Strikeforce: Nashville

[jmt225]

Main card

• Middleweight Championship bout: Jake Shields (c) vs. Dan Henderson
• Light Heavyweight Championship bout: Gegard Mousasi (c) vs. Muhammed Lawal
• WAMMA Lightweight Championship bout: Gilbert Melendez (c) vs. Shinya Aoki (c)

Preliminary card

• Middleweight bout: Jason Miller vs. Tim Stout
• Middleweight bout: Hunter Worsham vs. Zach Underwood
• Middleweight bout: Cale Yarbrough vs. Josh Schockman
• Welterweight bout: Dustin West vs. Andrew Uhrich
• Flyweight bout: Justin Pennington vs. Dustin Ortiz
• Light Heavyweight bout: Ovince St. Preux vs. Chris Hawk
• Featherweight bout: Thomas Campbell vs. Cody Floyd

......................................................................................​

Man, Strikeforce needs to get their shit together. This card is a mere 3 weeks away, and they only have 3 fights announced. What kind of ridiculousness and unprofessionalism is that? Seriously, I like Strikeforce, I really do, but this is pathetic. It's shit like this that will always make them look amateur compared to the UFC.

Regardless, for only 3 fights being announced, let me that those are 3 AWESOME fights, and I cannot wait to see every single one of them.

I'm really, really, REALLY rooting for Jake Shields to pull the upset against Dan Henderson. When you look at the fight, it should be a cakewalk for Hendo. Shields has very little to zero stand-up, and usually depends on his wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu to win fights. But how will he ever be able to get the fight to the ground, when Dan Henderson is much bigger and a better wrestler than him? It just doesn't seem possible. However, With that said, I do have faith in Shields finding a way to win this. It's a 5 round fight, and I believe if Shields can eventually get the fight to the ground, he will tap Hendo's ass out. But, before then, he must avoid Hendo's overhand right; though, honestly... since that's literally the ONLY weapon Hendo has on his feet, it shouldn't be hard for Shields to work around that.

Let me also say that what gives me a bit of confidence in Shields is that I also believed the same thing I believe now when Shields fought Robbie Lawler. I thought Lawler was too big and talented for Shields to ever get the fight to the ground... but we saw what happened in that fight. Now, of course Hendo is much bigger and talented than Lawler, but if Shields is able to get inside of Hendo and pull him down into his guard like he is capable of doing, I do think Shields will be able to make transitions and sweeps throughout to give him the advantage on the ground. And you never know... while going down he might catch Hendo in a Guillotine like he did Lawler.

So, yeah... if I had to bet on this fight, I would most likely put my money on Dan Henderson; however, my heart is with Shields. I'm hoping for the best.

Gegard Mousasi vs. Muhammed Lawal... I actually don't have much to say about this fight. Lawal is a Rampage wannbe, but doesn't contain an ounce of talent Rampage has. I cannot stand the overhyped piece of shit. Mousasi, on the other hand, is completely legit and becoming one of my favorite fighters. I fully expect him to completely manhandle King Mo throughout this fight and finish him off early on and easily. Definitely looking forward to this just because of that.

And Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki has potential to be Fight of the Year. It's Aoki's first fight in the U.S., and man... what a fight it's going to be!

Shiny Aoki is considered as one of the most overrated fighters in the World by a lot of people, and most are expecting him to get mauled in this fight. While I think it's a universal opinion with knowledgable MMA fans that Aoki is the best MMA fighter when it comes transitioning Jiu-Jitsu into the sport, everyone also thinks that's all he has to offer. They think his stand-up is one of the Worst in MMA (that actually could be true), and that he's way too small to ever get fighters in the United States to the ground (Japanese fighters for the most part don't cut weight, while of course the average US fighter cuts near 20 pounds before every fight).

Gilbert Melendez has shown in his last couple of fights that he's been working hard on his stand-up, and has improved drastically. He's also a great wrestler, and as a Cesar Gracie purple belt, he's no slouch on the ground, either. Everything points to him winning this fight. How will Aoki get him to the ground? And even if he does, Melendez is still good enough to survive if it gets to the ground to not get caught, while eventually using his size and strength to overpower Aoki and get back to his feet.

But, but, but.... you just cannot count Aoki out. I cannot bring myself to do it. Aoki is not one of these guys who settles because he can't get it to the ground. He's not like Thales Lietes, falling on his back every chance he gets. No, he's constantly trying to get inside your stand-up and pull guard. He's constantly waiting for you to throw a leg kick so he can take you down that way. He's just constantly always looking for a way to put you butt on the mat, so he can tap your ass out. And you know what? He's been highly successful with that kind of gameplan.

Now, if you bothered to read all of this, even if you don't know who Shinya Aoki is, then please take 3 more minutes of your time and watch this fight below. This will give you a taste of exactly who Shinya Aoki is and how he fights:

[YOUTUBE]Awh8P4HW3Kk[/YOUTUBE]

Eddie Alvarez is perhaps Aoki's greatest opponent to date. His record is 19-2, and he's one of those Americans who cuts a lot of weight to make his division weight class (in this case, Lightweight). However, just watch that fight. Aoki wants no part of Alvarez's stand-up, and is willing to do ANYTHING to get the fight to the ground. And look at what happens when he does. It's over just like that.

So, how can I count someone like Shinya Aoki out? I really, really like Gilbert Melendez, and everything does point to him as a terrible match-up for Shinya Aokia, but I predict Shinya Aoki to win this fight. Either he'll catch Melendez early on like he did Alvarez there, or he'll eventually catch him in the later rounds.

All in all, there are definitely 3 amazing fights booked here, even if Strikeforce is being ridiculous with their last-minute booking. I am really looking forward to this show, and it has a huge possibility of being the best Strikeforce show they ever put on.

Note: I'll make sure to update the fight card as more main card (if there are anymore) and preliminary card fights are announced.

 

[Mufasa]

This is an excellent time to be an MMA fan. Between UFC, WEC, Strikeforce, and Dream there are so many fights in such a short period of time.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Henderson wreck Jake Shields. I'm also a big fan of Mousasi. This is a good card, but I hope there is one more fight added to the card.

 

[INDYjon22]

When the fuck does Fedor fight again? I could have sworn it was supposed to be on this card. Oh well, this card is ridiculous even without him. 3 title fights in one night, I don't think the UFC has ever done that. Now this could be a bit of an overload in regards to title fights but I couldn't give two shits because all 3 fights look sick on paper.

Dan Henderson versus Jake Shields looks to be a possible fight of the year contender. Hendo has looked terrific in his last couple of fights and Jake Shields is Jake Shields. Two wrestlers are going to go at it much like Shields versus Mayhem. The difference is Henderson is 10 times the fighter Mayhem is, at least in my book. I think Henderson will run circles around Shields personally. Hendo has been around for so long and fought so many guys that there just isn't anything Shields can throw at him that he hasn't seen before. I won't count Shields out but he definitely has his work cut out for him.

Gegard Mousasi versus Muhammed Lawal is easily the weakest of the title fights. Lawal has a shit ton of hype surrounding him the quiet honestly I don't think he deserves. Much like Cung Le, Strikeforce has shoved Lawal down our throats and even though he is a good fighter he does not deserve all the hype he gets considering he has yet to beat anyone with any name value. Mousasi would be a huge person for him to beat but the problem is he is fighting one of the very best Light Heavyweight's in the world today. Mousasi should put Lawal to sleep really fast.

Shinya Aoki and Gilbert Melendez should be the fight of the night. Melendez has a ton of talent and can seriously hang with anyone in the world, besides maybe BJ Penn, as he evidenced with his victory over Josh Thompson. I don't know a whole lot about Aoki but from everything I have seen he is another very talented fighter. I think Melendez takes this fight but by way of a decision and probably a close one at that. Strikeforce has one hell of a Lightweight division.

Hopefully, they get one more big fight on the main card and put together a somewhat respectable undercard. It is really weird that they haven't announced any other fights and the show is only a couple of weeks away. Regardless I think this show will get so damn good ratings for CBS.

 

[jmt225]

When the fuck does Fedor fight again? I could have sworn it was supposed to be on this card.

He was supposed to fight Werdum on the May card, which was going to be on CBS, while this show was going to be on Showtime. Well, when Fedor vs. Werdum got called off, they added Mousasi vs. King Mo and Aoki vs. Melendez (which were both supposed to be on the May card) to this card, and CBS decided to go ahead and air this instead of the May event. Now, the May card is headlined by Rogers vs. Overeem and Arlovski vs. Big Silva, while Fedor's management actually said today that he will fight Werdum towards the end of June on a Strikeforce show. I'll believe that when I see it, though.

 

[jmt225]

I've got some good news and some bad news for this card.

The good news is that Mayhem Miller has been added to this card. The bad news is that it's against some no-name called Tim Stout and they're fucking putting in on the Preliminary card.

Seriously, Strikeforce better tape the fight with the plan of reairing it for the main broadcast. There's absolutely no way all three main card fights goes the distance. If that's what they believe, then we're going to be in for a shitload of commercials in-between the fights, and that's really, really going to piss me off.

Also, small rumor out there that Bobby Lashley will be added on the main card, but nothing's been said by Strikeforce or Lashley himself, so I'm not buying it.

However, if Lashley is added at the last minute, again it just shows just how minor league Strikeforce is to continue to pull bullshit like that. It's not that difficult to put a fight card together... there should be no need for last minute decisions.

Also, for the record... I'm not too high on wasting a Miller fight like this. Jacare isn't up to shit... why couldn't we get Mayhem vs. Jacare 3, either on this show or the May 5th show? Blows my mind...

 

[Via Armbar]

Just for the record, Dan Henderson may have the flattest face of all time. Just throwing that out there. This card may not have huge names like the UFC cards usually do, but for real fight fans this card looks awesome. Not to mention that it's free. Hendo and Shields are going to have a hell of a fight gaurenteed. Hendo is in my top five of all time easily and Shields has shown he is one of the best in the division bar none. This is an instance where the dictation of the fights location will be the deciding factor. Shields will have absolutely no answer for Hendo's standup and will run a huge risk there. If he can manage to get Dan down, which is no easy task, he will be in his comfort zone and shift the odds in the opppsite direction. This is a hell of a test for Shields. He won't be able to blanket Hendo like he did Mayhem seeing as the difference between both mens wrestling is huge. I see Hendo taking this, fairly easily while making Shields look pretty good.

Something about Mo just bugs me. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. He believes in his own hype and honestly is responsible for most if. Whether or not it's warranted, we don't know yet. I have a feeling though that he's going to find a comfortable spot in the middle; not as good as he says he is but not as bad as I want him to be. Mousasi is quickly becoming one of the top dogs in the world. He has finished his last six fights I believe, all rather quickly as well. His striking is viciously precise and he's one of the few uys out there that puts their judo to good use. He's shown that he is able to deal with good grapplers and wrestlers, using Babalu as an example. Not to seel King Mo's wrestling short because it is good, but I think Gegard can handle it. Mousasi is too good at every area for Mo, and Mousasi will sub him within two rounds.

Aoki is a devil. The man WILL find a way to get you down and submit you. Some people don't like his overall demeanor, but if everyone's being honest than not many will despute his talents. What makes this potentially the most surprising and unpredictable fight of the whol card is that Melendez is an incredible wrestler with really good bjj. There's no way this doesn't end up on the ground. Someone is getting tko'd or subbed there and I have a feeling it's going to be Melendez. It really comes down to who's submission are better, and there are few in the world who are better than Aoki in that department. The only way Gilbert can stop the submission is if he really used his wrestling to his highest potential and neutralizes it. It could happen, but Aoki has dealt with wrestlers before and came out a winner. Look for some form of leglock to end this fight with Aoki being victorious.

The undercard looks okay if you're familiar with the fighters outside of Mayhem. These fights are often the most exciting only because these fighters still need to earn their spot, the recognize it as the time to finally break through. Overall the card is better than UFC 112 looks and it's a good deal cheaper. As in free. If Strikeforce keeps putting on good free cards like this then only good things can come from it.

 

[INDYjon22]

I love the addition of Mayhem to this card. I am personally not a fan but there is no denying that he is an awesome fighter and a great MMA character. Based on his last fight with Shields and his show he could maybe even draw in some unlikely viewers. I really hope that Strikeforce records this fight and airs it on the live card because just about any fight Mayhem has is very fun to watch.

It would be nice to see Lashley fight on this card but as previously stated he would just be fed some scrub fighter most likely. It is a real shame that the Lashley/Rogers fight couldn't get done because that would be a very nice fourth main card fight to have. Hopefully Strikeforce can come up with a suitable and somewhat challenging opponent in time but it seems unlikely.

 

[Via Armbar]

Lashley is officially not on this card. He's undergoing some nasal surgery apparently. I'm not too dissapointed as it's still a stellar card. It would have been a nice addition though. My curiosity is still pretty high regarding Lashley and what he is capable of. I do have a feeling though that if he wins his next two fights they'll give him Fedor. Bad news for Lashley obviously.

 

[INDYjon22]

Not the greatest fight card of all time but I didn't find it as boring as a lot of other people did. It was very underwhelming but it still had some good moments.

King Mo vs. Gegard Mousasi. This fight was a huge let down being a Mousasi fan. He came into this fight with no real interest in fighting it seemed like. King Mo however looked great. I never liked the guy and still don't but he sure as hell brought his A game and fought the fight his way the whole way. Mo was much to strong for Mousasi to stuff his takedowns and his ground and pound looked good. I don't know what was going through Mousasi's head but he did not look like himself last night. Hopefully he can rebound from this loss.

Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki was a alright. It wasn't to exciting but Melendez looked great. The best part of this entire fight was Aokis scooting towards Melendez trying to pull guard and Melendez not biting, then suddenly punching Aoki in the face. To bad Yamaski claimed he was standing Aoki up because that could have been the end. Aoki did not impress me at all and his gameplan was shit. He obviously wanted nothing to do with Melendez's stand up but wouldn't engage him any other way to get him to the mat.

Hendo vs. Shields started out great. Hendo looked like he was still fighting Bisping the way he started. I thought for sure he was in route to ending Shields but Shields showed his tenacity and fought back. Jake ended up dominating Henderson and winning the biggest fight of his career so far.

The after fight shenanigans were entertaining but I won't touch on them to much. All I will say is that Jason Miller was classless in interrupting Shields during his moment and the Diaz brothers make it so easy for me to hate them. Nick is a very good fighter but tries to be to much of a gangster sometimes and start to much shit. Nate on the other hand I have no love for at all. What an asshole to start kicking Miller with shoes on when he was down on the mat already being covered by four other guys. A truly classless moment from all involved, yet entertaining to watch as well.

 

[Mufasa]

Aoki disappointed me.

I was impressed by both King Mo's and Shields wins. Especially Shields. I didn't think he had a chance in the world against Henderson. He get's the pummeled in the first round and bounces back. His ground and pound wasn't the most exciting in the world, some of the punches were weak, but still some of them landed well, and he was able to gain full mount and maintain that position for several minutes. He had an impressive performance. He's about to get a huge salary increase regardless which company he works for. Great news for shields.

I think the wild brawl that ensued afterwards was bad for both the sport and Strikeforce. MMA is trying to prove it's a legitimate sport to be taken seriously and that happens. Honestly I don't think it was a good night fore Strikeforce. Three fights went to decision which usually doesn't go over well with causal fans and I imagine it made the show run way over what CBS wanted to run. After all the disrespect Strikeforce gave to their champion Shields, he won, and is now in a position to negotiate a better contract or to walk away. Then the brawl at the end happened.

I think Dana White is actually pretty pleased right now.

 

[jmt225]

Honestly, I didn't enjoy the show last night at all until the last fight.

Gegard Mousasi vs. King Mo... man, such a disappointment. Mousasi fought like shit, and King Mo didn't try once to actually finish the fight. I actually thought Mousasi did a great job in the 2nd round. Even though he spent most of it on his back, man was he constantly hitting Mo with some great shots. I've never seen somebody on top of somebody's guard take such a beating like Mo did in the 2nd Round. But, unfortunately, Mousasi gassed himself out and was only able to pull that off for one round. Very, very disappointing. His takedown defense was shit, and he had literally zero foot movement while striking. I really overrated the fuck out of Mousasi. After last night it's clear as day he's not one of the top tier Light Heavyweights in MMA.

As far as King Mo... still not a believer. He layed and prayed like your typical wrestling bitch. The guy has zero jiu-jitsu, and his stand-up looks like shit. He wouldn't be able to defeat any of the top 10 UFC Light Heavyweights. No chance.

I would say Aoki disappointed me, but I have to give all the credit in the World to Gilbert Melendez. He had a brilliant game plan going in, and executed it to a T. Aoki had no answer for Melendez and just got tooled for 5 straight rounds. Also, I really like Melendez, so it doesn't make me upset that he defeat Aoki, like it would have if that was Thomson or someone like that instead.

But, I'm hoping the 'immediate rematch' between Aoki and Melendez still goes down in Japan, even after the domination by Melendez. I'd just like to see how Melendez would fair against Aoki in Japan. That would be interesting to say the least.

Jake Shields..... WOW!!!!! I mean, holy fuck... what a performance. I had him pulling iff the upset, but never in my wildest dreams did I think Shields would completely dominate Henderson for four straight rounds like he did. I was amazed, to say the least.

I remember during that first round thinking, "Yup, this is what happens when you stick a natural Light Heavyweight in there with a natural Welterweight." But man, did Shields have an answer for Hendo the rest of the fight. First of all, his takedowns were absolutely beautiful. He's patient with it, shoots at the perfect time, and when he does... it's lightening quick. And then of course his Jiu-Jitsu is top notch. The way he so easily passed Hendo's guard throughout the fight and got mount... man, so impressive. If only guys like Mo and Fitch would learn some Jiu-Jitsu, then maybe they'd learn how to finish fights. Shields wasn't able to finish Hendo, but he gets an A for effort.

But yeah.. great main event if you're a Jake Shields fan like me, with the other two fights sucking ass. However, I must say the best part of the night was the very end, which I'll go over in Jon's thread.

 

[Fizzy]

Boring show that should have been much better. The first fight I finally got around to watching left me disappointed and pissed off. I have liked Mousasi for some time, and had picked him to run through King Mo. Obviously that didn't happen, and I am left wondering why. The first takedown King Mo got he barely had to try to get. Mousasi didn't even attempt to stuff it or even try and get out of his grasp. He let him take him down. I honestly don't know what was going through his mind, but hopefully this was a wake up call and he comes back.

Aoki vs Melendez was great if your a Melendez fan. I was pulling for Aoki in this fight, but Melendez came in with a gameplan, and he followed that perfectly. Seriously everything he did was perfect. He avoided Aoki's guard the entire fight, and still landed a ton of shots while still avoiding. Aoki didn't even try any offense. He sat on his ass the entire fight. While I was rooting for Aoki I have to give kudos to Melendez for following his gameplan that well.

Now onto Jake motherfucking Shields. Holy shit. I was a huge fan of him for a while, but after last night he instantly became one of my favorite fighters. He was such an underdog, and after the first minute of the fight it looked like he would just be outclassed. He got dropped by two nice punches from Hendo and I thought it was over there. Fucking Frank Shamrock was pissing me off dissing Shields every chance he got. After he got dropped insulting Shields and all that. I'm so glad Shields shut his ass up. Shields legitimized himself as one of the best in the world last night, and I am extremely happy for him.