Strikeforce wants fight fans to join the promotion at 5 PM PST this Tuesday, June 15 at the Conga Room at LA Live in Downtown Los Angeles, Cali. for the weigh-ins for Wednesday’s “Strikeforce: Los Angeles” event.

Headlining the event will be former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champ Renato “Babalu” Sobral (35-8) and knockout artist Robbie Lawler (17-5) who will fight at a catchweight of 195 pounds.

Sixteen competitors will fight on Wednesday’s “Strikeforce: Los Angeles” card, which takes place at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles, and will be televised live on Showtime beginning at 11 PM EST (delayed broadcast for the West Coast).

Main Card

Catchweight bout (195 pounds): Robbie Lawler vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral
Welterweight bout: Marius Zaromskis vs. Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos
Middleweight bout: Trevor Prangley vs. Tim Kennedy
Lightweight bout: KJ Noons vs. Conor Huen

Preliminary Card

Catchweight (160 lbs) bout: R.J. Clifford vs. Jeremy Umphries
Bantamweight bout: Marcus Kowal vs. Hugo Sandoval

HT: Strikeforce.com

Should fans be thankful Rich Franklin is fighting Chuck Liddell as opposed to Tito Ortiz? If KJ Noons can get by Conor Heun next Wednesday should Strikeforce promote a rematch with rival Nick Diaz or let him focus on the lightweight division? Who will pull off the biggest upset at UFC 115? Will Saturday night mark Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic’s last appearance in the Octagon if he falls to Pat Barry? Are you interested in seeing “The A-Team” because of Quinton Jackson’s involvement or are you planning to skip it altogether regardless of “Rampage”?

Seven months ago, a crack commando journalism unit was sent to prison by a court of editors for a typo they didn’t commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Underground. Today, still wanted by the FCC, they survive as soldiers of fortune without the actual fortune involved. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire… The GWI-Team!

Please forgive me if this week’s introduction is brief, but I’m fairly certain I saw a Predator drone marked with Sherdog’s logo circle my current location so time is clearly of the essence. As always, Adam Tool (callsign: B.A. Tool) and myself (callsign: Brend-hannibal) are here to provide insight and opinion on topics plucked from the MMA landscape. However, this week’s edition has SEVEN savory subjects for the two of us to dissect in honor of Quinton Jackson’s potentially star-making role in “The A-Team”. However, just because we staffers get the fancy set-up, please don’t feel precluded from dishing out your own thoughts on each matter in the comments section at the bottom of the column…

Fastest finish come June 16th’s “Strikeforce – Los Angeles” card – Robbie Lawler vs. Renato Sobral or Marius Zaromskis vs. Evangelista Santos?

Adam Tool: I’ve got to go with Zaromskis vs. Santos for this one. Both men are highly-touted strikers with plenty of KO wins on their records. Santos is certainly more than capable of using his jiu-jitsu to get the job done, but I believe it’s more likely we’ll see these two come out aggressive right from the opening bell. If this fight makes it past the first round I’ll be somewhat surprised, but of course I have been wrong about this sort of thing before.

As for Lawler and Sobral, there’s certainly a chance this one could end quickly as well. Lawler will certainly be looking to lay into “Babalu” early and often, but at the same time I would hardly expect Sobral to try and get into a slugfest with such a dangerous opponent. Sobral hasn’t been seen since his devastating knockout to Gegard Mousasi and as such I would imagine he’ll be taking a more cautious approach in this fight. Don’t expect “Babalu” to stay in the pocket for too long, as he’ll likely try and keep his distance and pick his shots before looking for the takedown. Sobral has a steep advantage in the grappling department and he knows that Lawler is weak on the ground, so in the end this one will come down to which fighter can best implement their gameplan for victory.

Brendhan Conlan: Tool makes some good points yet I’m still inclined to pick Sobral/Lawler. Zaromskis and Santos are strikers to be sure, though I’m not sure “highly-touted” is the phrasing I’d use unless “touting” them after a few hours with Nick Diaz. “Cyborg” has been out-struck by a handful of relative nobodies in his career and Zaromskis’ biggest win to date is “Mach” Sakurai (who is on the backside of his career and currently riding a three-fight losing streak). They’re aggressive and have knockout power but neither is particularly technical or skilled in terms of overall striking ability. Granted, neither are Lawler or Sobral, but in the case of Zaromskis and Santos I think they’re comparable enough to cancel each other out. I can see their bout going into the second or third round, while in the case of “Babalu” vs. Lawler I think there’s a better chance of Sobral’s lights being turned out in the first round. His last three losses have all been by way of knockout and he’ll have to absorb some damage each time he attempts to drag Lawler to the mat in hopes of attacking with submissions. All “Ruthless” Robbie needs to do is land a single, relatively clean shot to the Brazilian’s chin to win and I don’t think it will take him very long to do so.

If KJ Noons beats Conor Heun next week, should Strikeforce focus on promoting him as a lightweight or instead on putting together a long-anticipated rematch Nick Diaz?

Tool: I see no reason why Strikeforce shouldn’t try to put together the Diaz/Noons rematch, as it’s a fight that people have been wanting to see since both guys were still getting paychecks from EliteXC. Noons has had his profile decrease substantially since moving over to the world of boxing, and if he has any desire to be a star in MMA then he needs to get that pot-smoking monkey off his back. Noons won the first fight, but it was due to a cut and Diaz has been unstoppable ever since. If KJ wants to prove that he’s still a threat in this sport then the best way to do that is to beat Diaz again.

Let’s be fair though, this fight makes more sense for Diaz than it does for Noons. KJ could potentially make an impact in the Strikeforce lightweight division, and there’s some intriguing match-ups to be made (assuming he can get past the unheralded Heun). At the same time Diaz has next-to-no competition left for his Strikeforce Welterweight Championship (except a potentially over-matched Tyron Woodley) and is going to be needing a fight soon. I’m sure Diaz would love to finally get his rematch with Noons, and since he’s one of the biggest stars Strikeforce has it makes sense to give him the most high profile match-ups possible.

If Strikeforce tries to put this fight together, and if Noons turns it down (again), then he can probably look forward to a spot on the next Strikeforce Challengers event. If Noons is willing to take the rematch then it’s a fight that could easily be featured on a regular Strikeforce card, and maybe even CBS (if that ship has not already sailed). Noons went over to boxing because the money was better, and right now he won’t have a better payday than the one he would get for fighting Diaz again. I hope Scott Coker can make it happen.

Conlan: I agree that Diaz is the better option between the two. Strikeforce doesn’t have a wealth of depth in any division so catch-weight attractions are something they should take advantage of when the possibility presents itself. There’s a great deal of personal heat between the two based on the outcome of their first fight and the miniature in-ring riot occurring two years ago after Noons successfully defended his EliteXC title against Yves Edwards. Each also brings an exciting style into every bout so from that standpoint it’s almost guaranteed to entertain as well.

Beyond that, current lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez is out of action until November/December based on the impending birth of his daughter, and likely on a collision course with Bellator title-holder Eddie Alvarez as is, while 155-pound contenders Josh Thomson and Lyle Beerbohm have already been rumored as a future match-up. Other than a few DREAM lightweights and Roger Huerta there aren’t a lot of available fighters who, when paired with Noons, have the potential to draw as much interest from fans as Diaz does. The same rings true in reverse, as Diaz’s best options at 170 pounds are Woodley and a handful of mid-tier free agents. He could definitely give middleweight a go to establish himself as a top contender and maybe even become a two-division champ in the process, but other than Jason “Mayhem” Miller I don’t think there are any 185-pound opponents fans are as interested in seeing Diaz face in comparison to Noons. Strikefoce needs to put them back in the cage together, promote it in the same way “Rampage” Jackson vs. Rashad Evans was hyped, and let fans sit back and enjoy two guys who legitimately dislike each other exchange some leather. Frankly, to not capitalize on their fading rivalry before it’s too late to do so would be an utter blunder on the part of Scott Coker’s team and maybe even a nail in their coffin.

What UFC 115 bout features the most potential for the biggest upset to occur?

Tool: When trying to figure out the answer to this question I started by looking up and down the card. Upon doing so I realized that it’s kind of tough to figure out who are the underdogs in a lot of these fights. I then looked up the betting odds for the show and soon discovered just how close the lines are on almost every fight this weekend. Seriously, the biggest favorite on the card is Ultimate Fighter season 9 winner James Wilks. Wilks is facing Peter Sobotta, who is 0-1 in the UFC and whose win column is filled with names you’ve never heard of. Rich Franklin is a slight favorite in the main event, but I’m sure that line will get closer now that we’ve all seen what tremendous shape Chuck is in. Mirko Cro Cop is a slight underdog against Pat Barry, but everyone (including Barry himself) knows just how dangerous Cro Cop can still be.

With so many fights being so evenly matched there’s not a lot of options as far as one guy being a “sure thing” to win his fight, so I‘m forced to resort to the betting lines. The underdog fighter I’d pick to pull off a victory would probably be Carlos Condit, although if you didn’t check the lines you probably would think that he’s the favorite to win in his bout with Rory MacDonald. MacDonald is undefeated and has finished every one of his fights, but Condit represents a huge step up in competition for the young man from British Columbia. The former WEC Welterweight Champion is extremely dangerous wherever the fight takes place, plus he’s got a will to win and the drive to never give up.

Conlan: Betting lines are certainly the mark of an “underdog” but definitely not the entire indicator of it. After all, am I to believe fans don’t consider Mario Miranda a huge underdog to David Louiseau or Gilbert Yvel to Ben Rothwell simply because the involved odds may not dictate it?

Moving on, the fight I see with the most potential for a significant upset is Evan Dunham’s clash with Tyson Griffin. Griffin has struggled to finish opponents in the Octagon, so he leaves a lot of time for his foes to slip in and steal bouts (Sean Sherk and Frank Edgar clearly being the best examples based on their actual success against the Xtreme Couture OG). Dunham is a solid grappler with nice hands and reminds me a bit of a 5′10″, stronger, paler version of the 5′6″ Griffin. It was hard not to be impressed by his submission of Efrain Escudero at Fight Night 20 last January, and he’s undefeated ten fights into his career, so I won’t be surprised if he walks away with a decision win against Griffin. However, I think a lot of fans will be and I don’t just mean the Zuffa Zombies out there.

Are you more excited about Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin than you would have been for Liddell’s third fight with Tito Ortiz?

Conlan: Absolutely. Neither of their original encounters were particularly competitive bouts and the only people clamoring for a third throwdown seemed to be Liddell, Ortiz, and UFC President Dana White. The former 205-pound champions’ mutual dislike of one another made it logical to pair them from the standpoint of producing an entertaining season of the Ultimate Fighter but not from one based on in-ring competition or fulfilling fans’ phantom wishes for a trilogy as necessary as “The Matrix: Revolutions”. Enter Franklin and you have a fresh match-up featuring two former title-holders and fellow icons of the Octagon. Although “Ace” may have dropped two of his last three fights he remains a credible threat against all opponents not named Anderson Silva and has the style to give Liddell a run for his money. He’s got multi-point striking, good power, and solid grappling. Unlike Ortiz, Franklin won’t have to rely on dragging the action down to the mat to procure a win, and similarly he’s a threat to knock Chuck out whereas Ortiz hasn’t TKO’d anyone other than Ken Shamrock in the last nine years. All the involved factors add up to a scenario far superior than the one created by a third helping of Liddell vs. Ortiz.

Tool: Brendhan hit the nail on the head here. Liddell and Ortiz’s rivalry makes for good reality TV, but there’s really nothing left to prove by pitting these two against one another in the octagon. Only the most die-hard Ortiz fan (does such a thing exist?) would be upset by this change in the lineup. Okay, I suppose Chuck’s fans are upset because they thought he had this one in the bag, and now Franklin presents a much bigger challenge.

Personally I wouldn’t be surprised if this main event goes down as the “Fight of the Night” when bonuses are handed out. Liddell and Franklin both know what they do best, and that’s hitting people in the face. Neither one has a “legendary” chin, but I’m pretty sure they can each still take their fair share of punishment. I expect both fighters to be tentative at the start, given their cage rust and the stakes involved, but I can certainly see a nice little slugfest erupting as the time ticks on.

Besides, if the fight had gone down as scheduled it’s safe to assume that Ortiz would have lost in dramatic fashion and blamed his neck injury for his performance. If the parties involved are serious about doing Liddell vs. Ortiz 3, then we may as well do it when Tito can fight without the slightest possibility of an excuse.

TRUE/FALSE – This will be the last time we see Mirko Cro Cop in the UFC if he loses to Pat Barry.

Conlan: I’m not 100% sure how his contract looks but, assuming the paperwork is in place, I think he’ll be around for a few more fights as long as he doesn’t look like a fish out of water against Barry. After all, like Mirko, Barry is a kickboxer by nature and the thought of him mopping the mat with Filipovic would significantly detract from the Croation’s remaining mystique.

That being said, though “Cro Cop” is on the backside of his career, he’s still a viable commodity in terms of his ability to compete against mid-tier opponents and in his standing as a major draw in Europe. Technically he’s 4-1 since losing back-to-back bouts during his first run in the UFC (with a “No Contest” against Alistair Overeem after having his gonads launched into orbit by the Strikeforce heavyweight champ occurring along the way). Were the numbers reversed he likely would have already hung his checkered shorts up and called it a career, but seeing as how they aren’t and the single loss came to rising star Junior Dos Santos I think it’s premature to think Filipovic is finished in the UFC. He’s too valuable a name, and seems to have enough left in his tank, to give walking papers to unless “Cro Cop” comes out of UFC 115 with a horribly one-sided defeat to Barry.

Tool: I’ve got to go with True here. This is the last fight on Cro Cop’s current UFC contract, and a loss to Barry would put him at 3-4 in the octagon. Those three wins all came against meager competition and offered little to be impressed with. His losses just prove that “The Croatian Sensation” can’t hang with the current level of talent in the heavyweight division. The guy got out-wrestled by Cheick Kongo, is there any reason to think that he would hold his own against somebody like Cain Velasquez?

The name value and drawing power Cro Cop brought at the beginning of his UFC run is all but extinguished. Modern day fans have seen nothing in his fights that lives up to the terrifying reputation the hardcore fanbase has given him. His fans will keep tuning in for the hope that they’ll see some of that old Cro Cop magic, but there’s been no sign of the old Cro Cop since PRIDE went quietly into that good night. Unless Pat Barry is on the receiving end of a highlight reel knockout this weekend, I wouldn’t get my hopes up too high about hearing “Wild Boys” on the UFC PA system ever again.

If Paulo Thiago beats Martin Kampmann, should he be the next welterweight contender?

Conlan: No, because he’ll need to fight someone in the period between UFC 115 and George St. Pierre’s post-TUF title defense against Josh Koscheck. If all goes according to plan the Ultimate Fighter Season 12 coaches will face off in December meaning the eventual welterweight champ won’t be available for at least another 3-4 months after that. Asking Thiago to sit out for close to a year is ridiculous, especially in a class as deep as 170 pounds and with Jake Shields potentially showing up in a few months. A victory over Kampmann would definitely make Thiago more deserving of a shot at St. Pierre’s belt than some who’ve had a crack, so I see how “should” could apply in that instance, but as far as reality goes the timing isn’t right for it to occur. Rather, if the Brazilian police specialist emerges with his hands raised in Vancouver, I think he’ll have to serve as Shields’ debut opponent or fight the winner of Jon Fitch’s rumored rematch against Thiago Alves before receiving an opportunity at the title.

Tool: It’s a little weird how much Thiago has slipped under the radar in the welterweight. He’s got decisive wins over two of the top ten guys in the world (including the next #1 contender) and the lone loss of his career was against the second best guy in his weight class. Brendhan makes a solid point in that even with a win on Saturday, Thiago would still likely need at least one more fight to solidify potential contender status.

The idea of matching up this weekend’s winner with the almost-certainly-soon-to-be-signed Shields is not bad, particularly since Shields will likely be thrust right into the thick of things at the upper levels of the UFC. I can also support a potential match-up for Thiago with the winner of Fitch/Alves, although that may not be a bad idea for Shields’ debut either. I was certainly intrigued by the Paulo Thiago/Thiago Alves fight when it was initially rumored earlier this year, although a Thiago/Fitch rematch doesn’t excite me quite as much.

One fact that remains to be seen is whether or not Thiago can pull out the win this Saturday. Martin Kampmann may have been knocked around by Paul Daley last year, but in the meantime he managed to Jacob Volkman in a much more convincing fashion than Thiago did. It goes without saying that Thiago has a firm edge on the ground, but there are few strikers in the welterweight division that can stand toe-to-toe with Kampmann. For me this is easily one of the most exciting fights on the card, but it’s also a fight that could determine one of 2011’s welterweight contenders.

Do you have any interest in seeing The A-Team and if so how much of that interest is due to “Rampage” Jackson’s starring role?

Tool: In all honesty, my interest level for this movie begins and ends with “Rampage” Jackson. I don’t have some huge attachment to the original series and overall the movie looks a little bland to me. I’ve seen Jackson’s acting before (there’s my review of direct-to-DVD crapfest Never Surrender somewhere out there on the internet) and it’s not terrible. Of course, at the time I was comparing it to the acting chops of BJ Penn and Heath Herring. I’ll catch this one at home in the future, but don’t look for me in line at the theater this weekend.

Conlan: It was basically a prerequisite to love “The A-Team” if you grew up in the 80s like I did. As such, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the movie and the fact “Rampage” is in it as “B.A. Baracus” makes the pot THAT much sweeter. After all, he apparently read against the likes of Ice Cube and Common so his presence is not only excellent from a MMA enthusiast’s standpoint but also in terms of being appropriately cast for the role. The action sequences I’ve seen look good and the other three actors involved are all entertaining in their own way. I don’t know if I’ll spend $20 to catch it at the theater, as it takes a lot for me to throw that kind of cash down on any movie, but I’m absolutely planning on seeing it at some point in the near future.

Press Release

PORTLAND, ORE. (May 21, 2010) – Newly turned 40-year-old Matt “The Law” Lindland sent the raucous Portland MMA fans home with smiles on their faces as he battered “King” Kevin Casey with a barrage of punches in a fight stopped at 3:41 in the third round, earning Lindland his first Strikeforce Challengers win on Friday night on SHOWTIME.

Lindland (22-7) of Eagle Creek, Ore., was able to escape a rear naked choke attempt in the first round by a skillful Casey (3-2), a 28-year-old from Hawthorne, Calif., and from there completely dominated the rest of the middleweight fight in an impressive victory.

“Thank you, Portland, for coming out and showing me this support,” Lindland told the crowd. “That guy’s got a head like piece of rock. I hit that guy with some shots.”

Afterward, Lindland told the media: “He didn’t really do anything to me to cause any damage. I feel good about the fight. It’s hard to evaluate how you did because there’s a lot going on in your head. But I’ll watch it.”

The former Olympic Greco Roman wrestling silver medalist added, “I had a smile on my face the entire day. These are my friends and family. I just love the state of Oregon.”

In a matchup between two former college wrestling standouts, rising MMA star Tyron Woodley (7-0) of St. Louis, Mo., stayed unbeaten with his fourth Strikeforce victory, taking a close split decision against Portland’s Nate Coy, 29-28, 27-30, 29-28.

“Going into the third round I thought I was ahead but I wasn’t just trying to hang onto it,” Woodley said. “At the end of the third round I realized I’m in Portland. I don’t want to leave it in the judge’s hands.”

But that’s exactly what he did, and then walked out of the cage to a chorus of boos from the displeased Portland fans who thought Coy did enough to get the win.

“Of course I’m upset with the decision because I hate to lose,” Coy said. “The game plan was to stick and move and eventually wear him out. But he’s a tough kid. That’s a high-level wrestler/MMA guy right there.”

Roger Bowling of Cincinnati, Ohio, remained unbeaten at 8-0 after being awarded a unanimous technical decision over Bobby Voelker (21-8) of Kansas City, Kan., with all three judges scoring the welterweight bout 29-28.

At 3:33 of round three the tip of Voelker’s glove grazed the eye of Bowling. It was declared an accidental foul therefore giving Bowling the technical decision after going to the scorecards. Cory Schafer, President of the International Sport Karate Association, said afterward: “The state of Oregon, in the event of an accidental foul if it occurs in the third round of a three-round fight and the injured fighter can’t continue, the partial round is scored and we go to the scorecard for the technical decision.”

During the telecast, SHOWTIME play-by-play announcer Mauro Ranallo declared, “Roger Bowling was born to fight. Roger Bowling was born to maybe even be a future champion.”

It took just one devastating right-hand punch from Tarec Saffiedine (9-2) to send Nate Moore (6-2) to the floor as the Temecula, Calif., fighter Saffiedine recorded his first career knock out win midway through the second round in an otherwise entertaining welterweight matchup.

“What a blistering knockout,” said SHOWTIME announcer and MMA legend Pat Miletich. “That was amazing. Beautiful technique. Pay attention to that if you’re learning how to fight.”

In a lightweight fight that opened the evening’s SHOWTIME telecast, Portland’s Pat “Bam Bam” Healy (23-15) looked impressive handing Bryan Travers (13-2) of Bakersfield, Calif., just his second career loss in a unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28, 30-27. It was Healy’s 38th professional fight.

“I’m a huge Blazer fan so anytime I can perform in the Rose Garden is a thrill for me,” Healy told the crowd afterward. “I saw (Blazers center) Joel Przybilla in the crowd so it’s nice for you guys to be watching me out here for once.”

Asked how long he thought it would to be before he possibly got a Strikeforce title shot against lightweight champion Gil Melendez, Healy said: “There are two guys in the 155-pound as far as I’m concerned and that’s Josh Thomson and Gil Melendez. I’ll fight anyone.” Thomson, who was in attendance, took note and said he was impressed with Healy’s performance.

Friday’s fights will re-air on Tuesday, May 25, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME 2. The telecast will also be available On Demand beginning Wednesday, May 26, and running through June 8.

MMA action returns to SHOWTIME during a special edition of Strikeforce on Wednesday, June 16, as Robbie Lawler faces off against Babalu Sobral at a catchweight of 195 pounds. Taking place at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, the event will be live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). Other bouts include heavyweights Bobby Lashley vs. Ron Sparks and Marius Zaromskis against Cyborg Santos in a welterweight matchup.

On June 26, Strikeforce and M-1 Global team up in co-promotion as the world’s No. 1 heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko returns to the cage to face Fabricio Werdum in the main event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT). Strikeforce Women’s Middleweight champion Cris Cyborg will try to retain her title against challenger Jan Finney in the co-feature while K.J. Noons battles “Krazy Horse” Bennett in a lightweight division matchup.

Complete STRIKEFORCE Challengers Results:

Main Card:

Matt Lindland def. Kevin Casey via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:41

Tyron Woodley def. Nathan Coy via split decision via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)

Roger Bowling def. Bobby Voelker via technical unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Tarec Saffiedine def. Nate Moore via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:21

Pat Healy def. Bryan Travers via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Preliminary Card:

Pro Escobedo def. Jason Sharp by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Blaine Macintosh def. Ben Morgan by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

David Lloyd def. Jay Schafer by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Patrick Whittington def. Jason Lambert by triangle choke (1:39 of the first round)

Hamza Salim def. Lee Flores by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

PORTLAND, ORE. (May 21, 2010) – Newly turned 40-year-old Matt “The Law” Lindland sent the raucous Portland MMA fans home with smiles on their faces as he battered “King” Kevin Casey with a barrage of punches in a fight stopped at 3:41 in the third round, earning Lindland his first Strikeforce Challengers win on Friday night on SHOWTIME.

Lindland (22-7) of Eagle Creek, Ore., was able to escape a rear naked choke attempt in the first round by a skillful Casey (3-2), a 28-year-old from Hawthorne, Calif., and from there completely dominated the rest of the middleweight fight in an impressive victory.

“Thank you, Portland, for coming out and showing me this support,” Lindland told the crowd. “That guy’s got a head like piece of rock. I hit that guy with some shots.”

Afterward, Lindland told the media: “He didn’t really do anything to me to cause any damage. I feel good about the fight. It’s hard to evaluate how you did because there’s a lot going on in your head. But I’ll watch it.”

The former Olympic Greco Roman wrestling silver medalist added, “I had a smile on my face the entire day. These are my friends and family. I just love the state of Oregon.”

In a matchup between two former college wrestling standouts, rising MMA star Tyron Woodley (7-0) of St. Louis, Mo., stayed unbeaten with his fourth Strikeforce victory, taking a close split decision against Portland’s Nate Coy, 29-28, 27-30, 29-28.

“Going into the third round I thought I was ahead but I wasn’t just trying to hang onto it,” Woodley said. “At the end of the third round I realized I’m in Portland. I don’t want to leave it in the judge’s hands.”

But that’s exactly what he did, and then walked out of the cage to a chorus of boos from the displeased Portland fans who thought Coy did enough to get the win.

“Of course I’m upset with the decision because I hate to lose,” Coy said. “The game plan was to stick and move and eventually wear him out. But he’s a tough kid. That’s a high-level wrestler/MMA guy right there.”

Roger Bowling of Cincinnati, Ohio, remained unbeaten at 8-0 after being awarded a unanimous technical decision over Bobby Voelker (21-8) of Kansas City, Kan., with all three judges scoring the welterweight bout 29-28.

At 3:33 of round three the tip of Voelker’s glove grazed the eye of Bowling. It was declared an accidental foul therefore giving Bowling the technical decision after going to the scorecards. Cory Schafer, President of the International Sport Karate Association, said afterward: “The state of Oregon, in the event of an accidental foul if it occurs in the third round of a three-round fight and the injured fighter can’t continue, the partial round is scored and we go to the scorecard for the technical decision.”

During the telecast, SHOWTIME play-by-play announcer Mauro Ranallo declared, “Roger Bowling was born to fight. Roger Bowling was born to maybe even be a future champion.”

It took just one devastating right-hand punch from Tarec Saffiedine (9-2) to send Nate Moore (6-2) to the floor as the Temecula, Calif., fighter Saffiedine recorded his first career knock out win midway through the second round in an otherwise entertaining welterweight matchup.

“What a blistering knockout,” said SHOWTIME announcer and MMA legend Pat Miletich. “That was amazing. Beautiful technique. Pay attention to that if you’re learning how to fight.”

In a lightweight fight that opened the evening’s SHOWTIME telecast, Portland’s Pat “Bam Bam” Healy (23-15) looked impressive handing Bryan Travers (13-2) of Bakersfield, Calif., just his second career loss in a unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28, 30-27. It was Healy’s 38th professional fight.

“I’m a huge Blazer fan so anytime I can perform in the Rose Garden is a thrill for me,” Healy told the crowd afterward. “I saw (Blazers center) Joel Przybilla in the crowd so it’s nice for you guys to be watching me out here for once.”

Asked how long he thought it would to be before he possibly got a Strikeforce title shot against lightweight champion Gil Melendez, Healy said: “There are two guys in the 155-pound as far as I’m concerned and that’s Josh Thomson and Gil Melendez. I’ll fight anyone.” Thomson, who was in attendance, took note and said he was impressed with Healy’s performance.

Friday’s fights will re-air on Tuesday, May 25, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME 2. The telecast will also be available On Demand beginning Wednesday, May 26, and running through June 8.

MMA action returns to SHOWTIME during a special edition of Strikeforce on Wednesday, June 16, as Robbie Lawler faces off against Babalu Sobral at a catchweight of 195 pounds. Taking place at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, the event will be live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). Other bouts include heavyweights Bobby Lashley vs. Ron Sparks and Marius Zaromskis against Cyborg Santos in a welterweight matchup.

On June 26, Strikeforce and M-1 Global team up in co-promotion as the world’s No. 1 heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko returns to the cage to face Fabricio Werdum in the main event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT). Strikeforce Women’s Middleweight champion Cris Cyborg will try to retain her title against challenger Jan Finney in the co-feature while K.J. Noons battles “Krazy Horse” Bennett in a lightweight division matchup.

Complete STRIKEFORCE Challengers Results:

Main Card:
Matt Lindland def. Kevin Casey via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:41
Tyron Woodley def. Nathan Coy via split decision via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
Roger Bowling def. Bobby Voelker via technical unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Tarec Saffiedine def. Nate Moore via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:21
Pat Healy def. Bryan Travers via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Preliminary Card:
Pro Escobedo def. Jason Sharp by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Blaine Macintosh def. Ben Morgan by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
David Lloyd def. Jay Schafer by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Patrick Whittington def. Jason Lambert by triangle choke (1:39 of the first round)
Hamza Salim def. Lee Flores by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Would you prefer Alistair Overeem fought Fedor Emelianenko or signed with the UFC before the end of 2010? What would you tell Andrei Arlovski after watching him lose for the third straight time? Is Matt Lindland on his last leg where current relevance in MMA is concerned? Are you more excited about the heavyweight headliners at Moosin MMA or the battle between bad-ass Betties a few fights down on the card?

Keyboard warrrrriors….come out to plaaaay-yay!

If you’re reading these lines you’ve made it through another work-week and are back in the friendly digital confines of “Grappling with Issues”, our site’s resident Friday feature highlighting insight and opinion from Adam Tool and myself on six subjects plucked from the Mixed Martial Arts landscape. However, just because we staffers get the fancy set-up, please don’t feel precluded from dishing out your own thoughts on each matter in the comments section at the bottom of the column…

More appealing match-up at this weekend’s Moosin MMA event – Tim Sylvia vs. Mariusz Pudzianowski or Tara LaRosa vs. Roxanne Modafferi?

Adam Tool: In essence this question is asking which fight I’ll be looking for first when I hit the internet Saturday morning to catch up on some fights, and the answer is LaRosa vs. Modafferi. I could care less about anything Tim Sylvia does anymore; he lost a big chunk of whatever respect I had for him following is 36 second clowning at the hands of Fedor Emelianenko. He could have salvaged his career by coming back with a hard-fought win over a respectable opponent, but instead he got knocked out in less than 10 seconds by a 48 year old boxer making his professional MMA debut. The headlining bout at Moosin seems like it’s designed to give Pudzianowski (who comes up second to Krzysztof Soszynski in the “Fighters Whose Name I Hate Typing” category) a legitimate name to add to his meager record. A win over the former body builder does little to help Sylvia’s reputation, and a loss just sends him further down the heavyweight rankings.

LaRosa and Modafferi are two legitimate fighters in the world of women’s MMA, with LaRosa being one of the top P4P female fighters in the world. We’ve got the always intriguing striker vs. grappler dynamic for this bout, and Modafferi will no doubt be hungry to avenge her loss to LaRosa in their previous meeting. Strikeforce is supposed to be the home for women’s MMA but so far this year they’ve dropped the ball as far as promoting new talent. With a win here Modafferi could easily be pegged as an upcoming contender for Sarah Kaufman’s championship, but it’s tough to see where LaRosa goes from here unless she’s willing to move back up to 135 lbs. In any case this should be an entertaining scrap between two aggressive young ladies, and I’m looking forward to watching it in grainy flash video on Saturday morning.

Brendhan Conlan: Tool essentially squished my opinion into a little ball and smacked it over the fence for a homerun. Though the result of Sylvia’s almost-guaranteed slop-fest with Pudzianowski is fascinating in a sick way I’m far more interested in seeing how the action unfolds in LaRosa vs. Modafferi.

I don’t fault “The Maine-iac” for taking what he felt would be an easy win against an opponent with some name value (Ray Mercer) on the heels of losing 3-of-4 against top shelf competition. It was a calculated risk and a gamble he ultimately paid for by sacrificing his already-wavering reputation in the sport with both the loss and by showing up as though he’d trained at Pillsbury Top Team for the bout. However, embarrassing knockout aside, it has to be noted Sylvia had only finished a single opponent in the four years prior. Looking at his record seems to indicate Tim-meh benefited more from a distinct size advantage coupled with a shallow heavyweight pool, rather than a particular set of skills, to earn his reputation as a two-time UFC champion. His physical dimensions and past praise will always make Sylvia an attraction, but then again the same can also be said about the “World’s Biggest Ball of Yarn”. Fighting a 2-0 former strong-man who once tested positive for performance enhancing drugs has “freak show” appeal but doesn’t compare from a competitive standpoint to the other pairing mentioned in this topic’s subject line.

Modafferi is 7-1 since 2007 with the lone loss coming in a match she took on short notice against Marloes Coenen, a naturally bigger and equally respectable Mixed Martial Artist. LaRosa is currently riding a fifteen-fight win streak and is 18-1 over her eight-year career. They fought to a decision in 2006, so there’s a familiarity there that should breed engagement because both already have a fair idea of what to expect when they lock horns or stand and bang. Their combined skill, heart displayed in previous fights, and styles should make for an entertaining scrap and definitely one I find to be more appealing than that featuring 4X the weight.

What advice would you give Andrei Arlovski on the heels of losing his third consecutive fight?

Tool: Honestly, I have no idea. He’s spent the last two years dedicating a bulk of his training to boxing, yet he was clearly being handled on the feet by Antonio Silva. I don’t know if that owes more to Arlovski’s decline or Silva’s improvement, but there’s little left of the mystique “The Pitbull” once had. He’s still got plenty of name value amongst casual fans so he’ll keep getting fights as long as he wants to but there’s no reason to believe that he’ll have a spot amongst the heavyweight elite any longer.

If I had to mark one area for improvement it might just be cardio. Late in the fight it looked as though Silva had all but punched himself out (at least, that’s the only reason I can think of as to why he insisted on continually clinching against the cage) and Arlovski could have turned things around if he would have had to the gas to really pour it on. He’s got to be feeling better about his chin after taking some of Silva’s best shots, and I still believe that his striking looked awesome against Fedor (right up until the flying knee of course), so I don’t think I’m ready to write Andrei off completely. The long layoff between his last two fights might have played a factor, so I think he should try and get back in the cage as soon as possible if he’s to have any hope of breaking this losing streak.

Conlan: If I was in Arlovski’s ear I would concentrate on the positives stemming from his loss to “Bigfoot” Silva, encourage him to continue training outside of his comfort zone, and get him in touch with Georges St. Pierre (or comparable high-level athlete) to discuss the benefit potentially derived from speaking to a sports psychologist.

As Tool mentioned, “The Pitbull” absorbed a few clean shots from Silva and never went limp in the process. Obviously Arlovski is interested in actual victories, not moral ones, but his retention of consciousness is an important fact to note when owing 3/4 of his career losses to having it taken from him while Silva has an equal ratio of career wins by TKO. The bout as a whole was relatively close and essentially up for grabs. A few tweaks in strategy and perhaps a bit more mental focus between bells would have likely resulted in a Belarusian victor rather than a Brazilian one.

Moving on, my understanding is that Arlovski spent some time training at American Kickboxing Academy and Greg Jackson’s Submission Fighting rather than working with his regular group of pre-fight handlers. I think it was a wise decision on his part regardless of result, as I truly believe improvement goes hand-in-hand with the type of preparation Mixed Martial Artists receive in camps as deep and experienced as those mentioned (as well as 5-10 others). There’s no doubt in my mind Andrei would get an infinite amount more out of sparring and grappling with actual peers rather than peons, and the type of knowledge found in places featuring guys like Jackson or Dave Camarillo is an asset any fighter is lucky to have in their corner.

Finally, though I have no idea if he’s already sought counsel on the matter, I think it would behoove Arlovski to spend some time speaking with a sports psychologist. There is no underestimating the influence an athlete’s mental state has on his/her performance during “go” time. I would be shocked if the manners in which Emelianenko and Brett Rogers beat him don’t still play his mind at some level, and I suspect his hesitance to fully engage against a lessened Silva in the final round may have actually been evidence of doubt-laced caution rather than questionable conditioning. I don’t think it’s far-fetched to think his self-esteem may have taken another dip with a third consecutive loss nor is it crazy to think Arlovski may enter his next match-up with additional stress/anxiety due to the possibility of going 0-4. Talking to a professional equipped to handle people in similar situations could genuinely help the former UFC Heavyweight Champion regain his mojo and get back to baring his fangs in the cage.

Of the four Brazilian’s to emerge victorious at “Strikeforce – Heavy Artillery”, who were you most impressed by – Rafael Cavalcante, Roger Gracie, “Jacare” Souza, or Antonio Silva?

Tool: Each fighter’s win was impressive for one reason or another, but the fighter whose performance stood out the most to me would have to be “Jacare.” I’ve been watching Souza’s career with interest for a few years now and I’m pleased to see him starting to make waves here in the U.S. While the announcers on Saturday night might have wanted you to think that “Jacare” and Joey Villasenor were having a great back-and-forth battle, the reality is that Souza dominated the fight from bell to bell. His cardio may not have been where he wanted it to be in the third round, but that’s only the second time in his career he’s gone the distance (and he won both times). As Jason High pointed out on Twitter, Souza isn’t like most jiu-jitsu fighters when it comes to taking the fight to the ground. Whereas Demian Maia or Thales Leites might pull guard, Souza has a mean shot that worked almost every time on Saturday. Once he’s on the ground there are few fighters in the world that can match his grappling ability, and I’ll give credit to the toughness of Villasenor for surviving and getting out of some bad situations. I’m sure he would have preferred to get the finish but in the end “Jacare” gave a dominant performance that puts him right at the top of the list of contenders for the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship. Now we just have to wait and see who he’s going to fight for that title (note to Scott Coker: please not “Mayhem” Miller).

Conlan: Credit to all of the names involved, and I can’t argue against Tool’s choice of “Jacare” (though I wouldn’t mind seeing he and Miller give it a third go-round with the Strikeforce title involved), but I was actually most-impressed by Rafael Cavalcante’s performance against Antwain Britt. “The Juggernaut” may not quite be at Villasenor’s level in terms of experience of success in the cage, but he also wasn’t coming off nearly a year’s layoff between bouts and has twice as many fights in the last two-and-half years as “Smokin” Joe does. Britt has heavy hands and put them on “Feijao” a few times to no avail only to end up slumped against the cage, then finished, due to some well-placed strikes from the blackbelt in BJJ. Cavalcante is now 9-for-9 in terms of finishing opponents he’s beaten in the first ten minutes of action and has yet to rely on his submission arsenal to pull out victories. The performance was too impressive as far as I’m concerned to opt for someone who fought to a decision.

Which would you rather see: Alistair Overeem fights Fedor Emelianenko before the year is up, or Overeem goes to the UFC and mixes it up with the new class of top heavyweights?

Conlan: Tough question! I’ll go with Overeem vs. Emelianenko by the width of a thread plucked from the Russian’s favorite sweater. I’m confident “The Demolition Man” will eventually end up in the UFC regardless of when the move actually takes place, while I think the number of Fedor’s future fights – especially against top competition – is a bit more debatable and its limited nature should be capitalized on. Also, assuming Emelianenko emerges victoriously from his San Jose showdown with Fabricio Werdum on June 26th, an added bonus to a bout with the imposing Dutch striker is it serving as a proper Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship match rather than inviting criticism of the title due to the involvement of lesser competition or enormous gaps in the strap being defended.

I’d love to see Overeem slugging it out in the UFC against Junior dos Santos, Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin, or Brock Lesnar as much as anyone else, but all involved parties are young enough to see those outcomes to fruition within the next couple of years. On the other hand, “The Last Emperor” has recently dealt with a slew of nagging injuries and has little left to prove in his career outside of the Octagon (a possibility seeming less-and-less likely with each passing day). Putting the two together before year’s end would give Emelianenko a chance to further solidify his legacy against a respected, and much larger, heavyweight while also allowing Alistair an opportunity to become the first fighter to legitimately beat Fedor and reap the benefits attached to such a feat.

Tool: At the moment I would also probably have to lean towards Emelianenko vs. Overeem myself, if for no other reason than because Overeem represents the lone interesting opponent for Fedor at the moment. If Fedor can’t fight Alistair then what is there left for him to do? Fight worthless cans in Japan on New Year’s Eve? Take on guys out of their weight class like Dan Henderson and “King Mo” Lawal? I know Fedor doesn’t really care about taking on the best fighters in the world, but it’s something his fans would like to see if they’re going to have any ammunition in the ongoing pound-for-pound debate.

Overeem will have to make his way to the UFC sooner or later if he wants to considered the best in the world, but he does have the luxury of time. The UFC’s heavyweight division has four guys at the top right now, and none of them have faced each other yet. There’s still some work to be done in establishing the pecking order amongst Lesnar, Carwin, Velasquez, and Dos Santos, and by the time things start to sort themselves out the timing should be right for Overeem to come in and establish his place. If he enters the UFC as the man who shattered Fedor’s mystique, then the interest level shoots right up for any potential dream bout he takes in the octagon.

Should the winner of tonight’s Tyron Woodley/Nathan Coy fight become the top contender to Nick Diaz’s Strikeforce Welterweight Championship?

Conlan: I can see Woodley receiving a title shot with a win, especially with Jay Hieron’s Strikeforce future currently in limbo, but in no way should Coy get a crack at Diaz’s belt regardless of how convincing his method of victory might be. The three-fight streak he’s riding was preceded by back-to-back losses and involves competition with a combined record equating to a single win over even. Tonight only marks his second appearance in Strikeforce with the initial bout coming more than two years ago. Beating a rising star like “T-Wood” would be impressive but isn’t enough to thrust him into championship contention.

However, if Woodley walks away winner he’ll move to 7-0 as a professional and 4-0 in Strikeforce. He’s finished five of his six opponents in the first round and the sixth only made it through about ¾ of the second stanza. Another early submission or TKO would further establish the 28-year old as one of the company’s legitimate rising stars, and with a roster of welterweights thinner than Cory Hill trying to cut to 135-pounds it would make sense to give the Mizzou alumnus a shot. Additionally, if Strikeforce wants to capitalize on the recent heat between Jason “Mayhem” Miller and champ Nick Diaz, they can always make a future catch-weight bout for the two rivals while pairing Woodley against either Marius Zaromskis or Evangelista Santos (depending on who walks away winner at June 16th’s Strikeforce event in Los Angeles) to keep him active and erase any leftover doubts about how deserved his contendership is.

Tool: Brendhan’s right on the money here, as Strikeforce has a very real prospect in Tyron Woodley. His run on Strikeforce Challengers has been impressive, but with a win tonight the time will be right for him to take on a bigger role within the company. The welterweight division in Strikeforce is so devoid of talent that Woodley makes as much sense as anyone else. He also represents a great stylistic match-up for Diaz, as his wrestling pedigree could likely allow him to dictate where the bout takes place, and his heavy hands would be a good test for Diaz’s legendary chin and peppering punches. Other than the aforementioned Hieron, I can’t think of anyone else that Strikeforce could get to represent a credible threat to Diaz’s title.

TRUE/FALSE – His headlining spot on tonight’s Strikeforce Challengers card represents Matt Lindland’s last chance at relevancy in the current MMA scene.

Conlan: False, though certainly a loss to any associate of reality television whore Spencer Pratt would destroy the bulk of his remaining credibility as a contender. Lindland may be 3-4 over his last seven bouts but keep in mind the people he’s lost to over that period – Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (a split decision by the way), Vitor Belfort, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, and Fedor Emelianenko. It’s not as if low-level fighters are mopping the mat with the Team Quest founding-father. Yes, he’s 40 and on the downside of his career, but he’s not on the border of crossing over into “Ken Shamrock” territory. It would take a string of consecutive losses to fighters of Casey’s caliber before I’d comfortably state Lindland had lost all relevance in the sport.

Tool: I’ll go with true, as I can’t see Lindland doing anything of note in the near future should he fall to Kevin Casey. Personally I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror anymore if I lost to a guy that uses Spencer Pratt for credibility, but that’s me. Brendhan has a good point about the quality of opposition Lindland has lost to, but it’s also fair to point out that his last win was two years ago against the less-than-impressive Fabio Nascimento. “The Law” has gone 1-3 since then, and the only real interest he’s garnered from the MMA media is centered around his attempt at a political career and the upcoming documentary about his life. He doesn’t have the fan support of somebody like Jens Pulver, so will anybody still want to see Lindland fight if he can’t get a win or two along the way?

As expected undefeated Bobby Lashley will meet fellow heavyweight Ron Sparks at next month's "Strikeforce: Los Angeles" event.

MMAjunkie.com first reported the bout this week, and Strikeforce officials today made it official.

Also officially confirmed for the fight is a non-title welterweight bout between DREAM champ Marius Zaromskis and Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos.

Strikeforce will look to add welterweights Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos (17-13) and Marius Zaromskis (13-4) to their June event in a non-title bout.

Strikeforce: Los Angeles will take place on June 16 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, Cali. and will be headlined by a 195 pound catchweight bout between Robbie Lawler vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral.

Santos, spouse of women’s Strikeforce champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, defeated Daniel Zarate by TKO last December at a Samrai FC 2 – Warrior’s Return event, erasing a two fight losing streak. He’s only won two of his last six fights and will fight for the second time under the Strikeforce banner.

Meanwhile, the current DREAM welterweight champion looks to rebound after having his five fight win streak stopped by Nick Diaz in January at the Strikeforce: Miami event. Zaromskis defeated Jason High at DREAM.10 to earn the welterweight title.

The current rumored Strikeforce: Los Angeles card appears as follows:

- Robbie Lawler vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral (catchweight)
- Bobby Lashley vs. TBA
- K.J. Noons vs. TBA
- Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos vs. Marius Zaromskis
- Shane Del Rosario vs. Ron Sparks

HT: MMAFighting.com

Brazilian striker Evangelista Santos, husband of current Strikeforce female 145 pound champion Cristiane Santos, will make his welterweight debut against DREAM welterweight grand prix champion Marius Zaromskis in what should be an entertaining fight.

The fights is set to take place at Strikeforce: Los Angeles, which will take place during the popular E-3 Videogame Expo.

The news of the planned bout comes courtesy of MMAFighting.com.

Santos made his Strikeforce debut last June and lost a tough split decision loss to Joey Villasenor at a Strikeforce Challenger event. Since then, he fought outside of the promotion defeating Daniel Zarate in December. Santos will most be remember for his fight against Melvin Manhoef, a memorable fight that he lost.

Zaromskis came in with a lot of hype and was put against Nick Diaz for the promotion’s vacant 170-pound title. Despite the hype, Zaromskis lost the fight despite stunning Diaz in the fight. At one point, many fans thought that Zaromskis could challenge many of the upper-tier welterweight fighters in the sport.

Strikeforce: Los Angeles takes place on June 16 and will emanate from the Nokia Theatre.

Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz will go at it with Hayato Sakurai during DREAM 15 in a non-title affair.

The news of the expected showdown between the two comes courtesy of Graciefighter.com.

DREAM 15 is expected to take place on May 30 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Since suffering a TKO defeat at the hands of power puncher KJ Noons, Diaz has gone on to win six straight bouts with notable wins over the likes of Frank Shamrock, Scott Smith, and most recently, Marius Zaromskis,who Nick defeated to capture the previously vacant Strikeforce welterweight crown.

“Mach” Sakurai will be coming into the bout under distinctively different circumstances with a two fight loss streak to the likes of the previously noted Marius Zaromskis and Akihiro Gono following an impressive knockout of Shinya Aoki in April of 2009.

Newly crowned Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz (21-7) will make his way to Japan to face Japanese veteran Hayato Sakurai (35-10-2) at DREAM 15 on May 30th. The bout will be a non-title match and came about as part of the co-operation agreement between Strikeforce and DREAM.

The announcement was made today on GracieFighter.com, the current gym that both Nick and Nate Diaz are associated with.

DREAM.15 is expected to take place May 30 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event is expected to air in North America on HDNet.

Nick Diaz will be fighting in Japan against Mach Sakurai in Dream’s May 29th show. The fight was scheduled as an ongoing cooperation between Strikeforce and the Dream organizations. As Strikeforce’s Welterweight Champion, Diaz vs Sakurai will be held at the 170lbs weight limit.

This will be a non-title fight. Dream had considered hosting a Diaz-Zaromskis rematch for the Dream Championship Belt but ultimately decided to go with a fight for the Japanese fans. When asked for comment Diaz replied “Good. I’ve been trying to fight this guy for a long time now.”

Diaz has won six straight fights including a victory over Marius Žaromskis for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title in his last bout in January at the “Strikeforce: Miami” show. In that stretch he has notable wins over Scott Smith and Frank Shamrock, both under the Strikeforce banner and both were catchweight bouts.

Sakurai has dropped two straight the last against Akihiro Gono at the NYE Dynamte!!! 2009 event, and to Marius Zaromskis at DREAM 10 in the semifinal round of the DREAM Grand Prix tournament.

The DREAM 15 event will also play host to the first round of DREAM’s light-heavyweight tournament which will feature fighters Gegard Mousasi, Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Sokoudjou, and Christian M’Pumbu.