Author: Ben Fowlkes

Falling Action: Best and Worst of Strikeforce – Fedor vs. Silva

Filed under: StrikeforceIf you sat through Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva on Saturday night and still don’t think that a tournament structure instantly makes everything feel a little more exciting, then I’m afraid there’s no hope for you.

Even the reser…

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If you sat through Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva on Saturday night and still don’t think that a tournament structure instantly makes everything feel a little more exciting, then I’m afraid there’s no hope for you.

Even the reserve bout between Valentijn Overeem and Ray Sefo felt almost meaningful (though it didn’t look it), and the Silva-Emelianenko fight had enough thrills to last us until the next wave of fights in April.

All in all, a success out of the gates for the most ambitious endeavor in Strikeforce history. Now let’s sift through the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between after the opening night of Strikeforce’s heavyweight Grand Prix.

The MMA Wrap-Up: Post-Fedor vs. Silva Edition

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Well, it happened. Fedor Emelianenko not only lost two in a row, but he was also eliminated from the first round of the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix by Antonio Silva. Fortunately, the MMA Wrap-Up is here to put aside all the wailing and gnashing of teeth in order to ask, now what?

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Well, it happened. Fedor Emelianenko not only lost two in a row, but he was also eliminated from the first round of the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix by Antonio Silva. Fortunately, the MMA Wrap-Up is here to put aside all the wailing and gnashing of teeth in order to ask, now what?

Eleven Ways of Looking at Fedor Emelianenko’s Latest Loss

Filed under: StrikeforceAfter Fedor Emelianenko’s second consecutive defeat rocked the MMA world in the opening round of the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix, it’s hard not to ask, what does it all mean? What happened on Saturday night against Antoni…

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After Fedor Emelianenko‘s second consecutive defeat rocked the MMA world in the opening round of the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix, it’s hard not to ask, what does it all mean? What happened on Saturday night against Antonio Silva, and how does it change our understanding of future and past events?

There are many (sometimes directly contradictory) answers to these questions, so we might as well lay them out one by one and make the best case we can for each. Feel free to mix and match where possible.

I. Fedor is the best there ever was. One loss — or even two straight losses — doesn’t change that. Who else has that kind of win streak? Who else is as well-rounded, or as dominant? Who walked through Cro Cop’s hardest shots and shook off a Kevin Randleman suplex? One man, and his name is Fedor. The more the UFC heavyweight strap gets passed around like an iPod at a white elephant gift exchange, the more you’ll come to realize just how glorious Fedor’s run was.

Legacy on the Line for Fedor Emelianenko in Strikeforce Grand Prix

Filed under: StrikeforceYou could drive yourself crazy trying to figure out what’s going on in Fedor Emelianenko’s head at any given moment.

His facial expression and physical demeanor are no help, since they rarely change. If you ask what’s on his m…

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You could drive yourself crazy trying to figure out what’s going on in Fedor Emelianenko‘s head at any given moment.

His facial expression and physical demeanor are no help, since they rarely change. If you ask what’s on his mind you’re likely to get an answer that ranges somewhere between bafflingly cryptic and unhelpfully vague.

The man is an enigma wrapped up in a riddle and stuck inside one of those Russian nesting dolls. He’s like an ancient Greek oracle, where the answer he gives is always more complicated – or perhaps just more frustratingly simple – than it seems at first.

Strikeforce Grand Prix: By the Odds

Filed under: StrikeforceWhile small-scale gambling on the NCAA basketball tournament is something of an American tradition, I’ve found it’s much harder to get my friends and neighbors involved in a Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix betting pool.

That…

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While small-scale gambling on the NCAA basketball tournament is something of an American tradition, I’ve found it’s much harder to get my friends and neighbors involved in a Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix betting pool.

That’s because a) all my friends and neighbors know that I follow this stuff for a living, while they’re still wondering why Kimbo Slice didn’t get included in the bracket, and b) the lack of seeding means you kind of have to actually know something about each fighter in order to effectively pick a winner.

Thankfully, online oddsmakers have handicapped Saturday night’s opening round for us, so we might as well sift through the betting lines and see if there aren’t any egregious errors. Won’t you join me below?

Thiago Silva’s Drug Test Still Processing, Evans Not Offered UFC 130 Bout

Filed under: UFCFormer UFC light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans has not been offered a fight with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 130 in May, Evans’ manager, Malki Kawa, told MMA Fighting on Wednesday.

After MMA Weekly reported earlier in the day tha…

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Former UFC light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans has not been offered a fight with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 130 in May, Evans’ manager, Malki Kawa, told MMA Fighting on Wednesday.

After MMA Weekly reported earlier in the day that Jackson’s original opponent for that event, Thiago Silva, had been forced off the card, rumors circulated that Evans could be tapped as a replacement on the May 28 fight card.

Those reports are premature, according to Evans’ management. And yet, as of Wednesday afternoon there are still questions surrounding Silva’s ability to participate in the bout.