Archive for January, 2010

Miesha Tate (8-2) has announced today that she is set to return to Strikeforce action on March 26 in Fresno, California. Her opponent will be Zoila Frausto. The news was announced via Tate’s blog on FightHype. “Takedown” Tate has not fought in Strikeforce since her May 5th loss to Sarah Kaufman at Strikeforce Challengers 1. Tate is the current Freestyle Cage Fighting Women’s Bantamweight Champion. Strikeforce will be starting tournaments in the women’s 135-pound and 145-pound weight classes. Tate will be returning to Strikeforce action just in time to possibly compete in the tourneys.

This is an excellent interview with Strikeforce’s Nick Diaz who competes for the vacant welterweight title at this weekends Strikeforce: Miami against Marius Zaromskis. The interview gets off to a slow start, but Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com shows why he is one of the best in the business as the interview finally gets rolling and he gets a lot out of Nick. Diaz opens up and discusses his match with Marius Zaromskis as well as the controversial decision in his brother Nate’s fight with Gray Maynard that took place at UFC Fight Night 20. Diaz continues to comment on his [...]

Number one contender Vitor Belfort is preparing for his April 10 title shot against Anderson Silva at UFC 112. The two came face to face in Abu Dhabi — where UFC 112 will take place — and Belfort had some interesting words. From Tatame.com: I don’t know what happened, he seemed upset or nervous, I don’t know. We were face to face, but we didn’t greet each other. Some people like to stare down, but when the fight is on it doesn’t matter who can hold the stare the longest. I won the heavyweight tournament and the light heavyweight championship, [...]

Wes Sims is scheduled to fight Bobby Lashley at this Saturday’s Strikeforce: Miami event. The Florida State Boxing Commission had a rough time finding an opponent for Lashley and as a result, Sims was just confirmed for the empty slot this Sunday. Sims has had very little time to train for the fight, but he doesn’t appear to be too concerned. “How do I feel about my match-up? Well, considering you guys gave me one week to train, I obviously haven’t put any training into this fight. But let me tell you something, I’m prepared. I’ve been prepared my entire [...]

UFC middleweight Vitor Belfort will be squaring off against the current 185-pound champion Anderson Silva at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. The event is scheduled for April 10, 2010 in the Concert Arena. Belfort was talking to media at the UFC 112 press conference and according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription only) the number one contender stated that he hopes Silva understands this match is strictly business. Vitor Belfort talked about his history with Anderson Silva (training partners) and how he hopes that Anderson understands that this is a professional sport and there is nothing personal. Belfort also mentioned [...]

Dutch striker Alistair Overeem is the current Strikeforce heavyweight champion, however, the champ has not fought in the Strikeforce organization in his last seven fights. Overeem’s last Strikeforce bout was in November of 2007, when he defeated Paul Buentello. The Strikeforce champion has dropped some interesting news to Fighters Only Magazine. Overeem says that he would sign with the Ultimate Fighting Championship under the right conditions. He has been in negotiations with the organization before, but the two sides failed to agree to terms. “I’m not going to discuss the UFC too much with the media. But I will say [...]

Nate Marquardt talks about the preparation for his UFC 109 bout against fellow middleweight contender Chael Sonnen. Courtesy of UFC.com

Dutch women’s MMA star Marloes Coenen (17-3) is scheduled to fight for the Strikeforce women’s lightweight title this weekend as she faces the current champion Chris Cyborg (8-1). The bout is at 145-pounds. The 145-pound weight class is normally referred to as the featherweight division, however, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker announced that Cyborg’s title will be considered the lightweight championship. Coenen shows off her striking ability in this video, while Strikeforce fighter and commentator Frank Shamrock analyzes her striking. After hitting the pads, Coenen takes the time to answer some questions about her upcoming bout. Video courtesy of FightScoops.com

England’s biggest mixed martial arts star Michael Bisping is currently preparing for a UFC 110 match against MMA legend Wanderlei Silva. The bout will take place in Sydney, Australia and will serve as the events co-main event. A source within the Wolfslair camp — where Bisping trains — has told Fighters Only Magazine that the fighter is looking “more dangerous than he ever has.” Bisping’s punching power has often been considered one of his weaknesses, but if “The Count’s” current training camp is any indication, he expects to score a knockout victory over Silva. “Wanderlei is a bit of a [...]

Matt Serra has been preparing for his UFC 109: Relentless bout with Frank Trigg that will take place on Feb. 6 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. You can see Episode 1 of Matt Serra’s UFC 109 Vlog by clicking here.