The Forward Roll: Strikeforce/M-1 Fedor vs. Henderson Edition

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After every event is over, we instinctively begin to wonder what's next. Whether it's for the promotion, the fighters or the sport, our minds move forward to ponder the future.

So after every major event, The Forward Roll will take a look into the coming weeks and months, examining several key fighters who just competed and the endless possibilities that might come their way.

Today, we look at some of the key participants of Strikeforce & M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Henderson, and where they might go from here.

Dan Henderson
Free agency beckons for the 40-year-old riding the wave of a three-fight win streak after defeating Fedor Emelianenko this past weekend. From there, there are three possibilities. He can re-sign with Strikeforce, he can head back to the UFC, or he can become an MMA mercenary and look for the best deals wherever he can find them, from promotions looking to bring in a big name.

Because of the current business landscape in MMA, it won't be easy for Henderson to get a price he wants. Remember, UFC president Dana White is on record as saying he forced Henderson to sign with Strikeforce back in 2009 after suggesting Hendo wasn't worth the money he was requesting. Of course, that was two years ago, and Hendo is 3-1 since, so White may reconsider.

That said, I think it's crucial for Strikeforce to retain Hendo. After all, look at Strikeforce's current list of titleholders. Heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem was just cut, women's 145-pound champ Cris Cyborg has been inactive during a year-plus contract negotiation/dispute, and welterweight champ Nick Diaz relinquished his belt to move to the UFC. If Strikeforce wants to remain a viable product on Showtime through the length of its TV deal, it's hard to imagine that they will let another champion walk.

Prediction: Henderson re-signs with Strikeforce and faces the winner of September's Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal vs. Roger Gracie fight.

Fedor Emelianenko
After three straight losses, Emelianenko faces a major decision in either continuing his career or calling it quits. After the fight, he told MMA Fighting that he could make a decision on his future "within the next month, maybe even earlier than that." After each of his previous two fights, he's pondered it and come back. After his loss to Henderson, he seems to be considering it once more.

Given his expensive deal, Fedor may not have the opportunity to fight in Strikeforce again. It's likely that the promotion will cut him and use the savings on several other fighters. He also could be asked to renegotiate a smaller deal.

Prediction: Strikeforce cuts Emelianenko, but he decides to fight one more time, perhaps for the M-1 Global promotion, of which he is a co-owner. As far as an opponent, how about the newly available Alistair Overeem? Sure it seems unlikely, but it would be the biggest money fight for both of them if they can find a way to fund it.

Miesha Tate
The 24-year-old Tate won her first major title by submitting the experienced veteran Marloes Coenen. Watching from the stands was the former weight class champion, Sarah Kaufman, who is coming off a two-fight win streak and is almost certainly the next in line for the belt, making this prediction an easy one.

Prediction:
Tate makes her first defense against Kaufman, but the timeframe is up in the air until Tate gets back results from an MRI on a banged-up knee.

Tim Kennedy
Kennedy used his grinding style to wear down Robbie Lawler and earn a unanimous decision victory. It says a lot about the lack of depth in Strikeforce's middleweight division that 26-year-old Luke Rockhold, coming off three straight Challengers series appearances and a 19-month injury layoff, was given a title shot upon his return. That takes place on Sept. 10. It's almost a lock that Kennedy gets the winner.

Prediction: Kennedy eventually faces the winner of the Rockhold vs. Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza fight.

Paul Daley
Daley's takedown defense looked much improved against Tyron Woodley, but he still couldn't stay off his back long enough to land a fight-changing shot. That's two straight losses for him, and Strikeforce may not be in a hurry to bring him back. Given that, he might look back across the pond, where he is a big draw and can get better matchups for his style.

Prediction: Daley takes his next fight in the UK, facing Nate Marquardt at a BAMMA event

Tyron Woodley
and Tarec Saffiedine
Both men captured decisions on Saturday using completely different formulas, Woodley utilizing his wrestling and groundwork, and Saffiedine with a strong standup performance. There are rumblings that the two will face each other and determine a new welterweight champion, but I'll go with another option.

Prediction: Woodley and Saffiedine are among the welterweights included in a four-man mini-tournament used to crown a new champion.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/08/02/the-forward-roll-strikeforce-m-1-fedor-vs-henderson-edition/

Joe Lauzon Mo Lawal Ruthless Robbie Lawler Eric Lawson

Strikeforce reportedly cuts Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Alistair_Overeem_180_5.jpg

After being removed from the Strikeforce Heavyweight World Grand Prix earlier this month for being unable to fight by the Showtime set date of Sept. 10, Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem has been released from the organization entirely.

According to a report from HDNet's Inside MMA, Strikeforce officials exercised an option to cut a fighter with one fight remaining in their contract, though no details have yet emerged as to why the decision was made.

Overeem said in interviews earlier this month that a toe injury, along with being told a different date for the semifinals, led to him not being able to compete on the Sept. 10 card, where the semifinals of the tournament will be held. However, the Inside MMA report states that he also is suffering from an injured rib and an issue with his elbow as well. Furthermore, a new episode of his online documentary series "The Reem" reveals that he had an injured rib coming out of his quarterfinal win over Fabricio Werdum in June.

Additionally, Overeem's camp Golden Glory announced that the heavyweight would be competing on their October event, outside of Zuffa control.

Overeem captured the Strikeforce Heavyweight Title in 2007 with a victory over Paul Buentello. However, he's defended it just once, a May 2010 victory over Brett Rogers, and he's fought just twice in the organization since he won the belt.

Penick's Analysis: This is a bit of a shocking development, especially with no word yet as to any reasoning behind it. If those now running Strikeforce were unhappy with the way Overeem handled the issue of the semifinals, added with him taking a fight in October outside of the organization, this could have been a reactionary move to that. This could be a possible, but probably unlikely, move to then have Overeem sign with the UFC to make the move over, circumventing the Showtime deal. Whatever the reason, this is another blow to the Strikeforce roster after Nick Diaz was moved to the UFC.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Affliction2/article_10037.shtml

Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo 

Bellator 47 Results: A Solid Event, If Not Just A Bit Underwhelming

The Bellator Fighting Championships promotion returned from a one-month hiatus yesterday with its ?Bellator 47? event, featuring both semi-final fights in their ?Summer Series? Featherweight Tournament. Unfortunately, both of those fights felt a little flat and frankly failed to live up to expectations. However, the good news is that Bellator 47 saw some pretty crazy [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/07/24/bellator-47-results-a-solid-event-if-not-just-a-bit-underwhelming

Valentijn Overeem Shungo Oyama Fredson Paixao Soa Palalei

Tate grinds her way to women?s 135-pound title, finishing with a side choke

Miesha Tate wrestled with the boys in high school, so there's little mystery to her game. She wanted to get Marloes Coenen down, and down often.

After spending 10-plus minutes on her back, a warn down Coenen found herself in a nasty arm-triangle choke in the middle of the fourth round. Referee John McCarthy called a stop to things at 3:03 of the round giving the Strikeforce women's bantamweight title to Tate.

At just 24 years old, Tate (12-2) may be the future of the division, but the women's 135 class has another young lady in her mid-20's. Sarah Kaufman, 25, beat Tate back in 2009 on a Strikeforce Challengers card and will probably get the next crack at the title holder.

Tate's explained that her experience with the boys in high school was the genesis of this title run.

"It made me tough. It's a big, huge reason why I'm here today," said Tate, who wrestled in Olympia, Washington. "That toughness got me through that fight. Marloes is no joke."

Her recent path to the cage was far from easy.

"I had a good start to my training camp, a rough finish. That's what makes the heart of a champion, it's tough times. Tough times only make you tougher," said Tate.

Coenen (19-5) is a very solid fighter with good striking and submission skills, but her stiffness on the feet and lack of  side-to-side movement killed her chance of defending takedowns. She was too often a sitting duck for Tate, who was good on 5-of-6 takedown attempts.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Tate-grinds-her-way-to-women-s-135-pound-title-?urn=mma-wp5198

Mo Lawal Ruthless Robbie Lawler Eric Lawson Cung Le

Best Of The Rest: Strikeforce "Fedor vs. Henderson"

Hello and welcome to another new edition of ?Best of the Rest?! I really enjoy taking the time to give my detailed thoughts on a show after watching it, but after the serious discussion and debate I?ll raise in topics like ?Top 5 Best Moments? and ?Best Performance of the Night?, I think it?d be [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/08/01/best-of-the-rest-strikeforce-fedor-vs-henderson

Jess Liaudin Chuck The Iceman Liddell Shad Lierley  Jushin Thunder Liger

Strikeforce "Fedor vs. Henderson" winners Tyron Woodley and Tarec Saffiedine could fight for vacant Strikeforce Welterweight Title

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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Strikeforce's Welterweight Title was vacated earlier this year when former Champion Nick Diaz jumped ship to the UFC, where he will meet Georges St. Pierre in October for the UFC's Welterweight Championship.

So with no champion in the division, Strikeforce needs a couple of fighters to put into a title fight for the belt, and Saturday's event in Hoffman Estates, Ill. may have determined which two will be getting the call.

Both Tyron Woodley and Tarec Saffiedine picked up big wins on the card, and according to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker after the event, they could be squaring off in a rematch, only this time with a belt on the line.

"That's something we're going to go back to the office and have a conversation internally (about)," Coker said in comments made to MMAjunkie.com. "But I would think that Tyron and Tarec are going to be frontrunners for that vacant title when it gets done.

"They both looked great tonight."

Woodley took on the most highly ranked opponent he'd ever faced in Paul Daley on the card, and earned a unanimous decision after being able to dictate the pace of the fight for the most part. Daley showed off a vastly improved wrestling game in the fight, but Woodley was still able to keep the fight on the ground for a majority of the bout, and took a unanimous decision from the juges to stay undefeated.

Saffiedine took on a lower level opponent than Woodley did in Scott Smith, but he was definitely the more impressive on the card. Through three rounds of action, Saffiedine hit Smith from all angles with punches, kicks and knees, hurting him multiple times throughout the fight. Smith showed a continued ability to keep moving after taking punishment, but he was plodding and slow and found himself completely out-classed in the fight.

If the two get paired up for the title, it could mean an opportunity for the 24-year-old Saffiedine to avenge his last loss. The two fighters squared off in January in a Challengers series main event fight, with Woodley's wrestling being the deciding factor in neutralizing Saffiedine and taking a decision. The fight may play out the same way, but it will have a lot more on the line if it takes place.

Penick's Analysis: Considering this fight will likely take place within 10-11 months from their first meeting, I don't know how much Saffiedine will have been able to improve to stop what Woodley was able to do to him in January. Still, he looked excellent against Smith, and Woodley did enough to pick up his biggest win to date. With very few welterweight challengers in Strikeforce, if they have another title fight these two would certainly work as the participants in the bout.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Affliction2/article_10047.shtml

Harold Howard Tom Howard Roger Huerta Matt Hughes

Coker video: Is Overeem ever fighting again for Strikeforce?

This is a bizarre position for Scott Coker. The Strikeforce CEO is technically under the umbrella of Zuffa. In a recent interview with SI.com, Dana White swore up and down that he has absolutely no hand in decisions with Strikeforce. Yet when you watch or listen to Coker talking about the future of his fighters and future cards, there seems to be a hesitance about answering questions. That could be the nature of the business or he simply can't promise anything because its out of his hands.

Coker did a 12-minute interview with AOL.com and had some interesting takes on what comes down the road for Dan Henderson and Fedor Emelianenko. A small part of the convo revolved around Alistair Overeem and his future with Strikeforce.

"I mean that's something we're going to sit down with his manager Bas [Boon] and have a conversation about," said Coker (8:00 mark).

That's not a yes or a no, but it seemed pretty curt. White recently said Overeem is definitely sticking around so it was odd for Coker to ride the fence on the question.

Coker also explained that Overeem sort of forced the bold move in the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix. When the Strikeforce heavyweight champ and tourney favorite said he was out for a fight on Sept. 10, Strikeforce had no choice but to replace him.

"We've been very good to Alistair. We've been very patient. It just didn't work out," Coker said. "If we could've took this fight to October or November we definitely would've done it."

Coker said between the busy UFC schedule, Showtime's boxing slate, the Floyd Mayweather fight in November and MLB's World Series, there weren't many dates that made sense.

On other matters, Coker said Fedor vs. Hendo is not a make or break fight for either fighter's future with Strikeforce. Even with a Henderson loss, he definitely wants to keep Henderson around. He's jazzed about Marloes Coenen vs. Miesha Tate being the first female title fight under the Zuffa banner. Coenen was a no-show at the Thursday press conference. Coker joked that he had no idea what happened calling it a "makeup issue or breakfast issue or wardrobe malfunction."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Coker-video-Is-Overeem-ever-fighting-again-for-?urn=mma-wp5140

Travis Wiuff Wu Haotian Rani Yahya Kenichi Yamamoto

DREAM.17 adds Shinya Aoki vs. Rob McCullough, Satoru Kitaoka vs. Willamy Freire

Don?t pick against Jackson: Couture called a ?fake [expletive] has-been? for doing so

There are two Quinton Jacksons. The boisterous, cocky "Rampage" who showed up at the UFC 135 press conference on Tuesday in Denver and hypersensitive, delicate Jackson who lashes out like a youngster if he's criticized or called on the carpet.

We saw a great example of that when he threatened to quit MMA in late 2009 claiming he was being mistreated and used by the UFC. That came roughly 14 months after UFC management bailed him out and stuck with him after a bizarre driving rampage in Southern California.

This week, in between dropping some epic trash talk on young Jon Jones, Jackson flipped out on Randy Couture. What did Couture do? The retired UFC legend had the nerve to pick against Jackson in his last fight!

A Twitter war unfolded between the 33-year-old Jackson and Couture, 48.

Here's the video where Couture hurt Jackson's feelings:

Jackson wore Xtreme Couture/Affliction gear during his walkout at UFC 114x in May of 2010. It sounds like he's suggesting Couture's "anti-Jackson" picks are motivated by Rampage changing apparel providers.

Twitter graphic via USA Today

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Don-t-pick-against-Jackson-Couture-called-a-fa?urn=mma-wp4893

Wilson Gouveia Jason Grace Crosley Gracie Gregor Gracie