Strikeforce Post-Fight Video: Jorge Masvidal Hoping for Shot at Gilbert Melendez

Chad Griggs vs. Daniel Cormier Could Be 'Logical Next Step' for Strikeforce

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Chad Griggs knows that Strikeforce officials didn't sign him to a contract because they were dying to be in the Chad Griggs business. Not at first, anyway.

Offering him a fight with a well-paid prospect like Bobby Lashley last summer was Strikeforce's way of giving him a lottery ticket. No one expected his numbers to hit the way they did, which might explain why the organization still seems unsure of what to do with him.

"That's the joke for us," Griggs told MMA Fighting after his win over Valentijn Overeem at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum on Saturday night. "Every time I walk in it's like, hey, you can't get rid of me. I won't go away."

With the first-round stoppage of Overeem, Griggs won his third straight Strikeforce bout, and his second in a row as a Grand Prix alternate. The win also made some people look at the other victorious heavyweight alternate from Saturday's event -- former U.S. Olympic wrestling team captain, Daniel Cormier -- and wonder whether Strikeforce should throw those two in the cage together next just to see who's still standing when it's over.

Cormier -- who was originally slated to face Shane del Rosario in a Grand Prix reserve bout before del Rosario was injured in a car accident -- dominated MMA vet Jeff Monson for three rounds on Saturday night, showing off some impressive striking in the process.

But while it was a nice win for his still young career, Cormier doesn't necessarily think it makes him the clear reserve choice for the tournament just yet. Not as long as Griggs keeps winning his reserve fights as well.

"Right now I think you match up me and Chad or me and Shane, because in reality there's no clear reserve," Cormier said. "Who goes into the tournament right now if someone gets hurt? How do you choose? You've got three guys going into this, so match two of us up and have us fight whenever the semifinals are. I'd like to fight Chad or Shane to find out who's the reserve in this tournament. I think it makes sense."

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said a Griggs-Cormier fight on the semifinal card this fall was a real possibility, but added "we just finished an event, so we haven't had a chance to sit down and talk about it yet."

Still, Coker admitted that he wouldn't mind seeing a fight between the two heavyweights, both of whom have put on exciting performances of late.

Even Cormier's coach -- AKA's Javier Mendez -- likes the idea.

"I think the rightful thing is to have [Cormier] fight Chad Griggs," Mendez said. "He's another alternate, so that's a logical next step. But I don't know what Strikeforce is going to do. We just have to get Daniel ready for the next step."

As for Griggs, he said he hasn't said no to any of Strikeforce's suggestions yet and it isn't about to start now. Besides, after stopping Gian Villante in a wild brawl and then punishing Overeem in a first-round TKO win, hasn't he earned a fight like this by now?

"I feel like I've fought two good fights and they were both alternates," Griggs shrugged. "I had two good performances and stopped my guy in the first round in both of them, so we'll see how it goes."

A fight between Griggs and Cormier could not only solidify an established reserve for the Grand Prix, it would also be a nice addition to any Strikeforce fight card now that fans have seen enough of both men to know what they have to offer.

For Griggs, however, going up against a highly-touted former Olympian might seem like just one more bout where he's not supposed to get his hand raised at the end. Not that those kinds of expectations matter much to him, of course.

"I still feel like they're looking at me going, this guy got lucky again," Griggs said. "But hey, I'll take it. Maybe I'll just keep being lucky."

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/06/21/chad-griggs-vs-daniel-cormier-could-be-logical-next-step-for/

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Kid Yamamoto vs. Damacio Page slated for UFC 135 in Denver

A bantamweight battle between Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and Damacio “The Angel of Death” Page has been added to the UFC 135 card in September. UFC President Dana White made the announcement on UFC.com that the fighters have verbally agreed to meet, saying; These are two of the most aggressive sluggers in the always-exciting bantamweight division. [...]

Kid Yamamoto vs. Damacio Page slated for UFC 135 in Denver is a post from: MMA Interplay UFC News

Source: http://www.mmainterplay.com/ufc-news/kid-yamamoto-vs-damacio-page-slated-for-ufc-135-in-denver-54809/

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Kendall Grove, Chuck O'Neil released from UFC following recent losses

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

MMATorchAvatar2011V2_180_22.jpg

Kendall Grove's time in the UFC has come to an end just shy of his five year anniversary as a fighter in the organization, as The Ultimate Fighter 3 winner revealed on his Facebook page that he's been released from the UFC following his loss to Tim Boetsch at UFC 130.

After defeating Ed Herman in The Ultimate Fighter season three finals, Grove appeared 12 more times inside the Octagon. But he posted just a 6-6 record in those 12 fights, frequently trading wins and losses.

Over the last two years, Grove had gone just 2-4 in six fights, and had lost three of his last four. The inconsistency and lack of recent results led to the release.

But he's not alone, as Chuck O'Neil, one of the semifinalists from the most recent season of the reality show, is one and done in the organization. O'Neil also revealed his release on Facebook, coming after his debut loss to Chris Cope at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale earlier this month.

O'Neil came in as a replacement on Brock Lesnar's team after an injury took Myles Jury out before the competition started. He then made it to the semifinals before being defeated by Ramsey Nejim.

Penick's Analysis: O'Neil's release doesn't come as a surprise, because his fight with Cope wasn't good and he wasn't able to do much in it. As for Grove, it was becoming just a matter of time. He had a long run in the organization as one of the early winners of TUF, but he couldn't put a run together in the Octagon, and losing four of his last six fights made this almost inevitable.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9671.shtml

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Unapologetic Barnett comfortable with Strikeforce win, looking forward to Kharitonov

DALLAS - Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem wasn't the only recipient of boos this past Saturday at "Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum."

Josh Barnett did as well, though for a completely different reason.

After proving early on that he was completely in a different league than Brett Rogers in the quarterfinals of the promotion's heavyweight grand prix, he caught flack because he didn't finish the fight in the first round.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/5WUC9vDee4M/unapologetic-barnett-comfortable-with-strikeforce-win-looking-forward-to-kharitonov.mma

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What's Next For The Winners And Losers Of "The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale"?

?The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale? was certainly an interesting event? although not for the best of reasons. It was a night filled to the brim with decision wins, some of which were either average at best or very uneventful. And now once again it?s time to ask: what?s next? What does the future hold now [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/06/05/whats-next-for-the-winners-and-losers-of-the-ultimate-fighter-13-finale

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?Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix: Overeem vs. Werdum? Highlight Video

Just in case you missed last night’s “Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum” event on Showtime, no worries because the premium cable network released a highlight video recapping Saturday’s extravaganza. Mauro Ranallo and his freshly shaved head was assigned narrating duties. A pair of quarterfinal Heavyweight Grand Prix matchups headlined the event. Josh Barnett submitted Brett Rogers [...]

Source: http://www.5thRound.com/79170/strikeforce-heavyweight-grand-prix-overeem-vs-werdum-highlight-video/

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?UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber II? Extended Video Preview

Now that “Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum” is officially in the books, it’s time for Zuffa, LLC to start promoting the Octagon’s next pay-per-view broadcast. “UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber II” features a bantamweight title tilt between champion Dominick Cruz and bitter rival Urijah Faber. To help generate buzz for the show, the world’s premier mixed [...]

Source: http://www.5thRound.com/79210/ufc-132-cruz-vs-faber-ii-extended-video-preview/

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