One of Mixed Martial Arts’ ascending lightweights, Lyle Beerbohm, will look to build on his perfect 15-0 record next month when he faces veteran competitor Pat Healy at Strikeforce Challengers 14. The event is scheduled for February 18 and will take place on the outskirts of Austin, Texas at the Cedar Park Center.

The match-up was originally reported by MMAFighting and has since been confirmed by Five Ounces of Pain with a source close to Beerbohm’s camp.

“Fancy Pants”, a nickname Beerbohm earned for the multicolored, Mom-made trunks he’s known for wearing in the ring, has a 3-0 record in Strikeforce including a wins over Duane Ludwig and Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro. He has won two fights, both by way of submission, since his appearance at “Strikeforce – Heavy Artillery” against Ribeiro last May.

In Healy he will face a man with more than forty professional scraps and past success in the ring against Ryan Ford, Tiki Ghosn, Paul Daley, and Carlos Condit. The 25-17 “Bam Bam” is 3-1 in his last four fights with a submission loss to Josh Thomson last June in his most recent outing.Similar Posts:

• Vitor Ribeiro, Ryan Couture return to action at Strikeforce Challengers 12
• Exclusive: Lyle Beerbohm Re-Signs With Strikeforce
• Lyle Beerbohm vs. Duane Ludwig expected to headline Strikeforce card on June 19
• Vitor Ribeiro ready to “finish the fight” at Strikeforce Challengers 12
• Ryan Couture joins Lyle Beerbohm on February 18 Challengers card

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Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson (17-3) talks about his upcoming fight with Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante next month. Both fighters will meet at the “Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II” event.

Thomson is coming off a win over Pat Healy earlier this summer, submitting his opponent in the third round by rear-naked-choke. The win helped Thomson bounce back from his unanimous decision loss to Gilbert Melendez in their lightweight title fight last year.

HT: Strikeforce.com

Former IFL welterweight champ Jay Hieron has at last secured his release from Strikeforce after being kept on the sidelines since this past January. The news of Hieron’s newfound “free agent” status came via his Twitter account.

“I finally got my release from Strikeforce… Y’all know what I’m about to do!!!!!!! I have been through a lot of sh*t this past year but I have trained the whole time. So all welterweights take notice – I’m coming for somebody’s head…”

The 34-year old “Thoroughbred” is 19-4 overall and is currently on a seven-fight win streak. Hieron’s last fight for Strikeforce was a unanimous decision victory over Joe Riggs at “Strikeforce – Miami”. Other than Riggs, he also has notable wins in his career over Jason High, Jesse Taylor, Pat Healy, and Jake Ellenberger.

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Press Release

In a move that an overwhelming majority in the mixed martial arts world believed would never happen, Canadian welterweight sensation Ryan “The Real Deal” Ford has signed a new multi-fight contract with the Maximum Fighting Championship.

A former two-time challenger for the MFC’s 170-pound title, Ford and the MFC bitterly parted ways in early 2009 and the acrimonious split resulted in a rift that most insiders considered impossible to repair. But out of nowhere, there has been a mending of fences and Ford (12-2) is back in the MFC looking to rejuvenate a career that had dramatically stalled in his year-long absence from the organization.

“It’s unfortunate and a shame what happened the first time around, but I think everyone has grown since then,” offered MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich. “This time around I hope that Ryan reaches the goals he set for himself — the goals he started with in the MFC right from the beginning.

“I hope that he lives up to his abilities that we all know he has. He’s going to be fighting top-notch talent so we will certainly see what he truly has.”

Now fighting out of the ZUMA training centre in Victoria, British Columbia, Ford is expected to make his return to the ring at MFC 26 on Friday, September 10. An official announcement on the host city and lineup for that card is forthcoming.

“I think this is very exciting for the fans,” said Adam Zugec, Ford’s trainer at ZUMA. “There’s been a lot of drama … just like a reality show, and I think the fans really love that.

“I’m expecting great things from Ryan. He’s made to be on TV, his persona is perfect for the MFC’s shows on HDNet, and Mark and the MFC is so good at marketing its fighters on television.

“I always knew that eventually both parties would be back working together. Both sides needed some time to clear their heads and start a new plan. As everyone started to mature they’ve become more willing to work with each other and that’s good for both sides.”

Ford made his MFC and professional mixed martial arts debut back in August 2007, instantly becoming a fan favorite as he rattled off six straight wins including three inside the opening round. His biggest victory in that initial phase of his career came via a second-round submission of veteran Pete Spratt — an outcome that while marred by strikes coming after the bell to end Round 1 also drew Ford favorable comparisons to Georges St. Pierre at the same time of their respective careers.

Following his sixth win, Ford earned a shot at the vacant MFC welterweight title, and although he dominated much of the fight with his takedowns, the Edmonton, Alberta, native was caught in an armbar and forced to tap out to veteran Pat Healy midway through the third round. Two victories followed for Ford which garnered him a rematch with Healy but the reigning champ held onto his belt with a tight five-round, split-decision outcome in his favor.

Unable to agree on the terms of a new contract, Ford and the MFC parted ways soon after the Healy rematch. But at long last, Ford has returned to where his blossoming career began.

“I think the best thing to happen to Ryan was to go to a smaller organization, get some experience and work on some things, and now return to the big show,” added Pavelich, who expects to quickly have a list of opponents lined up to face Ford.

“Ryan is eager to fight anybody,” noted Zugec. “Everybody knows that Ryan is a fighter at heart and he wants to test his talents against the best fighters at 170.”

Former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson thinks that UFC champion Brock Lesnar only has a puncher’s chance of beating Cain Velasquez, who is a teammate of his at AKA in San Jose. Thomson, who’s coming off a submission victory over Pat Healy despite breaking two ribs early in the bout, recently used Facebook to express his thoughts on the upcoming(though there’s no date decided) heavyweight bout:

“Cain is wrestling every day with this years NCAA Div 1 national champ from MO. who is about 280lbs and let me tell you that Cain coming off a knee surgery 4wks ago is getting takedowns just fine as well as not losing any. Cain is a better wrestler/striker/MMA fighter than Brock but like you said, Brock is bigger with a huge punch. That is the only chance I give Brock though is a punchers chance cuz I don’t see him holding Cain down “IF” he can get the takedown.”

Lesnar vs. Velasquez should be an interesting fight, with MMA fans lining up to tout the virtues of both fighters. No official word on when it will take place, with UFC hoping for September but Lesnar seeming to want to take some time to be with family, and for farming. We’ll keep you up to date.

Former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson thinks that UFC champion Brock Lesnar only has a puncher’s chance of beating Cain Velasquez, who is a teammate of his at AKA in San Jose. Thomson, who’s coming off a submission victory over Pat Healy despite breaking two ribs early in the bout, recently used Facebook to express his thoughts on the upcoming(though there’s no date decided) heavyweight bout:

“Cain is wrestling every day with this years NCAA Div 1 national champ from MO. who is about 280lbs and let me tell you that Cain coming off a knee surgery 4wks ago is getting takedowns just fine as well as not losing any. Cain is a better wrestler/striker/MMA fighter than Brock but like you said, Brock is bigger with a huge punch. That is the only chance I give Brock though is a punchers chance cuz I don’t see him holding Cain down “IF” he can get the takedown.”

Lesnar vs. Velasquez should be an interesting fight, with MMA fans lining up to tout the virtues of both fighters. No official word on when it will take place, with UFC hoping for September but Lesnar seeming to want to take some time to be with family, and for farming. We’ll keep you up to date.

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Relive the summer’s hottest night of MMA action with a full recap of all four matches from Fedor vs. Werdum – including Josh Thomson vs. Pat Healy, Cris Cybor vs. Jan Finney, Cung Le vs. Scott Smith, and headliners Fabricio Werdum and Fedor Emelianenko.

HT: Showtime Sports

CSAC(California State Athletic Commission) has released the fighter payouts for last Saturday’s Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum card and as expected Fedor was the top earner, collecting a solid $400,000 for his losing effort. Keep in mind the numbers above are base salary and don’t include things such as fight bonuses, unofficial payments, or sponsorships which can add up to far more than the amount listed below. However the numbers also don’t deduct for things such as taxes, insurance, licensing and other expenses.

Fabricio Werdum: $100,000
Fedor Emelianenko: $400,000

Bobby Stack: $2,800 ($1,300 to show, $1,500 to win)
Derrick Bernsed: $2,000
Base fighter payroll totalled $788,800 and the live gate for the event came to $1,066,739.

“Strikeforce: Fedor vs Werdum” did not just surpass expectations, it absolutely smashed them. Such was the aura of invincibility surrounding Fedor Emelianenko that many are calling Fabricio Werdum’s submission victory the greatest mixed martial arts upset of all time.

It is difficult to disagree with this description. Other results, such as Georges St Pierre’s loss to Matt Serra, might have been equally surprising but no figure in MMA history has ever attracted the same levels of adulation as Fedor.

Werdum’s surprise win was the good. It is a fantastic story which will dominate the MMA media for months to come and make this arguably the most memorable Strikeforce card in history.

Strikeforce’s decision to match Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Santos with Jan Finney was the bad and referee Kim Winslow’s failure to stop the fight thereby allowing Finney to sustain a completely unnecessary amount of punishment was the ugly.

The bookmakers were under no illusions as to how competitive a contest the fight between Santos and Finney would be, Finney was a 15/1 outsider to win this fight. If this card taught us one thing it is that upsets do happen in MMA but there was only ever going to be one outcome from this mismatch.

Fights like this simply should not be allowed to take place on a promotion of the stature of Strikeforce. If the Strikeforce matchmakers really cannot find credible female opponents for Cyborg then perhaps they need to give serious consideration to allowing her to fight against members of the opposite sex.

This was a horrible match up which firstly, should have been stopped before it started, and secondly, should have been stopped a lot sooner after it did start. Refereeing might be primarily about enforcing the rules but as with any supervisory job involving potentially dangerous pursuits a degree of common sense is required.

It was immediately obvious from the opening exchanges that Finney was not going to win the fight. A sensible referee should have been looking for the slightest excuse to stop the fight from this moment onwards. Winslow seemed absolutely determined to allow Cyborg to batter Finney for as long as possible. Even Cyborg herself at times seemed to be reluctant to inflict any more punishment on an opponent who was clinging helplessly to her leg.

I have nothing against women fighters and I have nothing against women referees but this ‘fight’ seriously detracted from an otherwise excellent show and Strikeforce should take steps to ensure we are never forced to witness another debacle like this again.

The opening fight saw Josh Thomson get the reward he deserved for a series of ambitious submission attempts eventually forcing Pat Healy to tap due to a rear naked choke late in the third round. Healy spent the majority of the fight in dominant positions but never looked like coming close to finishing or even hurting Thomson.

Thomson showed great persistence in repeatedly trying to submit Healy and after coming close with triangles and armbars he finally found success with the late rear naked choke. Healy managed to withstand the choke for an inordinate amount of time but was finally forced to tap with just over 30 seconds remaining in the fight.

Cung Le’s first fight with Scott Smith came close to being stopped early as Smith seemingly had no answer for Le’s eclectic selection of strikes. Smith was given the benefit of the doubt and in this instance the referee was vindicated as he came from behind to knock Le out in an amazing comeback.

It was the first loss of Le’s MMA career and one he was anxious to avenge. Smith seemed determined not to leave it until late in the third round to land his first meaningful punch and came out swinging. Le was extremely composed and easily avoided Smith’s combinations while landing a few swift counters of his own.

It was one way traffic, much like the first meeting, but this time Le was actually able to finish the fight. Smith survived until early in round two when Le landed with a devastating back kick to the liver which left his opponent entirely incapacitated.

Earlier in the evening another Le victim Frank Shamrock announced his retirement from MMA. Le, at 38, is a year older than Shamrock and is surely approaching the end of his fighting career which is a shame because he is one of the most gifted fighters on the planet. He would surely have achieved even more in the sport had he started his MMA career a little earlier and not allowed himself to become sidetracked by acting opportunities.

The fight between Fedor and Werdum was over almost as soon as it had started. Normal service appeared to be underway when Fedor knocked Werdum to the floor but the Russian made an uncharacteristic error of judgement and was punished for it. Rather than letting the fight remain on the feet, where he clearly had the advantage, he elected to attempt a little ground and pound.

Werdum’s only realistic chance of victory was to secure a submission and Fedor should have seen the warning signs when he narrowly escaped an armbar attempt by the Brazilian. Instead the ‘Last Emperor’ chose to remain in and around Werdum’s guard and quickly paid the ultimate price as Werdum sank in an inescapable triangle choke.

This loss does not make Fedor any worse a fighter than he was a week ago. It does not alter the fact that he had won his previous 18 fights beating a who’s who of heavyweight opposition in the process. It definitely does not make the prospect of Fedor fighting Strikeforce Champion Alistair Overeem, UFC champion Brock Lesnar, or any of the other heavyweights in the UFC for that matter, any less palatable.

What this loss does demonstrate is just how competitive the sport of mixed martial arts has become. At an elite level even the slightest hint of a mistake is likely to be ruthlessly exploited. Fedor learned this lesson the hard way against Werdum and I expect him to be a better fighter in the future because of it.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Midway through the third round of his fight with Pat Healy, former Strikeforce champ Josh Thomson had something of a surreal moment.

Fatigued from two exhausting rounds and aching from a couple broken ribs from early in the fight, Thomson saw his career flash before his eyes, and a single thought kept racing through his mind.

"'I shouldn't be losing this fight,'" Thomson said.