Strikeforce: Cormier vs. Mir | UFC Betting Sites

Report: Showtime Close to Ending Relationship With Strikeforce, 11/3 Card in ‘Serious Jeopardy’

We knew that Strikeforce’s November 3rd event in Oklahoma City was in trouble after losing its main event and co-main event due to injuries. (By the way, top female prospect Sara McMann just dropped out of her main card fight against Liz Carmouche due to an undisclosed injury. Unbelievable.) But Strikeforce’s recent string of awful luck might actually turn out to be the death-knell for the promotion. Here’s what Kenny Rice had to say on yesterday’s episode of Inside MMA:

‘Inside MMA’ has heard from multiple sources that the relationship between Strikeforce and Showtime may be coming to an end. We are being told that the November 3rd event is in serious jeopardy, and there is a strong possibility that Showtime will no longer broadcast Strikeforce events. This could very possibly signify the end of the Strikeforce brand. Strikeforce was purchased by Zuffa, the UFC parent company, in March of 2011. We have yet to receive any word from either Showtime or Strikeforce as this development continues.

(Props: AXS TV Fights)

Let’s hope this turns out to be true. I mean, we’ve been waiting for this moment for over a year now, right? Strikeforce stopped being relevant the moment its Heavyweight Grand Prix finally concluded, and what few world-class fighters remain on its roster need to be shipped over to the UFC as soon as possible, while they still have some good competitive years left in them. (No offense, but I’d rather see Gilbert Melendez face Ben Henderson than Pat Healy, and I’d rather see Luke Rockhold face any of these guys than Lorenz Larkin.)

The biggest problem that Strikeforce’s collapse would raise is what to do about Ronda Rousey, who is becoming the biggest crossover star in the sport, but now might not have a major venue to fight, unless Invicta somehow cobbles together a TV deal and brings her aboard. We know that UFC president Dana White likes Ronda — like, like likes her — but is he ready to promote the occasional women’s fight in the Octagon? We’ll see. Things are about to get interesting. But remember: This is good news. We’ll update you if we get an official announcement…

Luke Rockhold Pulls Out Of ‘Strikeforce: Cormier vs. TBA’ Card With Wrist Injury

(Between the facial hair and the t-shirt, the dude was kind of asking for it. / Photo via @RockholdMMA)

Strikeforce’s already-struggling November 3rd event just lost a title fight. Multiple sources have reported that middleweight champ Luke Rockhold recently suffered a wrist injury, and has withdrawn from his scheduled belt-defense against Lorenz Larkin next month in Oklahoma City.

The 11/3 event was originally headlined by Daniel Cormier vs. Frank Mir, before Mir dropped out last month due to an injury of his own. A replacement opponent for Cormier still hasn’t been booked yet — no thanks to Meathead — and now that the card has lost its co-main event as well, the lineup has gone from “damn good” to “damn, are they going to cancel this one too?”

The supporting bouts still scheduled for the card include Jorge Masvidal vs. Bobby Green, Tim Kennedy vs. Trevor Smith, and Sara McMann vs. Liz Carmouche. We’ll update you when Strikeforce figures out what the hell its going to do. Our suggestion: Put the remaining fights on Showtime Extreme, and use the original timeslot for Gigolos reruns.

(Between the facial hair and the t-shirt, the dude was kind of asking for it. / Photo via @RockholdMMA)

Frank Mir Injured, Out of November Strikeforce Fight With Daniel Cormier

(“Easy, Bubba. Easy. Okay, okay, tap tap tap…TAP! TAP! AHHHH FUUUUUUUCK!! Damn it! I have a fight coming up, you asshole! Why did you do that? Why?!?”)

And so, the 2012 UFC injury bug — which is now thought to be the result of a top-secret government experiment — escapes from the eight walls of the Octagon, and goes forth to inflict suffering on the rest of humanity. As first reported by Morency Sports TV, Frank Mir has been forced to withdraw from his November 3rd Strikeforce meeting with Daniel Cormier, due to an injury. MMAJunkie has confirmed the report, and says that Mir’s injury might be knee-related.

The heavyweight stunt-booking was scheduled to be Cormier’s last appearance in Strikeforce before moving to the UFC, so hopefully Zuffa will be able to hustle up a new opponent for him to keep his transition on schedule. Nothing has been reported yet, so I’m just going to throw out some names: Arlovski. Bonnar. Laupua. Just stop me if my matchmaking genius begins to overwhelm you.

We’ll update you when we know more.

(“Easy, Bubba. Easy. Okay, okay, tap tap tap…TAP! TAP! AHHHH FUUUUUUUCK!! Damn it! I have a fight coming up, you asshole! Why did you do that? Why?!?”)

We’ll update you when we know more.

Sara McMann Draws Liz Carmouche for Strikeforce Debut at ‘Cormier vs. Mir’

(McMann creates the most savage punch-face in women’s MMA history, against Raquel Pa’aluhi at ProElite 1 last August. Yeesh. That is just awful.)

Strikeforce’s latest red-hot female prospect now has a debut date and opponent. According to MMAFighting, undefeated bantamweight (and Olympic silver medalist) Sara McMann will compete on the supporting card of Strikeforce: Cormier vs. Mir, November 3rd in Oklahoma City, against 7-2 U.S. Marine Liz Carmouche.

Carmouche’s last two Strikeforce appearances in 2011 resulted in losses against Marloes Coenen and Sarah Kaufman. But this year, she rebounded with back-to-back wins against Ashleigh Curry and Kaitlin Young under the Invicta banner. Carmouche is a great test for McMann, and the fight has the potential to create some heat around McMann with Strikeforce viewers — assuming that Showtime doesn’t bury the fight on the prelims like they did with Miesha Tate vs. Julie Kedzie, which, now that I think about it, they probably will. Damn it.

Still no word on the next opponent for Strikeforce bantamweight champ/franchise star Ronda Rousey, but it’s safe to say that if McMann gets past Carmouche in November, she’ll punch her ticket to a title shot.

(McMann creates the most savage punch-face in women’s MMA history, against Raquel Pa’aluhi at ProElite 1 last August. Yeesh. That is just awful.)

Daniel Cormier vs. Frank Mir Slated for November 3rd Strikeforce Event in Oklahoma City [UPDATED]

(“Hey girl, you must be a comb because you’re been running through my hair all day. Wait, no, I fucked that up.”)

The previously reported UFC/Strikeforce crossover bout between Frank Mir and Daniel Cormier finally has a date and location. According to new reports from MMAFighting and USA Today, the fight will headline a November 3rd Strikeforce card at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Barring some bizarre post-fight fiasco, both fighters are expected to head (back) to the UFC after the event, no matter the outcome of the match.

As Cormier told USA Today, “I am excited to be going back to Oklahoma for this fight because it’s been like my second home. My first fight was in Oklahoma, and the biggest fight of my Strikeforce career will be there…Fighting Frank Mir is an honor, as I’ve always viewed him as a great warrior and champion of the sport. This matchup shows that Zuffa is committed to putting me in big fights, and for that I thank them.”

Cormier is a perfect 10-0 in his MMA career, most recently outpointing Josh Barnett in the finals of Strikeforce’s heavyweight grand prix. Cormier broke his right hand during the fight and was forced to undergo surgery. Mir’s last performance was a TKO loss to Junior Dos Santos at UFC 146, which snapped a three-fight winning streak in the Octagon.

Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is also expected to be on the 11/3 card, against an opponent to be named later. Update: Rockhold will defend his belt against former light-heavyweight contender Lorenz Larkin, whose middleweight debut in July resulted in a unanimous decision victory over Robbie Lawler.

(“Hey girl, you must be a comb because you’re been running through my hair all day. Wait, no, I fucked that up.”)