Friday Fight Fix: Strikeforce Challengers III Preview

Your MMA options this weekend are pretty slim, but Strikeforce will hold their third Challengers event tomorrow night at 11 PM EST on Showtime. The event takes place at the SpiritBank Event Center in Bixby, Oklahoma, and it will feature a main event bout between United States Army veteran and former IFL fighter Tim Kennedy (11-2) taking on the undefeated Zak Cummings (10-0). Also on the card, K-1 veteran Ray Sefo will battle former UFC fighter Kevin Jordan as well as appearances by Strikeforce standout and two-time All-American wrestler Tyron Woodley and 2004 U.S. Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier. Although the match-ups aren't the most competitive, many of these fights will showcase Strikeforce's depth and give some of these guys a chance to make a name for themselves on a major card.

While the main event isn't the biggest test for Kennedy, it should, at the very least, be a nice tune-up fight for him to make the bigger shows. Kennedy absolutely dominated a veteran in Nick Thompson on the second Strikeforce Challengers card back in June, and it was a question as to how good Kennedy would be against a solid competitor. After all, he was narrowly defeated by Jason "Mayhem" Miller in a rematch at HDNet Fights back in 2007, and he was on a long layoff as he was put back on active duty with the U.S. Army.

His opponent, Zak Cummings, will get the opportunity to prove he belongs in a major organization, but it'll be a huge test for him as Kennedy is truly coming into his own as a top middleweight fighter. Cummings' experience isn't great, but he did manage to take a split decision againsnt former UFC fighter Terry Martin back in February. The problem is that Martin's chin and record have dropped off the side of a mountain at this point in his career, and the bout really doesn't hold a lot of meaning.

Kennedy has the edge in a stronger strength of record while also boasting a solid skill-set. The guy is also a Green Beret and a sniper, and he won a bronze star for valor under fire... meaning he's as tough as they come. Cummings' record is bloated with some subpar wins, and it should make this a fairly easy night for Tim Kennedy to impress. Check out Heavy.com's interview with Tim Kennedy regarding his military/MMA life as well, solid read on the backstory behind Tim Kennedy.

In heavyweight action, K-1 legend Ray Sefo (1-0) will make his sophomore debut in MMA in a bout with former UFC fighter Kevin Jordan (11-7). Sefo hasn't fought a MMA rules bout since K-1 HERO's in 2005 in which he won via head kick against Min Soo Kim, probably most famous for introducing Brock Lesnar to MMA. Sefo's K-1 career has gone downhill as he is 38 years of age, losing 6 out of his last seven fights to top-notch competition.

This is definitely an interesting bout since a lot of fans believe the K-1 veteran will roll through a washed up Kevin Jordan. Sefo has been training at Xtreme Couture with Shawn Tompkins and the great Randy Couture. He'll likely have gained a few tricks such as some takedown defense and wrestling capabilties, but Jordan could give Sefo some trouble if he managed to get him into top control. Jordan managed to defeat UFC veteran Patrick Smith at American Steel Cage Fighting on August 1st, but that was his first win in three fights.

Bottom line is that Jordan isn't the easiest fight for Sefo, but I imagine Sefo's training is going to play a huge part into whether he wins in impressive fashion. Jordan has the ability to withstand punishment, but he's shown some bad conditioning in some of his more recent fights. Sefo's stand-up will be on another level in comparison to Jordan, so a steady diet of leg kicks and takedown defense may open up the striking game for Sefo. He should come out the victor in this one.

Check out the rest of our Strikeforce Challengers: Kennedy vs. Cummings coverage

In a welterweight tilt that is surely on the main card to showcase Tyron Woodley's talents, Zach Light (6-8) will take on the University of Missouri two-time All-American wrestler Tyron Woodley (3-0) in what many would consider a "squash" match. Woodley has finished all three of his opponents within the first round, including a win over Sal Woods at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields back in June. Not only does Woodley have the wrestling background to be effective, but he also trains under Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Rodrigo Vaghi in the St. Louis area. A "fate" call-up by Strikeforce to fill their undercard with local talent has put him into the spotlight, and he may very well be a featured star for the promotion in the coming year.

Zach Light had a terrible year last year, going 0-3 against some lesser competition than he's faced in the past. You've probably noticed him tailing Quinton "Rampage" Jackson as a wrestling coach in the past., specifically on The Ultimate Fighter. He's primarily a submission fighter, but I feel like Woodley's power is going to be impossible to overcome for Light in this battle. Look for Woodley to overwhelm Light easily and win this one impressively.

A catchweight bout at 147 pounds between Thomas Longacre (4-0) and Travis Calanoc (4-0) sits toward the bottom of the main card as a showcase of up-and-coming talent. Both men are local fighters who train out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Calanoc is a Marine Corps veteran who managed to earn a Marine Corp Martial Art black belt while in the military following 9/11. He trained under Mikey Burnett before heading to Iraq, and now trains at his own gym in Tulsa. He has a background in Tae Kwon Do and Ten Chi Jin Ninpo Taijitsu, not too sure what that is.

Longacre is a World Combat League veteran, and he was mostly known for having a bad reputation for overwhelming and punishing opponents. He brings a lot of kickboxing experience to the table along with a Muay Thai background that should give Calanoc something to think about. Interestingly enough, the bout is on the main card because it features two men who have a local rivalry against one another. Both men are solid local drawing fighters, and both men actually trained together at one point. They are also both employed by LA Boxing at different locations.

I'm not too keen on picking this fight since it really has no real ramifications other than the winner may get another shot within the ShoMMA series Both Longacre and Calanoc have said that their opponent has well-rounded skills, and it seems like they have some respect for one another. It sounds like this may be a stand-up war, but I'd give the edge to Longacre in that regard. Calanoc should look for the takedown at the first opportunity.

Rounding out the main card, former U.S. Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier will make his MMA debut against another newcomer in Gary Frazier. Cormier might be one of the best wrestlers to ever step into the cage with a laundry list of wrestling championships and credentials. His most recent were back in 2007 in which he won the U.S. Nationals title, the U.S. World Team Trials title, and a bronze medal at the Pan American Games. He's been training at American Kickboxing Academy with fighters such as Cain Velasquez, Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, and Mike Swick, so he'll have more than enough coaching to get him through is first fight and potentially be a threat down the road in the heavyweight division. It'll certainly take some time however, but he did sign with Strikeforce for eight fights.

Frazier currently trains under UFC veteran Matt Grice, and he also boasts a wrestling background. He's a two-time state wrestling champion in Oklahoma, and he also played college football for Oklahoma A&M. Obviously, Frazier's wrestling credentials don't stack up to Cormier's experience or awards. The word is that Frazier does possess some mean power on the floor though, but I doubt he'll get the opportunity as Cormier will probably smother Frazier from the top. Look for Cormier to cruise to an easy victory.

Event's card is looking like this:

Televised Bouts:
Tim Kennedy (9-0) vs. Zak Cummings (10-0)
Ray Sefo (1-0) vs. Kevin Jordan (11-7)
Tyron Woodley (5-0) vs. Zach Light (4-8)
Travis Calanoc (4-0) vs. Thomas Longacre (4-0)
Daniel Cormier (0-0) vs. Gary Frazier (0-0)

Preliminary Bouts:
Lacey Schuckman (2-0) vs. Jeri Sitzes (2-2)
Levi Avera (12-5) vs. Paul Bradley (10-1)
Trey Houston (1-0) vs. Brandon Gaines (4-10)
Kenny Giddens (8-5) vs. John Carson (7-1)
Nick Gibbons (13-0) vs. Josh Pulsifer (11-4)
Lemont Davis (2-3) vs. Dillon Smith (1-0)

Tune in on Friday night at 11 PM EST, only on Showtime.