The Ultimate "Heavyweight" Fighter Season 10 Roster

By now everyone in the MMA world is buzzing about The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 with the inclusion of much needed Heavyweight fighters and some dude named Kimbo. The rumored roster has been leaked onto the Internet and is as follows:

Kimbo Slice: The YouTube Internet sensation who shook up the MMA world on hype and not actual ability is the main draw. The former Bas Rutten protege is 6′2″, 230 pounds, 35 years of age, with massive striking and zero ground game. He was told by UFC President Dana White that the only chance he had of fighting in the UFC was if he made it through a season of The Ultimate Fighter. Slice stepped up to said challenge and is looking to fight his way into the UFC and prove the haters wrong. Kimbo is actually quite humble and regardless of how he does on the show, this will only bolster his reputation and help him learn the complicated MMA game.
Roy Nelson: “Big Country” has a 13-4 record and faced the likes of Andrei Arlovski, Ben Rothwell, Jeff Monson, and Brad Imes though he only defeated the latter. A hero to the laymen because of his appearance as a beer bellied fighter with pretty damn good hands and a surprisingly quick game can do work on the floor as well. The guy can flat out fight, is my initial pick to win the whole season, and is looking for endorsements with "Pizza Hut and Taco Bell" showing the guy has a sense of humor as well. He was also the only Heavyweight Champion of the now defunct IFL.

Marcus Jones: Mr. Jones was a former NFL defensive tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jones has a world of potential and has been described by many as having freakish, inhuman strength. He has been doing his fight training at Gracie Tampa with Rob Kahn so you know his submission defense should be up to par. At 6′6″ and 260 athletic pounds Jones will be a serious force to be reckoned with in the house.
Wes Shivers: Wes is a former Tennessee Titan but ended up with the Atlanta Falcons where he played briefly during the 2000 season before leaving the sport to pursue a career in fighting. I don't know much else.
Scott Junk: "Punk Haole" is 6′1″ 265 pounds with a record of 6-2 losing to former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez (who is still fat as fuck) and Christian Wellisch in his last bout that took place at UFC 76. Yes the man has already had a shot at the UFC as well as going 0-2 in K-1.
Jim York: The New Zealander with the imaginative nickname of "Big" is a 33 year old striker who is 6′1″ and around 260 pounds. At 10-2 he notable lost to Yoshihiro “Kiss” Nakao at Sengoku in 2008 but also defeated glass jaw James “Colossus” Thompson by TKO in a brutal back and forth affair at a Sengoku in 2008. He also got 5 of his wins via submissions.
Wes Sims: Hammer House's "Project" is a loud mouthed wanna be WWE wrestler who famously went 0-3 in the UFC losing to Frank Mir twice. The kid is known to throw a dropkick and try to execute other "professional wrestler" moves in MMA fights and has a record of 22-12. Everyone always wants to know who will be the camera mugging dumb ass or Chris Leben if you will, and Wes is that guy.

Matt Mitrione: This former New York Giant has had some amateur experience but has to fight a professional MMA bout. He currently trains with UFC heavyweight veteran Jake O’Brien so he probably knows how to lay on people.
Mike Wessel: Mike brings "westside pride" to the show and had a cut of coffee with the UFC via TKO to Antoni Hardonk. To be fair he only had a week's notice for the fight. Mike had 3 more fights left on his contract with the UFC but I guess they gave him the TUF option or getting cut.
Justin Wren: Travis Lutter's student is only 22 but almost made the last Olympic wrestling team for America before being injured. He is 6-1 as a professional with 5 (T)KO's and 1 submission.
Jon Madsen: The Matt Hughes HIT Squad student trains with the greatest Welterweight of all time as well as Robbie Lawler and Drew McFedries. That is pretty good company but has only had 1 pro fight which he won by KO.
Brendan Schaub: Yet another NFLer, the former Buffalo Bill with a 4-0 record all coming by way of KO and none lasting longer than 1:27 into the 1st round! He was the 2008 Colorado Open Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Absolute Advanced Grand Champion on top of becoming a Golden Gloves boxing champion. He has been a long time training partner to UFC heavyweight title contender Shane Carwin and has spent some of his time training out of Greg Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sounds like a damn impressive resume to me.
Zak Jensen: 7-3 in MMA losing to the likes of Brad Imes and Mike Whitehead, Jensen’s most recent appearance saw him knocking out Matt Hirsch in the first round at Brutaal: Fight Night on February of 2008.
Darrill Schoonover: The undefeated 10-0 figher has finished 5 bouts by (T)KO and the other 5 by submission. The 23 year old Texan is a bit light for Heavyweight at 218 pounds but size isn't everything as Rashad Evans would say.

Abe Wagner: Wagner fights out of Nebraska, probably friendly with fellow Husker Houston Alexander holding a record of 6-2. He has won his last 3 fights and has steadily improved his game.
Tom Blackledge: Thomas is our token Brit with a lackluster record of 8-6, and has lost to the likes of the UFC's Stefan Struve. One of Michael Bispings boys from the Wolfslair Academy, the guy is likely to get good TV time.

Well there you have it and don't forget these are still rumors at this time. Haters be damned I am looking forward to season 10 of TUF and am interested to see how all the big boys do.

MMA Melee 6-23-09 The #1 MMA News Source!

Gegard Mousasi got a new opponent for Affliction III in Renato Sobral, now the man he was originally scheduled to face, Vitor Belfort, has a new matchup as well as he takes on fellow UFC veteran and highly-ranked middleweight Jorge Santiago in a 185-lb contest at the August 1st event. Then its off to the UFC for the "Phenom" as Dana White surprised the MMA world by singing the praises of Vitor at the TUF 9 finale and stating he wishes to sign Belfort to the UFC and possibly fight Anderson Silva for the title! Wow, its all about the money fights to Don King, er Dana and not who deserves the title shot.

As everyone knows by now, “Kimbo Slice” will be among the 16 heavyweight fighters to join the 10th season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which has started shooting in Las Vegas. Kimbo has stated, "It’s an opportunity for me to prove myself, being a mixed martial artist coming from the backyard, coming from being a street fighter and all. It’s time for me to step my game up. I’m coming here to kick ass and take names and to continue to feed myself and my family.”
It should be interesting, given some of the things I’ve said about him,” White told Yahoo Sports Monday. Slice addressed the criticism from the UFC boss.
“DW can say whatever the [expletive] he wants,” Slice said. “The greatest revenge, to my knowledge, is success. I don’t care about the shit talking.” Of course there are no hard feelings as Dana has Kimbo on commercials for the next TUF and he looks like the lone fighter. Anybody else hear the rumor that Roy Nelson may be on the show? Hmmmmm.

2008 Olympic Gold Medalist in Judo, Satoshi Ishii, has signed with World Victory Road to fight in their SENGOKU event. No debut date was announced but he is expected to debut within the year. This is easily the biggest signing of the year and a HUGE signing for WVR. When speaking about the reason he chose SENGOKU he said that in Japan, SENGOKU is the organization he respects the most. He also said that Josh Barnett will face the worlds strongest in Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction. If Josh wins he will become the strongest in the world and with a fighter like that existing in SENGOKU, it will have another attraction. Another reason is that his Judo seniors such as Yoshida, Takimoto, and Nakamura are SENGOKU fighters. The bidding war is now over and the UFC lost out even after flying the kid to America and buying him hookers.

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou has apologized for his unprofessional after the bell attack on Jan Nortje at DREAM's Super-Hulk tournament. “There is no bad blood … Actually, [Nortje] is a really cool guy. We met at the bus on the way to the hotel. We were always nice to each other. It’s just one of those moments where – you know I lost two fights in a row, and I was in a state where I told myself, ‘There’s no way I can lose this fight. I got [Nortje] on the ground, just like I thought I would do, and I was pounding and I didn’t want to stop … But I should have stopped. There’s no bad blood. He’s been nice. We’ve run into each other, and every time he’s always been a gentlemen. I feel like a douche bag doing it. I’m really sorry for it.” Soko is a sad panda. Apology accepted but I have to think the extra curriculars may have something to do with Socko being the "African Assassin" and Jan being from Africa as he white oppressor.

Xavier Foupa-Pokam, who signed with the UFC earlier this year and went 0-2 in a one-month span, has been released by the organization. The growing UFC cut list includes fan favorite Jason MacDonald, the unnoticed David Bielkheden, underachiever Ryo Chonan, TUF 8 runner-up Vinny Magalhaes, and MMA good guy but past his prime David Loiseau. All these guys still have talent and could earn a way back especially the "Athlete."

Chicago police officer and one-time PRIDE competitor Mike Russow has inked a four-fight deal with the UFC , the fighter recently confirmed to Chicago's MMA. The 32-year-old heavyweight holds a professional MMA record of 11-1 and has won his last seven fights. Russow's one loss was at PRIDE 33 in February 2007 against Sergei Kharitonov. Russow made a better impression in front of the PRIDE execs at "Yarennoka" on New Year's Eve 2007 when he submitted Roman Zentsov. I guess the guy doesn't like Russians.

**The Arianny Celeste picture is there just because I think its hot for all the wrong reasons.

TUF 9 Finale=Decisions & Upsets

Diego Sanchez is just so hateable. I mean, yes, the Split-Decision win was legit over Clay Guida, but the guy is a Tony Robbins (the motivational speaker) disciple, bizarre to the point of being detached from reality, and he's a bad ass fighter who almost put the "Carpenter" out cold twice in the fight. I hate him and a title shot may be looming. Clay, I love ya buddy but a change in camp along with a striking coach like Sean Tompkins is in order.

James Wilks may have put in the most impressive performance of the night running a Jiu-Jitsu clinic on the wildly over matched Damarques Johnson and securing the TUF Season 9 Middleweight trophy. Very impressive and Johnson goes back to obscurity.

Another highly durable fighter in Chris Lytle almost got shutdown by Chris "FOUL" Burns. I call him "Foul" because the guy has grievously fouled an opponent in every damn fight he has had in the UFC! An eye poke on Anthony Johnson, and repeated nut shots on Lytle. It wouldn't work in the end as Chris slowly pulled away from Burns and bloodied the young fighter ending in a unanimous decision.

Lets here it for the little guy as the cool Brit everyone was rooting for named Ross Pearson defeated Andre Winner in a very close yet lackluster fight. Hey, the guys usually train together so a stalemate isn't a surprise. I don't usually like the TUF training videos before the fights but check out Pearson's. Ya just wanna hug the cool little fella.

Joe Stevenson played "Daddy" on Nate Diaz as he showed just brilliant and a plethora of wrestling moves. Nate tried valiantly but was outmatched by Stevenson who looked reborn returning to his wrestling roots via the Greg Jackson training camp. Joe "Daddy" ain't dead yet and another Diaz is close to getting bounced from the UFC.

Melvin Guillard, Brad Blackburn, and Tomasz Drawl all pulled upset wins while Jason Dent and Nick Osipczak held their favorite status in Vegas.

What an abysmal night of bad picking but its worth it to see the Brits beat the Americans for the season. Picks=4-6 Thank Allah for ShoMMA in which I went a last second 5-0 on the predictions.

ShoMMA Strikeforce Challengers II

This has got to be a "quick picks" because the show is coming on Showtime as I write.

I'll take Villasenor, Kennedy, Gurgel, Kaufman, & Rockhold to win.

TUF 9 Finale: Sanchez vs Guida

In what was a so so season of TUF with little in terms of future prospects, we head into a good finale with a bevy of fights not including TUF alum, but well matched MMA fighters.

Main card
Lightweight bout: Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida In what could be a future #1 contenders match, two hard nosed non-stop wrestlers step into the Octagon to undoubtedly unleash hell for the full 15 minutes. Neither man stops attacking and both are 2 of the most intense fighters I have ever seen. If you did not watch the weigh-ins for this event, its worth it just to see how weird Diego is during the staredown. At any rate, Diego is a "Nightmare" for Guida with better wrestling and striking though maybe for the 1st time in his career, not having the advantage in cardio. Clay's my homey but I don't see him finish people very often and that seems to be his only chance in what likely ends in a points decision.
WINNER-Diego "Dirty" Sanchez
Welterweight Finale bout: DaMarques Johnson vs. James Wilks I don't know what to say here except neither guy is impressive, and both rely on different floor routines. Wilks needs the Jiu-Jitsu while Johnson wrestling. I guess I'll take the American based upon MMA camps wanting to hook up with him because of the show, and training him to a better level.
WINNER-Johnson by-this fight doesn't even deserve to be on TV considering the undercard talent
Lightweight Finale bout: Andre Winner vs. Ross Pearson This fight sports 2 guys I actually like but Winner has the size and length advantage, as well as striking and submissions. I hope both have a good showing but Andre will probably put away his fellow Brit in the end.
WINNER-Winner chicken dinner
Welterweight bout: Chris Lytle vs. Kevin Burns "Lights Out" returns after a close loss to Marcus Davis in a bout he finally has to be the clear favorite. Chris can outwork Burns in every facet of the game and it would be an upset if Lytle fails against this tough but beatable fighter.
WINNER-Lytle by TKO Rd.3
Lightweight bout: Joe Stevenson vs. Nate Diaz The size and length difference between these 2 men is amusing to say the least. Joe "Daddy" is used to dealing with that problem and has his back against the wall after dropping consecutive bouts. Diaz is coming off his 1st UFC loss to 1 Clay Guida via a Split. Nate must use his reach and when clinched up, that beautiful judo throw to grind those sharp elbows into the cut friendly Joe. The G&P of the "Daddy" is superb so fighting from his back like he is normally comfortable doing, isn't really an option. This has close fight written all over it but the size difference leads me toward Nate scoring another close fight win.
WINNER-Nathan by Split-Decision (they can't screw him again right?)

Prelims
Lightweight bout: Melvin Guillard vs. Gleison Tibau I've never had any love for "Cocaine" Mel, but the guys punches knock people asunder. The constant glaring problem is when taken to the floor, the guy is a fish out of water. Tibau is a brilliant Jiu-Jitsu fighter if he can get the fight there before awaking to smelling salts. Flip and or toss the coin here.
WINNER- Tibau by eventual sub
Welterweight bout: Brad Blackburn vs. Edgar Garcia I hate to pick a guy making his UFC debut, but when you KO people like this cat does, and are facing a fighter as inconsistent as "Bad" Brad, I kinda have to.
WINNER-Eddie G. by the KO of the night
Catchweight bout at 208 lbs: Mike Ciesnolevicz vs. Tomasz Drwal Not sure who couldn't make weight turning this into a Catchweight bout, but the Miletich wrestler (a wrestler, really?) has much game as proven in his UFC debut. Drwal can punch, and can gas out in the blink of an eye. Look for Mike to G&P Tomasz into unemployment.
WINNER-Cesnolevitzvhinco by Rd.2 TKO
Welterweight bout: Nick Osipczak vs. Frank Lester The "Molester" has heart I give him that, but not much else. I'll take the Brit with slick skill who has had time to repair the whole needing air to breathe during a fight problem.
WINNER-Osipcz by submission
Lightweight bout: Jason Dent vs. Cameron Dollar I don't know. $$$ bill has good striking power, but Dent can take a shot and has a much better all around game and is taking his 2nd shot in the UFC. Not sure Cameron can hang with all that.
WINNER-JD by something

Not bad for a free TUF finale, and where are all the guys from the show? Maybe everyone doesn't get a spot in the UFC anymore which is good. Bring back both gingers however. Hey, ShoMMA prospects of whatever it is called is on!

Mirko Cro Cop vs. Dana White

In the red corner, we have a man of integrity, who has climbed to the top of the sport as a Heavyweight fighter, garnering a superstar status in MMA while executing his employment in Pride FC with only a hand shake deal for 6 years. In the blue corner we have a man who tries to fuck his employees out of their "likeness" for the hot selling UFC "Undisputed" video game, continually calls Fedor Emelianenko "Overrated," told Chuck Liddell he is retired, and uses the words "fag" and "fuck" as much as most people use the word "the." Ladies and gentleman, Mirko Cro Cop vs Dana White!

I’m sure you’ve heard by now Cro Cop informed White that he was leaving the UFC to fight for DREAM. Cro Cop had officially signed just the one-fight deal but according to White, the two had agreed in principle for Cro Cop to fight two more bouts after UFC 99. It was not to be. White believes Cro Cop was just using his quick stop in the UFC as a tune-up fight before moving on to DREAM. White was predictably outraged when he found out what had gone down.

“He fucked me,” White said. “The first time in the history of the company I do one over the phone. He promised me a three-fight deal and he fucked me. He didn’t keep his word. He talked about honor and all this other shit and he fucked me. He fed me this bullshit about wanting to take a run for the title, and what I think he did was, he went out and did this. He didn’t just poke Al-Turk; he poked me, too.”

Probably not the 1st time a giant MMA fighter has fucked you eh Dana? I can't even begin to try and count all the fighters White has fucked over since taking the helm of the UFC via Zuffa. It seems like after every single UFC event these days, Dana white comes out and says something so stupid that it is all the MMA community is talking about. Why can't Blaf leave the attention on the fighters for once instead of crying look at me every time he uses the word fuck?

Mirko Filipovic arrived in Zagreb, and journalists were greeted with a dance. A happy but tired Cro Cop did not have enough time to sleep. As for the fight, well, he was pleased with his performance. "I tried to protect my knee," said Cro Cop, who got the TKO win in 3 minutes. The oft surgically repaired knee was never an issue for the fight. However he was unhappy that his opponent tried to target it, it was unsportsmanlike he thought. His assessment of what Dana screamed was, "I'm not clear why the White *nasjeo on rumors instead of talking with me. I was hoping that we will talk about the continuation of cooperation, because the only contentious item for a long period between performances. I do not want to sit for months at home and wait for that someone called me to fight. However, I am grateful for the opportunity White in Cologne and in spite of his heavy words, I do not see reason to not *produljimo agreement." explained Mirko after returning from Germany.

It turns out that Cro Cop has not yet signed a deal with DREAM but he probably should. DREAM is trying to put together Cro Cop/Emelianenko 2 (Fedor's Affliction contract is up after August) and the 1st fight is still the biggest in MMA history. He just wanted to fight more often to get back into shape to make a final run at the UFC title before he retires, and DREAM was willing to provide him that opportunity.

So Dana, he didn't lie and is still interested in the UFC. But after you ran to the media crying foul like Kobe "Bitch" Bryant every time someone breathes near him on the NBA court, I for one hope Cro Cop kicks the UFC to the curb and goes to Japan where at least honor is still kept. Remember, "right leg hospital, left leg morgue."

*-Words lost in translation

UFC 99: Cain, Hardy, Cro Cop, & Franklin? All Victorious

The fact that all 3 judges had the Rich Franklin Wanderlei Silva fight for "Ace" still baffles me. The 1st round was all Franklin, but Silva actually dropped Rich to the canvas with a right hand and came ever so close to putting the fight away. That and the fact 2 judges scored the fight 30-27 is just plain ridiculous. In the final round Wanderlei presses the action attacking Rich the whole time as "Ace" retreats. Then the judges do their screw job and now Wand wants a rematch which isn't a bad idea. "The Axe Murderer" is so beloved by fans that they want to see him fight again. Rich doesn't have the power to put Silva out and the controversy over the decision leads to another payday for both fighters and hopefully some meaningful criticism and explanations from the judges.

Mirko Cro Cop took apart Mustapha Al-Turk with a 1st round TKO. Mirko shrugged off Turks takedown attempt and began landing with ease as Al retreated. The end was nigh when an inadvertent eye poke left Mustapha exposed and then put away. The eye thing was accidental and meaningless as Turk was on his way out. More controversy on Mirko Cro Cop vs Dana White upcoming.

Cain Velasquez gets rocked early and badly by Cheick Kongo, but recovered and took the big man to the floor where he just abused him as predicted. Sure Cain didn't have enough power to take out the big fella, but his ground game bloodied up the sturdy Frenchmen who had no answer to this continuing floor riddle he faces. Cain moves up the rankings and I hear Shane Carwin is calling.

A nice little bit of closed guard trash talking from Mike Swick and Ben Saunders who fought to a stalemate. That is until Swick unloads a 5 punch combo followed by some ground punches and Killa-B's night is ova! Damn Swick, he's still a frat boy bitch.

Spencer Fisher did what he could against Caol Uno, but the crowd did not appreciate the effort as 1 of the more boring fights I've seen in a while sets the German crowd off booing like they are watching the credits of Schindler's List. Look, "The King" tried to fight but had to defend the non-stop takedown attempts from Caol who couldn't do much else. Not a good debut for Uno by any stretch and Fisher will probably be punished by moving to undercard status for a while.

Marcus Davis fought smart but could not withstand the elbows and knees of Dan Hardy who score the Split Decision. In the 1st round of the grudge match of the century, Davis landed more strikes and took a confused Hardy to the mat where G&P ensues. In the 2nd, things get real close with both men landing until Dan's high knee taps the "Irish Hand Grenade's" chin and he goes down. "The Outlaw" follows things up with brutal G&P and almost secures an armbar but cannot finish the American Irishman. The final round and Dan lands a nasty elbow the bloodies the face of Davis who's eye is swelling very quickly. Marcus wobbles a bit and we go to the cards as Hardy is awarded the Split Decision though I'm not sure how 1 judge gave the fight to the upset and injured Davis. Marcus sporting a humongous completely swollen shut eye said after the fight, "We went back and forth on the stand-up, Hardy dropped me with a knee, I think, but I knocked him down with a hook. I also scored more takedowns, more submission attempts and out powered him the whole fight. Hardy came into my dressing room to talk after and I said I won. He said it was close. And he wouldn't argue. That took something. I guess he's not apologized for going too far with the talking. I won the fight."

John Hathaway got a decision win upping his record to 11-0 while "Skyscraper" Stefan Struve got the RNC "W." Pauls Kelly and Taylor got decision wins for Britian as Terry Etim also repped England with a "Brabo choke." Denis Siver was the only German to get a win in the homeland.

A huge 10-2 on the fight predictions and chiggidy check the eye of Marcus Davis in the pic.

UFC 99: German Invasion!

Maybe UFC 99: German Invasion! isn't the PC name to put on the card, but I like it as a humerous toast to history as Zuffa brings its MMA promotion to Cologne, Germany for the 1st time! A card filled with personal favorites the likes of which I have never seen but fight picking is not done with your heart.

Main Card
Catchweight (195 lb) bout: Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva Both men could use a big win but Wand has to have the fight to stay in the UFC and ever hope to get a title shot against former friend turned enemy, Anderson Silva. "Ace" has all the skills to win this on points since he doesn't have that KO power, yet "The Axe Murderer's" chin is damaged in this his 43rd professional fight. Wand will use the "gong & dash" approach to put away Rich early but Franklin must withstand the storm and using his ground skills would be a plus. I gotta think Wand can hurt Rich early but if he doesn't put him away, expect "Ace" to pick away at Silva en route to a decision win. Size, reach, and physical youth (Wand's body is shot) lead to Silva's demise and possible end to his career.
WINNER-Rich by decision
Heavyweight bout: Cheick Kongo vs. Cain Velasquez This is a bit of a conundrum as Cain lacks the standup skills of Cheick, but his collegiate wrestling is superb and Kongo has lost on the floor to ground pounders like Heath Herring and the lackluster Carmelo Marrero. I have never been too impressed with the Frenchman and feel he'll inflict some punishment on the smaller ATT member, leaving himself open for the takedown and ensuing brutality.
WINNER-The man called Cain by G&P stoppage Rd.2
Heavyweight bout: Mirko Filipović vs. Mustapha Al-turk Cro Cop is back in the UFC and the far and away favorite of the German crowd. The turk is a stand up fighter himself but outgunned and outclassed. The Croation only loses to top flight competition (except for Kongo who kicked his nuts off and broke his ribs to eek out a victory) so I don't expect a loss against an opponent hand picked to delight the German crowd.
WINNER-Mirko Cro Cop by TKO Rd.1
Welterweight bout: Mike Swick vs. Ben Saunders "Quick" vs "Killa-B!" American Kickboxing Academy vs American Top Team! 2 bad ass's who love to strike but can fight the floor war. I wanna take "Killa-B" I need pick wins and can't go with my heart here taking.....
WINNER- Swick by exciting decision in "Fight Of The Night"
Lightweight bout: Spencer Fisher vs. Caol Uno My man the "King" returns to face "Shoten" who is famous for being blasted into oblivion by BJ Penn. WOW, computer virus and crash right in the middle of this shit. I couldn't be more mad after taking the last 30 minutes to get back online and rid (sort of) myself of the assholes who saw fit to fuck with me. Calming down, calming down. Ok, I'm taking Spence now that I am totally thrown off my game.
WINNER-The King by decision and computer murder
Welterweight bout: Marcus Davis vs. Dan Hardy Bring on the Brit invasion for this PPV card. Oh by the way news, these guys fucking hate each other! Major trash talk leading into this bout as Hardy boy called Davis a fake Irishman and as a fake Irishman I was offended. Both men strike well on the feet but Marcus has better ground skills which he will refuse to use. I don't know, both guys are good but I guess I'm going power over finesse. A cut could save the day for Hardy.
WINNER- "Irish Hand Grenade" by decision

Prelims
Lightweight bout: Terry Etim vs. Justin Buchholz Bucky Done Gun can use his vast reach to tag and bag Justin all day long. Slick and skinny wins the day possibly with the sub at the end. Ummm, could terry not show his elephantiasis of the nuts at the weigh-ins from now on?
WINNER-The Liverpool Fool by atomic tea bag
Lightweight bout: Dennis Siver vs. Dale Hart Siver has the hometown Germans in his corner and somebody has to represent. Hart is tough and now famous for bursting Corey Hill's leg in twain via brutal fashion back in December '08. Dale employs the better standup, but Siver will throw up the submissions to frustrate and catch Hart.
WINNER-Dennis "Mannheim Mauler" Siver by submission
Welterweight bout: Paul Taylor vs. Peter Sobotta Hello German hometown homeboy Sobotta bread. That being said, Pauly has a more versed MMA offensive style though Pete has some upset picking going on in the forums. Good luck with that.
WINNER-Paulie Taylor by decision
Lightweight bout: Paul Kelly vs. Rolando Delgado The Wolfslair fighter brings that Brit heart and never say die attitude to out muscle and bops the puff.
WINNER-Telly's by TKO Rd.2
Heavyweight bout: Denis Stojnic vs. Stefan Struve I like "Skyscraper" to use his 6'11" body and reach to strike and eventually submit the guy who went with the nickname of "The Menace."
WINNER-Skyscrape by armbar
Welterweight bout: John Hathaway vs. Rick Story The undefeated guy who went with the unused "Hitman" as his nickname does have game, but I like Story's wrestling a little better which leads to a 1-sided pointfest.
WINNER-Story who employs the nickname "Horror" (geez guys really?)

Personal favs Rich Franklin, Wanderlei Silva, Mirko Cro Cop, Killa-B, Marcus Davis, and Spencer Fisher all on 1 card! Good luck to all my boys, even if they are fighting each other.

STRIKEFORCE RESULTS: "Scrap Pack Domination!"

The "Scrap Pack" (Cesar Gracie Fight Team) represented as Jake Shields took out Robbie Lawler with a guillotine chock in barely over 2 minutes into the 1st round, while Nick Diaz straight embarrassed Scott Smith taking his best shots and landing 397 punches before putting away the battered fighter with a mercy killing rear naked choke. Next up for the Pack, Gilbert Melendez gets a rematch with Josh Thomson who now holds his Lightweight title.

There was no doubt left in the "Grim's" mind as Brett Rogers KO'd Andrei Arlovski in 22 measly seconds. The "Pitbull" has some career rethinking to do (his boxing debut for Golden Boy Productions is already cancelled) but "The Grim" has arrived with his 1st big star win and will undoubtedly be propelled into star Heavyweight status. Expect Grim to get that title shot against Alistair Overeem and Arlovski to get a metal chin implant.

Joe Riggs emphatically defeated Phil Baroni (shocker) and did it with 2 broken hands! He'll go on to do nothing. Mike Whitehead defeated a lackluster as always Kevin Randleman and neither man looked impressive. MAK Kyle upset the out of shape and overconfident Rafael Cavalcante by TKO and my prospect Tyron Woodley repped the STL with a hometown arm-triangle choke.

Other notes, the worst announcing staff in MMA continues to butcher the events while a perfectly good Pat Miletich sits watching the debacle. Just give him the mic and push Frank Shamrock out like Diaz did. The freakish skinless fighting graphic was back to my horror and sweet, sweet Gina Carano will get her perfect face mangled in the next Strikeforce event against Femborg. 7-3 on the picking nose side.

STRIKEFORCE: Lawler vs Shields

Main Card
Catchweight 182lb bout: Robbie Lawler vs. Jake Shields I like both guys but the "Scrap Pack" Jiu-Jitsu expert lacks any sort of decent standup skills while Lawler can sprawl and brawl with KO power and wrestling from Matt Hughes HITSquad. The catchweight is a non-issue.
WINNER-"Ruthless" by TKO
Heavyweight bout: Andrei Arlovski vs. Brett Rogers The "Pitbull" has far better boxing skills and cardio than "The Grim" not to mention experience and athletic ability usually reserved by announcers for black fighters. Let's hope Rogers doesn't tap the glass chin and Arlovski takes it on points.
WINNER-Andrei by running man decision
Catchweight 179lb bout: Nick Diaz vs. Scott Smith "Diablo" shocked the world when he dismantled Frank Shamrock, and Smith proved to be the comeback kid again after losing badly to Benji Radach, only to snatch victory from the jaws of Julia Stiles with a hail mary KO. Diaz continues his run as a man without a weight class pitting pinpoint accurate striking and Jiu-Jitsu against KO power and little else. Sure, "Hands Of Steel" can KO everyone and KJ Noons showed a good striker can hurt Diaz, but the percentages say Nick has far more tools to win the fight and I just plain don't wanna pick against my boy.
WINNER-Nick Diaz by "Come on bitch" decision
Welterweight bout: Phil Baroni vs. Joe Riggs Geez, 2 egomaniacs who like to throw bombs and each have some wrestling skills. Riggs has better technical skill on the feet and the floor, but Philly has the power edge on Diesel in this coin flip who cares match of the assholes.
WINNER-Joe Riggs by TKO via G&P
Light Heavyweight bout: Kevin Randleman vs. Mike Whitehead 2 fights in the last 3 years for the oft injured and near death "Monster," who explodes at the beginning of fights, and then peters out a couple of minutes in. Whitehead reps Xtreme Couture with good submission skills, and at least enough air in the tank to last 3 rounds. Mike is 14-1 since leaving the UFC but why is this fight on TV?
WINNER-Mike Whitehead by clinching decision

Prelims
Light Heavyweight bout: Rafael Cavalcante vs Mike Kyle "Feijo" is Team Nogueira's secret weapon who should have received a title shot against Mr. Sobral but instead got stuck on the undercard while Whitehead and Randleman inexplicably make it on Showtime. I'm not a "Mak" fan and think the AKA man ain't got a shot in hell.
WINNER-Rafael by TMNT TKO
Welterweight bout: Tyron Woodley vs. Sal Woods Also no chance from Sal, against the prospect "T-Wood" who represents the Lou and the event is in his hometown!
WINNER-Tyron by Nelly entrance and wrestling clinic
Welterweight bout: Jesse Finney vs. Josh Bumgarner Jess is a 3-0 "Rumble" fighter while Josh Bumgartner (or Bumgarner?) is 5-0 and I have no idea who either guy is.
WINNER-J-Guy
Middleweight bout: Scott Ventimiglia vs. Lucas Lopes "Air Vent" is a submission specialist against ATT fighter with an awful 9-8 record.
WINNER-Lopez?
Lightweight bout: Pat Benson vs. Dave Cochran 3-5-1 and 16-19 respectively, makes me wonder why this fight was even made.
WINNER-Benson?
Heavyweight bout: Booker DeRousse vs. James Wade Booker T is 1-1 and James is 3-6, what the fuck happened to the end of this card?
WINNER-Booker T by axe kick (anyone get that one?)

Note:
Alistair Overeem injured his hand in a bar fight defending brother Valentijn, and was unable to defend the Strikeforce Heavyweight title at this event. He will likely return to the cage in August. Andrei Arlovski steps in to replace him. Light Heavyweight Champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral left the event to fight Gegard Mousasi for Affliction August 1st.