Tag: strikeforce: houston

Bobby Lashley: I’d Like to Earn a Heavyweight Title Shot in Early 2011

Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsVoicing a belief that he’s turned the corner in his MMA career, Bobby Lashley says he expects to be in the Strikeforce heavyweight title picture by early 2011.

The 5-0 fighter, who is scheduled to face Chad Griggs at Aug….

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Voicing a belief that he’s turned the corner in his MMA career, Bobby Lashley says he expects to be in the Strikeforce heavyweight title picture by early 2011.

The 5-0 fighter, who is scheduled to face Chad Griggs at Aug. 21’s Strikeforce: Houston show, has spent time in recent months training at the San Jose, Calif., American Kickboxing Academy, and said he’s come away bolstered from his sessions with top UFC contender Cain Velasquez along with fellow Strikeforce standout Daniel Cormier.

“Before, I didn’t know where my level was, but I’ve been training with different people, I’ve got different people coming in and different camps that I’m going to. Of late I trained with Cain, regarded as one of the best heavyweights right now, and Cormier and some other heavyweights. My level is really high. I’m really confident of where it is. After this fight, if it goes where I hope it goes, I’m going straight to the top. I know where my abilities are.”

Daniel Cormier to Face Jason Riley at Strikeforce: Houston

Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsRising Strikeforce heavyweight star Daniel Cormier will square off with Jason Riley at the Strikeforce: Houston show on Aug. 21, the promotion has confirmed.

Cormier had originally been expected to fight on a Strikeforce:…

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Rising Strikeforce heavyweight star Daniel Cormier will square off with Jason Riley at the Strikeforce: Houston show on Aug. 21, the promotion has confirmed.

Cormier had originally been expected to fight on a Strikeforce: Challengers card on Aug. 13, but was reassigned.

Last weekend, the two-time U.S. Olympian wrestler earned his third straight win, defeating Lucas Browne at Xtreme MMA 2 in Sydney, Australia. Prior to that victory, the 31-year-old had won his first two fights under the Strikeforce banner.

Tim Kennedy ‘Pleasantly Surprised’ He Received Strikeforce Title Shot

Filed under: Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsWhen word first leaked that Jake Shields would be vacating his Strikeforce middleweight title en route to signing a new contract with the UFC, the thought, according to Strikeforce officials, was to set…

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When word first leaked that Jake Shields would be vacating his Strikeforce middleweight title en route to signing a new contract with the UFC, the thought, according to Strikeforce officials, was to set up a tournament to crown a new 185-pound champion.

But somewhere along the line, the plan changed, and the organization booked a vacant title fight between Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza at Strikeforce: Houston on Aug. 21.

Kennedy stopped by The MMA Hour Monday, and said he was legitimately surprised when he heard the change of plans.

Bobby Lashley vs. Chad Griggs Added to ‘Strikeforce: Houston’

(That’s Chad. Take a look at those belts, tough guy. You think anybody wants a roundhouse kick to the face while he’s wearing these bad boys? Didn’t think so. Props: myspace.com/chadgriggs) 
Bobby Lashley (5-0) has long made it clear that …

Chad Griggs MMA Strikeforce
(That’s Chad. Take a look at those belts, tough guy. You think anybody wants a roundhouse kick to the face while he’s wearing these bad boys? Didn’t think so. Props: myspace.com/chadgriggs) 

Bobby Lashley (5-0) has long made it clear that he’ll only take fights against two kinds of opponents — champions, and random scrubs. Competing against the kind of mid-level competition that would actually gain him some cred in the MMA world? Forget it, he’s just not interested. And even though the former WWE star would make a minor exception by fighting Fedor Emelianenko — who’s not a champion but, y’know, still pretty high up there — Strikeforce is going to set him up with another low-value opponent for his next fight. No, it’s not Dave Batista…at least not yet.

MMA Mania reports that Lashley will return to the cage at "Strikeforce: Houston" (August 21st), where he’ll take on Chad "The Grave Digger" Griggs (8-1), a Tucson-based heavyweight whose most notable experience came during a 1-1 stint in the IFL back in 2007. Griggs is employed as a firefighter/paramedic, so his nickname isn’t a reflection of his line of work; more likely, it’s a tribute to his love of monster trucks. All of Griggs’s eight wins were earned via stoppage, six of which came in the first round, all against guys you’ve probably never heard of.

It will be Lashley’s first cage appearance sinch his first-round TKO over Wes "The Body" Sims at Strikeforce: Miami.

Videos: Strikeforce: Houston Press Conference

(For those of you wondering, now we know what happened to Color Me Badd)
Strikeforce held a press conference yesterday at the Toyota Center in advance of its August 21 event that will take place at the venue in Houston, Texas. Ben and I were both una…


(For those of you wondering, now we know what happened to Color Me Badd)

Strikeforce held a press conference yesterday at the Toyota Center in advance of its August 21 event that will take place at the venue in Houston, Texas. Ben and I were both unable to attend since, well,  neither of us wanted to, but thankfully KBME Sports Talk 790 was on hand to catch what we may have missed.

The videos are after the jump.

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Tim Kennedy, Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza to Compete for Strikeforce Middleweight Title in August; Tournament Off the Table

("Okay, fine! Team Edward! Team Edward!" Joey Villasenor gets chased down by Ronaldo Souza at Heavy Artillery. Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)
It was announced on Friday that Strikeforce: Houston — which goes down August 21…

Ronaldo Jacare Souza Joey Villasenor
("Okay, fine! Team Edward! Team Edward!" Joey Villasenor gets chased down by Ronaldo Souza at Heavy Artillery. Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)

It was announced on Friday that Strikeforce: Houston — which goes down August 21st at the Toyota Center, and will be headlined by the light-heavyweight championship match between Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal and Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante — will also feature a fight between Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza for the organization’s middleweight title, which recently became vacant when Jake Shields got fired. But wait just a goddamned minute, wasn’t the new MW champ supposed be determined by a potentially epic tournament? Well, it seems that was the plan. Unfortunately, Strikeforce didn’t do their homework before booking the event. As MMAFighting.com explains:

Strikeforce had been planning a one-night, four-man tournament in Houston to determine its next champion. The four competitors were to be Kennedy, Souza, Robbie Lawler and Matt Lindland. Those plans, however, were nixed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation…

TDLR administrator Greg Alvarez confirmed to MMA Fighting on Saturday that Strikeforce wanted a one-night, bracket-style tournament for the Houston show, which will air live on Showtime. But Alvarez said that request was denied. "They asked if it was possible and I told them that when Tough Man was outlawed, the state also did away with tournaments back in 2001," Alvarez said.

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