Lawler vs Shields Added To Strikeforce May Event, Baroni vs Riggs Possible For April 11
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 12, 2009 6:05 PM EDT
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MMAWeekly Reports:
Although everything appeared set for a bout between No. 4 ranked welterweight Jake Shields to return to the cage at Strikeforce's April 11 Showtime debut against UFC veteran Joe Riggs, that bout is now off. Strikeforce executive Mike Afromowitz confirmed the change on Thursday to MMAWeekly.com.
The change was first reported by FiveOuncesOfPain.com, indicating that Shields might instead face middleweight fighter Robbie Lawler.
MMAWeekly.com later confirmed with sources close to the bout that current Strikeforce plans are to pit Shields versus Lawler – the No. 2 ranked middleweight fighter in the world – in the main event of a Strikeforce event in May in the Seattle area.
The bout was then confirmed at a Strikeforce press conference on Thursday in Hollywood, Calif. Although Lawler started his career in the welterweight class, the bout will be contested in the middleweight division. It will not be a title fight. Cung Le is the current Strikeforce middleweight champion.
Looks like Gina and Kimbo negotiations will be on-going through May, so Scott Coker and Strikeforce have determined this bout as a pretty strong Main Event for their next card. Also rumored for this event is a LHW title bout betwen Feijao vs Babalu, which would be another stellar matchup from Strikeforce.
STRIKEFORCE: MAY ON SHOWTIME
location: Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington
Middleweight Bout:
-Robbie Lawler (#2 MW in the World)* vs. Jake Shields (#4 WW in the World)*
-Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. TBA
-Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante vs. TBA
-Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos vs. TBA
-Phil Baroni vs TBA
-Bao Quach vs. J.C. Pennington
-Mike Aina vs. Billy Evangelista
-Torrance Taylor vs. Lyle Beerbohm
Main card will air live on Showtime in the United States
* Based on MMAWeekly World MMA Rankings
NOTE: BE Meta-Rankings has Lawler as the #3 MW in the World and Shields as the #5 WW in the World.
UPDATE: MMAJunkie reports:
Riggs vs Baroni or Rogers vs TBA could take its spot on the April 11th event.
A middleweight bout between Joe Riggs (29-10) and Phil Baroni (13-10), or a heavyweight bout between Brett Rogers (8-0) and an as-yet-undetermined heavyweight, will take the final spot on the April 11 "Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz" Showtime-televised main card.
Strikeforce promoter Scott Coker confirmed the two options in a one-on-one interview with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) at Thursday's Los Angeles press conference.
...
"Once Shields signed to fight Lawler, Riggs asked to fight Baroni," Coker said.
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
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Top 5 WW vs Top 5 MW
Someone is going to be propeled as a star after this fight.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 12, 2009 6:21 PM EDT up reply actions
shields is gonna get pounded.. He's too small and his striking is CRAPPPP..
by Anton Tabuena on Mar 12, 2009 10:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes, and Lawler’s grappling is not very good, so we will see.
If somehow Shields gets Lawler down…
:)
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 12, 2009 11:30 PM EDT up reply actions
i dont think he gets him down though.
by Anton Tabuena on Mar 12, 2009 11:57 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree.
It’s almost mission impossible for Shields, but if he wins his stock will go through the roof, and he has a grappler’s chance.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 13, 2009 12:13 AM EDT up reply actions
Yes, main vent of May card.
It would look like this would be a BAD matchup for shields, but imagine if Shields won.
That would be HUGE for him. Shields should start watching that ICON Classic Mayhem vs Lawler bout, and hopefully not the Trigg vs Lawler fight :-D
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 12, 2009 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Its not good, but he finds a way to take you down and submit you or GnP, which is what he needs to do here. Not enough time, if ever, to want to stand with Robbie.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 12, 2009 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Nice fight.
A much better fight than Shields-Riggs, but a much worse matchup for Shields.
But more importantly:
-Torrance Taylor vs. Lyle Beerbohm
The return of Fancypants!
Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com
You and I are on the same page my friend.
Hopefully, one day we will see Aoki vs Beerbohm!
Also, really excited to see Bao Quach and Mike Aina.
Evangelista vs Aina will be a WAR.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 12, 2009 6:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Aoki vs. Beerbohm might be too much awesome.
Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com
by Chris Nelson on Mar 12, 2009 6:46 PM EDT up reply actions
They need to combine forces!
Magic Fancy Pants!
:-D
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 12, 2009 6:48 PM EDT up reply actions
As a side note: why did you use MMAWeekly’s rankings as opposed to, say, WAMMA’s? I thought you were a fan of their rankings.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
I think MMAWeekly used MMAWeekly’s rankings.
by Derek Suboticki on Mar 12, 2009 6:57 PM EDT up reply actions
You know, sometimes I wonder how I’m able to walk in a straight line without getting lost. :-)
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Mar 12, 2009 7:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Subo is talking from experience.
He did the same thing in one of my posts and was ranting about it.
:-D
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 12, 2009 7:51 PM EDT up reply actions
I’ll still take my batting average over yours, good sir
by Derek Suboticki on Mar 12, 2009 11:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Good matchup, but I’d have rather seen Shields in the UFC and Lawler as #2 MW is laughable. Lawler by it coming hard.
by Derek Suboticki on Mar 12, 2009 6:56 PM EDT reply actions
the BE Meta Rankings Have Lawler at #3 MW In The World
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/2/13/756576/bloody-elbow-february-mma
Thats only a one spot difference to MMAWeekly’s ranking.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 12, 2009 7:23 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s a systematic problem.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Mar 12, 2009 7:35 PM EDT up reply actions
why does mmaweekly overrate people outside the UFC so much????
anyway… this is probably the best fight for shields since there is no good WW outside the UFC.
If he wins, the top 5 ranking is probably deserved. I expect him to get beat up horribly though. Shields stand up is just awful.
Their rankings are mostly a biased joke. Nobody really believes Lawler is the second best guy at 185 pounds in the world. Dan Henderson would beat him up badly.
by Michael Rome on Mar 12, 2009 7:19 PM EDT up reply actions
The CURRENT Dan Henderson or the one from the a few years ago?
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 12, 2009 7:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Still so hilarious
And still unintentionally so.
"I hit [Evensen], and you could just see it in his head. He went, 'Oh, man. We don't have to do this anymore. I'm good. Thanks for having me. I'm going to go home now." -Pat "The Real Techno Viking" Berry
by Blackout612 on Mar 13, 2009 12:20 AM EDT up reply actions
BE Meta-Rankings Have him At #3
So, is that a biased joke as well?
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 12, 2009 7:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes, the BE rankings are a compilation, not our view. The idea that he’s that high is kind of the classic thing where a guy outside the UFC beats a bunch of cans and then gets elevated based on fanboyism and bias.
by Michael Rome on Mar 12, 2009 8:12 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
A bias of the mass?
So who DOES have him ranked correctly?
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 12, 2009 8:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Why on EARTH is this not green yet?
by Derek Suboticki on Mar 12, 2009 11:25 PM EDT up reply actions
If you need to ask it doesn’t really count.
:)
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 13, 2009 12:08 AM EDT up reply actions
Henderson v. Lawler
Dan Henderson would beat him up badly.
Sure, I think Henderson would win, but your and my opinion on a fight between the two, which in all likelihood will never happen, shouldn’t have any bearing on where each is ranked.
That having been said, I’m all for anyone crushing MMAWeekly’s laughaubly bad rankings. Although, I will qualify that statement by saying I’ve stopped following their rankings over the past few months, so it’s possible they’ve improved by leaps and bounds. Still, you’ll understand if I’m skeptical that they have.
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
I am going to do a post on this soon, but any idea of “objective” rankings based on wins and losses in MMA is a farce. Every rankings system is entirely subjective, a general assessment of their ability is a lot more reliable for ranking than picking and choosing wins and losses and deciding which matter more. Every rankings system is entirely subjective in MMA, attempts to introduce objectivity just make it more muddled.
by Michael Rome on Mar 12, 2009 8:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Along these lines, Shogun belongs nowhere near the top 10. His wins over Rampage, Overeem, etc are now completely irrelevant. He looked horrible against Mark Coleman, and keeping him in the top 10 due to the fact that he has some wins just makes the rankings look terrible when reality catches up to them.
Typical rankings discussion:
Guy 1: Rampage is 3 in the world, Shogun is 5.
Guy 2: How can Rampage be above Shogun, Shogun beat him.
Guy 1: Yeah but it was a long time ago, Rampage has changed and Shogun doesn’t look the same.
Guy 2: Shogun had knee surgery, you can’t judge him on that. Rampage just barely beat Keith Jardine.
Guy 1: Jardine is a tough fight, look at the decisions he brought Chuck and Vera to.
Guy 2: He got knocked out by Houston Alexander, he’s terrible/
By this point any attempt to have an objective view of wins and losses is entirely gone, and it’s devolved into complete subjectivity. It’s better to just start from that point instead of pretending there is anything objective about rankings in a sport where guys fight twice a year and the gloves are 4 ounces.
by Michael Rome on Mar 12, 2009 8:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Make sure your post deals with the difference between doing “predictive” rankings and “descriptive” rankings. It seems to me you’re arguing that they ought to be predictive. Currently, I think the best rankings are the computer-generated ones like Fight Matrix because they are pure. I think in a lot of the non-system rankings guys start out using descriptive reasoning and then slip into predictive reasoning.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Mar 12, 2009 8:35 PM EDT up reply actions
They’re pure but they also don’t really tell us much about who would beat who. Thus, pretty much meaningless in my view.
by Michael Rome on Mar 12, 2009 8:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes, but they tell us something as opposed to telling us nothing.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Mar 12, 2009 11:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Exactly.
Tournaments all day everyday then.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 13, 2009 12:12 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, they make wins as meaningless as the rankings!
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Mar 13, 2009 12:15 AM EDT up reply actions
the #2 ranked murderous row of fights sense getting booted from the UFC by getting finished twice…
Scott Smith
Rua
Trigg
Pamplona
Villasenor
Jason Miller (Loss)
Vitale
Brown
Vitale
WOW MURDEROUS ROW!!! Look at all those top 10 (hell top 20) fighters…
I guess all the experts are wrong then, I guess.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 12, 2009 8:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Good fight for the fans but this makes no sense for the promotion. I would love to hear mmalogic response to this fight. It’s not going to raise the profile of the promotion. It will hurt one of Strikeforce’s three big commodities it acquired from EliteXC. Unless they guy they predict will lose is going to be out of the promotion in 2 fights I don’t see what there is to gain.
Lets see…
Best Case:
1) If Shields loses, it will be harder for him to go to the UFC and maybe Strikeforce would have a good shot at resigning him.
2) Lawler would become a pretty big star and set up a unification bout between Le or Shamrock.
Worst Case:
1) Shields wins, fights one more time (or 2), goes and signs with UFC for a big fight versus GSP.
2) Lawler can still fight Le or Shamrock (but not for a unification bout) after some contender bouts.
Or, lots of $$$ for Shields, might become a huge star on CBS (and Strikeforce will keep him around since there are plenty of MW fights that are interesting, or be the cornerstone of the WW Class). This is probably very unlikely.
:-D
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 12, 2009 8:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Some people might switch around your worst and best cases, and then agree with you.
by Cannon Jacques on Mar 12, 2009 8:37 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s Strikeforce’s best and worst scenario, not a UFC fan boy or UFC hater guy.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 12, 2009 8:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Cool.
Jake Shields is a great fighter, and I’d like to see him against some of the guys in the UFC. However, I don’t see him as a guy that could challenge someone like GSP at this point. Similarly, I believe Lawler would have trouble with a number of the UFC middleweights as well as guys like Mousasi and Jacare. This is a good match from the standpoint of competition. I think people will clamor for the winner to defect to the UFC whether that is a legitimate option or not.
by Cannon Jacques on Mar 12, 2009 9:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed, although moreso if Shields wins than Lawler.
Lawler has some monster fights in Strikeforce with Le and Shamrock.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 12, 2009 9:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Nah!
Waay to early to have him fight Rogers.
He would get KILLED.
So, it must be Buentello or someone like that.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 12, 2009 11:33 PM EDT up reply actions
i dont think they'd care if kimbo gets murdered.. Theyre not gonna baby him like exc did.
by Anton Tabuena on Mar 12, 2009 11:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes, but they still want to put him up against fighters his level.
Coker already stated that he wants Rogers vs Kimbo 2010, after Kimbo gets some Ws.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 13, 2009 12:10 AM EDT up reply actions
Has Shields ever been hit as hard as Lawler hits? Man. I don’t like this matchup for Jake. Especially at 185.
Daley hit him a couple of times, but I am sure most people haven’t.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 13, 2009 12:11 AM EDT up reply actions
Coker seems to know what he is doing, and has signed everyone already, so, I think it will work out.
The fact that Kimbo may want to get paid a good amount of money after getting paid the 500K from EliteXC is probably what is holding that up (but no one would pay him that much anymore, so it will probably take some time for him to realise that).
Gina knows she will be used on CBS and is a major draw, so she is looking for a bump in pay as well, they just have to come to an agreement.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 13, 2009 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions
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