Bad Week for Strikeforce?

This past week several events transpired which undoubtedly brought concern to Strikeforce owner Scot Coker. The Strikeforce Challengers card on Friday night suffered from several problems. The referees for the event seemed to not understand even the most basic rules. At one point the third man in the cage told a fighter who just suffered a low blow, “You are all right…fight” The ref did not give the fighter the standard five minutes to recover. The championship fight was a lackluster affair and the co-main event ended quickly due to an eye poke resulting in the dreaded draw. Strikeforce is a growing org and obviously many of the above are out of their control. But Strikeforce’s problems went beyond Friday night’s event. News this week that Fedor will not fight on the upcoming CBS card also signaled a larger problem for the organization. Strikeforce seems unable or unwilling to set the card lineup up in advance of its next marquee show. When all these things happen on the same card and during the same week it makes Strikeforce seem second rate.

How did I do in my UFC 110 picks?

I went 4-1 and pushed my public picking record to 27-17. Here is how it breaks down.

Nog was a surprise KO victim to a hungry Cain Velasquez. It was a quick and brutal KO. Cain has put the rest of the division on notice. My picks was Big Nog so -1

I picked Wandy to look good at 185lbs and he did. IT was a good fight and Wandy beat Bisping by a close decision. My pick was Wandy so +1

I was proud of my George S. pick over Big Daddy. George was an underdog but I felt he had the ground game to get to Joe Daddy and that fighting in front of his country man would give him an edge. I was right so +1

I picked Bader to edge out Jardine and instead he KO ed him in the third so +1

I knew Krysztof would beat Bonnar and he did but I was surprised at how good Bonnar looked and at how great of a fight it was. It was stopped due to a cut but hopefully we will get a rematch. so +1

Wandy Heeds Dana’s Advice?

Wandy Heeds Dana’s Advice

After the Rua vs. Machida fight Dana White stated that fighters in the UFC needed to learn how to turn it on in the last minute of a round. White said “But at the end of every round, neither one of the guys went after it. Neither guy tried to steal the round. You saw it a lot in boxing – and these guys have got to learn it in MMA – is when that 30 seconds is left, go after it and try to steal that round." It seems that at least one UFC fighter heeded White’s advice. Wanderlei Silva turned it on in the closing minute of each round in his fight against Michael Bisping at UFC 110. He ended round 2 with a tight guillotine choke and he ended the third round with a flurry that sent Bisping to the mat. These last minute bursts served as exclamation points that pushed the judges to Wandy in a close fight. Hopefully more MMA fighters will adopt this strategy.

Pride Legends Carry On?

Pride Legends Carry On

Three of Prides biggest stars all fought on the UFC 110 card in Australia. Big Nog, Crocop, and Wandy were legends in Pride but all three had suffered some losses recently in the UFC. A lot was on the line for each man in his fights on Saturday night. These fighters were in must win situations in order to stay relevant or to even keep themselves in the UFC. Mirko Crocop succeeded over a last minute replacement. Wandy looked good at a new weight class and potentially revitalized his career. A younger and faster opponent, Cain Velasquez, however, quickly dispatched Big Nog. This fight was a signaled a changing of the guard in the heavyweight division, as Cain is now propelled into title contender and Big Nog is now out of the title picture. Despite this loss Big Nog will regroup and carry on. While all three Pride legends will surely continue on in the UFC, that outcome was in jeopardy prior to their fights ay UFC 110.

Changing of The Guard?

Cain Velasquez brutal KO of MMA legend Big Nog signaled a changing of the guard in the UFC heavyweight division. Cain looked, young, fast and hungry and his KO victory sent a shockwave throughout the MMA world. After the fight the Internet almost ground to a stop from all of the people jumping onto the Cain Bandwagon. Velasquez looked great against a dangerous, veteran opponent. His victory over Big Nog definitely has shaken up the heavyweight rankings.

Who will win UFC 110?

Here are some quick picks for the first UFC in Australia...

Big Nog vs. Velasquez...In this fight I think Big Nog's experience will shine through. Nofg has just had so many wars and I think he will weather Cain's early storm and then submit him late. Cain has not shown much power in his hands and Nog has a serious chin. I think that Cain will be able to take Nog down but eventually Nog will catch him in a sub. My pick Big Nog

Wandy vs. Bisping...Wandy has really been struggling lately but I think he will make a resurgence here at 185lbs. I don't think that Bisping will be able to trade with him and will get KOed, BUT I am nervous about this pick. I might be going with heart more than head hee. It is just hard to imagine that a beast like Wandy is could lose to Bisping. Imagine what the odds would have been on this fight 4 years ago. Wandy would be a huge favorite, but I guess he is in the twilight of his career. I lost on Bisping vs. Kang and I hope I don't get burned here again. My Pick Wandy

George S. vs. Joe Stevenson- I have to go with the Australian fighting in front of his home country in this one. Joe has looked improved but I think the travel and the home field advantage will be too much. George has good ju jitsu and I think he will catch Joe Daddy. My pick George S.

Jardine vs. Bader- Jardine is so up and down. I think that Bader will take the Dean of Mean down and lay and pray a decsion. I am not blown away by Bader and this is a great test for him. I think he pulls it out in a boring fight. My pick Bader

Bonnar vs. Krysztof - I think the Polish Experiment takes this fight. My pick Krystof

Did I win the Sunday Junkie contest?

The following in this post is not my writing...it is copied from the MMA Junkie website. It says I won their weekly contest. Pretty cool huh. I get to go on the radio on Monday too! The winning entry is in the post below this one.

Despite the romantic nature of Valentine's Day weekend, many mixed martial arts fans didn't seem to have much love for the UFC's decision to utilize Demian Maia at UFC 112 in place of an injured Vitor Belfort.

The biggest story of the past few days, feedback on Belfort's injury and Maia's upcoming bout with Anderson Silva received the bulk of the entries in this week's edition of The Sunday Junkie, MMAjunkie.com's weekly reader-feedback feature.

And while there were some concerns about whether Maia deserved the title shot, this week's winner, Ryan Mahon, argued that the grappling ace is the best available option for now, and it's time for Silva to defend his title for the first time in nearly one year.

For his winning entry, Ryan wins a free one-year subscription to Fighters Only magazine, the world's leading MMA and lifestyle magazine. He'll also be invited onto MMAjunkie.com Radio to discuss the topic with the show's hosts.