Author: Ben Fowlkes

Jan Finney Says She’s Not Intimidated by ‘Cyborg’ Santos

Filed under: StrikeforceSAN JOSE – There are underdogs, and then there’s Jan Finney. The Washington Generals have had better odds against the Harlem Globetrotters. The Joker’s henchmen stood a better chance of taking out Batman.

At least, that’s what …

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SAN JOSE – There are underdogs, and then there’s Jan Finney. The Washington Generals have had better odds against the Harlem Globetrotters. The Joker’s henchmen stood a better chance of taking out Batman.

At least, that’s what online oddsmakers say. Depending on which sportsbook you consult, she’s somewhere between a 7-1 and 11-1 underdog against Strikeforce 145-pound women’s champ Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos. That could be due to her unimpressive 8-7 record, or the fact that she’s making the leap from regional promotions to a title fight against perhaps the most intimidating female fighter on the planet, and on the biggest stage for women’s MMA.

It’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, but it’s also not one that Finney is paying much attention to.

Writer vs. Fighter: Strikeforce — Fedor vs. Werdum Predictions

Filed under: MMA Videos, Strikeforce, VideosSAN JOSE — This recurring feature sounded like such a good idea in my head. What’s not to like about an MMA fighter and an MMA writer matching wits over an upcoming fight card? That was before I went 0-2 in …

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SAN JOSE — This recurring feature sounded like such a good idea in my head. What’s not to like about an MMA fighter and an MMA writer matching wits over an upcoming fight card? That was before I went 0-2 in the first two installments, dropping very close match-ups with Cain Velasquez and then Tim Kennedy.

But this time I’m trying something different in the hopes of changing my luck. For Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum, I square off against Renato “Babalu” Sobral in a special video edition of Writer vs. Fighter, and I have to say I feel good about this one. Maybe it’s the fact that Sobral is essentially obligated to pick his Brazilian brother-in-arms Fabricio Werdum to pull off the upset over Fedor Emelianenko, or maybe it’s just that I don’t have to do as much actual writing for this one.

Whatever it is, I feel almost certain that I’m going to win this one. Or, you know, at least save some dignity with a tie. Check out the full video below to find out how “Babalu” and I see Saturday night’s action going down.

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum Press Conference Notes

Filed under: StrikeforceSAN JOSE – While most of the other fighters in attendance at Thursday afternoon’s Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Werdum” press conference at the HP Pavillion entered wearing garish MMA-themed t-shirts and menacing stares, Fedor Emeliane…

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SAN JOSE – While most of the other fighters in attendance at Thursday afternoon’s Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Werdum” press conference at the HP Pavillion entered wearing garish MMA-themed t-shirts and menacing stares, Fedor Emelianenko strolled in wearing a faded t-shirt, a beat-up pair of cargo shorts, and a shy smile as he was greeted with a hug from opponent Fabricio Werdum.

Flanked by executives from M-1 Global and backed by his trusty translator, Emelianenko slumped in his chair and offered the occasional reluctant grin when questioned about his status as one of the most dangerous heavyweights in the sport.

Fedor Emelianenko Talks Future with Strikeforce, Retirement and UFC

Filed under: UFC, StrikeforceConducting a phone interview with Fedor Emelianenko on fight week is a little bit like trying to communicate with the Oracle at Delphi via a can and a string: you only get a few questions, filtered through a couple differen…

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Conducting a phone interview with Fedor Emelianenko on fight week is a little bit like trying to communicate with the Oracle at Delphi via a can and a string: you only get a few questions, filtered through a couple different channels, and the answers all seem like riddles unto themselves.

To be fair, it could just be this particular fight week (or even this particular interviewer), but the world’s top heavyweight wasn’t exactly in the most loquacious of moods after he finished up his open workout in San Jose on Wednesday afternoon.

Nonetheless, MMA Fighting finally got some time with “The Last Emperor” to talk about his upcoming Strikeforce bout and the future of his fighting career in general, and he was as efficient with his words as always. Check out the full interview below.

Cung Le Focused on Unfinished Business with Scott Smith

Filed under: StrikeforceThings were going so well for Cung Le. He wasn’t just beating Scott Smith; he was dominating him. He was hitting him with everything he could think of — spinning backfists, rapid punch combos, the kind of flashy kicks that norm…

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Things were going so well for Cung Le. He wasn’t just beating Scott Smith; he was dominating him. He was hitting him with everything he could think of — spinning backfists, rapid punch combos, the kind of flashy kicks that normally only work in action movies — and he was doing it all in front of his hometown fans in San Jose.

There didn’t seem to be any way he could possibly lose.

Then he got hit with one good punch, which opened the door for several more good punches. The next thing he knew he was sitting upright against the fence, his nose flattened in a sickening posture against his face while a cageside doctor aimed a light in his eyes and tried to figure out whether his brain was still in proper working condition.

Seth Petruzelli Says Tom Lawlor Owes Him One at UFC 116

Filed under: UFC

UFC middleweight Tom Lawlor may be the one who’s gotten all the attention for weigh-in antics and entertaining pre-fight entrances that seem to exist somewhere in the space between parody and performance art, but he didn’t pull them…

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UFC middleweight Tom Lawlor may be the one who’s gotten all the attention for weigh-in antics and entertaining pre-fight entrances that seem to exist somewhere in the space between parody and performance art, but he didn’t pull them off alone.

If you look closely at the human dog Lawlor lead around on a leash before UFC 100, or the terrified training partner he dropped with a Dan Severn takedown during the UFC 113 weigh-ins, that’s where you’ll see Seth Petruzelli‘s contribution to these great moments in pre-fight fun.

So when Petruzelli makes his return to the Octagon at UFC 116 next weekend, you better believe he’s going to call in a favor or two from Lawlor.