MMAConvert.com

Inside MMA airs on HDNet every Friday night at 9PM ET.

Inside MMA Archive

More segments after the jump.

Inside MMA airs tonight on HDNet at 9PM ET.

Who knows if Strikeforce will give Jose Canseco the Herschel Walker fight he’s been asking for (still a few conflicting reports on Strikeforce’s interest level), but Canseco sure is proceeding on with training at Cesar Gracie’s like it’s already been booked. Is Nick Diaz showing Canseco the ropes not the oddest sight you’ve ever seen?

It wasn’t the most epic trash-talking you’ve ever heard, but Wanderlei Silva and Michael Bisping definitely made the UFC 110 pre-fight press conference a little more interesting than it would have been without them. They’ve tried to keep it civil over the past couple months, but the animosity has been slowly building and finally came to a head.

So it looks like Jose Canseco is hell-bent on making this fight with Herschel Walker happen. Unlike his preview MMA fight against Hong Man Choi, he actually intends to train for this one, and Cesar Gracie has offered to facilitate. Yesterday was his first day as evidenced by the above photo with the Diaz brothers. Nick just looks so amused, doesn’t he? No word yet on what Strikeforce is thinking at this point, but they’re apparently at least willing to sit down and hear Canseco out. I still don’t like it, but if Canseco is actually willing to dedicate himself to a real training camp I suppose it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

Now if they want to book Canseco against Don Frye then I am all about it. The verbal beating Frye would dish out would be epic. The physical one probably wouldn’t be too far behind. Just throwing that out there if this is what you want to do, Strikeforce.

HT: BE

Update: Strikeforce says they are not meeting with Jose Canseco nor entertaining the idea of matching him up with Herschel Walker.

Update 2: Okay, so Strikeforce has met with Jose Canseco though it’s unclear what came out of it.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker and Canseco gathered today in a San Jose, Calif.-area restaurant along with esteemed trainer Cesar Gracie to discuss the possibility of the former baseball star fighting for Strikeforce, according to Gracie, who spoke with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) Friday before the group met.

“Jose says baseball’s better than football, Gracie jiu-jitsu is better than AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) and he’s better than Herschel (Walker),” Gracie said. “Three strikes and you’re out.

“People will be amazed what kind of shape this guy is in. He throws a head kick like Cung Le.”

Of course he does.

I’ll say this, I don’t think Strikeforce booking Canseco vs. Walker would “hurt the sport” — at this point only something like a death in the cage on a major broadcast would — but I do think it would damage Strikeforce’s credibility. If I were Coker, I would steer clear. It’s just not worth it.

Remember when Dan Henderson said Michael Bisping “hits like a bitch” after he knocked him out at UFC 100? Yeah, well not anymore says a member of Bisping’s training camp. According to him, Bisping has been putting dudes to sleep during “fight or near-fight intensity” sparring sessions.

Bisping has been engaging in hard sparring sessions over the last couple of weeks and our source says he “has knocked two of sparring partners out that we brought in for him. I mean clean out, proper sleepy-time knockouts” . One of those two sparring partners is known to have outweighed him considerably.

Fighters Only has also learned that professional boxers and MMA fighters of considerable experience have been employed as sparring partners, and the reports from these closed-door sessions – which are conducted at fight or near-fight intensity – indicate that Bisping is at his all-time peak as a fighter.

Apparently, Bisping’s camp believes this is exactly how he’s going to beat Wanderlei Silva. He’s going to knock him out cold just like Rampage, Hendo and Cro Cop did. I can understand those heavy hitters doing it, but Bisping? I’ll believe it when I see it. I mean this is the guy who has traditionally tried to outpoint his opponents on the feet. Just saying…

Shawn Tompkins talks to Cagewriter’s Steve Cofield about training Mark Coleman to fight his former boss and student, Randy Couture.

I can tell you who I wouldn’t want to be March 27 and that’s Dan Hardy.

“I believe the years of war inside the ring made Wanderlei know all the pathway of the adrenaline. Today, we drive this ancient and efficient style for what he does better, that is being himself inside the ring, and more important, do what made him the icon of the martial arts. I believe this is going to be the return of the Mr Pride…The work has been done for this reason and nothing will change its direction. So many technique sessions, much information, a lot of attacks and defenses not only in Muay Thai, but regarding everything that can happen when mixed up. I’m very happy with this camp because we’re stressing specific workouts without forgetting his cardio. But I repeat, the priority is the technique with 100% of cardio put in the sparring sessions, where I can activate Wanderlei.”

—Wanderlei Silva’s longtime trainer, Rafael Cordeiro, via Fighters Only, predicting we will the see the return of “Mr. Pride” at UFC 110

Yikes, Michael Bisping better watch out if that’s the case. Bisping said he’s going to “crush The Axe Murderer” like Rampage did at UFC 92, but if PRIDE Wand shows up, then that must mean the only thing that’s going to get crushed is Bisping’s face from a barrage of knees like Rampage ate at PRIDE 28. Am I right?

Check out Wand talking about his training and diet for UFC 110 with former Octagon girl Amber Nicole Miller below.

Video tip via BE