Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…
– Team Gina Carano Updates Strikeforce on Health Condition via Vague Email (5thRound)
– Pete Sell Returns to Competition After Two-Year Absence, Wins Ring of Combat Welterweight Title (TheFightNerd)
– The New CEO of ProElite Explains to Us How the Company Plans to Be the Number Two MMA Organization in the World (MiddleEasy)
– Werdum and Gloom: The Politics of Pulling Guard (NBC Sports MMA)
– Chad Griggs vs. Daniel Cormier Could Be ‘Logical Next Step’ for Strikeforce (MMA Fighting)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…
– Team Gina Carano Updates Strikeforce on Health Condition via Vague Email (5thRound)
– Pete Sell Returns to Competition After Two-Year Absence, Wins Ring of Combat Welterweight Title (TheFightNerd)
– The New CEO of ProElite Explains to Us How the Company Plans to Be the Number Two MMA Organization in the World (MiddleEasy)
– Werdum and Gloom: The Politics of Pulling Guard (NBC Sports MMA)
– Chad Griggs vs. Daniel Cormier Could Be ‘Logical Next Step’ for Strikeforce (MMA Fighting)
Filed under: StrikeforceChad Griggs knows that Strikeforce officials didn’t sign him to a contract because they were dying to be in the Chad Griggs business. Not at first, anyway.
Offering him a fight with a well-paid prospect like Bobby Lashley last…
Chad Griggs knows that Strikeforce officials didn’t sign him to a contract because they were dying to be in the Chad Griggs business. Not at first, anyway.
Offering him a fight with a well-paid prospect like Bobby Lashley last summer was Strikeforce’s way of giving him a lottery ticket. No one expected his numbers to hit the way they did, which might explain why the organization still seems unsure of what to do with him.
“That’s the joke for us,” Griggs told MMA Fighting after his win over Valentijn Overeem at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum on Saturday night. “Every time I walk in it’s like, hey, you can’t get rid of me. I won’t go away.”
With the first-round stoppage of Overeem, Griggs won his third straight Strikeforce bout, and his second in a row as a Grand Prix alternate. The win also made some people look at the other victorious heavyweight alternate from Saturday’s event — former U.S. Olympic wrestling team captain, Daniel Cormier — and wonder whether Strikeforce should throw those two in the cage together next just to see who’s still standing when it’s over.
Cormier — who was originally slated to face Shane del Rosario in a Grand Prix reserve bout before del Rosario was injured in a car accident — dominated MMA vet Jeff Monson for three rounds on Saturday night, showing off some impressive striking in the process.
But while it was a nice win for his still young career, Cormier doesn’t necessarily think it makes him the clear reserve choice for the tournament just yet. Not as long as Griggs keeps winning his reserve fights as well.
“Right now I think you match up me and Chad or me and Shane, because in reality there’s no clear reserve,” Cormier said. “Who goes into the tournament right now if someone gets hurt? How do you choose? You’ve got three guys going into this, so match two of us up and have us fight whenever the semifinals are. I’d like to fight Chad or Shane to find out who’s the reserve in this tournament. I think it makes sense.”
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said a Griggs-Cormier fight on the semifinal card this fall was a real possibility, but added “we just finished an event, so we haven’t had a chance to sit down and talk about it yet.”
Still, Coker admitted that he wouldn’t mind seeing a fight between the two heavyweights, both of whom have put on exciting performances of late.
Even Cormier’s coach — AKA’s Javier Mendez — likes the idea.
“I think the rightful thing is to have [Cormier] fight Chad Griggs,” Mendez said. “He’s another alternate, so that’s a logical next step. But I don’t know what Strikeforce is going to do. We just have to get Daniel ready for the next step.”
As for Griggs, he said he hasn’t said no to any of Strikeforce’s suggestions yet and it isn’t about to start now. Besides, after stopping Gian Villante in a wild brawl and then punishing Overeem in a first-round TKO win, hasn’t he earned a fight like this by now?
“I feel like I’ve fought two good fights and they were both alternates,” Griggs shrugged. “I had two good performances and stopped my guy in the first round in both of them, so we’ll see how it goes.”
A fight between Griggs and Cormier could not only solidify an established reserve for the Grand Prix, it would also be a nice addition to any Strikeforce fight card now that fans have seen enough of both men to know what they have to offer.
For Griggs, however, going up against a highly-touted former Olympian might seem like just one more bout where he’s not supposed to get his hand raised at the end. Not that those kinds of expectations matter much to him, of course.
“I still feel like they’re looking at me going, this guy got lucky again,” Griggs said. “But hey, I’ll take it. Maybe I’ll just keep being lucky.”
Yeah, we were praying for something to happen in that fight, too.
Heading into last night’s Strikeforce card, there were a lot of potential storylines. There was Werdum continuing to clean out Strikeforce’s heavyweight division. There was Overeem avenging his loss to Werdum five years ago in devastating fashion. There were the returns to relevance of Josh Barnett and Jeff Monson, the rise of Daniel Cormier and “Othereem” getting the fans to learn his name. Yet after the event was over, the most compelling thing we can take from it is that Dallas has some educated MMA fans. While your average Affliction clad meathead was booing from the start of Cormier vs. Monson until the end of the night, Dallas fans only booed during Overeem vs. Werdum.
Normally I hate when fans boo fighters, but to say Overeem vs. Werdum was boo-worthy doesn’t begin to capture what a disappointment the main event was. We expected fireworks, and instead were given an even less relevant version of Silva vs. Leites (at least that fight was for a title). If that fight was under the UFC banner, Dana White would have immediately issued an apology to the fans and a threat to fire Werdum over another performance like that. To say the least, Werdum’s chances of getting back into the UFC were more than likely squashed by that fight three round Thales Leites impression.
Yeah, we were praying for something to happen in that fight, too.
Heading into last night’s Strikeforce card, there were a lot of potential storylines. There was Werdum continuing to clean out Strikeforce’s heavyweight division. There was Overeem avenging his loss to Werdum five years ago in devastating fashion. There were the returns to relevance of Josh Barnett and Jeff Monson, the rise of Daniel Cormier and “Othereem” getting the fans to learn his name. Yet after the event was over, the most compelling thing we can take from it is that Dallas has some educated MMA fans. While your average Affliction clad meathead was booing from the start of Cormier vs. Monson until the end of the night, Dallas fans only booed during Overeem vs. Werdum.
Normally I hate when fans boo fighters, but to say Overeem vs. Werdum was boo-worthy doesn’t begin to capture what a disappointment the main event was. We expected fireworks, and instead were given an even less relevant version of Silva vs. Leites (at least that fight was for a title). If that fight was under the UFC banner, Dana White would have immediately issued an apology to the fans and a threat to fire Werdum over another performance like that. To say the least, Werdum’s chances of getting back into the UFC were more than likely squashed by that fight three round Thales Leites impression.
Werdum stuck to his “punch punch flop” strategy despite getting the better of Overeem in multiple standup exchanges. For that matter, FightMetric actually gave Werdum the fight, 29-28. So does that mean Werdum got robbed? Of course not. You’re judged by aggression, and Werdum showed absolutely none through his unwillingness to do anything other than flop. Say what you want about Overeem’s performance, but it’s not his fault that he didn’t blindly pounce into Werdum’s guard, especially after Werdum’s victory over Fedor. The bottom line is, if you’re strategy is going to be “beat him on the ground”, then it’s your responsibility to get the fight to the ground. It’s not your opponent’s responsibility to play to your strengths. Perhaps we’ll find out more about Overeem when he’s fighting Antonio Silva. Or when he’s actually fighting in a meaningful fight with Strikeforce. You know, where his title is on the line against a credible opponent. I digress.
It’s hard to get too excited about Josh Barnett’s victory over Brett Rogers as well. Yes, Josh Barnett looked as dominant as ever, slamming Rogers and rendering him an oversized grappling dummy. As we knew he would. It’s not like a victory over Bret Rogers has ever meant too much, especially considering he was coming into this fight on a two fight skid in Strikeforce and most recently lost a round to Warpath. Considering Sergei Kharitonov’s struggles against good wrestlers, it’s doubtful that Barnett’s fight with him will answer any questions we have about Barnett, either. At least we know that Josh Barnett can still be counted on for a ridiculous post fight interview, so there’s that I guess.
If there was one positive, slightly unexpected surprise from last night, it was Jorge Masvidal’s performance against KJ Noons. Jorge Masvidal made KJ Noons ineligible for “matinee idol of this sport”, if that’s even a real thing. Masvidal thoroughly outclassed Noons, taking him down at will and getting the better of most of the standup exchanges. A title shot against Melendez makes sense for Masvidal after a performance like this.
On a final note, Cormier and Griggs were both victorious last night, but neither guy’s victory says as much about them as it does about their opponents. I hate to say it, but Jeff Monson looked absolutely lost in the cage with Daniel Cormier. His striking would spike any boxing coach’s blood pressure, and he couldn’t even attempt to get Cormier in his guard. It’s hard to tell whether this was a testament to Daniel Cormier’s time at AKA, or just the result of Jeff Monson not fighting against elite heavyweights for years. Now might be a good time to think about that drop to 205 for Jeff Monson, especially if he plans on staying in Strikeforce. Likewise, Valentijin Overeem pretty much gave up as soon as Griggs took him down. Give credit to Griggs for getting the stoppage, but it doesn’t exactly show us anything.
Alistair Overeem def. Fabricio Werdum via unanimous decision
Josh Barnett def. Brett Rogers via submission (arm triangle choke) at 1:11 round two
Jorge Masvidal defeats K.J. Noons via unanimous decision
Daniel Cormier def. Jeff Monson via unanimous decision
Chad Griggs def. Valentijn Overeem via TKO at 2:08 round one
Preliminary Card:
Gesias Cavalcante vs. Justin Wilcox results in a no contest because of an accidental eye poke in round two
Conor Heun def. Magno Almeida via unanimous decision
Nah-Shon Burrell def. Joe Ray via unanimous decision
Todd Moore def. Mike Bronzoulis via unanimous decision
Isaac Vallie-Flagg def. Brian Melancon via split decision
DALLAS — MMA Fighting spoke to Daniel Cormier after his dominant win over Jeff Monson at Saturday’s Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum event. Cormier talked about why he stood with Monson on the feet, his gameplan going into the fight and his next possible opponents.
DALLAS — MMA Fighting spoke to Daniel Cormier after his dominant win over Jeff Monson at Saturday’s Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum event. Cormier talked about why he stood with Monson on the feet, his gameplan going into the fight and his next possible opponents.
The latest installment in Strikeforce’s Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament goes down tonight at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, featuring the long-awaited rematch between Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum, and Josh Barnett’s promotional debut against Brett Rogers. Plus, KJ Noons and Jorge Masvidal jockey for #1 contendership in the lightweight division, and 14-year veteran Jeff Monson collides with rising heavyweight star Daniel Cormier.
Handling the play-by-play for this evening will be the Shemp Howard of CagePotato’s liveblog-rotation, Matt Kaplan, so let him know you care in the comments section. Live results from the Showtime broadcast of “Overeem vs. Werdum” will be stacking up after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET; refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest.
The latest installment in Strikeforce’s Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament goes down tonight at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, featuring the long-awaited rematch between Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum, and Josh Barnett’s promotional debut against Brett Rogers. Plus, KJ Noons and Jorge Masvidal jockey for #1 contendership in the lightweight division, and 14-year veteran Jeff Monson collides with rising heavyweight star Daniel Cormier.
Handling the play-by-play for this evening will be the Shemp Howard of CagePotato’s liveblog-rotation, Matt Kaplan, so let him know you care in the comments section. Live results from the Showtime broadcast of “Overeem vs. Werdum” will be stacking up after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET; refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest.
Chad Griggs vs. Valentijn Overeem:
Griggs hits an early takedown after some feeling out and fights from half guard. Overeem lacks mental toughness, according to Mauro. Griggs is pounding away on Overeem, who’s given up his back. Hammer fists…and some more. Here’s the ref. That’ll do it. Griggs wins it early.
(Backstage interview with Heidi and Werdum. Peronaility plus. Let’s get to the next fight already.)
Daniel Cormier and Jeff Monson:
Monson is not an anarchist, says Mauro. Just a guy who wants equality for all. This could be an interesting match-up.
Hig kick from Cormier blocked by Monson. Both guys tentative. Noe they lock up. elbow form Cormier and they separate. Monson kicks the lead leag; Cormier responds with a 1-2 and presses Monson against the cage. Cormier opens up with his fists and bakcs Monson up. Monson’s got some blood under the left eye. Cormier seems to be loading up the right. Left hook. Another 1-2 lands for Cormier, who looks calm and is moving well. More blood on Monson’s face. Straight left from Monson; Cormier counters with both hands. Cormier wins that round easily.
Round 2: Monson looks lost here: swinging wildly, staggering. Cormier presses Monson against the cage. Bog right on the break from Monson. Stiff left from Cormier. More of the clinch. Jab from Monson, but Cormier counters with better shots. Left from Cormier, uppercut, clinch. Still clinched. Body kick from Cormier now. And a right hand. Knees to Mnson’s thighs from Cormier. Another round for Cormier.
Round 3: I’m sure Masvidal is thrilled to have the phrase “like Kombo Slice” attached to his billing. Back to the fight…Monson misses a wild overhand right and Cormier counters with a right uppercut. Laser right hand. Big left hook. Monson is in trouble. Big right. Monson backpedals and falls to his back, inviting Cormier to follow. Nope. Cormier presses Monson against the cage: punches, knees. Left, right from Cormier. Monson tries for a takedown. Stuffed. Cormier again presses Monson against the cage. Frank Shamrock is calling for elbows from Cormier. 1-2 and a leg kick from Cormier. Monson needs the home run here. Time runs out, though. Cormier dominated that fight from the opening bell.
Cormier wins 30-27 from all 3 judges.
Mauro on Cormier: “His toolbox continues to grow.” Gold.
Backstage with Alistair Overeem. Anyone else waiting for him to do something terrible to this chick?
KJ Noons vs. Jorge Masvidal:
I just heard audio of Pat Miletich saying Noons “wants to be the matinee idol of this sport.” That’s adorable. I watched the replay of Noons-Jurgel the other night, and Masvidal better look out for the left hook.
Masvidal kicks the lead leg and misses with a jumping knee. Masvidal jabs. Noons lands a left. These guys are getting after it. Knee from Masvidal. Noons moves in with combos. Another Masvidal knee. Takedown from Masvidal, who has Noons against the cage. Noons looks to get at Masvidal’s left arm and makes it back up to his feet. Knee from Masvidal after a quick shot. Noons is bloodied now. Left-right from Masvidal. More blood. Right from Masvidal. Head kick drops Noons! Ground and pound! Noons is back up but still taking shots, and the bell sounds to end the first. Masvidal is dominating this fight. Let’s keep it going…
Round 2: Noons misses with the right. Masvidal is smiling as Noons tries a knee. Masvidal is proving to be a tough target. Masvidal hit a big takedown, but Noons pops right back up and fires punches…before being taken down again. Masvidal attacks from Noons’s guard. Noons is back up and lands a knee. Nasty left body hook from Masvidal, who’s got Noons pressed against the cage with a little over a minute left. A bloody Noons is back up and finds himself on top of Masvidal for a bit. Back on the feet. Big knee from Masvidal and Noons is hurt. Lots of blood coming from his forehead as the second round concludes.
Round 3: Footage of Michael Irvin watching from the crowd is hilarious. Noons lands (part of) an uppercut but misses the subsequent hook. Masvidal stays tight in his boxing. Blood is streaming down Noons’s face as Masvidal remains in complete control. Takedown by Masvidal, but Noons gets right back to his feet without taking any shots. Again Masvidal dumps Noons to the mat. He’s in a side mount and has a hold of Noons’s left arm. Noons breaks free but Masvidal now has a hold of the right leg. Masvidal keeps throwing punches. Looks like Masvidal vs Melendez. 30-27 (x3) for Masvidal.
I’m Shemp Howard? I just saw that. Could be worse, I guess…
Gus Johnson just called Mauro a legend. Frank Shamrock haunts my dreams. Gus Johnson’s got a perty mouth. In all seriousness, though, Gus has been doing a killer job with the Super 6 boxing tournament. Here comes Brett Rogers and some lady with a mean face on…
Brett Rogers vs. Josh Barnett:
There’s the comment about Rogers stacking tires. It was only a matter of time…
Barnett looks kinda slim for 256.
Here we go. Brett is jiggling all over the place. Josh presses him against the cage, hoists him into the air, and slams him to his back. Damn. Josh in side control. Releases a shoulder lock; now in half guard…and now mounting Brett. Here come some punches and short ’bows. Brett is trying ot buck off the cage with hsi feet, but that’s a big man on top. Josh looks patient. Brett bucks, but Josh lands back in the mount. Brett is just holding on now. A dominant round for Josh Barnett.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I miss seeing Josh Barnett fight.
Round 2: Big left hook from Josh, who’s again mounting sweaty Brett. Side choke? Arm choke? Got it! Good night. Brett Rogers had nothing for Josh Barnett tonight.
Josh professed his love for Gus and fires up the Dallas crowd. Barnett is now walking the cage and has completely taken over this interview. He’s talking about skulls, piles of bodies, and gold. Sweet Jesus.
Nice little Fedor-Hendo promo for July 30.
Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum:
Overeem comes out to the cage draped in a Dallas Mavs flag. Smart move. Overeem has more submission wins in MMA than he does KO/TKO wins.
Main event time: A sloppy combo from Werdum, but a decent knee. Werdum shoots; nope. And again. He wants Overeem to come into his guard and is waiting on the ground. Boos from the crowd. Overeem wants Werdum to stand the f- up already. Back to the feet. Each man lands a knee. Overeem misses a big right. Werdum clinches, pulls guard, and waits fro Overeem to fall into his guard. This strategy is pissing off Overeem and the Texan crowd. Big left hook from Overeem. Overeem slams Werdum down; Werdum begs Overeem to a ground fight. Not having it. Big knee from Overeem drops the Brazilian. Werdum might need a new strategy because Overeem isn’t taking the bait.
Round 2: Both men hit knees. A few punches from Werdum land on Overeem. Wow. Werdum catches an Overeem kick and drops Overeem. Back up. Overeem stuffs a takedown. Werdum pulls guard. Overeem steps back. Werdum is slow to rise. Overeem is landing some big punches now. Werdum looks fatigued. Knee, uppercuts from Overeem. Werdum pulls him into his guard. Working for a triangle, it seems. Overem is up and free. Werdum is slow. Again pulls guard. Overeem is waiting for Werdum to get up. Overeem falls into Werdum’s guard. The crowd is not loving this.
Round 3: Werdum presses Overeem against the cage after a flurry of strikes from both men. Overeem lands a right to the side of the head; Werdum flops to guard. Again. He’s having some success with his hands and knees, but he’s sticking to his guard. Overeem is standing over Werdum, stalking. Werdum gets up and lands a good right hand. Again Werdum is on his back with Overeem in his guard. Overeem stands with 30 seconds left. Werdum lands 3 good punches, falls to guard, and goes for a knee bar as the round ends. Not an exciting main event. Overeem gets the nod from all 3 judges, as expected.
Up next in the Grand Prix, Overeem-Bigfoot and Barnett-Kharitonov.
(“Overeem is my son. Scott Coker is my uncle. Gina Carano is my hot cousin. Josh Barnett is my sister’s meathead boyfriend.”)
Betting odds for the complete lineup of tomorrow night’s Strikeforce card were released yesterday, and looking over these numbers, it seems like the perfect opportunity to dig yourself out of the hole you put yourself in by following our previous gambling advice. Now, we don’t actually recommend the use of off-shore gambling sites these days, in light of the government’s recent eRaids, but hey, entertainment purposes and all, right? Check out the juiciest lines for Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum, courtesy of BestFightOdds.com, then listen very carefully to what we have to say…
Main Card (Showtime, 10 p.m.)
Alistair Overeem (-321) vs. Fabricio Werdum (+300)
Josh Barnett (-319) vs. Brett Rogers (+309)
K.J. Noons (-144) vs. Jorge Masvidal (+135)
Daniel Cormier (-300) vs. Jeff Monson (+325)
Valentijn Overeem (+111) vs. Chad Griggs (-122)
(“Overeem is my son. Scott Coker is my uncle. Gina Carano is my hot cousin. Josh Barnett is my sister’s meathead boyfriend.”)
Betting odds for the complete lineup of tomorrow night’s Strikeforce card were released yesterday, and looking over these numbers, it seems like the perfect opportunity to dig yourself out of the hole you put yourself in by following our previous gambling advice. Now, we don’t actually recommend the use of off-shore gambling sites these days, in light of the government’s recent eRaids, but hey, entertainment purposes and all, right? Check out the juiciest lines for Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum, courtesy of BestFightOdds.com, then listen very carefully to what we have to say…
Main Card (Showtime, 10 p.m.)
Alistair Overeem (-321) vs. Fabricio Werdum (+300)
Josh Barnett (-319) vs. Brett Rogers (+309)
K.J. Noons (-144) vs. Jorge Masvidal (+135)
Daniel Cormier (-300) vs. Jeff Monson (+325)
Valentijn Overeem (+111) vs. Chad Griggs (-122)
Preliminary Card (HDNet, 8 p.m. ET)
Gesias Cavalcante (-115) vs. Justin Wilcox (+110)
Conor Heun (+120) vs. Magno Almeida (-130)
Nah-Shon Burrell (+275) vs. Joe Ray (-313)
Todd Moore (+260) vs. Mike Bronzoulis (-280)
Brian Melancon (-115) vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg (+105)
The Main Event: Look, I hug Ubereem’s nuts as much as the next dude. I’m just saying, Werdum was a +430 underdog against Fedor Emelianenko, and he managed to end that fight in 69 seconds. (He was also good enough to submit Overeem five years ago, if that means anything to you.) Most likely, Overeem will be able keep the fight standing and have his way with Werdum — but there’s always the chance that Fabricio could catch the jacked Dutchman. And since he’d triple your investment, it’s worth a modest bet.
The Good ‘Dogs: A lot of them, actually — this is definitely a card that encourages risk. Besides the main event, you have Jeff Monson as a more-than-3-to-1 underdog against Daniel Cormier. Cormier is undefeated, and always impressive in his fights, but he’s a baby in the sport, and he’s never faced anybody even remotely close to Monson’s level of skill and experience. (Stupid fact: In the Snowman’s 53-fight career, he’s earned the same number of wins via north/south choke [7] as Cormier has total fights on his record.) The line is a little inflated, is what I’m saying.
Similarly, the well-traveled Valentijn Overeem is a slight underdog against rising prospect Chad Griggs, when I’d put Alistair’s bro as a slight favorite. But the opposite is true in Cavalcante vs. Wilcox. Despite JZ’s previous history of top-ten-ranked excellence, he’s really struggled to make an impact in the last three years, while Wilcox has been on a tear. Cash on the Silverback could pay off.
Keep Away: Josh Barnett as a 3-1 fave over Brett Rogers sounds about right to me; there’s not enough edge for a straight bet, so save him for the parlay. I also think KJ Noons makes sense as a solid favorite over Jorge Masvidal, but I’d like to see how Noons looks back at lightweight for at least one fight before I start putting money on him.
The Guy You’ve Never Heard Of:Magno Almeida is a 9-1 submission ace who has ended seven of his fights in the first round. Due to injuries and bad matchups, his opponent Conor Heun hasn’t won a fight in nearly three years, and hasn’t been inside the cage since losing a decision to KJ Noons last June. Give the new kid a shot.
Official CagePotato Parlay #1 (novice): $10 on A. Overeem + Barnett + Wilcox + Almeida returns a $46.48 profit at BetUS.
Official CagePotato Parlay #2 (advanced): $10 on Werdum + Barnett + V. Overeem + Monson + Noons returns a $589.63 profit.
Chad Griggs knows that 
