Tag: Columbus OH

Stikeforce: Paul Daley and Kazuo Misaki Will Put on a Show Tonight

At 9PM CST live on Showtime, Strikeforce will put on its 39th live “numbered” event from Columbus, Ohio, featuring KJ Noons vs. Josh Thomson as well as the Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate against undefeated Ronda Rousey.Before eit…

At 9PM CST live on Showtime, Strikeforce will put on its 39th live “numbered” event from Columbus, Ohio, featuring KJ Noons vs. Josh Thomson as well as the Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate against undefeated Ronda Rousey.

Before either of those two bouts, however, UFC veteran Paul Daley and Sengoku veteran Kazuo Misaki will do battle at 170 pounds.

In the past, Misaki has shown proficiency on the feet, notably through his footwork, as well as fast hands, quick kicks, a strong mentality from bell to bell, solid grappling and submission skills, speed and a notable wrestling game.

He put it together quite nicely at 185, but many felt he was pretty light for a middleweight and might be better suited for the welterweight division.

That’s where the explosive knockout art of Daley intervenes, and then it gets really spine-tingling.

Daley’s one weakness has been the wrestling game, but Misaki is one of those fighters who will dare Daley to throw his left hand and try to knock him out.

Wise move?

Not at all, but anyone who has seen Misaki fight knows that he does not go down easily, and for however long this fight lasts, whether it lasts one minute, one round, or one minute short of the full three-round duration, the always-improving game of both fighters will show themselves in full tonight.

If it goes to the ground, Misaki’s got the win in the bag, but Daley has said that he’s done with snoozers and playing into the game plans of people who play the point game.

If tonight’s fight will not be left in the hands of the judges; it will end on Daley’s terms.

How long that takes depends on what kind of Misaki comes out to fight tonight, but rest assured that it will not be the easiest fight Daley’s ever encountered.

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Strikeforce: Live Main Card Results and Analysis of Miesha Tate vs. Ronda Rousey

Strikeforce returns with an action-packed night of fights on Saturday, live from Columbus, Ohio, and the time for the talking is now officially over.Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Miesha “Takedown” Tate contests her gold against the undefeat…

Strikeforce returns with an action-packed night of fights on Saturday, live from Columbus, Ohio, and the time for the talking is now officially over.

Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Miesha “Takedown” Tate contests her gold against the undefeated 4-0 record of undefeated Judoka and No. 1 challenger “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey, with a co-headliner of KJ Noons vs. Josh Thomson in what will likely result in the winner challenging Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez.

Also in action are Paul “Semtex” Daley and Kazuo Misaki, both of whom have their eye on Strikeforce welterweight gold, as well as former Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza’s welcoming of Bristol Marunde into the Strikeforce cage, Lumumba Sayers taking on Scott Smith and an undercard topped off by a women’s bantamweight title eliminator between Alexis Davis and former champion Sarah Kaufman.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, without further interruptions, Bleacher Report MMA presents its live and unfiltered coverage of Strikeforce 39: Tate vs. Rousey and Noons vs. Thomson. Updates will be added below as things develop. 

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Strikeforce: Gegard Mousasi vs. Mike Kyle Should Be for the Title

Where do we start when it comes to this light heavyweight drama with Strikeforce?Earlier this year, former 205-pound champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal tested positive for a banned substance after handing Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin what was temporarily…

Where do we start when it comes to this light heavyweight drama with Strikeforce?

Earlier this year, former 205-pound champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal tested positive for a banned substance after handing Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin what was temporarily the first pro loss of Larkin’s career.

As it stood at the time of Lawal’s initial win, Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante, to whom Lawal lost the light heavyweight title in Houston, had defeated prospect Yoel Romero.

On the same September night as Feijao’s win over Romero, Mike Kyle ended an HDNet-televised night of fights debuting Marcos Rogerio de Lima.

Meanwhile, Gegard Mousasi, against whom Lawal claimed the light heavyweight title, closed out his 2011 with a win over highly-touted light heavyweight prospect Ovince St-Preux.

So the light heavyweight scene seemed primed to see a new champion emerge in the form of either one of the three former champions, or in the form of the likely underdog Kyle.

Fast forward to right now, and Miesha Tate is scheduled to face Ronda Rousey for the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight title on an action-packed night of fights that’s expected to be co-headlined by Mousasi and Kyle; Feijao was supposed to face Lawal for the belt.

So, with all that being said, why not just have Mousasi and Kyle face off for the belt?

Mousasi might have an edge on striking, and Kyle may be the more likely to implement his wrestling, but Kyle’s a dangerous striker in his own right with a mean right cross, and Mousasi knows how to work a good submission on the ground once he gets it there.

Stylistically, it may not be the greatest fight possible in terms of excitement, especially if the bout turns technical, but unless the decision is made to let Feijao draw Larkin for the belt, or unless the decision is made to transplant some UFC light heavyweights into Strikerforce, Mousasi vs. Kyle seems like the best fight possible to make into a title fight on the basis of both of their respective styles, and what they can effectively do with their respective arsenals at this level of competition.

Now the ball is in Strikeforce’s court, and while the company has been historically infamous for justifying some questionable business moves, they’ve also been known for delivering on some great fights.

And while Mousasi vs. Kyle might not draw much attention away from the main event as far as excitement potential, even among the hardcore fans, letting the two take the reins—as far as deciding the new Strikeforce light heavyweight, sounds like the best possible move at this point in time.

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