Since her loss in August, Gina Carano has been virtually silent.  She is expected to return to Strikeforce in the summer, after she finishes filming Steven Soderbergh's new movie.  Though many have dismissed her following her disappointing performance, she is still a ratings powerhouse and a critical component of Strikeforce.  It's almost become expected that every time she fights she will set some kind of ratings record.

All eyes are on the numbers Strikeforce pulls this weekend.  I don't expect them to do blow away numbers, nor do I expect them to bomb.  I expect them to come in somewhere in the middle; perhaps something like a 2.3 household rating.  That's the kind of number that could earn them another show, but won't have CBS executives jumping up and down for joy.  If I'm correct, CBS and Strikeforce will be begging Carano to return on CBS in the summer.

Despite a large increase in salary, Carano is still underpaid.  She's the only media lightning rod in Strikeforce, and she delivers where it counts.  Strikeforce is paying Fedor significantly more than Gina, but it remains a question whether or not he is actually a bigger draw.  If Fedor bombs this weekend, Carano will find herself in an even stronger negotiating position.

In our first preview focusing on Strikeforce's Saturday Night Fights event on CBS featuring Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers, we'll focus on the second main card heavyweight bout between former PRIDE and UFC veteran Fabricio Werdum (12-4-1) and EliteXC and Sengoku veteran Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva (13-1).

Werdum enters the contest following a quick submission victory over Mike Kyle back in August at Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg. Before his signing with Strikeforce, he recorded two wins and two losses in the UFC with a surprising upset loss at the hands of Junior Dos Santos that led to his release. Silva is currently on a six-fight win streak with wins over Ricco Rodriguez, Jim York, Yoshihiro "Kiss" Nakao, and the late Justin Eilers. Silva was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission after testing positive for Boldenone following his win over Eilers in July of 2008.

Following the positive steroid test, Silva plead his innocence and vowed to fight the charges against him. While EliteXC stated they would allow Silva to keep his belt until matters unfolded in the legal process, the promotion went under and Silva's legal proceedings in regards to the steroid test never fully came to fruition. Instead, Silva fought under World Victory Road's banner in Sengoku until his suspension term had passed. This will be his first fight on U.S. soil following the termination of his suspension period.

This match-up could easily solidify a showdown with the winner of Brett Rogers vs. Fedor Emelianenko, and most fans would point at Fedor Emelianenko as the heavy favorite to defeat Rogers. Interestingly enough, Werdum, who fought in the heavyweight division in PRIDE, has never faced Fedor Emelianenko, and Silva's rise as a top heavyweight in the sport has projected him to be a potential opponent for Fedor as well. Both men have a tremendous amount of exposure to gain from this bout as the fight will be featured on CBS, and a showdown with Fedor or Rogers will likely have a bit more draw considering the expected ratings the event should produce.

Continue reading this post »

Well, Team Rampage is 0-7 and the UFC training facility needs a new door.  Is there any reason to think Mr. T doesn't going 0-for-the-show?

He does have 6'18" Marcus Jones going for him tonight.  Unfortunately, Jones also likes gardening, D'n'D, and gassing in practice.  Yeesh.

Zak Jensen and Matt Mitrione both now have snap pools going on them.  Jensen was recently named in a wrongful death suit.  My question is: who had October 30th in the pool?

The biggest question at this point is what happens if Team Rampage has no fighters advance in the tournament.  Who will coach Team Rashad's fighters?  Will Ken Shamrock return and show Rampage how it's done?

View full size photo »

Heavy.com reports:

Sources close to Brock Lesnar's camp informed Heavy.com tonight that Lesnar will not be able to participate in the postponed main event of UFC 108 against Shane Carwin.

Lesnar has battled an undisclosed illness for the past month that forced him to withdraw from a scheduled title defense against Carwin at UFC 106. The bout was rescheduled for UFC 108, but Heavy.com learned earlier this week that Lesnar has not recovered from the illness and cannot train at even a moderate page without quickly becoming exhausted.

A source close to the UFC confirmed the story while pointing out that Lesnar was never officially part of the UFC 108 card.

Word is, Lesnar has mononucleosis, not H1N1.

The question in my mind is whether or not the just-announced Cain Velasquez vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira fight will be for an interim title.

The other thought is, what a drag for Shane Carwin.

View full size photo »

With all the "how marketable is Fedor?" talk it starts to feel like we're getting ready for a TV show and not a fight.  When we do talk about the fight it all revolves around the supposed gaps in Fedor's striking technique and Rogers' need to exploit them.  Over the past day I've been going over footage of Fedor's fights and one thing is very clear when it comes to the striking aspect of his game...it's all about timing.

In almost every one of Fedor's fights we see him set up, try to establish the distance he wants, and use small scale footwork to retain said distance until he is ready to throw a lunging hook.  Fedor uses that lunging hook in almost every fight and it becomes a Choose Your Own Adventure of pain for the opponent:

If you would like to absorb a flurry of punishing blows, please cover up and move directly backward.

If you would like to go to the ground and face brutal ground and pound or be submitted, please clinch up.

Let's take a look at several of his fights and try to learn where, if anywhere, he can be beat standing.

Continue reading this post »

According to Sensei Sportv’s blog, Nogueira’s manager confirmed that the Brazilian, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) set for UFC 108 will face the undefeated heavyweight Cain Velasquez (7-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) at UFC 108, which takes place at January 2.

Rumored card so far: 
- Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin
- Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
- Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva
- Junior Dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
- Carlos Condit vs. Paul Daley
- Tyson Griffin vs. Jim Miller
- Martin Kampmann vs. Rory Markham
- Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout
- Dan Lauzon vs. Cole Miller
- Ryan Jensen vs. Mark Munoz
- Jake Ellenberger vs. Mike Pyle

HT: tatame.com

UPDATE (by Kid Nate): Don't count your chickens, Heavy.com reports:

Heavy.com contacted sources close to Velasquez, who refute the story as "pure speculation."