

Isaac Vallie-Flagg: suspended until June 28

Brian Melancon: suspended until June 28

Mike Bronzoulis: suspended until June 28

Todd Moore: suspended until June 28

And finally, we head back to MMA Junkie for some very good news on the Showtime ratings of “Overeem vs. Werdum”. According to their report, this event was the second most-watched event in the history of the Strikeforce/Showtime partnership. The event averaged 624,000 viewers and peaked at 719,000. While “Silva vs. Fedor” still holds the crown as the most-watched Strikeforce event in Showtime history with 741,000 average viewers, “Overeem vs. Werdum” now sits comfortably ahead of the former second most-watched show, “Carano vs. Cyborg”, which averaged 576,000 viewers. And for all you Nick Diaz fans out there, Diaz-headlined cards still hold the fourth and fifth slots of the Top 5, with “Diaz vs. Cyborg” at four and “Diaz vs. Daley” at five.

I’m very glad that this event was such a big ratings success for Strikeforce. I admit that the main event wasn’t good and it has in fact divided a lot of fans, but I don’t think that should detract from what was an otherwise good event. We had some good finishes and some tough wars, and I’m glad that so many of Strikeforce’s 2011 shows have been setting ratings records.

I just wished their attendance figures were able to keep up. I thought they pulled a good number for “Overeem vs. Werdum” until that report pointed out the huge disparity between the amount of fans Strikeforce drew and the amount of fans the UFC pulled in. This is a further reminder that the UFC holds all the cards and will dictate the future of the sport for the next five or even ten years, at the very least. I also have to once again wonder how long the UFC keeps Strikeforce alive as an active promotion before folding it into the UFC, as we all know they’re going to do, as we all know they’ve done in the past.

But, in the here and now, this show seemed like a good success for Strikeforce, and for that I’m thankful.

5. There’s not much else on, and “Challengers” certainly deserves your support.

It’s strange that one of the weaknesses of this card is also one of its biggest strengths. If you’re not a night person, you’ll probably either be in bed, heading to bed, or even asleep by the time this show comes on. But if you are a night person, this is a great way to spend several hours that would’ve likely been spent watching repeats and late-night programming. Plus, “Challengers” has set itself apart and is now no longer the “B” show”, but rather an entirely different series with its own unique feel and flavor. And that’s certainly worthy of your support, or at least it should be.

4. Lorenz Larkin vs. Gian Villante should be an interesting look at where both fighter’s stand right now, as well as an entertaining bout.

If Lorenz Larkin is able to beat and/or stop Gian Villante, he’ll likely be moved up to the main card. Larkin is an entertaining kickboxer with a lot of power behind his shots. Likewise, Gian Villante will get right back onto the main Strikeforce shows if he can defeat Lorenz Larkin. Whoever wins this fight gets a shot at the big-time, and typically that strong of a motivating factor results in a good fight.

3. The women could steal the show, both because they usually do and because this fight in particular has a very interesting dynamic.

I’m a big fan of women’s MMA, and for good reason. Ever since the old EliteXC days, women fighters have routinely put on some of the best fights on the card. This particular fight between Julia Budd and Germaine de Randamie also seems to have a “blink and you’ll miss it” appeal. Both of these women come out swinging with authority, wanting to either get the (T)KO or get (T)KO’d.

2. The return of Ryan Couture.

It’s rare for the son of a famous fighter to follow in his father’s footsteps and attain the same level of success. Far too often, the son is a pampered brat that ultimately washes out when faced against serious competition. Yet Ryan Couture has an admirable amount of respect and humility for a man as young as he is and with such a legendary last name. I can’t say for certain if he’ll ever live up to his father’s legacy, but I do think that he’s off to a great start. I’m very interesting in seeing Ryan Couture develop, and I think it’s well worth it to tune in and watch this show so I can see how he’s coming along.

And the number-one reason to watch “Challengers 16” is…

1. The main event should guarantee fireworks.

Caros Fodor vs. James Terry is a fight that simply makes sense. Both men looked very impressive at the last “Challengers” event, Fodor even won my “Best Performance of the Night” award. Both men are on good win-streaks, both men love to fight for the finish. I don’t know where it’ll go and I can only predict how it will end, but I know that we’re in for a good fight with this one.

So there you have it, fans and friends: five great reasons to tune in and see “Challengers 16”.

James Terry vs. Caros Fodor: This is a tough fight to call, and I’ll have to rely on history to make my pick. Not either fighter’s past, just history in general. Here’s what I mean: when you typically get these “grappler vs. striker” match-ups with two fighters that are good at everything but just happen to be better at one thing, the fight usually goes one of three ways. Someone gets KO’d or submitted, and that’s rare due to the skill of both men. The second outcome is when a submission fighter has only passable stand-up, and ultimately he gets out-boxed for three rounds. The third outcome is when the submission fighter has improving stand-up and he takes a close Split Decision. Here’s where I apply that to this fight in particular: in his last fight, Caros Fodor looked to have rapidly-improving stand-up. Fodor is going to prove a lot in this fight, but it’s going to be very close, so I’m calling for him to win by Split Decision.

Ryan Couture vs. Matt Ricehouse: Matt Ricehouse may be 4-0 with three finishes, but Ryan Couture is Ryan Couture. I hate to sound like a fanboy, but I’ve simply been very impressed with Ryan Couture the two times I’ve seen him fight. He’s still got plenty of rough edges, but the raw talent is there, the submission skill is there, and Strikeforce knows what they’re doing by giving him tough fighters that are also relatively new to the sport. I’m calling for Couture to win by submission in Round 2.

Gian Villante vs. Lorenz Larkin: Lorenz Larkin did impress me at “Challengers 15”, although Gian Villante faced tougher competition in his last fight. Then again, that fight was against Chad Griggs, and Villante did lose it by first-round TKO. Villante seems to like to brawl, while Larkin is more of a kickboxer and likes to soften people up with leg kicks. That’s how I think this fight will go: Villante will come in with a head of steam only to get kicked repeatedly in the leg, weakening his punches to the point where he’ll be unable to get the KO. From there, all Larkin has to do is avoid any Hail Mary salvos and continue to pick Villante apart. Lorenz Larkin wins by Unanimous Decision.

Germaine de Randamie vs. Julia Budd: This is a tough fight to call. Budd was KO’d in just fourteen seconds of her last fight, while Germaine won by first-round KO in her last fight. That kind of disparity seems to tip the scales solely in Germaine’s favor. But something tells me that won’t be the case. Anyone can get flash KO’d, and Julia Budd strikes me as a pretty tough person. Still, I think she’s going to lose. I just don’t think it’ll be quite as one-sided as her last loss. Germaine de Randamie will win by Unanimous Decision.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends.

The Event: Strikeforce “Challengers 16”, currently scheduled for June 24, 2011 at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington. The main card of this event will be broadcast live on the Showtime network starting at 11 PM ET/PT.

Why You Should Care: As always, “Challengers” series are an interesting mix of up-and-coming fighters and veterans hungry for another shot at the limelight. It’s a good series as a whole, with some of their events being downright sleeper hits. In this event in particular, you’ve got the return of Ryan Couture as well as a very interesting Lightweight match-up in the main event.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: Caros Fodor is currently on a three-fight win-streak and has won ten of his last eleven fights, with an outstanding nine finishes, many of them submissions. Meanwhile, James Terry is also on a three-fight win-streak and is coming into this event on the heels of back-to-back (T)KO wins. It has all the makings of a fantastic “striker vs. grappler” encounter.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: Ryan Couture is the son of legendary UFC Hall of Fame member Randy Couture, and he’s an interesting young man and a rapidly-developing fighter. The young Couture has all the integrity and humility of his elder father, and in his two professional MMA fights so far, he’s shown a lot of promise, event hints of greatness. Couture will look to continue his evolution at this event, and seeing a fighter evolve right before our eyes is one of the best things about the “Challengers” series.

Why You Should Watch This Card: It’s free MMA on TV, during late-night programming when not much else is on, and it kicks off an epic three-day MMA smorgasbord. Also, the last “Challengers” event featured one bad fight that was completely overshadowed by four really good finishes. Plus, the main event sounds excellent on paper and Ryan Couture is quickly turning into a can’t-miss prospect.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: 11 PM Eastern, you say? That’s two hours past the UFC’s newly-implemented start time, and to be honest, I’ve really grown to love that earlier start time and have gotten used to it. One of my good friends actually arrived early to the latest Strikeforce event since he forgot that Strikeforce is still on the old time system. It’s a good card, and it does have potential, but you’ll either have to be a real “Challengers” fan, a real night owl, or have the next day off in order to fully enjoy this card.

Closing Thoughts: I’ve been a fan of this series for a long time, and trust me, I’m definitely a night person. Things may change from now until then, but right now I can say with certainty that if I’m able to watch this event, I will. In two fights, I’ve become a fan of Ryan Couture, and both men in the main event of “Challengers 16” had really impressive showings at “Challengers 15”. This series will likely continue to fly under the radar due to it airing very late at night and basically being the “B” show, but I’ll certainly continue to appreciate it.