MMA Fighting is reporting that there will be no UFC counter to the April Strikeforce event:

Strikeforce has the spotlight to itself.

The long-rumored UFC event expected to counter the promotion's April 17 CBS offering will not take place, MMA Fighting has confirmed.

Earlier this month, the UFC explored the option, going so far as to inform likely broadcast partner Spike TV that the show was a go, but the company has apparently reversed course, and a Spike source said the network has been told by the UFC that the show is no longer happening.

The lack of a solid headlining fight was really an issue in putting this show together, but I also question just how much of this was a bluff by the UFC.  The fact that it did seem to make Strikeforce and CBS hesitate to get moving on booking and promoting their event made the talk of a counter effective.  I'm sure we will still see some form of counter by the UFC in a PPV replay.

Now we will get to see the first Strikeforce effort on TV without a major star to headline the show (although Fedor's starpower is debatable).  Casual audiences are typically drawn to title fights, and while the hardcore base will insist that these titles mean nothing there is an allure to the casual audience of a three title event.  Mid-range boxing shows do tend to do better with a title fight included even if everyone knows that "alphabet belts" are largely meaningless.

Without a live UFC counter Strikeforce loses the built in excuse for a sub-par number and more rides on the ability of this card to do at least passable ratings.

Will Shinya Aoki be crying on April 17th from joy or sadness?

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It's always time for nationalism with Shinya Aoki, per Michael David Smith:

"I believe that Japan is the No. 1 country in mixed martial arts, so I want to show that through this fight," Aoki said Wednesday, through a translator. "Being the champion of two promotions, Dream and Strikeforce, that has a special meaning to me, to show Japan as No. 1."

...
"I'm getting stronger every day," Aoki said. "I'm not No. 1 at the moment but I'm getting stronger every day. In the future I may have a fight with B.J. Penn."

...
"My schedule is dependent on Dream so Dream will decide when I fight again," Aoki said. "The United States is the biggest market so it's important for me to attract fans here and make a good impression in the U.S. market, but if I win the Strikeforce belt I am doing it for Dream and for Japan."

MMA Weeklyraises some questions about the adaptations Aoki will need to make to fight in the U.S.:

A few questions have to be raised about Aoki's first appearance in Strikeforce, primarily how he adjusts to fighting in a cage. Some fighters have excelled or noticed no real difference, while others have struggled when leaving the confines of a ring.

"I will adjust my fighting strategy to the cage fighting," Aoki told MMAWeekly.com in an exclusive interview. "It's not a big difference of what (I) need to do."

The other question that begs to be asked is Aoki's attire. He typically wears spandex grappling pants in his fights. Aoki will not be allowed to wear those for his fight in the United States, but again he believes skill goes above and beyond clothing.

"During the fight, I'm focused on my fighting. It won't affect my fight," Aoki said about not wearing his usual fight gear.

Shinya Aoki is absolutely one of my favorite fighters to watch. I love his insanely aggressive submission game. But the guy is also a blatant jerk. When he's not breaking arms and then adding insult to injury, he's inevitably talking smack about other promotions or other countries.

Or crying. Win or lose, Aoki does a lot of crying.

Image via Sherdog.com

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News comes from mmajunkie that former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, Renato 'Babalu' Sobral (35-8) has officially signed on to compete on DREAM's Light Heavyweight Grand Prix that starts this May:

The former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion and UFC contender has signed a multi-fight contract with DREAM and will participate in the promotion's upcoming light heavyweight tournament, which is set to begin May 30 at DREAM.15.

Current Strikeforce light heavyweight titleholder Gegard Mousasi is a lock for the DREAM tournament, according to officials.

MMA Fighting confirms Mousasi's participation, and says that Sokoudjou will also be part of the GP:

Mousasi confirmed his own participation in an interview with MMAFighting.com on Wednesday, and Dream officials confirmed that Sokoudjou and Babalu will be part of the tournament as well... it is expected to be an eight-man tournament that will conclude some time in the summer or fall.

That makes two participants that Mousasi has already beaten, and with the shortage of top-flight light heavyweights that could enter, it is safe to assume that Gegard would be an early favorite to win the tourney -- but that's if he's able to handle his business against King Mo this April.

Aside from the light heavyweight tourney, DREAM.15 will also host the return of DREAM Welterweight Champion, Marius Zaromskis (13-4). No opponent has been announced yet, but we will fill you in as more details become available.

HT: mmajunkie, mmafighting

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The opening bout on the UFC on Versus main card will feature a middleweight clash between Italian-born former boxer Alessio Sakara (14-7 1 NC, 5-4 UFC 1 NC) and explosive California-native James Irvin (14-5, 4-4 UFC). Sakara is probably most recently well-known for defeating former middleweight contender Thales Leites at UFC 101 via split decision. The loss pushed Leites out of the UFC while Sakara continues to gain fights despite having a fairly mediocre record over the course of his career.

Irvin is in the same boat as Sakara as he's gone .500 in the UFC with his most recent loss coming against Anderson Silva in which he was knocked out at the 1:01 mark of the first round. After testing positive for methadone and oxymorphone, he was suspended, but tried to return at UFC 98 against Drew McFedries and later against Wilson Gouveia at UFC 102. He pulled out of both bouts due to knee injuries, an injury he's been plagued with his entire career.

A lot of fans can't fathom why both of these fighters still remain within the promotion, but styles have always been the means for a fighter to continue gaining fights within the UFC. Both Irvin and Sakara feature a stand-up rich skillset with Irvin providing explosive knees and striking ability, and Sakara willingly battling anyone with his boxing experience. If either man can withstand the blows to the chin, this could potentially have the makings of a true slugfest.

On paper, it's tough to really gauge how this fight will go in any other way than strikes being traded. Sakara is the more patient striker of the two whereas Irvin throws with enough power to knock opponents out quickly. The problem for Irvin is that he isn't the most technical power puncher, and Sakara could capitalize on that deficiency.

Irvin does, however, have the unpredictability factor in his arsenal as he does throw flying knees, superman punches, and a vast array of kicks and punches. While being a bit more dynamic in his delivery than Sakara, he has a tendency to be inaccurate and become the prey.

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