MMAConvert.com

Strikeforce: ‘Barnett vs. Cormier takes place tonight from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. The event airs live on Showtime at 10pm ET/. The prelims will precede the Showtime broadcast at 8pm ET on Showtime Extreme.

In the main event, the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix finally comes to a close as Josh Barnett takes on Daniel Cormier.

The Strikeforce lightweight title is on the line as Gilbert Melendez defends his belt in a rubber match against rival Josh Thomson.

Light heavyweights Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante takes on Mike Kyle.

And rounding out the main card, Nah-Shon Burrell takes on Chris Spang.

Results and recap after the jump.

Continue reading this post

It’s here! It’s finally here! This dreaded Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix is finally almost over. 666,720 minutes after it’s beginning, a winner will be crowned tonight. Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier are the big stars for tonight’s fights, but don’t overlook the undercard, which not only features a Strikeforce lightweight title bout, but also some very solid Strikeforce veterans looking to make a big statement in San Jose. Let’s get to it.

Bobby Green vs. James Terry

Bobby Green is a colorful guy, and if he could put his skills to work properly, he could make a serious impact in the fight game. He won’t have much for Terry tonight though. It should be an awesome fight, without a doubt, but I just think Terry outworks him.

Yuri Villefort vs. Quinn Mulhern

Villefort had all the potential in the world before an unfortunate series of events kept him out of action for two years. He makes his return tonight, but the future is bleak for him. Yuri will gas and Mulhern will take full advantage and perhaps even tap him out.

Gian Villante vs. Derrick Mehmen

My feelings on Mehmen are right there in his last name. Meh. He lacks consistency, and for that reason, Villante gets a big win over him tonight.

Guto Inocente vs. Virgil Zwicker

The undefeated Guto takes on the heavy-handed Zwicker in what is sure to be one of the highlights of the preliminary card. There is a lot of hype following the Brazilian around, and he has a big test to pass to prove it’s warranted. I think Zwicker is a bad match-up for Guto, and I expect Virgil gets the stoppage.

Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg

Previously regarded as the next big thing at 155, Cavalcante kind of got off track for awhile there. While he always has room for improvement, he doesn’t seem to be doing so at the pace of his competition, and that is disappointing. Luckily for him, he’s facing Vallie-Flagg, who, despite a good winning streak, hasn’t beaten anyone worth mentioning, and just isn’t on the same level. “JZ” gets the TKO win here.

Nah-Shon Burrell vs. Chris Spang

I’m kind of shaking my head at the idea of this bout making the main card, while the previous bout does not, but okay. One of these guys will be looking at some exciting match-ups at 170 with a win here, and I think it’s going to be Burrell. Nah-Shon is going to put the mash on Spang.

Rafael Feijao vs. Mike Kyle

A fully prepared Feijao can cause problems for anybody at 205. The former champ looks to build his way back up to a shot at the title that Dan Henderson took from him when he took his soul. Mike Kyle has already beaten Feijao, but I can’t see it happening again. Feijao will have no issue going blow for blow with Kyle in this bout, and I suspect the considerably improved Feijao makes short work of his foe with strikes.

Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson

There’s no questioning Josh Thomson’s heart and abilities. Fighting through adversity throughout most of his career, “The Punk” has made the best of his skills in the cage, and can easily find a spot in the UFC in the near future. For Gilbert Melendez, the future is now. Arguably in his prime, it’s hard to imagine any lightweights beating “El Nino”, and in this bout, I think we see just how far ahead of the pack he is. He’s retaining the belt tonight.

Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier

This is a really interesting bout, and perhaps the most important heavyweight bout of the year. Will the experience of Josh Barnett be as big a factor as many believe? Or will Cormier persevere again and remain undefeated? I expect Cormier to put the pressure on early, but Barnett will not be shaken. At some point, Josh will end up on top, and when he’s there, the fight is over… or Cormier knocks him out, whatever.

The bouts go down tonight with the preliminary card starting at 8PM ET on Showtime Extreme, and the main card following on Showtime at 10pm ET.

What are your picks for tonight’s fights? How wrong will I be this week? Feel free to leave some feedback in the comments below.

Make sure you don’t get in the way of Mike Kyle in the near future.

Following a press conference to promote this Saturday’s Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier event, Kyle went off on the words spoken by Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker during the event.

Coker, when asked if the Kyle-Rafael Cavalcante match would determine a contender to the vacant Strikeforce light heavyweight title, gave an answer that did not make Kyle all-too-happy.

Coker’s comments that the winner would progress towards the status of being a contender left Kyle visible upset. He spoke with USA Today’s Sergio Non outside the press conference.

“I think it’s bullcrap. You heard what he said – maybe I’ll be the No. 1 contender. I haven’t lost any 205-pound fights. I definitely believe that I’m the No. 1 contender. I was told before I’d be the No. 1 contender. It is what it is. I’m really upset by it. It makes me not really even want to fight.”

Coker did confirm that the winner is likely to be regarded as either the No. 1 or No. 2 contender, placing them in a bout for the strap in the near future.

“This fight has title implications, for sure. I think whoever wins this fight will get the title shot. To say he’s the No. 1 contender? I think that’s yet to be determined.”

Kyle’s only two losses since 2008 have come at heavyweight against Antonio Silva and Fabricio Werdum. He holds a career record of 19-8-1, including one no-contest. Cavalcante is a former Strikeforce champion with an 11-3 record, but was defeated by Kyle back in 2009.

Photo credit: Esther Lin/STRIKEFORCE

Strikeforce’s return to San Jose is official.

Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier will return to the HP Pavilion on May 19, with the main event to feature the finals in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier have been waiting for months to square off, as Cormier has been recovering from a broken hand.

Other matches recently made official for the card include Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez against Josh Thomson, Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante against Mike Kyle, and Bobby Voelker vs. Nah-Shon Burrell. The main card will air on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET, while the prelims air on Showtime Extreme beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

“Strikeforce is coming back to where it all started – San Jose,” said Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker in a press release. “The Bay Area has some of the best fans in the world and we can’t wait to get back with an event like this.”

Ticket info below:

• UFC Fight Club Presale: Thursday, April 5, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. ET
• UFC Newsletter Presale/Strikeforce Insider: Thursday, April 5, 3 p.m. ET
• Public On-Sale Date: Friday, April 6, 1 p.m. ET

Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster. Prices range from $45 to $175.

Photo credit: Twitter.com/Strikeforce

It’s beginning to look like Gegard Mousasi vs. Mike Kyle just isn’t meant to be.

Mousasi and Kyle were originally scheduled to fight last year at Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Daley” however a broken hand forced Kyle out of the fight. The fight was booked once again for next month’s Strikeforce “Tate vs. Rousey” card, but has been derailed once again due to another injury.

An undisclosed injury has forced Mike Kyle (19-8-1 MMA, 3-3-1 SF) to withdraw from a co-headliner at “Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey,” sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

At this time, it’s unknown whether a replacement has been found to fight Mousasi, though one source said it’s likely to be scrapped altogether. Strikeforce officials haven’t formally announced the scratch.

Bummer. If the fight is scrapped, there are at least some good match-ups in the prelims that would be worthy of promoting to the main card, which was something you could never say before Zuffa bought the promotion. Strikeforce may not have much depth, but at least they have some flexibility now.

Image via Esther Lin for Strikeforce/Showtime

Update: MMA Weekly is reporting that Gegard Mousasi has been scrapped from the card as well and Scott Smith vs. Lumumba Sayers has been promoted to the televised card.

Strikeforce’s March 3 card got two new additions today.

The first lucky pair is Mike Kyle and Gegard Mousasi. MMA Junkie confirmed the bout will serve as the co-main event after Kyle announced the fight on Twitter. It’s unclear if the fight will be for the vacant light heavyweight title, but with King Mo likely out for the next year, it remains a possibility.

As for the other match-up, MMA Fighting is reporting that Ryan Couture will take on Conor Heun in a lightweight bout. It’s unclear it will serve as a main card bout or a preliminary bout, but the latter seems more likely.

Strikeforce “Tate vs. Rousey” will be headlined by a women’s bantamweight title fight between Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey and will feature other match-ups such as Josh Thomson vs. KJ Noons, Kazuo Misaki vs. Paul Daley and Sarah Kaufman vs. Alexis Davis.

The Strikeforce “HWGP Semi-Finals” took place earlier tonight at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Continue reading this post

Some say MMA is a crazy sport populated by crazy folk.  Well, for God’s sake, don’t show those people any of the bouts on the following list, ‘cause then they’re really going to think we’re lunatics.  Of course, the reality of any endeavor that involves choking an opponent unconscious or knocking them silly is that strange stuff is bound to happen, whether it be someone losing their cool, losing their bearings, or just straight up losing their mind.  But at least we don’t have to deal with idiots running onto the baseball field, nude chicks sprinting across the putty green or goofy mascots, right?  Anyway, here are some of MMA’s top mid-fight freakouts.  If any of your non-MMA friends read this, ask them not to judge us too harshly.

-Rousimar Palhares vs. Dan Miller, UFC 134 – The inspiration for this article occurred this past weekend, when the UFC returned to Brazil so a bunch of native fighters could slaughter a bunch of foreigners.  The particular bout in question: Palhares versus Miller.  In an opening round that saw more back-and-forth action than a ping pong match staged on a seesaw, Palhares dropped Miller with a perfectly-timed kick to the head, and he followed it up with some hellacious ground and pound.  However, not content to wait for referee Herb Dean to call it, “Toquino” decided the fight was over himself, and he turned and jumped on top of the cage and began celebrating.  The ensuing dialogue went something like this:

            Dean: “I didn’t stop the fight.  Get down from there and keep fighting.”

            Palhares: “Que disse?”

            Dean: “I didn’t stop the fight.  You have to keep fighting.”

            Palhares: *Makes indecipherable grunting noises*

            Miller: “This sucks.”

Thankfully, order was restored and the fighters resumed bashing each other.

-Chael Sonnen vs. Paulo Filho, WEC 36 – Brazilian Top Team black belt Filho was hell on wheels for the longest time, defeating all comers to earn his status as reigning WEC 185-pound champ and one of the best middleweights around.  He even defeated Sonnen in his first title defense.  But when the American earned another crack at the Brazilian, Filho was – to put it bluntly – coming apart at the mental seams.  First, the bout had to be rescheduled when Filho abruptly checked into a substance-abuse rehab facility.  Then, when the match finally did come together, he failed to make weight, rendering their WEC 36 bout a non-title affair.  To make matter worse, during their fight Filho looked like had no desire to be in the cage, and allegedly whispered to Sonnen suggestions that they go to the ground and just rest there.  Sonnen did not oblige him, went on to win the decision, and that was the last we Americans saw of Filho.

-Mike Kyle vs. Brian Olsen, WEC 20 – Kyle may be a rock-solid Strikeforce competitor nowadays, but back in 2006 he was fighting Olsen for the WEC heavyweight title when he decided mid-fight that the Unified Rules were actually just suggestions and not really something you had to adhere to.  Our first clue that something was amiss?  The soccer kick Kyle landed to Olsen’s head when Olsen was down.  Then, when the referee tried to jump in and Kyle pushed him away to keep hitting his clearly stunned opponent, well, that cinched it.  Kyle had lost his marbles.  Thankfully, Kyle got roughly a two-year timeout for his disgraceful behavior, and by all appearances he has since pledged his allegiance to the Unified Rules.  Still, a soccer kick and punches after the ref says “stop”… naughty.  Very naughty.

-Phil Baroni vs. Evan Tanner, UFC 45 – Hard-hitting Baroni came oh-so-close to knocking Tanner out in a standing exchange, but then found himself sucking wind, mounted and absorbed elbows from above.  He was far from done, though.  After all, if anything, the “New York Bad Ass” is tough as nails.  Unfortunately, referee Larry Landless thought the best way to gauge Baroni’s desire to continue was via conversation, which, given that the fighter had 185-pounds of angry Texan on top of him, was probably a poor choice.  The ensuing dialogue went something like this:

            Landless: “Okay, I’m going to ask you a question and I want you to be perfectly honest.  Do you want to continue?”

            Baroni: “Que disse?”

            Landless: “Because if you don’t tell me right now that you’re okay and want to continue, I’m going to stop this exciting back-and-forth fight, thereby giving Mr. Tanner the win by TKO.”

            Baroni: *Makes indecipherable grunting noises*

            Tanner: “This sucks.”

Sadly, when Landless stepped in to call the bout, Baroni disagreed with the call, so he began punching up at the referee.  I’d say that counts as a freakout, right?

-Wes Sims vs. Frank Mir, UFC 43 – Tall, lanky and inexplicably impossible to submit, Sims earned himself a berth in the UFC by smashing Marcus “Conan” Silveira at a HooknShoot event.  His first opponent in the Octagon, however, was none other than Mir, who was a submission machine.  As predicted, Mir got Sims down and worked him over.  But nothing the future heavyweight champ did could elicit a tap out, and when Sims eventually slammed his way out of an armbar, what followed was ugly.  And by “ugly”, I mean Sims grabbing the cage and stomping on Mir’s face with his foot.  Which, uh, is sort of a no-no as per the Unified Rules.  As a bonus, when the referee promptly disqualified Sims for the infraction, Sims acted as if he was somehow wronged by the call.  Oh Wes, you so crazy.

A few upcoming Strikeforce match-ups were revealed in the past few days. Here’s a quick rundown…

— Strikeforce announced today that middleweights Robbie Lawler and Tim Kennedy would on next month’s Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Henderson” card. Lawler most recently lost to Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza back in January after Kennedy lost to Jacare last year when they fought for the then vacant middleweight title. Kennedy has picked up a win since against Melvin Manhoef — who Lawler also beat in a thrilling fight last year — so he’ll have a little more momentum on his side when they meet next month.

— A women’s welterweight match-up between Alexis Davis and Julie Kedzie has also been booked for Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Henderson.”

— Gegard Mousasi vs. Mike Kyle is possible for Strikeforce’s September card, according to MMA Junkie. The pair were originally scheduled to fight in April at “Diaz vs. Daley”, but Kyle withdrew a few weeks out with a broken hand. While Kyle can focus solely on preparing for Mousasi over the next few months, Mousasi has a fight scheduled in DREAM between now and then against Hiroshi Izumi.

— Strikeforce Challengers 18 is planned for August 12 at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The card will be headlined by a lightweight bout between Jorge Gurgel and Joe Duarte.

Image via Esther Lin for Strikeforce/Showtime

Multiple outlets are reporting that Mike Kyle has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming bout against Gegard Mousasi at Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Daley” due to a broken hand. MMA Weekly confirmed the news with Strikeforce officials.

Strikeforce officials confirmed Kyle’s removal from the card on Thursday when speaking to MMAWeekly.com.

According to the news, Kyle broke his hand in training and will be unable to fight next weekend. Kyle was actually just coming off a broken hand from his last fight against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, and it appears it’s happened again.

The search for a replacement is underway, but with the fight only nine days away we probably shouldn’t expect anything spectacular.

Mousasi vs. Kyle was supposed to determine the number one contender for Dan Henderson’s Strikeforce light heavyweight title. It remains to be seen how that will work out with Kyle out of the fight.

Image via Esther Lin for Strikeforce/Showtime