On Monday, news spread across the MMA world that Dan Henderson signed with Strikeforce. It's a big deal for a couple of reasons: Henderson is a former 2-time Pride champion and a legend in the sport, he's been featured on The Ultimate Fighter and was one of the UFC's most flexible fighters. He brings much-needed validity to Strikeforce's 185 and 205-pound divisions.
So how should Strikeforce use Dan Henderson?
There is talk that he could face middleweight champion Jake Shields on the proposed CBS show in April. Getting him on CBS is a good move, but pitting him against Shields is not.
Henderson should face light-heavyweight Gegard Mousasi right away. If he doesn't who is going to fight Mousasi? Strikeforce literally doesn't have another top-15 205-pounded under contract and there is no one of interest from Dream who could come to the states, either. If Henderson fights at middleweight first, it means Mousasi wouldn't appear for Strikeforce for quite awhile.
Also, what if Dan Henderson loses to Jake Shields? It's not likely considering the size, strength and experience advantages that Henderson holds over Shields, but in MMA anything is possible. And it would take a lot of luster off a potential title fight with Mousasi. Would people want to see the Henderson who knocked out Bisping fight for the title or the Henderson who just lost to Jake Shields?
If Henderson loses to Mousasi, which I believe is a strong possibility, it's much easier to drop down and sell a fight at middleweight. The UFC took the same path when he came over from Pride and fought Rampage Jackson first before going down to take on 185-champ Anderson Silva.
While either path isn't a death sentence for Henderson, it just makes more sense to have him start at 205. I hope Strikeforce agrees.
On paper UFC 107 is one of the better cards of the last quarter of 2009, and it too fell victim to the injury bug. Heavyweight prospect Todd Duffee was supposed to get his first big test against Paul Buentello but pulled out in late October. Jon Fitch, meanwhile, was fighting Thiago Alves for a whole three seconds before it was revealed Alves hurt his knee.
Still this is a very solid card, and one that is tough for me to pick because headliners BJ Penn and Diego Sanchez are two of my favorite fighters in the sport. Nonetheless, here it goes.
BJ Penn (14-5-1) vs. Diego Sanchez (21-2) I've been a fan of Sanchez since watching the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. Even though he's an odd ball, he always comes across as genuine and regardless of his personality, you can't deny the intensity that he brings into the octagon each time out. While I don't think he's being given enough credit against Penn, the champ should be able to withstand an early onslaught and pick Diego apart on the feet as the fight goes into the later rounds. The pick: Penn
Frank Mir (12-4) vs. Cheick Kongo(25-5-1) At first I wasn't all that jazzed about this fight. Then I saw the interviews with Kongo calling Mir a "big mouth." Love it. If Kongo can keep the fight standing up, I'll love it even more. And really, is Mir that great at taking people down? He usually gets tackled and then looks for submissions, so it will interesting to see if his wrestling is good enough to get Kongo to the mat, where he clearly has an advantage. For some reason, I think Kongo will land a big blow that drops Mir and he'll find a way to pound him out. The pick: Kongo
Kenny Florian (11-4)vs. Clay Guida(25-10) Florian said it himself: at some point in this fight he's going to be on his back. The question is how much time exactly will be spent on the back? Considering that Guida now has strategist Greg Jackson in his corner, you can expect him to go for takedowns nonstop. Florian, though, should be quick enough to negate some of these takedowns and in doing so, he'll expose Guida's lack of stand-up skills and do enough damage on the feet to win a close split decision. The pick: Florian
Jon Fitch (20-3) vs. Mike Pierce(10-2) Does the UFC hate Jon Fitch? It always seems like he's in the obligatory "blah" match of the card and this time it's no different. Maybe Pierce is better than I am giving him credit for, but his win over an unmotivated Brock Larson isn't looking so bright now. And I can't see him hurting Fitch or avoiding his takedowns, thus it has boring decision written all over it. If Fitch is serious about making another run at the title, he needs to demand some bigger names in 2010. The pick: Fitch
Paul Buentello (27-10) vs. Stefan Struve (18-3) I found new respect for Struve when his head was sliced open at UFC 99 and he still managed to slap a rear-naked choke on Denis Stojnic despite blood squirting everywhere. He's young but possess the submission game necessary to beat Buentello, who has seven losses on his record due to tap out. Buentello does have motivation to put on a good show considering it's his first time back in the UFC since 2006, but I expect Struve to take a lot of punishment before finding a submission late in round three. The pick: Struve
I hate the Video Game Awards. If you haven't heard yet, Spike can't show any UFC 107 prelim fights because of its obligations to air the highly-anticipated 2009 Video Game Awards. I'm a little bitter, yes.
The good news is this isn't the strongest preliminary card in the world, so perhaps we're not missing much, though it does feature some fighters worth keeping an eye on such as Alan Belcher and Johny Hendricks.
Here are my picks:
Kevin Burns (8-3) vs. TJ Grant (14-3) Burns seems to prefer the stand up game, as seen in his two striking wars with Anthony Johnson. Grant, on the other hand, is a more versatile grappler with some solid wrestling that he displayed in his unanimous decision loss to undefeated Don Hyun Kim. Grant is better overall and should ride his grappling edge to an easy decision. The pick: Grant
DaMarques Johnson (9-7) vs. Edgar Garcia (7-1) I can't figure Johnson out. He was USA's golden boy on The Ultimate Fighter Season 9 but was manhandled by James Wilks at the finale in July. Yet he beat the Brit's Nick Osipczak, albeit in a sloppy slugfest, who impressed me with his win over Matt Riddle at UFC 105. Despite his mediocre record, Johnson's aggression and willingness to slug should give problems to Garcia, who was super hesitant in his UFC debut loss to Brad Blackburn back in July. The pick: Johnson
Rousimar Palhares (9-2) vs. Lucio Linhares (13-4) Ironically, Linhares has most recently been fighting for M-1 Global, Dana White's favorite company in the whole world, and he has a loss on his record to Thales Leites, who the UFC cast off to Canada. The BJJ-focused Linhares is riding a five-fight win streak while Palhares, also a submissions expert, hasn't fought in nearly a year and that was against a past-his-prime Jeremy Horn. I give the edge to Linares simply because he should be a tad sharper. The pick: Linhares
Johny Hendricks (6-0) vs. Ricardo Funch(7-0) Hendricks barely broke a sweat in his knockout win over Amir Soddollah at UFC 101 and now he meets the newcomer Funch, a Brazilian who is somewhat of a mystery given the lack of video on him. Hendricks himself said he only found one clip of Funch on Youtube while prepping for the bout. Both are unbeaten but Hendricks has the better pedigree as a national-champion wrestler and I really don't expect Funch to match that level of grappling. The pick: Hendricks
Matt Wiman (10-5) vs. Shane Nelson (13-5) If BJ Penn is fighting on a card, Shane Nelson is not far behind. I really have not been impressed by the Hawaiian Nelson from his stint on The Ultimate Fighter to his most recent loss to Aaron Riley at UFC 101. Wiman isn't going to light-up the lightweight division anytime soon, either, but he seems to have more heart (and power) when he fights, so I'm going with the Handsome one by knockout. The pick: Wiman
Alan Belcher (13-5) vs. Wilson Gouveia (12-6) Belcher put on a striking display against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 100 but gave up one too many takedowns and fell to a close decision. Gouveia hasn't fought since being dismantled by Nate Marquardt in January. Belcher is also closer to home being from Mississippi and I see this being a stand-up battle that should play into his strengths. This is Belcher's fight to lose. The pick: Belcher
While The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 didn't quite live up to the hype, it has given us some new blood to pump into the UFC's Heavyweight division. And as always, the UFC has given us two relevant fights with two of the sports brightest up-and-coming fighters to headline the card.
Here are my predictions: Jon Jones (9-0) vs. Matt Hamill(7-2) If Jones were entering the NFL draft, he'd be one of those "can't miss" prospects. Nicknamed "Bones," he's as atheltic as they come in the division and his combination of good wrestling with unorthodox striking makes him dangerous to even some of the more established vets in the division. Hamill, though, is a big step up from the likes of Jake O'Brien because he does possess knockout power and may be able to control Jones with a disciplined takedown strategy. This is a tough fight to call, but I think Jones has more ways to do damage and will eek out a close decision in the Fight of the Night. The pick: Jones
Frankie Edgar (10-1) vs. Matt Veach (11-0) Edgar, a top contender in the lightweight division, was supposed to face Kurt Pellegrino on this card before he pulled out due to injury. Enter unbeaten Matt Veach, who is 1-0 in the UFC, and now has a huge opportunity to beat a top fighter on national TV. Unfortunately for him, Edgar isn't the type to get over-confident and his wrestling will be too good for Veach to overcome. The pick: Edgar
Roy Nelson (13-4) vs. Brendan Schaub (5-0) Schaub rubbed me the wrong way on the reality show for being overly cocky, but he always managed to back it up with wins. I don't see that changing against Nelson. Despite Big Country's experience edge, Schaub trains with better fighters (Shane Carwin for one) and has displayed the type of power that should give Nelson problems and turn him into a one-dimensional fighter who is always working for takedowns. That strategy will wear out Nelson and lead to a decision win for the former NFL player. The pick: Schaub
Kimbo Slice (3-1) vs. Houston Alexander (9-4) Part of me loves this fight because it has potential to be exciting, explosive and end with a bang. Part of me hates this fight because it reeks of the gimmicky matchmaking. Even if Kimbo wins, who does he fight next? How many stand-up guys can the UFC feed to him? And while I like Kimbo from the show, I don't see him winning this fight. Alexander should be quick enough with his hands to land more blows on Kimbo and knock him out in the first round. The pick: Alexander
Growing up in St. Louis, I've always been an avid sports radio fan. From Cardinals' post-game shows to Blues talk to Rams spring practice workouts, I could not get enough sports talk . But despite the sports media industry being bigger than it has ever been in the past, the top names in the business rarely, if ever, talk MMA.
Thus I have turned to the Internet to get my MMA fix and surprisingly, there are a lot of options to choose from. Virtually every major MMA site hosts a weekly show or podcast and is able to score some pretty solid interviews. Unfortunately, not all these shows are very good.
Here is my guide to the best radio/podcasts on the net:
Best show: The Jordan Breen Show When I began downloading shows from Sherdog, I'd frequently hear this young, sarcastic voice chime in with obscure MMA references that were foreign to me and went completely over my head. That voice was Jordan Breen.
According the web site, he's only 23 years old. But I have yet to find anyone on the major MMA sites that is as knowledgeable and smart and opinionated about the sport as Breen. If you follow him on Twitter, you'll learn quickly that the dude watches everything MMA and it shows on the air, as he's able to breakdown fights in ways that no other site can match. But more than that, he's actually entertaining too. He doesn't try too hard to be funny like so many other radio hosts, but chimes in with a joke when necessary and his opinions are always backed with solid arguments. He also has a loyal fan base with routine callers that add flavor and color to the show.
If there is a downside to the show, it's that sometimes Breen can go too in-depth about lesser-known fight cards and that may test your patience. But the show is run smoothly enough that even the slow parts never get tedious.
You can hear him on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2 (Pacific) at Sherdog.com or you can download his archives at sherdog.com/radio (also one of the links on my homepage).
Runner-up: MMA Junkie Radio It was hard to choose just one here, because many of the other shows are solid and just about equal. MMA Junkie gets the nod because it's a daily show and it routinely features interviews with some of the sports top stars, including a great piece with Dana White at UFC 106. Frank Trigg used to co-host, but the show hasn't lost much steam since his departure because the regular crew is pretty consistent, though not always the most knowledgeable in terms of breaking down fights. You can download all their show archives at mmajunkie.com/radio.
Best preview/roundtable show: Sherdog.com In terms of preview shows, Sherdog once again takes the cake. Before every major UFC and Strikeforce event, all the regular hosts get together and make predictions for each fight including picking the method and round of finish. What makes the show click is all the different personalities on display, which somehow mesh together perfectly, and the fun had from keeping a running tab of the best and worse guesses at each show. It's the perfect way for a die hard fan to get pumped for an event.
Runner up: Luke Thomas, MMA Nation Thomas is the Editor-In-Chief at bloodyelbow.com, probably the best blog on the net for MMA news. He also hosts a weekly radio show on 107.6 The Fan in Washington D.C. every Saturday afternoon called MMA Nation and if there is a big event that night he does a good job of breaking down the card for the casual fan. He won't get too bogged down in preliminary fights but is savvy enough to focus on the match-ups people most want to see.
Best post/recap show: Beatdown After the Bell, Sherdog.com What can I say? Sherdog radio is king. After each major event, the site hosts a recap show that usually lasts about two hours and breaks down all the fights on the card. Again this is really a show for more hardcore fans, though casual ones can learn a lot from hearing the crew analyze what went right and what went wrong for certain fighters. The guys also take calls and it's fun to hear fan reactions so quickly after an event.
Runner up: Steve Cofield, Yahoo! and ESPN 1100 Cofield is a blogger at Yahoo! Sports, but he also hosts a daily sports show on ESPN 1100 and does his recap shows out of that station from 10:30 to 1 am (Pacific) after most UFC events. Love him or hate him, Cofield is an entertaining guy. I wouldn't listen to a regular sports talk offering from him, but his MMA knowledge is well above average and he is never short on opinions. He also scores some great live interviews after the events. You can find the link to his Yahoo! MMA blog on my home page.
Best podcast: Josh Gross, SI If you're looking for a quick 1-hour show to take to the gym on your I-Pod, this is the show. Gross formerly worked at Sherdog and is now over at Sports Illustrated, and he's one of the best writers covering the sport today. He is also savvy about the business side of things and just about better than anybody does a good job of staying unbiased with his views. You can't go wrong with the guy.
Runner up: MMA Hour w/Ariel Hawani, AOL Fanhouse AOL Fanhouse seems to really be pushing their MMA content and it's paying off. Hawani is always out interviewing someone and uploading videos on the site, and now he hosts a weekly show called MMA Hour with recaps of the previous week and previews of the week ahead. He's one of the better personalities covering the sport today.
The intent with the Fighter Forecast feature is to not only provide one location to find all announced and rumored upcoming fights, but to play Joe Silva for a day and fill in the blanks with fights that I think could happen at the proposed future cards.
My plan is to update this feature regularly (at least once a week) as new results come in and new cards are announced. Currently it will only feature UFC cards but I will hopefully add a Strikeforce component in the future.
All confirmed fights (including some rumors) are in white while my predictions are in blue italics. *Updated last: 11/20/09
DECEMBER TUF 10 Finale (12/5/09) 1. Jon Jones vs. Matt Hamill 2. Frankie Edgar vs. Matt Veach 3. Finalist 1 vs. Finalist 2 4. Kimbo Slice vs. Houston Alexander 5. *Randall Wallace vs. Brian Stann 6. *Dennis Hallman vs. John Howard 7. *Mark Bocek vs. Joe Brammer
UFC 107 in Memphis (12/12/09) 1. BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez (LW Title) 2. Frank Mir vs. Cheick Kongo 3. Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida 4. Jon Fitch vs. Mike Pierce 5. Stefan Struve vs. Paul Buentello 6. *Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia(free on Spike) 7. *Johny Hendricks vs. Ricardo Funch (free on Spike)
8. *Shane Nelson vs. Matt Wiman
9. *Rousimar Palhares vs. Lucio Linhares
10. *DeMarques Johnson vs. Edgar Garcia
11. *Kevin Burns vs. TJ Grant
JANUARY UFC 108 in Las Vegas (1/02/10) 1. Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva 2. Junior Dos Santos vs. 3. Paul Daley vs. Carlos Condit 4. Tyson Griffin vs. Jim Miller 5. Ben Saunders vs. Dustin Hazelett 6. *Joe Louzon vs. Sam Stout(free on Spike) 7. *Sean Sherk vs. Rafael Oliveira (free on Spike)
8. *Shane Nelson vs. Matt Wiman 9. *Dan Louzon vs. Cole Miller 10. *Martin Kampmann vs. Rory Markham 11. *Mike Pyle vs. Jake Ellenberger 12. * Mark Munoz vs. Ryan Jensen
UFC Fight Night 20 in Virginia (1/11/10) 1. Gray Maynard vs. Nate Diaz 2. Efrain Escudero vs. Evan Dunham
3. Tom Lawler vs. Aaron Simpson 4. Chris Leben vs. Jay Silva 5. *Rick Story vs. Jesse Lennox 6. *Jeremy Stephans vs. Nik Lentz 7. *Kyle Bradley vs. Rafael Dos Anjos 8. *Tim Credeur vs. Mike Massenzio
FEBRUARY UFC 109 in Las Vegas (2/06/10) 1. Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort (MW Title) 2. Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman
3. Nate Marquardt vs. Chael Sonnen 4. Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck 5. Matt Serra vs. Frank Trigg 6. *Dan Miller vs. Damien Maia (free on Spike) 7. *Nate Quarry vs. Thomas Drwal (free on Spike) 8. *Mike Russow vs. Tim Hague 9. *Rolles Gracie vs. Mustapha Al-Turk
10. *Ronnys Torres vs. Melvin Guillard
11. *Rob Emerson vs. Phillipe Nover
UFC 110 in Australia (2/21/10) 1. Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
2. Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping 3. Mirko Cro Cop vs. Ben Rothwell 4. Ryan Bader vs. Keith Jardine 5. Don Hyun Kim vs. Chris Lytle
6. *Krystoff Soszynski vs. Stephan Bonnar 7. *James Te Huna vs. Igor Pokrajac 8. *George Sotiropolous vs. Fabricio Camoes 9. *Eric Schafer vs. Alexander Gustafsson 10. *Terry Etim vs. Mac Danzig
MARCH UFC 111 in Newark, NJ (3/13/10) 1. Georges St. Pierre vs. Dan Hardy (WW Title) 2. Frankie Edgar vs. Kenny Florian 3. Jon Jones vs. Luis Cane 4. Ricardo Almeida vs. Paulo Thiago
5. Kurt Pelligrino vs. Clay Guida
6. *Anthony Johnson vs. Matt Brown (free on Spike)
7. *Ross Pearson vs. Denis Siver (free on Spike) 8. *Eliot Marshall vs. Steve Cantwell
APRIL
UFC Fight Night 21 in ??? (4/??/10)
1. Mike Swick vs. Martin Kampmann 2. Brian Foster vs. Jacob Volkmann 3.
UFC 112 in ??? (4/??/10) 1. Shane Carwin vs. 2. Tyson Griffin vs. Diego Sanchez 3. Paul Daley vs. Ben Saunders 4. Denis Kang vs. Kendall Grove 5. *Amir Sodallah vs. Nick Osipczak 6. *Patrick Cote vs. Alessio Sakara 7.
MAY UFC 113 in Montreal (5/1/10) 1. Lyoto Machida vs. Shogun Rua (LHW Title) 2. Forrest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin 3. Thiago Alves vs. Carlos Condit
4. Marcus Davis vs. John Hathaway
