Wednesday Morning MMA Link Club

(Sakuraba vs. Mayhem at DREAM.16: A fight so amazing, it can only be described as ‘Fantasista’. Props: YouTube.com/DREAM)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how …

(Sakuraba vs. Mayhem at DREAM.16: A fight so amazing, it can only be described as ‘Fantasista’. Props: YouTube.com/DREAM)

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…

– Todd Duffee Released By The UFC; Manager Calls Him an "Ass" (MMA Convert)

– Ariel Helwani goes backstage with MMA broadcast icon Mauro Ranallo. (MMA Fighting)

– Want a pair of tickets to UFC 119: Mir vs. Cro Cop? All you need is a name and an e-mail address… (Heavy.com/MMA)

– Kendall Grove confirms fight with Demian Maia at TUF 12 Finale in December (Five Ounces of Pain)

– Ring Girls Round-Up: Shark Fights Angels (LowKick)

– After Defeating James Toney, Does Randy Couture Have One Last Title Run Left? (Versus MMA Beat)

– Brock Lesnar’s Most Unintentionally Hilarious TV Spots (Watch Kalib Run)

– Exclusive Bellator 27 Photo Gallery (Fight! Magazine)

– After escaping from a mental institution last month, MMA cult hero Viacheslav Datsik is still at large, and preparing for his comeback. (MiddleEasy)

– 10 MMA Photos That Will Scare Your Children and Make You Cry Yourself to Sleep (MMA Scraps)

Strikeforce Confirms KJ Noons vs. Nick Diaz II

Despite Jason “Mayhem” Miller’s recent trash talking efforts, which included throwing down some of his hard earned money on a “Don’t Be Scared Homie” t-shirt, the middleweight will not get a crack at Nick Diaz as his angry heart so desires. Instead, the promotion has announced today that Diaz will rematch KJ Noons, October 9th, in […]

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Despite Jason “Mayhem” Miller’s recent trash talking efforts, which included throwing down some of his hard earned money on a “Don’t Be Scared Homie” t-shirt, the middleweight will not get a crack at Nick Diaz as his angry heart so desires. Instead, the promotion has announced today that Diaz will rematch KJ Noons, October 9th, in San Jose.

Now although Miller’s feud with Diaz may be more current, due to the ‘oh how barbarous’ post-fight brawl in April that involved Mayhem, Jake Shields, the Diaz brothers and crew, it wasn’t that long ago that the Diaz / Noons rivalry was the current feud of the month. Diaz never got over the stoppage loss due to cuts he incurred vs. KJ in November, 2007 (the last time Nick lost), and of course, if you need a little in the cage, post-fight brawl action to make a feud credible, there was this little ‘incident.’

Noons vs. Diaz II will be a great, great fight, and as we just noted, there’s a rather unhealthy history here to make it that much more interesting, but that said, it is somewhat surprising that Strikeforce didn’t roll with Miller on this one no? After all, Miller is a MTV star and can hype up a fight with the best of them. In a report earlier today from MMA Junkie, however, Diaz’s trainer Cesar Gracie said that a fight with Miller wouldn’t happen unless he agreed to a catch-weight. One would think this could have gotten worked out but…It’s going to be interesting to see how Noons looks at 170.

Nick Diaz vs. KJ Noons Welterweight Title Bout Being Targeted for October 9 Strikeforce Event

 (I think the message was quite clear. I specifically told Nick NOT to be scared.)
It looks like Strikeforce has missed the marketing train once again as the promotion has passed on a self-selling grudge match between Jason "Mayhem Miller&quo…

 
(I think the message was quite clear. I specifically told Nick NOT to be scared.)

It looks like Strikeforce has missed the marketing train once again as the promotion has passed on a self-selling grudge match between Jason "Mayhem Miller" and Nick Diaz and will instead once again pair the latter up with KJ Noons in a rematch of their 2007 EliteXC title bout. In that fight, Noons emerged victorious due to doctor stoppage resulting from a cut sustained by Diaz. More memorable than their bout was the in-cage melee between Team Cesar Gracie and Noons’ father a year later after Noons’ fight with Yves Edwards in Hawaii during which Nick’s immortal "Don’t be scared, homie," line was born. EliteXC brass orchestrated a rematch-hyping staredown between KJ and Nick, but as we have learned, whenever a Diaz is involved, anything can, and usually will happen.

This time around Diaz’s welterweight strap will be up for grabs, which makes perfect sense according to Strikeforce calculus. Anywhere else Noons may have to…I don’t know…win a fight at 170 perhaps before getting a shot for the belt. But this is Strikeforce, where logic is overrated and matchmaking is easy if you have a magic eight ball.

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Nick Diaz Says Bike Riding in the 209 Ain’t for Bitches

(Video courtesy YouTube/Drinkthewine)
I was pretty disappointed yesterday when this video was pulled down before I could post it as a companion to Nick Diaz’s rant about Jason "Mayhem" Miller, but thankfully someone had the presence of mind…

(Video courtesy YouTube/Drinkthewine)

I was pretty disappointed yesterday when this video was pulled down before I could post it as a companion to Nick Diaz’s rant about Jason "Mayhem" Miller, but thankfully someone had the presence of mind to save a copy to their computer and re-upload it or we wouldn’t have this little gem to watch today.

In  the clip shot by Diaz while on a toke break during a biking excursion with his buddies and brother Nate, Nick recalls a story from a few years ago when he got into a fight with two burly brothers who took issue with him blocking traffic with his bike.

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Dan Henderson vs. Babalu and Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Nick Diaz Strikeforce Match-Ups a Possibility for October CBS Show

(Video Courtesy YouTube/JoeRogan.net)
Match-ups between four Strikeforce stand-out fighters are being discussed for a potential October CBS-broadcasted event according to various industry sources.
MMAFighting reports that although he is noncommital …

(Video Courtesy YouTube/JoeRogan.net)

Match-ups between four Strikeforce stand-out fighters are being discussed for a potential October CBS-broadcasted event according to various industry sources.

MMAFighting reports that although he is noncommital whether one of the bouts — a light heavyweight tilt between Dan Henderson and Renato "Bablu" Sobral will happen on the card,  if indeed at all, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker wouldn’t rule out the possibility that the fight could take place on the rumored October CBS show.

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Strikeforce’s Middleweight Tournament Could Be All Kinds of Epic

(Jason "Mayhem" Miller, shown here with two of the countless enemies he’s made over the years.)
Losing your middleweight champ to the UFC after his contract runs out? Disaster. But Strikeforce plans to turn their lemons into lemonade with a…


(Jason "Mayhem" Miller, shown here with two of the countless enemies he’s made over the years.)

Losing your middleweight champ to the UFC after his contract runs out? Disaster. But Strikeforce plans to turn their lemons into lemonade with an upcoming eight-man tournament that will crown a new champion in their deepest division. Here’s what King Coker had to say about the MWGP he’ll put together if Jake Shields splits the scene:

Coker told MMAjunkie.com he is considering eight fighters for a potential tournament to begin at an event planned for Aug. 21: Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, Robbie Lawler, Tim Kennedy, Dan Henderson, Nick Diaz [Ed. note: Nick’s already the Strikeforce welterweight champ, so he’d be trying to scoop up his homey’s belt and rule over a second weight class] and "Mayhem" Miller. Additionally, the winner of a June 26 bout between Scott Smith and Cung Le is under consideration for a tourney spot, as is the winner of an upcoming World Victory Road/Sengoku bout between Kazuo Misaki and champ Jorge Santiago. The tournament would take place over two events, the Strikeforce CEO said. Houston is targeted for the first event, though the promotion has not confirmed a city or venue.

A two-event tournament means that the semi-finals and finals could potentially be held on the same night, Japan-style. And looking at that lineup, we see a lot of potential for sick matchups and serious grudge-settling. Think about it…

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