(Barnett has his throat-slash. Roy Nelson has his belly-rub. Lorenz Larkin just stands there and poops in his diaper. Props: Strikeforce)
Tomorrow night, Strikeforce returns to the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington for one of the most compelling ‘Challengers’ events in recent memory. “Fodor vs. Terry” kicks off on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET, and features a pack of exciting prospects. Here’s a quick rundown of the five-fight main card, plus videos of some of their recent performances…
Caros Fodor (10-3) vs. James Terry (10-2)
Fodor is a Washington native who trains under Matt Hume at AMC Pankration. Eight of his ten victories have come by way of submission, but he was able to score his first stoppage-via-strikes in his last fight, battering a worn-out David Douglas until he earned a standing TKO in the third frame. He’s a perfect 3-0 in the Strikeforce organization, and will be looking to move another rung up the lightweight ladder against Cung Le protege James Terry, who has won his last three fights, two by first-round knockout.
(Caros Fodor’s TKO of David Douglas, 4/1/11)
(James Terry’s KO of Josh Thornburg, 4/1/11)
Ryan Couture (2-0) vs. Matt Ricehouse (4-0)
Usually, you have to be a former WWE star to have your first two MMA fights broadcast on national television. Ryan Couture has been granted that honor due to his lineage in the sport, but he’s taken the opportunity and ran with it. After a successful stint as an amateur, Randy’s son has shown off his formidable grappling skills in Strikeforce, ending his first two bouts by choke — then doing post-fight interviews in which everybody marvels at how much he sounds like his dad. His next opponent has more experience, but far less acclaim. Ricehouse is a Missouri-based lightweight prospect who’s already tasted victory on two Strikeforce undercards. He’s also tall for the lightweight class (just like Ryan), and a proficient grappler (again, just like Ryan). There can only be room for one of them.
(Ryan Couture’s rear-naked choke submission of Lee Higgins, 2/18/11)
Lorenz Larkin (10-0) vs. Gian Villante (7-2)
With a combat background that includes boxing, BJJ, and kung fu, Larkin is becoming known as a knockout machine, ending eight of his ten fights with his heavy hands and feet. His Strikeforce debut was a second-round demolition of Scott Lighty in April, in which he came in on a week’s notice to replace Satoshi Ishii. With momentum behind him, the California native is the favorite in his fight against Gian Villante, who returns to the cage after losing a wild slugfest to Chad Griggs in February. Villante, a former heavyweight champ of the New Jersey-based Ring of Combat promotion, drops back down to 205 for this one.
(Lorenz Larkin’s TKO of Scott Lighty, 4/1/11)
(Gian Villante’s TKO loss to Chad Griggs, 2/12/11)
Hit the “next page” link to learn about the Kansas City Bandit vs. Campamocha, and the first women’s match in Zuffa history…
Light heavyweight prospects 
It appears as though the next Strikeforce Challengers card will take place June 24 in Kent, Wash., MMA Fighting has learned from sources close to the event.
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.
Strikeforce’s much-discussed heavyweight tournament begins on Saturday night, with two of the four quarterfinal bouts taking place on a five-fight card that features nothing but heavyweights.
