Carlos Condit has dropped two straight bouts, but they were good showings against champion Georges St. Pierre and No. 1-ranked Johny Hendricks. Condit’s No. 2 ranking is well deserved considering what he has shown against the two best in the division.C…
Carlos Condit has dropped two straight bouts, but they were good showings against champion Georges St. Pierre and No. 1-ranked Johny Hendricks. Condit’s No. 2 ranking is well deserved considering what he has shown against the two best in the division.
Condit deserves a top 10 opponent, but the majority of the ranked fighters are already booked and would be unavailable for those dates. That makes it a bit harder to line him up with a well-ranked athlete for his return. Also, other fighters that are near the top 10 would have trouble making the turn around for the date.
That leaves few quality options.
Here are five options for Condit’s return to the Octagon.
Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez is running out of options following his decision victory over nemesis Josh Thomson.After a close decision that some thought Thomson won, another bout with “The Punk” is feasible but highly u…
Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez is running out of options following his decision victory over nemesis Josh Thomson.
After a close decision that some thought Thomson won, another bout with “The Punk” is feasible but highly unlikely.
Everyone wants him to join the ranks of the deep UFC Lightweight division so that he can challenge for the championship and fight the best the sport has to offer. Unfortunately, he is hamstrung by his Showtime contract.
While he has dispatched of top fighters such as Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri, and while other top lightweights such as Michael Chandler are under contract to other organizations, there are still fights for him outside of the UFC that are possible to achieve.
Here is a look at five fights the Strikeforce champion can still take that do not involve Josh Thomson.
After starting off his mixed martial arts career with an impressive 9-2 record, Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High (15-3) found himself preparing for his UFC debut against Charlie Brenneman at UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi.Unfortunately for High, …
After starting off his mixed martial arts career with an impressive 9-2 record, Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High (15-3) found himself preparing for his UFC debut against Charlie Brenneman at UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi.
Unfortunately for High, things didn’t go as scheduled, as he suffered a unanimous decision defeat and was immediately released by the UFC following his fight.
High could have easily thrown in the towel, but chose to push forward and face adversity. High would win convincingly in his next four fights as he would sign with Strikeforce at the midpoint of 2011.
Despite it’s uncertain future, High is pleased to be apart of a prestigious organization such as Strikeforce. In a recent interview with Bleacher Report’s Garrett Derr, High discussed his future with Strikeforce.
“I’m thankful to be fighting for Strikeforce. I’m not sure what will happen with the organization but it looks like for now, that Strikeforce will be around for a while. My current goal is to fight the best guys on a regular basis,” said High. “If I can do that in Strikeforce, I’d be happy with that.”
High has won both his fights since joining forces with Strikeforce, increasing his consecutive win total to six fights. When asked if his release by UFC President Dana White has added any motivation to his recent success, High stated,
“To be honest, I don’t really know Dana that well. I’ve taken a picture with him before, but that’s been the extent of our relationship. So no, I don’t think that had anything to do with me leaving.”
Unlike most fighters, High isn’t necessarily looking into the future for a potential welterweight title shot, as his main focus is on improving his skill set.
“I feel like I’m fighting well. I’m in no rush to fight for the title. I’m getting cage time, experience. I still feel like I have a few things I can improve on before my eventual title shot comes,” stated High.
“I think I have to get more comfortable on my feet. I believe my skills are all there, but I’m just so comfortable on the mat that I usually go there on accident. I’d like to increase my fight pace a little more as well. There’s nothing like wearing a guy out with a fast pace and then beating the s— out of him,” laughed High. “If you haven’t been in a combat sport and experienced that feeling, I’d highly recommend you add that to your bucket list.”
High recently turned 30 years old and is excited as to where his career may lead him. Not only is High on the best stretch of his MMA career, but he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
However, as successful as High has been and will continue to be, he’s not concerned with becoming the best in the world.
“I heard Jon Fitch say once that he’s not trying to be the best in the world, he’s trying to be the best he can be. That’s what I strive for each and every day. His reasoning was that being the best in the world is limiting yourself. I just want to be the best I can be,” said High. “I think my best is better than anybody else’.”
While High has certainly witnessed great success over the past two years, he’s equally focused on becoming an even better person.
Many times mixed martial artists receive a “bad wrap” as fans and media outlets often forget they are too human-beings.
“The main thing I’d like for all fans to know is that fighters are people too. There’s been a lot of things happening with the media that sometimes diminish the reputations of mixed martial artists.You can’t classify all fighters under the same blanket solely based on one fighters’ actions,” said High.
High will now await his next bout, which he hopes will come as soon as early 2012. Until then, High will continue to surround himself with the individuals who’ve helped him become the fighter and man he is today.
“Right now I’m learning so much from Ricardo Liborio and everybody at American Top Team. It’s a lot of fun to go down there and just listen to stories and learn new things everyday,” stated High.
To learn more about Strikeforce’s Jason High, follow him on Twitter.
For additional information, follow Garrett Derr onTwitter.
Let’s pretend that you’re a novice MMA fan. You just started watching the sport after being at a bar that was showing “one of those UFC events”, and you want to follow this sport more closely. Specifically, you want to be able to watch the sport’s brightest prospects fighting on the same card while it’s still mostly for recognition. Then let me tell you everything you need to know: The UFC 135 Facebook prelims begin at 5:30 ET. You’re welcome.
For those of you who really want to be hardcore fans, and want to know about the brightest prospects of the minor leagues fighting to be somewhat more famous minor league prospects, we got your back, too. Strikeforce Challengers 19 went down last night in Las Vegas last night at the Palms Resort Casino. While most of the fighters were pretty rough around the edges, the crowd was still treated to some decent fights.
In the main event, light heavyweight prospect Lorenz Larkin remained undefeated by edging out Nick Rossborough for a unanimous decision victory. Despite accepting the fight on short notice, Nick Rossborough kept the fight close throughout the first round by utilizing the clinch against the shorter Larkin. However, Larkin managed to wear Rossborough down with leg kicks throughout the second round, and opened up a cut on Rossborough’s forehead with elbows in the third. Lorenz Larkin is now 12-0 in his MMA career, while Nick Rossborough falls to 20-15.
Let’s pretend that you’re a novice MMA fan. You just started watching the sport after being at a bar that was showing “one of those UFC events”, and you want to follow this sport more closely. Specifically, you want to be able to watch the sport’s brightest prospects fighting on the same card while it’s still mostly for recognition. Then let me tell you everything you need to know: The UFC 135 Facebook prelims begin at 5:30 ET. You’re welcome.
For those of you who really want to be hardcore fans, and want to know about the brightest prospects of the minor leagues fighting to be somewhat more famous minor league prospects, we got your back, too. Strikeforce Challengers 19 went down last night in Las Vegas last night at the Palms Resort Casino. While most of the fighters were pretty rough around the edges, the crowd was still treated to some decent fights.
In the main event, light heavyweight prospect Lorenz Larkin remained undefeated by edging out Nick Rossborough for a unanimous decision victory. Despite accepting the fight on short notice, Nick Rossborough kept the fight close throughout the first round by utilizing the clinch against the shorter Larkin. However, Larkin managed to wear Rossborough down with leg kicks throughout the second round, and opened up a cut on Rossborough’s forehead with elbows in the third. Lorenz Larkin is now 12-0 in his MMA career, while Nick Rossborough falls to 20-15.
The only stoppage on the main card came in the night’s co-main event, as Shawn Jordan secured a keylock in the second round against Lavar Johnson. A member of the LSU’s 2007 National Championship football team, Shawn Jordan caught Lavar Johnson with a vicious left hand thirty seconds into the fight, causing Johnson’s right eye to swell up. From there, Jordan showed off an impressive chin by laughing off Johnson’s punches before dumping him on his back as often as possible. By the second round, Johnson was more focused on his swollen eye than protecting himself from Jordan’s submission attempts, allowing Jordan to secure the fight ending keylock. While the Greg Jackson product needs to work on his standup game, a victory over Lavar Johnson is a quality win for him.
In other action, Ryan Couture still looked pretty raw and one-dimensional, but managed to grind out a majority decision against Maka Watson. Watson managed to open up a cut on Couture’s forehead in the first round, but managed to out-grapple Watson for the majority of the fight. Also, both Jason High and Brian Melancon managed to grind out unanimous decision victories that left the Las Vegas fans booing. Jason High has now won six straight fights.
Lorenz Larkin def. Nick Rossborough via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Shawn Jordan def. Lavar Johnson via submission (keylock) – Round 2, 3:08
Ryan Couture def. Maka Watson via majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jason High def. Todd Moore via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Brian Melancon def. Felipe Portela via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
OFFICIAL PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS
James Terry def. Magno Almeida via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:27
Bobby Green def. Charon Spain via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:54
Chris Spang def. Joe Ray via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Quinn Mulhern def. Danny Davis via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 4:08
(One of the above people has no clue that Strikeforce Challengers even exists.)
Depending on what kind of MMA fan you are, the Strikeforce Challengers series is either one of the many great ways to scout up and coming talent or one of the many open wounds that is bleeding Strikeforce to death. Regardless, Strikeforce Challengers 19 goes down tonight from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas and features the likes of Ryan Couture, Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High, and is headlined by a light heavyweight tilt between undefeated Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin and Nick “Leatherface” Rossborough. So if you determine whether or not to buy pay-per-views based on the originality of fighter’s nicknames, then this is the card for you.
(One of the above people has no clue that Strikeforce Challengers even exists.)
Depending on what kind of MMA fan you are, the Strikeforce Challengers series is either one of the many great ways to scout up and coming talent or one of the many open wounds that is bleeding Strikeforce to death. Regardless, Strikeforce Challengers 19 goes down tonight from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas and features the likes of Ryan Couture, Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High, and is headlined by a light heavyweight tilt between undefeated Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin and Nick “Leatherface” Rossborough. So if you determine whether or not to buy pay-per-views based on the originality of fighter’s nicknames, then this is the card for you.
Ryan Couture will be looking to erase the memory of his rather revealing loss to Matt Ricehouse back at Challengers 16, taking on 4-1 Wand Fight Team member Maka Watson. Since being ousted from the UFC following a unanimous decision loss to Charlie Brenneman, Jason High has gone on a five fight tear including a nasty technical submission via guillotine over Rudy “Bad News” Bears, and will be looking to continue his hot streak against Todd “Maniac” Moore, who most recently earned a unanimous decision victory over Mike Bronzoulis at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum.
Strikeforce Challengers 19 will be broadcast live (tape delayed on the west coast) on Showtime starting at 11 p.m.
“Doc comes back and says, ‘Nate, you have the testosterone levels of a 35 year old man,’ and I just broke down. ‘Doc,’ I told him, ‘I’m only 32! Is there anything you can do to help me?’”
You have to hand it to the team at MMAFighting for nailing down the exclusive with Nate Marquardt yesterday. Everybody wanted to talk to him, but it was Ariel Helwani who welcomed Marquardt and manager Lex McMahon to the microphone for a heart to heart. Mike Chiappetta provided the Cliff’s Notes version of the interview to get the ball rolling on Twitter, and the discussion quickly took off.
The short interview was dissected and commented upon in real time on Twitter, and the reactions continued throughout the evening. What follows is only a *small* sampling of Twitter’s response to Nate’s release and the subject of Hormone Replacement in MMA. Keep in mind that Marquardt already has a Twitter dedicated to getting him back in the UFC, and a matching hashtag #BringNateBack that saw plenty of use yesterday as well.
It was also interesting to note that a lot of Zuffa fighters were unwilling to touch the subject. Usual Tweeting suspects were strangely silent on the hot topic; take from that what you will. On the other hand, there were a few fighters who had some choice words on the subject, and they did not beat around the bush.
Go ahead and wade through this collection of Tweets from yesterday, and then share your expert analysis and vital opinion in the comments. Is Nate a good guy that has made some bad choices? Is he a nefarious schemer looking to get any advantage he can? What about the larger issue of HRT/TRT/PEDs in MMA? Should Dana continue to clean house until fighters learn to stay away from anything questionable? Should athletic commissions just legalize everything from horse steroids to heroin?
After all, PRIDE was awesome, right?
[RX]
“Doc comes back and says, ‘Nate, you have the testosterone levels of a 35 year old man,’ and I just broke down. ‘Doc,’ I told him, ‘I’m only 32! Is there anything you can do to help me?’”
You have to hand it to the team at MMAFighting for nailing down the exclusive with Nate Marquardt yesterday. Everybody wanted to talk to him, but it was Ariel Helwani who welcomed Marquardt and manager Lex McMahon to the microphone for a heart to heart. Mike Chiappetta provided the Cliff’s Notes version of the interview to get the ball rolling on Twitter, and the discussion quickly took off.
The short interview was dissected and commented upon in real time on Twitter, and the reactions continued throughout the evening. What follows is only a *small* sampling of Twitter’s response to Nate’s release and the subject of Hormone Replacement in MMA. Keep in mind that Marquardt already has a Twitter dedicated to getting him back in the UFC, and a matching hashtag #BringNateBack that saw plenty of use yesterday as well.
It was also interesting to note that a lot of Zuffa fighters were unwilling to touch the subject. Usual Tweeting suspects were strangely silent on the hot topic; take from that what you will. On the other hand, there were a few fighters who had some choice words on the subject, and they did not beat around the bush.
Go ahead and wade through this collection of Tweets from yesterday, and then share your expert analysis and vital opinion in the comments. Is Nate a good guy that has made some bad choices? Is he a nefarious schemer looking to get any advantage he can? What about the larger issue of HRT/TRT/PEDs in MMA? Should Dana continue to clean house until fighters learn to stay away from anything questionable? Should athletic commissions just legalize everything from horse steroids to heroin?
After starting off his mixed martial arts career with an impressive 9-2 record, Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High (15-3) found himself preparing for his UFC debut against Charlie Brenneman at UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi.
