A while back, when I posted my “Fighter of the Half-Year” and “Fight of the Half-Year” picks, I said I wouldn’t do anything else since virtually everyone else was doing them as well and doing a whole lot of them, plus I was busy covering the multitude of UFC and strikeforce news and notes we as fans are bombarded with on a daily basis. But after reading this excellent article over at MMA Fighting, I got to thinking that I should make a special exception today, in order to highlight a gigantic shift in MMA that shocked the entire world. So here’s why I agree that Zuffa purchasing Strikeforce was the biggest news story of the year so far. ...

With a series of shocking developments and interesting finishes, the first round of strikeforce’s World Heavyweight Grand Prix is now in the history books. Four men survived the first round: Sergei Kharitonov, Antonio Silva, Josh Barnett, and Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem. We even know what second-round fights will take place: Overeem faces Silva while Kharitonov will go up against Barnett. But, until today, we didn’t know exactly when these fights take place. But in a new report it’s been revealed that September could see these two massive fights go down. Here are all the details. ...

Hello again fans and friends and welcome to the start of a new weekly series! The “Thursday Round-Up” will feature a variety of interesting stories from around the internet. So without further ado, here are some of the top MMA stories from around the web. 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) ...

Fans of strikeforce awoke to some shocking news today. It was reported on Strikeforce.com that Fedor Emelianenko would be heading to the ufc following his July 30 encounter with Dan Henderson. Emelianenko’s first opponent? None other than Anderson Silva, with the fight contested possibly at Light Heavyweight or, and this was a shocker, at Middleweight for the UFC Middleweight Championship. And in even bigger news, the winner would face Georges St. Pierre. It sounded too good to be true… and it was. Here are all the details. ...

Now that 2011 is already halfway through, multiple websites and even the UFC have released their fair share of “Best of the Half-Year” awards. I recently got in on the fun as well, but recently an additional thought hit me: there’s a lot of good fights heading our way! So since I’ve already looked back on the best moments of 2011, I think it’d be great to take a look forward at what will probably be some of the defining moments of the rest of the year. So here we go: these are my top five most-anticipated fights for the rest of 2011. ...

Well… that was fast. Either I have the absolute worst timing in the world, or… no, I just happen to have the absolute worst timing in the world. As stated before, strikeforce recently (as in last week) failed to come to terms with their 145-pound women’s champion Cristiane Santos in time for Santos to stay with Strikeforce and not become a free agent. I took my sweet time to give my sincere thoughts on the situation, but I finally got around to doing so yesterday. And now, it’s being reported that Strikeforce has come to terms with “Cyborg” after all, ending her brief period as a free agent. What a strange world we live in, fans and friends. Here are all the details. ...

Where does the time go, fans and friends? It seems like it was only yesterday that I was ringing in the new year and thinking that 2011 would be a crazy, fantastic year for MMA. I’m very happy to say that I was right, for the most part. Now it’s six months down and six to go, and everyone’s doing a slew of  “Half-Year” awards. Me? I’ll contribute to the debate, but since I’ve been doing a lot of “lists posts” lately, I’ll stick to the two biggest half-year awards: fight and fighter. So let’s get started by looking back on Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley: my “Fight of the Half-Year”. ...

For those of you that may not know, Strikeforce recently was unable to come to a new agreement with Cristiane Santos, their 145-pound Women’s champion. I avoided talking about the release of “Cyborg” Santos for two major reasons. First and foremost, I wanted to give myself some time to cool off, since as a Santos super-fan, I probably would’ve flown into a ranting, raving tirade had I initially reported on Santos’ dismissal. Secondly, I got very caught up in the “Perfect Storm” weekend, and then UFC 132 directly after that. But now that all that’s behind me, I think I’m ready to talk about this topic in earnest. So here goes. ...

Hello again fans and friends, and welcome to the start of a new once-a-month series! With how insanely stuffed full of good MMA action June 2011 was, I figured it would only be suitable to start a “Top 5 Fights of the Month” post with June as the inaugural month. Not only will this topic give readers the chance to look back and discuss all the best moments of the previous month, it’ll also be a way for me to one day select a “Fight of the Year” by facing off the individual “Fight of the Month” winners against each other. So, with all that said, let’s take a look at the five best fights of June 2011. ...

It’s that time again, fans and friends. A new month will soon be upon us, which means all-new fights and much-anticipated epic encounters. Near the start of every month I’ll be counting down the five fights I’m looking forward to the most, and why I’m looking forward to them. This is “Top 5 Most Anticipated Fights of July 2011”. Let’s get started. ...

Hello once more fans and friends and welcome back to “Sneak Peek”! Alongside my monthly “Top 5 Most Anticipated Fights” post, “Sneak Peek” is a once-a-month post giving fans a look at what they can expect as we’re about to start another month of MMA action. “Sneak Peek” will give fans a quick synopsis of all the major MMA cards going down in any particular month. So let’s dive right in with today’s edition, covering the month of July 2011. ...

Last week, we were treated to what I dubbed “The Perfect Storm”. We had “Strikeforce Challengers 16” on Friday, Bellator 46 on Saturday, and “UFC on Versus 4” on Sunday. It was a weekend filled with dramatic stoppages, dozens of free fights, and big names across three promotions. So who won the weekend? Which event was, for lack of a better term, the “pound-for-pound” best? Read on as I explore what I liked and disliked about all three events, and also why I’m giving the nod to Bellator despite a great “UFC on Versus 4” event. ...

Strikeforce’s “Challengers 16” was an unfortunately underwhelming event. It had a few good fights, but far and away it was an event plagued by not-so-good performances and outright boring encounters. Still, the night was not a total waste. But which stars shined brightest, and what moments will fans be talking about in the following weeks? Here’s my take on the matter: my top 5 best moments of Strikeforce: “Challengers 16”. ...

The sixteenth edition of Strikeforce’s “Challengers” series of events is now over and done with, and what a strange event it was. For a card that looked great on paper, a vast majority of the fights ended up being let-downs. Even the good fights didn’t live up to their full potential. Now once again it’s time to ask: what’s next? What does the future hold after such a unique stumbling block? Here’s my answer to just that: a new edition of my “What’s Next for the Winners and Losers” series of articles, now featuring Strikeforce “Challengers 16”. ...

The first event of the three-day special I’ve come to call “The Perfect Storm” is over. And much like a storm, the weekend of three major promotions holding three separate events on three separate days is off to a very rough start. Strikeforce recently presented its “Strikeforce Challengers 16” event, and not a single fight of the five-fight main card late-night broadcast saw a finish. Here are the full results as well as some early commentary on “Strikeforce Challengers 16”. ...

A little over a month from now, Strikeforce will look to hold its next big event. On July 30 Strikeforce is scheduled to present “Fedor vs. Henderson”, featuring the legendary Fedor Emelianenko taking on current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Dan Henderson in a Heavyweight bout. One of the most-anticipated encounters outside that main event was a match-up between Paul Daley and Evangelista Santos, but recently it’s been confirmed that that’s a fight that will no longer be happening. Here are all the details. ...

Although it took place last week, new information continues to be released for strikeforce’s “Overeem vs. Werdum” event. Just yesterday, the official medical suspensions for the event were made available. In addition to the live attendance figures and the Showtime ratings information, we now have a pretty clear picture on how successful this event was. Read on for the official medical suspensions, live attendance, gate receipts, and ratings for “Overeem vs. Werdum”. ...

On June 24, 2011, Strikeforce will hold its “Challengers 16” event, featuring four free fights on Showtime. The main event features two exciting Lightweights that are both on impressive win-streaks, while the co-main event features Ryan Couture, the son of Randy Couture, who is quickly emerging as a star in his own right. Still, some fans may be asking themselves: what are the best reasons to check out this card? Here’s my answer to just that: 5 reasons to watch “Challengers 16”. ...

We’re now only a few days away from the sixteenth entry into Strikeforce’s “Challengers” series of events. In the main event, grappling expert Caros Fodor takes on James Terry, who has (T)KO’d his last two opponents. The co-main event will also be an interesting match-up, as Ryan Couture returns to Strikeforce and looks to continue his run as an unbeaten professional Mixed Martial Artist. As is customary, here is my official “picks and predictions” post (covering who I think will win and why), now featuring Strikeforce "Challengers 16". ...

Hello once more fans and friends and welcome to the latest edition of “Crash Course”. “Crash Course” is a series of articles designed to give readers a quick rundown on all the relevant information they need to know heading into an upcoming major MMA event. Everything from why you should watch, what you should expect in the co-main and main event, and even where and when you can find it on TV is all covered in detail. So let’s get right to it with today’s edition, featuring Strikeforce “Challengers 16”. ...

When most MMA fans think of MMA, they think of a legitimate sport with a proud history and several amazing fighters. However, like any sport, MMA is also a business. Without money to keep a promotion afloat, no one gets paid and the best fights simply never get the chance of happening. Recently, two interesting business-related changes have occurred that could have far-ranging effects. Here are all the details. ...

Hello once more fans and friends and welcome to another new edition of “Best of the Rest”! I really enjoy taking the time to give my detailed thoughts on a show after watching it, but after the serious discussion and debate I’ll raise in topics like “Top 5 Best Moments” and “Best Performance of the Night”, I think it’d be nice to have a semi-serious, occasionally tongue-in-cheek topic where I give out some other “awards”. It’s all in good fun, although I’ll raise a serious point occasionally. So let’s dive right into this latest edition, now featuring Strikeforce: “Overeem vs. Werdum”. ...

It’s that time once again, fans and friends. Another major MMA event has come and gone, and it’s time for my unofficial “Best Performance of the Night” award. Strikeforce “Overeem vs. Werdum” featured several strong performances, so it was tough to choose just one to highlight. We saw Chad Griggs blast apart Valentijn Overeem, Daniel Cormier dominate Jeff Monson, and Jorge Masvidal outshine and outclass KJ Noons. But it all paled in comparison to one man’s complete domination of a hulking behemoth with dynamite in his hands. Here’s why Josh Barnett’s submission win over Brett Rogers took home “Best Performance of the Night”. ...

Strikeforce’s “Overeem vs. Werdum” event has so far received some very diverse reactions. Many people argue over how the main event between Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum went down, with many agreeing that it was a bad fight that proved relatively little for both fighters. But this wasn’t a one-fight show, and we did see several entertaining finishes. But which stars shined brightest, and what moments will fans be talking about in the following weeks? Here’s my take on the matter: my top 5 best moments of Strikeforce “Overeem vs. Werdum”. ...

Strikeforce “Overeem vs. Werdum” was an interesting event dominated almost completely by Heavyweight fighters. We saw some good fights, some interesting finishes, and a main event that honestly fell far short of expectations. Now once again it’s time to ask: what’s next? What does the future hold now that the Quarterfinals of the Strikeforce World Heavyweight Grand Prix are over? Here’s my answer to just that: a new edition of my “What’s Next for the Winners and Losers” series of articles, now featuring Strikeforce “Overeem vs. Werdum”. ...

After a month-long hiatus, upstart promotion turned Zuffa-owned Strikeforce returned last night with its “Overeem vs. Werdum” event. In a night that saw many interesting fights, fans got to see big submissions, tough three-round wars, and a very bizarre performance in the main event. Here are the full results as well as some early commentary on Strikeforce: “Overeem vs. Werdum”. ...

In mere hours, strikeforce is set to present “Overeem vs. Werdum”. It’s an event that I’ve spoken about at length, and one that I’m incredibly excited for. In terms of pure excitement, the only thing that really comes close is the trifecta of shows planned for next week. You read that right, fans and friends: throughout next week, three major MMA promotions will hold three major MMA events on three separate days. Instead of two shows going head-to-head and forcing viewers to choose which one to watch and which one to skip or record or flip to occasionally, we’ll be getting a “perfect storm” of good MMA. Here are some early details on all three major shows planned for next week. ...

Today, June 18, 2011, Strikeforce will hold its highly-anticipated “Overeem vs. Werdum” event, featuring the final two match-ups of the opening round of Strikeforce’s World Heavyweight Grand Prix. Also, the card features hot prospects like Daniel Cormier, grizzled veterans like Jeff Monson, and former title challengers like KJ Noons. Still, some fans may be asking themselves: what are the best reasons to check out this card? Here’s my answer to just that: 5 reasons to watch “Overeem vs. Werdum”. ...

We’re now only a few days away from Strikeforce's “Overeem vs. Werdum” event. In the main event, Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem will step into the cage against Fabricio Werdum. The co-main event will also be an interesting match-up, as former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett takes on Brett Rogers. As is customary, here is my official “picks and predictions” post (covering who I think will win and why), now featuring Strikeforce: “Overeem vs. Werdum”. ...

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