Battle of the Bulks

Strikeforce’s heavyweight tournament comes into fruition

The Strikeforce mixed martial arts promotion, will be holding an eight man heavyweight grand prix tournament throughout 2011.  

Scott Coker, CEO of Strikeforce, had announced the tournament in late 2010.  While there were skeptics of the announcement, due to Strikeforce’s prior announcement of a middleweight title tournament that actually never happened, the promotion is following through with their plans and have already announced the fighters competing in the tournament, and the dates for two of the four quarterfinal matches.

Who will be competing in the grand prix

The Strikeforce grand prix will feature former champions, as well as stars who are hoping to climb the ladder in the promotion’s heavyweight division.

According to the Strikeforce website, the first two quarter final matches will take place Feb. 12 at the Izon Center in Rutherford NJ.  One tournament match will feature Fedor Emelianenko, former Pride Heavyweight and 2004 Grand prix champion going up against Antonio Silva, former EliteXC heavyweight champion. 

Also featured on the Feb. 12 card will be Andrei Arlovski, former UFC heavyweight champion, versus Sergei Kharitonov.

The other two matches in the quarterfinals of the grand prix are Brett Rogers facing Josh Barnett, former UFC heavyweight champion. 

The date for this fight has yet to be announced.  Some speculate this match might not take place due to Barnett’s suspension for testing positive for Steroids back in 2009, as well as California Athletic State Commission’s denials of Barnett’s request for appeals, and Barnett’s no showing of the hearing of his application for a fight-license, according to MMA junkie.

The fourth match will be Fabricio Wedrum facing current Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem. 

Wedrum, who submitted Emelianenko back in June, defeated Overeem by submission at the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix back in 2006.

Special rules and positions implemented for tournament

Although Overeem is the promotion’s current heavyweight champion, according to an article in the Ringside report, his heavyweight championship will not be on the line during any point in the tournament. 

“To make it simple, the tournament champion will stand on his own,” Coker said.  “We will have our heavyweight champion, and our tournament champion.”

In addition to the main fights on the tournament bracket, Coker said that a fourth judge will be implemented for the grand prix, and a five-person fight committee who will select a reserve fighter in the case that a fighter who advances in the tournament gets injured before they can advance in the finals.

“This fighter will be chosen from a pool of fighters that will include the previous opponent and the winners of reserve matches,” Coker said.


What the tournament could do for Strikeforce

One benefit of this grand prix is that it gives Strikeforce a chance to showcase the talent in their heavyweight division. 

In addition to having experienced fighters like Emelianenko, Barnett, and Arlovski in the tournament, it also allows rising stars like Rogers, Wedrum, and Kharitonov to showcase their talents to the audience and promoters.  Reserve matches for the tournament could also be successful for the promotion.

There are some still some preparations Strikeforce will need to make if they want to promote the tournament in the right way.   One is drawing fans into the watching the tournament broadcast. 

While Strikeforce cards on Showtime have helped the promotion during their initial years, it may hurt the promotion if the UFC were to show events on Spike TV, or the Versus Network during the same time as Strikeforce cards that were featuring tournament matches.

According to MMA Junkie, Strikeforce: Babalu vs. Henderson drew in 465,000 viewers during its broadcast on Showtime, while the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter 12 finale drew in over 2 million viewers.  The highest Strikeforce watched event was Carano vs. Cyborg back in August 2009, with 576,000 viewers.

Regardless of how successful the heavyweight grand prix becomes, Coker has hinted  that Strikeforce will hold more tournaments in the future.


History of tournaments in MMA

Grand Prixs and other tournament have been a stable in mixed martial arts since the sport’s inception.  Tournaments are still held in promotions such as DREAM and the Bellator Fighting championships.

While the UFC has the Ultimate Fighter competition in tournament format, several of their early events were comprised of one night tournaments.  While the earliest tournaments were open weight, the organization began holding four-man tournaments in different weight classes in 1997. 

Many of the winners of these tournaments would go on to have long careers in mixed martial arts.  Some of the tournament winners include Royce Gracie (UFC 1, 2, and 4), Mark Coleman (UFC 10 and 11), Randy Couture (UFC 14 heavyweight), Dan Henderson (UFC middleweight), and Kazushi Sakuraba (UFC Japan).

Pride FC was known for holding a grand prix each year.  Among the list of winners include Coleman (2000 openweight), Maurcio Rua (2005 middleweight), Wanderlei Silva (2003 middleweight, and Mirko Filipovic (2006 openweight).

Strikeforce has held tournaments in the past.  They held a middleweight tournament back in 2007, and a women’s welterweight tournament back in August that was won by Meisha Tate.

Quick facts about the Strikeforce grand prix

• Will take place during various Strikeforce events in 2011
• Each match will be three, five-minute rounds, with the exception of the final tournament match.  This match will be five, five-minute rounds.
• The eight fighters hold together a number of  13 mixed martial arts championships.

The tournament bracket, courtesy of the MMA news

Questions:


Who would you like to see compete in a tournament?  

What weight would it be at, or would it be open weight?  

How many fighters?

Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu 2

Preliminary Card

Welterweight bout:
 
Fernando Bettega (6-4) vs. Wayne Phillips (4-3)

Winner: Bettega by submission


Lightweight bout:

Justin Lawrence (0-0) vs. Max “Payne” Martytniouk (0-0)

Winner: Martyniouk by decision


Light Heavyweight bout:

Terrell Brown (2-0) vs. Patrick Cummins (0-0)

Winner: Brown by decision


Middleweight bout:

Lucas Lopez (19-10) vs. Cortez Coleman (5-1)

Winner: Lopez by decision


Light Heavyweight bout:

Lee Brousseau (5-2) vs. Mike Glenn (4-5)

Winner: Glenn by decision


Lightweight bout:

Tom Aaron (8-2)vs. Matt Ricehouse (3-0)

Winner: Aaron by KO


Middleweight bout:

Booker DeRousse (3-4) vs. Coltin Cole (1-0)

Winner: Cole by KO


Catchweight (130 lbs) bout:

Ben Brown (1-0) vs. J.W. Wright (0-0)

Winner: Wright by decision


Main Card

Light Heavyweight bout:

Benji “Razor” Radach vs. Ovince St. Preux

Winner: Preux by TKO

Despite taking this fight at a two weeks notice, Preux will end up winning this fight.  He currently has a five fight winning streak, four of those coming from KO/TKO.


Heavyweight bout:

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (14-2) vs. Mike “Mak” Kyle (18-7-1)

Winner: Kyle by KO

Kyle is subbing for Valentjin Overeem.  Despite having more losses than Silva, Kyle has fought and won championships in different organizations.  This is his first heavyweight bout in over a year, and he will be sure to capture a win.


Welterweight bout:

Paul “Semtex” Daley (29-9-2) vs. Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith (17-7 1NC)

Winner: Daley by KO

Daley is making his Strikeforce debut, against one of the organization’s veterans.  Although he is known for being controversial, Daley is also known for winning championships and getting it done in the cage.  Daley’s win could give a push towards a welterweight title shot.


Middleweight bout:

Robbie “Ruthless” Lawler (19-6 1NC) vs. Matt “The Law” Lindland (22-7)

Winner: Lindland by decision

In addition to having more wins on his record, Lindland is coming into this fight with a win from Kevin Casey.  He is also a renowned grappler, and has faced off against various opponents such as Fedor Emelianenko, Vitor Belfort, Quinton Jackson, and Carlos Newton.  Having a win against Lawlor might put him into the middleweight title picture.


Light Heavyweight bout:

Dan Henderson (25-8) vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral (36-8)

Winner: Henderson by submission

This main event has many implications.  Not only will the winner get a shot at the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight title, but it is a rematch that has been ten years in the making.  Henderson, who is looking to be a major star in Strikeforce, will take the fight and try and control it on the ground. 


Scott Coker, CEO of Strikeforce, has said in interviews that 2011 is going to be a big year for Strikeforce.  He plans to feature Heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem in a bout, as well as looking over opponents for Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, and even the return of Gina Carano.

Beauty and brawn

Canadian Muay Thai champ and fitness model to make MMA debut



Julia “The Jewel” Budd, a Muay Thai kickboxer from British Columbia is not only making her Strikeforce debut on tonight’s Strikeforce: Challengers 11.  She is also competing in her first official MMA fight. 

Budd will be facing Shana “Rock Solid” Olsen, who currently has a fight record of four wins and no losses.  This will also be Olsen’s debut in Strikeforce.

The Jewel’s background and credentials

Budd was born and raised in Roberts Creek, a small town outside of British Columbia, according to her website.  She competed in sports as a youth and in high school she began training in Muay Thai kickboxing.

Budd trained at Gibson MMA under the tutelage of Lance Gibson, a former UFC fighter.  She became known on the American kickboxing circuit after defeating opponents like MMA fighter Gina Carano and kickboxing champion Keri Scarr.

Although she has no official bouts on her fight record, Budd has fought in one non sanctioned fight back in 2007, according to mixedmaritalarts.com.  She defeated fellow kick boxer Natalie Fuzz by unanimous decision.

Shana “Rock Solid” Olsen

Olsen, said that fighting for a major promotion like Strikeforce has been along time coming.

“I have a strong desire to make it to the top, and right now I am in the process of working my way up.’’

At the weight in, Olsen also said that she has trained hard and is not putting pressure on herself to beat Budd in fashion.

“I am fighting a Muay Thai champion who defeated Gina Carano, so my work is cut out for me,” Olsen said.

“I am fighting someone who’s strong and knows what she’s doing, but I’m also strong, fit and ready to go,” Budd said at the weight in.

Outside of the ring

In addition to boxing, Budd works as a fitness model on television and print.  She has appeared on MTV, TSN, and print advertisements for Impact Magazine. 

Budd also holds a B.A. in kinesiology from the University of British Columbia.  She is also a National Strength and Conditioning Association certified trainer, and operates her own training company out of Gibson MMA.

Budd said she takes her MMA career one fight at a time and works to be the best.

“There is no doubt I am stepping up for this one and will be the underdog,” Budd said.  “I love MMA, putting in the work, the lifestyle and the challenge.’’

Julia "The Jewel" Budd

Resides: B.C.Canada

Association: Gibson MMA

MMA fight record: 0-0-0

Career highlights: B.C. Muay Thai champion, Canadian Muay Thai champion

Dutch MMA champion makes it to K-1 Grand Prix finals

Alistair Overeem, current Strikeforce heavyweight champion, will not be defending his championship until 2011.  When he does make his next Strikeforce title defense, he may already have another title added to his credentials: 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix tournament champion.

Overeem is getting ready for the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 Finals, which will take place December 4, in Tokyo. 

Brief bio and kickboxing history

According to his website, Overeem was born in England but moved to the Netherlands with his brother and mother when he was six years old.   He participated in sports like judo and basketball, and would begin training at 15 years old.  He would later go on to train with Bat Rutten, a former UFC Heavyweight Champion.  He currently trains with Team Golden Glory, which is based out of the Netherlands, according to their website.

Overeem had his first kickboxing match at age 17, where he won his first match by unanimous decision.  After losing his next two fights, he would take a break and focus on his MMA career.  He returned to the world of kickboxing in 2007 where he Jurgen Dolch by TKO in the first round at Ultimate Glory 3.

What is K-1?

According to their website, K-1 is an organization where fighters from around the world fight with their opponents using various fighting techniques to defeat their opponents.  K-1 is also known for creating a set of unified rules for their contests.

The first K-1 tournament was held in 1993 and won by Branko Cikatic, a Croatian fighter.  Other fighters who have won the K-1 Grand Prix in the past include MMA fighter Mark Hunt, Semmy Schilt, and Ernesto Hoost.

2010 K-1 Grand Prix

According to the K-1 website Overeem, whose current kickboxing record is at seven wins and four losses, picked Tyrone Sprong (by way of drawing the seventh ball) to be his first opponent in the Grand Prix finals.  He said he was happy to face Sprong, who he said he trained with for seven years.

“It will be the old days of sparring,” Overeem said.

To get to the K-1 Grand Prix finals, he defeated Bosnian fighter Dzevad Poturak in the first round of the tournament in Yokohama last April.  He then went on defeat Ben Edwards, an Austrailian kickboxer, at the K-1 2010 Grand Prix Soul Final 16 just two weeks ago. 

Both of these victories won two minutes into the first round, by TKO and knock out respectively.


MMA career

Overeem had his first MMA professional fight at 19 years old where he won by a guillotine submission. 

Before fighting in Strikeforce, Overeem has fought in major MMA promotions like Pride FC, DREAM, and RINGS.  His current record is 33 wins, 11 losses, and one no contest.

In addition to being the current Strikeforce Heavyweight champion, Overeem has wins over fighters like Vitor Belfort (former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion), Mark Hunt (K-1 2001 World Grand Prix Champion), and Igor Vovchanchyn (Pride 2000 Grand Prix runner up).



Other fighting tournaments

This is not Overeem’s first time participating in the K-1 Grand Prix kickboxing tournament as he had fought in K-1’s 2009 tournament. 

According to K-1’s website, he had fought his way to semi finals where he lost to Badr Hari, who lost in the final match.

He has also fought the Pride 2003 and 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix tournaments, according to the Pride Fighting Championship website.


Possible future

Winning the tournament may give Overeem the momentum to compete in K-1’s 2011 Grand Prix.  It could also make him a bigger star in the world of sports. 

As far as his MMA career goes, he is expected to defend his championship in 2011.  Possible contenders for the title include Fabricio Wedrum, the man he was suppose to defend against, Russian fighter Fedor Emilianenko, and Antonio Silva, who is scheduled to face Overeem’s brother Valentijin in December.

Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons predictions

I usually don't do Strikeforce predictions, but since Kaufman and Coenen, (who I have written about in the past) are fighting on this card, I thought I would give it a shot.  I kept this one basic.

Main Card

Welterweight Championship bout: Nick Diaz (c) vs. United States KJ Noons

Winner: Diaz by decision

Women's Welterweight Championship: Sarah Kaufman (c) vs. Marloes Coenen

Winner: Kaufman by knock out

Lightweight bout: Josh Thomson vs. Gesias Cavalcante

Winner: Thomson by decision

Welterweight bout: Tyron Woodley vs.  André Galvão

Winner: Woodley by submission

Under Card

Welterweight bout: James Terry vs. Bret Bergmark

Winner Bergmark by decision

Middleweight bout: Eric Lawson vs. Ron Keslar

Winner Lawson by decision

Lightweight bout: Jess Bouscal vs. Luis Mendoza

Winner: Mendoza by knock out

Shields to debut at UFC 121

Jake Shields,  former Strikeforce Middleweight champion will make his UFC debut in October against Martin Kampmann at UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez.  Shields, whose fight record stands at (25-4-1) will be fighting in the welterweight division.

Shields had left Strikeforce during the renegotiation period of his fight contract.  During the period where Shields was a free agent, UFC President Dana White said he would have paid a large sum to take one of Strikeforce’s champions, according to Fighters Only Magazine. 

In an interview with Fighters Only Magazine, Shields said that he liked the idea of fighting current UFC Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and UFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

Shields’ departure was not without controversy.  Not only did he leave Strikeforce while he was the organization’s middleweight champion, Shields had also engaged in a brawl with Jason “Mayhem” Miller moments after fighting Henderson.  According to Shedog’s website, Sheilds was one of the fighters that was fined and suspended.

Although Shields is gone from Strikeforce, he does have his supporters from the organization.  In an interview with MMA Weekly Gilbert Melendez, Shields training partner and the current Strikeforce Lightweight champion, said he thinks Shields will do well in UFC.

“Of course I wish he was still here with me in Strikeforce,” Melendez said.  “But he’s got to do what he’s got to do and I support him 100 percent.”

Shields’ other  accomplishments include championships the EliteXC Welterweight title, Shooto Middleweight title, and Rumble on the Rock Welterweight tournament winner.  He also has notable wins over Robbie Lawler and Paul Daley

Shields was also featured on the MTV show Bully Beatdown hosted by Miller, and was an assistant coach on the Ultimate Fighter Season 11 for Team Liddell.

If Shields win his debut match against Kappmann, he could be quickly thrown inline for a title shot in the future.

Dutch fighter going for Strikeforce gold

Dutch fighter Marloes "Rumina" Coenen will step into the cage once again as she faces undefeated fighter and Strikeforce Welterweight champion Sarah Kaufman.

Coenen, whose record is currently at 17 wins and four losses, is looking to end Kaufman’s undefeated streak and take her championship at Strikeforce: San Jose, which takes place October 9.  Her last fight was against Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cristane Santos, which ended with Santos winning by TKO in the third round.

Although she had sustained injuries in the fight with Santos, Coenen’s said  in a Strikeforce conference call, she had learned a lot from her loss to Santos.

“I stepped in and I was convinced I could KO her and it didn’t work,” Coenen said.  “Everything has healed and I have proven to myself that I can take a punch, and in a weird way, it feels really good.”

Although her fight with Kaufman is at a lower weight class, Coenen said that dropping weight will not be an issue.  She said her trainers are working with her to drop the weight.

“I have two experts who are coaching me and have created a diet plan, and are telling me when to eat, how to eat and when to take vitamins and I will be on weight,” Coenen said.

Born and raised in the Netherlands, Coenen started training in martial arts at the age of 14.  She trained with Shooto Holland under trainer and mixed martial arts veteran Martijn de Jong, according to her website.  Coenen won her first amateur bout in 20 seconds and debuted professionally in 2000, against Yuuki Kondo.  The fight ended with Coenen winning by submission two and a half minutes into the first round.

Some of Coenen’s accomplishments include winning the 2000 ReMix World Cup and earning victories  in different MMA promotions around the world. 

Since debuting in Strikeforce, Coenen has one half of her fights.  She avenged her loss against Roxanne Modaeffri, who previously beat her in the K-GRACE tournament finals.

Coenen currently trains with Team Golden Glory.  In addition to fighting, Coenen is wanting to study in Communications Sciences in Amsterdam.

Coenen, who is known for her striking and ground game, said her training regiment is the same, while only a small percentage is dedicated to her sparring with someone at Kaufman‘s size.

We have a special wrestling coach, and we work on wrestling techniques, and I train with a lot of guys who are smaller,” Coenen said.

Coenen also said that while she is expecting every possible scenario, she thinks the majority of the fight will be a standup and striking game.

“Sarah is a striker and I like to dish out as well,“ Coenen said. 

In the same conference call, Kaufman said that while Coenen is moving down from 145 lbs to 135 lbs, her training has not been any different.

“It doesn’t matter who they fought before, and where they just came from and I though Marloes looked really good in the fight with Cyborg,” Kaufman said.  “My training has been just as intense and I am expecting just as tough of a fight as I’ve ever had.”

Whether or not she defeats Kaufman, Coenen is scheduled to compete at the Ultimate Glory 12 event seven days after Strikeforce: San Jose. 

Links:

Transcript of Strikeforce conference call

Strikeforce: San Jose preview

Team Golden Glory

Sarah Kaufman: The Other Strikeforce Women's Champion

In the last year and a half, Strikeforce has focused some of their attention and promoting on their women‘s division.  In August of last year, they crowned their first women‘s champion. 

Last February they crowned a women‘s champion.  Her name is Sarah Kaufman.

Kaufman is the current Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Champion.  She won the title after defeating Tayayo Hashi by decision in Feburary 2010.  Since then she has had one successful title defense.  Her overall fight record is at 12 wins and no losses, according to the Sherdog website.

According to her website, Kaufman is a native from Victoria British Columbia.  Prior to starting in MMA, Kaufman had attended the University of Victoria.  She also has background in many kinds of dance, including ballet and jazz. 

In an interview with Strikeforce, Kaufman said she first became interested in martial arts when Adam Zugec opened a martial arts school below her dance studio.  After finishing her first Muy Thai class, she said she was hooked.  She still trains with Zugec and is a part of ZUMA Martial Arts.

Kaufman would debut in June 2006, winning her first eight fights in by knock out.  She has fought for other promotions, including Palace Fighting Championships and Hardcore Championship, where she won their Women’s Bantamweight Championship.

Kaufman would debut for Strikeforce in May 2009, as a replacement against Meisha “Takedown” Tate, who she defeated by unanimous decision.  Her fight against Tate would be the first time she would go all three rounds in a fight.  Since then, Kaufman has won two of her last three fights by decision.

While Kaufman is known primarily for her striking, she has been exhibiting some takedown defense in her past bouts.  According to an interview with MMA Junkie Radio, Kaufman has a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Kaufman said that while she may move up into the 145 lb division at some point in the future, she plans to stay focused on the 135 lb division. 

Her next fight is scheduled at Strikeforce: San Joke, Oct. 9.  She will be defending her title in the co main event against Marloes Coernen.




Links:

Kaufman's official page

Kaufman's fight record

Strikeforce

Sarah Kaufman Interview

My favorite MMA fights: Carano vs. Cyborg

My favorite MMA fights: Carano vs. Cyborg

Gina "Conviction" Carano vs. Chris "Cyborg" Santos
for the Strikeforce Women's Featherweight Championship

Date of fight: August 15 2009

Outcome: Santos wins via referee stoppage 4:59 in the first round

While Strikeforce may have been late in the MMA game, they certainly made history almost one year ago by having the first main event between two female fighters, who were regarded the best women fighters in the world at the time.

Both Carano and Santos coming out strong right out of the first round, each throwing furious punches and take downs, with Santos pounding Carano's face during the closing seconds of the round.  The fight ended in dramatic fashion, with the referee stopping the fight at the last second, declaring Santos the winner.

Santos has had two successful title defense since the fight, while Carano has stayed away from the limelight, staring in a couple of movies.

In addition to propelling Santos career, this fight also helped women's MMA become more legit, allowing more female competitors to come and fight for promotion and for the fans.

Fedor's loss

As the saying goes, anything can happen in sports, especially MMA.  

At Strikeforce's latest event Fedor vs. Werdum, Emelianenko, who earlier this evening was said to be the number one heavyweight fighter in the world, was defeated by Fabricio Werdum via submission 69 seconds into the first round.  

By winning the match, Werdum (now 14-4-1) has broken "The Last Emporer's" 28 fight winning streak and earned a title shot against Strikeforce's current heavyweight champion, Alistair Overeem.  Emelianenko (now 32-2-1) is speculated to fall in the heavyweight rankings. 

With Emelianenko's loss in the record books, does this spell trouble for Strikeforce, who since singing Emeliankenko to a contract in 2009, has pretty much used the Russian fighter as one of their headliners and faces, in their rise of becoming a top MMA promotion.  While Emeliankenko losing may seem like a normal upset, it could spell bad consequences for Strikeforce's business.

Back in October 2008, the former fight promotion EliteXC had filed for bankruptcy not too long after Kimbo Slice, who at the time had been one of EliteXC's headliners, had lost his match to Seth Pertuzelli by TKO, 14 seconds into the first round.  

However, where Slice's loss came with controversy and EliteXC was in its toddler stage when it was shut down, Emelianenko 's loss was just a simple mistake and Strikeforce has been in business since 1986, when it began as just a kickboxing promotion.

A fighter can not be judged on just one fight alone, and there have been several fighters who have suffered losses in their careers and have gone on to make big comebacks.  One example is Brock Lesnar, who suffered his first loss to Frank Mir by submission, 90 seconds into the first round, back in Feburary 2008.  Lesnar has since avenged his loss against Mir and is now the current UFC heavyweight champion

Whether or not Strikeforce survives, Emelianenko still has a career ahead of him.  He may makit it back to the top of the mountain once more, but it's going to be one hell of a climb.