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Dr. Rhadi Ferguson Discusses His Scholastic Approach to Fighting

Filed under: Strikeforce, FanHouse ExclusiveAs someone who is a longtime coach, a motivational speaker and holds a Ph.D. in education in addition to being an Olympian, a black belt in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, you can expect Rhadi Ferguson to hold …

Filed under: Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive

As someone who is a longtime coach, a motivational speaker and holds a Ph.D. in education in addition to being an Olympian, a black belt in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, you can expect Rhadi Ferguson to hold a more scholarly outlook towards mixed martial arts.

This was especially the case when I spoke to Ferguson (2-0) this week as we approach his Strikeforce debut this Friday at Strikeforce Challengers 13 in Nashville, Tenn. In an exclusive interview with MMAFighting.com below, Ferguson spoke candidly about his realistic expectations as someone making his MMA start at 35, his belief of a major misconception of judo in MMA, the importance of having a spiritual adviser and much more.

Strikeforce Live Blog: Rhadi Ferguson vs. John Richard Updates

This is the Strikeforce live blog for Rhadi Ferguson vs. John Richard, a light heavyweight bout on tonight’s Strikeforce Challengers 13 on Showtime card from the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.

Ferguson (2-0), a 35-year-old former j…

Ferguson (2-0), a 35-year-old former judo Olympian, is continuing his step from trainer to the MMA stars to actually getting into the cage himself. He’s related to Kimbo Slice, but has a much, much better grappling game. Ferguson holds a black belt in both judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has competed at the BJJ world championships and ADCC in addition to the Olympics. Richard (3-1), a wrestler with three submission wins, is a late replacement fighting out of Camden, S.C.

The live blog is below.

Rhadi Ferguson Taps Out John Richard at Strikeforce: Challengers

Filed under: StrikeforceRhadi Ferguson has a lot going for him in the eyes of Strikeforce: He has a Ph.D., a background as a judo Olympian, and a cousin by the name of Kimbo Slice. There’s plenty for Strikeforce to promote there.

And now Ferguson also…

Filed under: Strikeforce

Rhadi Ferguson has a lot going for him in the eyes of Strikeforce: He has a Ph.D., a background as a judo Olympian, and a cousin by the name of Kimbo Slice. There’s plenty for Strikeforce to promote there.

And now Ferguson also has a win in the Strikeforce cage, although it wasn’t the most impressive one, a second-round submission against a low-level fighter named John Richard who actually hurt Ferguson at the start of both the first and second rounds. Ferguson did manage to make Richard tap out to a knee bar, but Ferguson admitted after the fight that he hadn’t fought particularly well, giving himself a grade of D-minus.

Falling Action: Best and Worst of Strikeforce: Challengers

Filed under: StrikeforceIn theory, Strikeforce: Challengers is the event where the prospects carve a name for themselves before moving on to the big show. You know that because the ham-fisted opening sequence tells you, in the most direct and stilted w…

Filed under: Strikeforce

In theory, Strikeforce: Challengers is the event where the prospects carve a name for themselves before moving on to the big show. You know that because the ham-fisted opening sequence tells you, in the most direct and stilted way possible.

In reality, there are usually two types of fighters on Challengers: the prospects, and the guys the prospects are supposed to beat up.

Friday night’s main event showdown between up-and-comers Tyron Woodley and Tarec Saffiedine was a welcome departure from that. It was a showdown between two tough guys who had come up through the ranks in Strikeforce and were looking to make the jump to the next level.

SF Challengers 13 Aftermath: Cormier, OSP, Woodley Dominate (The Scorecards)

(OK, Julia watch for the le-. Never mind. VidProps: ProMMANow.)
What’s this? A fairly solid Strikeforce Challengers card that (for once) accomplishes its stated mission of showcasing a bevy of the promotion’s up-and-coming fighters? Belie…

(OK, Julia watch for the le-. Never mind. VidProps: ProMMANow.)

What’s this? A fairly solid Strikeforce Challengers card that (for once) accomplishes its stated mission of showcasing a bevy of the promotion’s up-and-coming fighters? Believe it, people. Strikeforce managed to prolong some of the momentum it established late in 2010 and took advantage of the Showtime channel’s free preview weekend on Friday night with a decent card that saw a number of its more favored prospects pull off victories. Granted, things dragged a little bit down the stretch with Daniel Cormier, Ovince St. Preux and Tyron Woodley grappling their way to consecutive unanimous decisions, but on the whole this show has to be considered something of a success, at least as far as the often maligned Challengers series goes.

For the more punch-hungry fans out there, Amanda Nunes’ lightning quick 14-second knockout of Julia Budd certainly broke the monotony of the wrestling clinic, too. Video of that at top. After the jump, further musings on what it all means …

Woodley, Cormier, ‘OSP’ Back in Action at Tonight’s Strikeforce Challengers Show

Strikeforce returns to Nashville for the first time since The Incident tonight when their "Woodley vs. Saffiedine" Challengers card pops off at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. You can catch the main card on Showtime beginning at 11 p.m. ET/PT. (It’s one of those free preview weekends, by the way.) If you have no plans tonight but feel like staying up late anyway, here’s what you could be seeing…

Tyron Woodley (7-0) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (10-2-1)
Coming off a dominant first-round TKO over Andre Galvao, Woodley has been making his name as one of Strikeforce’s best welterweights. The former University of Missouri wrestler will meet Belgian Team Quest product Saffiedine, who is 2-0 under the Strikeforce banner and is coming off a huge decision win over Brock Larson at Shark Fights 13 in September.

Daniel Cormier (6-0) vs. Devin Cole (18-8-1)
We’re not sure why Daniel Cormier didn’t get an alternate-spot in Strikeforce’s heavyweight tournament — with six stoppage wins on his record and championship belts in two separate leagues (King of the Cage and Australia’s Xtreme MMA promotion), he’s one of the fastest-rising prospects in the division. IFL vet Devin Cole is coming off a decision loss to Aaron Rosa at Shark Fights 13, but he’s a seasoned vet who might be able to withstand the pressure that Cormier brings.