MMA News and UFC Betting Odds

DIAZ VS SHAMROCK: IS IT WORTH IT?

 By John Gagne

 

Recently announced is a bout between Frank Shamrock and Nick Diaz. What is the point? Despite the fact that Frank beat Nick’s instructor Caesar Gracie, there is little to no reason for this fight. Frank should be more concerned about fighting guys in his division, and solidifying himself as a legend. Not as a guy who will fight anyone, whether it hurts or helps his career.

 

What if Nick beats Frank? Is that a big win for Nick or a huge loss for Frank? At this point it’s really hard to tell whom this bout would affect more, win or lose. To me it would appear that Frank is the one out of the two that has the most to lose. If Frank losses to Nick the next fight would be a tune up for a Cung Le rematch. Strikeforce would have to give him some one credible, so that fans wouldn’t think he was just handed the shot.

 

Now if Frank beats Nick, it is a great start on the road back to the Strikeforce Middle Weight Title. I just feel that Strikeforce should be looking for talent that is in each fighters respected division. Not having these “Superfights” at a catch weight. This fight being at 179lbs, which should favor Nick since he probably walks around at that already. I do not understand why Strikeforce is not trying to get a rematch with Noons, or another top guy in that weight class who is not under UFC contract. In the manner of Frank there are plenty of guys at 185 that Strikeforce could find to match up against Shamrock.

 

Marketing wise I can kind of see the relevance. The event will take place in San Jose, CA where Shamrock trains and resides. This location is also close to Nick Diaz in Stockton, CA, where Nick trains and resides. The numbers for this event should be huge, pending nothing happen to either fighter. I still feel they could bring an equal draw if they matched up each fighter against someone in their weight classes.

 

From a betting perspective the bookmakers are going to have a difficult time coming up with odds in this fight. I saw Frank is the favorite right off the bat. Although Nick is not a huge underdog, I do still see him as a slight one. My guess for the odds would be Frank Shamrock -210 Nick Diaz +200.

Nick Diaz, Strikeforce, frank shamrock frank shamrock, mma, MMA NEWS, Nick Diaz, Strikeforce

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Strikeforce World Middleweight (185 lb. limit) Champion, Cung Le, will seize the spotlight during an all-new “Strikeforce on NBC” episode on Saturday night.

The special, 30-minute program, devoted entirely to the one-of-a-kind knockout artist, will showcase Le’s stoppages of Mike Altman and “Mr. Unbreakable” Brian Warren and will revisit his crushing knockouts of “The Ultimate Fighter” season three veteran, Sam “The Squeeze” Morgan, and Tony “The Freak” Fryklund.

Also included in the show is a feature segment that touches on the personal life of Le, who fled a war-torn Vietnam, just days before the fall of Saigon, as a baby in his mother’s arms in 1975.

Le’s victories over Altman and Warren were ranked number one and two, respectively, according to the results of an online poll that gave fans the opportunity to vote for their all-time favorite Strikeforce knockout on the promotion’s official Web site, www.strikeforce.com, last week.

A former junior college and high school wrestling star, Le has pioneered the Chinese stand-up fighting art of San Shou, which aided his run to a perfect 16-0 record in the sport of professional kickboxing and an International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) world championship. His kickboxing conquests, which included three victories in K-1 North America “Superfights,” have aired repeatedly on ESPN and ESPN2.

Two years after making his highly-anticipated mixed martial arts (MMA) debut, Le notched what is undoubtedly the greatest win of his career — a third round TKO of former UFC middleweight champion and MMA legend, Frank Shamrock on March 29th of this year. The live SHOWTIME televised victory earned Le the Strikeforce middleweight crown.

Le recently returned home from a two month stay in Berlin, where he completed his third acting stint for the silver screen, a supporting role in the science fiction thriller, “Pandorum,” which co-stars award-winning actors Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma, Alpha Dog). The film is slated for release next fall.

“Strikeforce on NBC,” the first 52-week mixed martial arts series in network television history, airs every Saturday, immediately following NBC’s hit poker tournament series, “Poker After Dark” (check local listings). MMA legend Ken Shamrock and award-winning ESPN announcer, Lon McEachern, co-host each program and provide expert, play-by-play commentary.

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Cung Le, MMA News, Strikeforce

A behind the scenes look at Strikeforce’s current light heavyweight champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral. “I am a fighter”

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Interview, MMA News, Strikeforce, Video, renato sobral

Ladies and gentleman … your new Strikeforce light heavyweight champion:

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MMA News, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Strikeforce, UFC Videos

MMA Fighting Videos, Strikeforce

Jorge Gurgel’s seven fight tenure in the UFC recently ended following consecutive losses to Cole Miller at UFC 86 and Aaron Riley at UFC 91. Soon after the loss to Riley – a bout in which he garnered a $60,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus – the UFC moved to purge Gurgel from its roster. However, Gurgel’s [...]

Jorge Gurgel, MMA News, Strikeforce

MMAmania.com has received the fighter payouts for Strikeforce: “Destruction” from the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) for the year-end event for the promotion held at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on November 21.

Renato “Babalu” Sobral was the big winner on the night. Not only did he capture the Strikeforce light heavyweight title with his win over Bobby Southworth, but he also earned the fattest paycheck by pocketing a total of $50,000.

The former champ, Southworth, took home $20,000 and a nasty gash in the loss.

Former UFC fighters Scott Smith and Joe “Diesel” Riggs each took home $40,000 for their respective victories over Terry Martin and Luke Stewart.

Here are all the Strikeforce: “Destruction” payouts:

Scott Smith: $40,000 ($20,000 to show, $20,000 to win)
Terry Martin: $20,000
Smith defeated Martin via knockout (punch) in round one

Renato “Babalu” Sobral: $50,000 ($25,000 to show, $25,000 to win)
Bobby Southworth: $20,000
Babalu defeated Southworth via technical knockout (cut) at the end of round one to become the new Strikeforce light heavyweight champion

Duane Ludwig: $32,500 ($17,500 to show, $15,000 to win)
Yves Edwards: $12,000
Ludwig defeated Edwards via unanimous decision

Kim Couture: $10,000 ($5,000 to show, $5,000 to win)
Lina Kvokov: $1,500
Couture defeated Kvokov via technical knockout (strikes) in round one

Joe Riggs: $40,000 ($20,000 to show, $20,000 to win)
Luke Stewart: $10,000
Riggs defeated Stewart via technical knockout (strikes) in round two

Bobby Stack: $5,000 ($3,500 to show, $1,500 to win)
Cyrillo Padilha: $2,000
Stack defeated Padilha via unanimous decision

Eric Lawson: $9,000 ($8,000 to show, $1,000 to win)
Tony Johnson: $2,000
Lawson defeated Johnson via submission (rear naked choke) in round one

Kurt Osiander: $9,000 ($5,000 to show, $4,000 to win)
Josh Neal: $1,550
Osiander defeated Neal via technical knockout (strikes) in round one

Brian Schwartz: $28,000 (no win bonus)
Lamont Davis: $5,000
Schwartz defeated Davis via knockout (punch) in round three

Luke Rockhold: $4,000 ($2,000 to show, $2,000 to win)
Nik Theotikos: $2,000
Rockhold defeated Theotikos via submission (rear naked choke) in round one

Darren Uyenoyama: $5,000 ($2,500 to show, $2,5000 to win)
Brad Royster: $1,500
Uyenoyama defeated Royster via unanimous decision

Alvin Cacdac: $3,000 ($2,000 to show, $1,000 to win)
Jose Palacios: $3,000
Cacdac defeated Palacios via submission (rear naked choke) in round two

Zakary Bucia: $2,000 ($1,000 to show, $1,000 to win)
Adam Steele: $1,000
Bucia defeated Steele via submission (guillotine choke) in round one

Keep in mind the salaries listed above do not include fight bonuses, sponsorships, percentages and other unofficial payments. It also does not include deductions for expenses such as insurance, taxes, etc.

The total base fighter payroll for the event, which drew a total attendance of 8,152 and a live gate of $321,520, was $319,000.

For complete results and coverage of “Destruction” click here and here.

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MMA News, Strikeforce

The California State Athletic Commission has released the official fighter payouts for Strikeforce “Destruction. Renato “Babalu” Sobral came out the big winner with a 50k payday for his TKO (Cut) win over the champion Bobby Southworth.

Strikeforce “Destruction” Fighter Payouts

Scott Smith: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus)
def. Terry Martin: $20,000

Renato “Babalu” Sobral: $50,000 ($25,000 win bonus)
def. Bobby Southworth: $20,000

Duane Ludwig: $32,500 ($15,000 win bonus)
def. Yves Edwards: $12,000

Kim Couture: $10,000 ($5,000 win bonus)
def. Lina Kvokov: $1,500

Joe Riggs: $40,000 ($20,000 win bonus)
def. Luke Stewart: $10,000

Bobby Stack: $5,000 ($1,500 win bonus)
def. Cyrillo Padilha: $2,000

Eric Lawson: $9,000 ($1,000 win bonus)
def. Tony Johnson: $2,000

Kurt Osiander: $9,000 ($4,000 win bonus)
def. Josh Neal: $1,550

Brian Schwartz: $28,000 (no win bonus)
def. Lamont Davis: $5,000

Luke Rockhold: $4,000 ($2,000 win bonus)
def. Nik Theotikos: $2,000

Darren Uyenoyama: $5,000 ($2,500 win bonus)
def. Brad Royster: $1,500

Alvin Cacdac: $3,000 ($1,000 win bonus)
def. Jose Palacios: $3,000

Zakary Bucia: $2,000 ($1,000 win bonus)
def. Adam Steele: $1,000

Total Payout: $319,000
Attendance: 8,152
Live gate: $321,520

[Source MMAJunkie]

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MMA News, News, Results, Strikeforce, renato sobral

According to Jorge Grugel’s manager, Grugel has been released by the UFC after his loss to Aaron Riley at UFC 91. Within minutes of his release, Grugel signed a multi-fight contract with the San Jose based MMA promotion Strikeforce.

“I am very very excited to part of Strikeforce and given a chance to fight new blood and capture a belt. UFC has been my family for a few years now but I am ready for the next chapter. There are some amazing contenders in my weight class including Josh Thomson and Gilbert Melendez. I will do whatever it takes to climb to the top of this league.”

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Jorge Gurgel, MMA News, News, Strikeforce, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

Strikeforce recently bolstered its lightweight division with the signing of Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Jorge Gurgel (12-5), according to ProMMA.info. Terms of the contract were undisclosed at this time, but he hopes to make his debut with the promotion sometime in early 2009.

The former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) was released from the UFC following a close decision loss to Aaron Riley two weeks ago at UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar,” which was awarded “Fight of the Night” accolades for the performance. In fact, Gurgel also earned similar honors with his win over Diego Saraiva at UFC 73 last July.

With Elite XC falling off the map, Strikeforce has pretty much moved into its place as one of the second tier organizations behind the UFC. Signing an exciting and well-known fighter such as Gurgel can only help the promotion tcontinue to establish itself.

Gurgel had this to say about the news:

“I am very very excited to part of Strikeforce and given a chance to fight new blood and capture a belt. UFC has been my family for a few years now but I am ready for the next chapter. There are some amazing contenders in my weight class including Josh Thomson and Gilbert Melendez. I will do whatever it takes to climb to the top of this league.”

The adopted Cincinnati, Ohio, native competed seven times in the UFC following his time as a contestant on the second season of TUF. He compiled a record of (3-4) in the Octagon with wins over Danny Abbadi, Diego Saraiva and John Halverson, as well as losses to Riley, Cole Miller, Alvin Robinson and Mark Hominick.

Also the long-time jiu-jitsu coach and training partner for Rich Franklin, Gurgel is highly respected as an instructor, teammate and jiu-jitsu practitioner. Mostly considered a ground specialist, he’s been working with Mark Dellagrotte recently in hopes of establishing a more complete striking game to go along with his already solid mat work.

He’s a talented guy, but was often over matched by the competition provided in the UFC’s tough 155-pound division. By his own admission, Gurgel often fails to execute his gameplans and gets caught up in brawls rather than leveraging his strong ground skils.

Perhaps a fresh start in Strikeforce against some new faces could prove to be a great move for the Brazilian, especially if he keeps improving his all around game with Dellagrotte.

Time will tell.

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Jorge Gurgel, MMA News, Strikeforce, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)