Author: Scott Harris

Shogun Rua vs. Dan Henderson: What This Means for Strikeforce

Dan Henderson is back in the UFC and will face Mauricio “Shogun” Rua Nov. 19 at UFC 139.That’s according to a report tonight from MMAWeekly.com.Henderson, 41, is the only fighter in MMA history to simultaneously hold titles in two different weight clas…

Dan Henderson is back in the UFC and will face Mauricio “Shogun” Rua Nov. 19 at UFC 139.

That’s according to a report tonight from MMAWeekly.com.

Henderson, 41, is the only fighter in MMA history to simultaneously hold titles in two different weight classes in a major promotion. He is coming off a resounding first-round TKO of former pound-for-pound king Fedor Emelinaneko, which was his fourth fight under the Strikeforce banner.

In returning to the UFC, Henderson is following in the footsteps of other former Strikeforce luminaries like Nick Diaz, Alistair Overeem and Cung Le. One other thing those footsteps have in common: they’re close together and appear to be moving as quickly away from Strikeforce as humanly possible.

So what does this latest defection mean for Strikeforce? I’m not a mergers-and-acquisitions expert, but all signs point to “not good.”

In the past six months, Strikeforcewhich was purchased in March by UFC parent company Zuffa—has seen its talent stocks positively gutted. The promotion lost its welterweight champion in Diaz, its heavyweight champion in Overeem and now its light heavyweight champion in Henderson. Only lightweight title holder Gilbert Melendez and newly crowned middleweight champ Luke Rockhold remain.

Remember also that Emelianenko, once thought to be Strikeforce’s meal ticket, was a ghost of his former self during his run there and now finds himself out of the promotion.

And if that wasn’t enough, keep in mind that former marquee names like Jake Shields and Jason “Mayhem” Miller have also left the promotion recently.

At the time of the purchase, UFC President Dana White said Strikeforce would “continue to run business as usual.” It seemed that continuation had a limited shelf life.

Because make no mistake: as of Hendo’s departure, the vultures are officially circling. The inevitable absorption might be good for Strikeforce fighters and front office types, including CEO Scott Coker, who appears to have a good relationship with White.

But for fans of Strikeforce, and of diversity in the world of MMA promotions, this could be a dark day.

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UFC Fight Night 25 Results: What’s Next for Main-Card Winners

It is entirely possible the main card of UFC Fight Night 25 in New Orleans yielded three new title contenders in three different divisions.In the first main-card bout, Alan “The Talent” Belcher showed he was all the way back from a 16-month injury layo…

It is entirely possible the main card of UFC Fight Night 25 in New Orleans yielded three new title contenders in three different divisions.

In the first main-card bout, Alan “The Talent” Belcher showed he was all the way back from a 16-month injury layoff when he pounded out veteran Jason MacDonald.

In the second fight, The Ultimate Fighter winner Jonathan Brookins stifled Erik Koch’s potent standup, but couldn’t prevent the 22-year-old from winning the judges’ affections and notching his fourth consecutive win.

Middleweight Court McGee wore down the Korean Dongi Yang to take an impressive unanimous decision win.

The main event, however, was probably the highlight of the evening. With one vicious knee directly to the incisors of perennial contender Jake Shields, welterweight Jake Ellenberger scored the most important knockout of his career.

Here’s what’s next for all of Saturday’s main-card winners.

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UFC Fight Night 25 Results: Erik Koch Scrapes Out Win over Jonathan Brookins

And the phenom train rolls on.At Ultimate Fight Night 25 in New Orleans, 22-year-old Erik Koch was largely unable to launch his vaunted striking attack against The Ultimate Fighter season 12 winner Jonathan Brookins. But he did enough to carve out a un…

And the phenom train rolls on.

At Ultimate Fight Night 25 in New Orleans, 22-year-old Erik Koch was largely unable to launch his vaunted striking attack against The Ultimate Fighter season 12 winner Jonathan Brookins. But he did enough to carve out a unanimous decision victory in a taxing featherweight battle.

All three rounds unfolded in oddly similar fashion. The action would begin on the feet, where Koch (13-1) held a decided advantage, throwing crisp, if not devastating, kicks and punch combinations. Though Brookins (12-4) showed little in the way of striking offense, his defense—particularly his head movement—seemed improved, and prevented Koch from inflicting major damage.

In each round, following the early standing exchange, Brookins tried and failed to score a takedown. Koch showed impressive takedown defense, but was unable to prevent the bigger, stronger Brookins from pressing and holding him against the cage. Brookins controlled Koch on the fence for much of the fight, but mounted no consistent offense from that position.

Brookins ultimately scored on a takedown more than once, but did so only after expending major energy, which may have negated the pressure he sustained on Koch when Brookins had him pressed against the fence.

The judges scored the bout 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27, all in favor of Koch. An argument could have been made that Brookins, by virtue of his extended Octagon control, deserved the victory. But in the end, the judges appeared to conclude that Koch scored enough points through his strikes and his takedown defense to come away with the victory.

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Kimbo Slice and the 10 Biggest Flops in MMA History

Call them the Waterworld contingent.They are the fighters who had big budgets, big lights, big billing and, most importantly, big expectations.Followed, of course, by the big flop.They could have been contenders. But now they’re just the most prominent…

Call them the Waterworld contingent.

They are the fighters who had big budgets, big lights, big billing and, most importantly, big expectations.

Followed, of course, by the big flop.

They could have been contenders. But now they’re just the most prominent members of a rather enormous group of people who tried, but for one reason or another, just never made it.

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MMA’s 25 Most Intense Fighters

I’ve been watching MMA for quite a while now, and during that time, I’d like to think I’ve made a few observations that are rather trenchant, if I do say so myself.For example, I’ve noticed that the sport is fairly intense—and to do it well, some…

I’ve been watching MMA for quite a while now, and during that time, I’d like to think I’ve made a few observations that are rather trenchant, if I do say so myself.

For example, I’ve noticed that the sport is fairly intense—and to do it well, sometimes a little intensity is a good thing.

(As Royce Gracie would say…you’re welcome.)

There’s certainly no shortage of intensity inside the cage or personalities outside the cage, but like looks, luck or, I don’t know, hair, some guys have a little more than others.

Here are the 25 MMA fighters who, throughout the history of recorded time, have displayed the highest levels of intensity while plying their craft, promoting their bout or just being themselves.

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UFC Fight Night 25: Is Jake Ellenberger Ready For Jake Shields?

This Saturday, Jake Ellenberger is going swimming in the deep water. That’s where top welterweight contender Jake Shields is waiting for him at UFC Fight Night in New Orleans on Sept. 17.This isn’t just Ellenberger’s first test against a bona fide…

This Saturday, Jake Ellenberger is going swimming in the deep water. That’s where top welterweight contender Jake Shields is waiting for him at UFC Fight Night in New Orleans on Sept. 17.

This isn’t just Ellenberger’s first test against a bona fide elite. It’s his first main event in a major promotion.

The question is, is the 26-year-old ready for the challenge?

Clearly, we won’t have a definitive answer until we see the hard-hitting, 24-5 Ellenberger in the cage on Saturday. But we can speculate—hey, it’s what the Internet is for.

In this video, Ellenberger calls Shields “just another guy,” adding that Shields “is not a huge step up in competition” for him.

Ellenberger isn’t blind, so I imagine he realizes those statements are not exactly accurate (especially given that he admitted this was “a huge opportunity” at the outset of the interview). Still, the fact that he seems fairly calm and collected about said opportunity, and doesn’t seem overanxious for the opponent or the moment, is a telling sign.

And it’s not like Ellenberger’s 29-fight career to this point is Tomato Can Central. John Howard, Mike Pyle, Carlos Condit and Rick Story have all crossed paths with Ellenberger. The latter two defeated Jake by split decision and unanimous decision, respectively.

Stylistically, Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt and college wrestler Jake Ellenberger is formidable on the ground, but there’s probably not a great deal he can do to match Shields’ world-class grappling pedigree.

Ellenberger has one submission loss on his resume and, if he gets on the ground with Shields, there’s a good chance he could take a second. Then again, that’s the case for pretty much everyone Shields faces.

But as they say, the best defense is a great offense. Ellenberger’s game involves putting his fists on guys and knocking them out; it’s an effective strategy regardless of the color of your opponent’s belt.  He has surely prepared for every eventuality during his 10-week training camp, but everyone knows what his primary weapon of choice will be against Shields—and it’s not a weapon that gets rusty.

Bottom line: Ellenberger has the tools to win, the confidence to fight his fight and a good body of experience despite his youth. Will he win Saturday night? The oddsmakers don’t think so; they have him as a plus-170 underdog. He may not be the better fighter, and he may not score the win, but whatever happens won’t be from a lack of readiness.

 

 

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