There aren’t too many fighters in the world with more power in their hands than Scott Smith and Paul Daley. After all, you don’t get nicknames like “Hands of Steel” and “Semtex” by being known for your world-class wrestling or slick submissions. They have a combined 32 knockout victories with 22 coming in the first round. So when Daley and Smith clash in the cage on December 4th at “Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Sobral”, you can expect fireworks.

“I think we’re tailor made for each other,” said Smith during a media call on Tuesday. “I plan on this being a slugfest.”

Daley will likely welcome the slugfest but isn’t planning on charging out his corner and throwing wild haymakers. “There is going to be a little bit of caution because we’re both knockout punchers,” said Daley.

While Smith is known for his one punch comebacks where he looks to be defeated but snatches victory with his fight, Daley isn’t concerned about anything like that happening in this fight. “When I hit people, they stay hurt,” stated Daley.

Both fighters are looking for redemption following their previous bouts. Smith lost a rematch against Cung Le this past June where he was decimated by body kicks en route to a second round stoppage. Daley on the other hand picked up a controversial decision victory over Jorge Masvidal and was criticized for his performance against a much smaller competitor. Knowing that they both need a victory and an impressive one at that should make them even more willing to let it all hang out when the cage door shuts.

Although the bout has title implications, neither man seems too concerned with challenging Nick Diaz for the Strikeforce Welterweight Title should they be victorious. Daley stated, “I’d like to fight KJ Noons next after I knockout Scott Smith” while Smith said, “I just want to be in an exciting fight. That’s more important to me than a title fight.” Diaz holds a victory over Smith, defeating him in a catchweight fight of 180 pounds by third round submission just over a year ago. Meanwhile, Noons just lost a five round title fight against Diaz and it is unclear whether he’ll stay at welterweight, drop back down to lightweight, or continue to pursue his boxing career.

One thing is for sure, come December 4th when Daley and Smith finally trade leather; don’t blink.Similar Posts:

• Paul Daley: “…I’d like to fight Noons after I knock out Scott Smith.”
• Paul Daley set to face Jorge Masvidal at Shark Fights 13
• Paul Daley Set To Make Promotional Debut at Strikeforce: St. Louis
• Jorge Masvidal joins Strikeforce roster
• Strikeforce inks hard-hitter Paul Daley to contract

According to Strikeforce, Paul “Semtex” Daley will make his promotional debut fighting Scott Smith at the December 4 event, which airs live from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on Showtime.

The evening’s main event is a light heavyweight showdown between two of the promotion’s biggest stars - Dan Henderson and Renato “Babalu” Sobral.

Scott Smith was scheduled to make his welterweight debut, but will now serve as the one man welcoming committee for Paul Daley to the organization. This is match up should provide some fireworks to St. Louis that evening with both fighters branded as strikers.

Daley recently signed with Strikeforce after stringing together consecutive wins following his release from the UFC after a controversial post-fight sucker punch. That ill-considered swipe at Josh Koscheck also cost him a title shot and a coaching gig on the current season of The Ultimate Fighter.

His opponent, Scott Smith, is coming off a TKO loss in a rematch with former Strikeforce champ Cung Le.

STRIKEFORCE ST. LOUIS: HENDERSON VS BABALU II
DECEMBER 4, 2010
Scottrade Center – St. Louis, MO

MAIN CARD

• Dan Hendo Henderson (25-9) vs. Renato Babalu Sobral (36-8)
• Herschel Walker (1-0) vs. TBA
• Valentijn The Python Overeem (28-25) vs. Antonio Bigfoot Silva (14-2)
• Paul Semtex Daley (25-9) vs. Scott Hands of Steel Smith (17-7)

PRELIMINARY BOUTS

• Jesse Finney (6-1) vs. TBA

Similar Posts:

• Antonio Silva added to Strikeforce’s December line-up
• Henderson vs. Sobral, Herschel Walker officially scheduled for December 4th Strikeforce event
• “Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery” Weigh-In Results
• “Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery” Live Results
• “Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery” takes 40% dive in ratings department

Click here to view the embedded video.

Scott Smith, who at one point was a heavyweight fighter, talks about his transition into the 170 lbs weight class. The come from behind striking king is a fan favorite and should make for some good match up opportunities, though there’s no real word on who his next opponent is.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Strikeforce middleweight fighters Cung Le and Scott Smith discuss their rematch Saturday night during the post-fight press conference for “Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Werdum” event. Le defeated Smith by TKO in the second round of their bout.

Smith say’s he’d be open to a rubber match against Le and notes that he’s constantly working to improve himself as a fighter even with the loss. While the former Strikeforce middleweight champ talks about his strategy going into the fight and having a rough with with the recent birth of his latest child.

Mixed Martial Arts history was made last evening in California as decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Fabricio Werdum became the first man to hand the greatest fighter of our time Fedor Emelianenko the first true defeat of his professional fighting career.

Also in action from San Jose during “Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Werdum” was Strikeforce 145 lb. Female Champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, who dished out a beating to Jan “Cuddles” Finney that she will not soon forget, along with former middleweight champ Cung Le who evened the score with Scott Smith in the highly anticipated rematch between the two with a vicious second round TKO.

A selection of photos from the event are available below courtesy of Strikeforce and Esther Lin (click to enlarge):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le talks about avenging his December loss to Scott Smith on Saturday night. Le can’t wait to eat real food and spend time with his family now that he’s won.

HT: Showtime Sports

Click here to view the embedded video.

HT: Strikeforce.com

The man widely considered to be the greatest fighter of our time, Fedor Emelianenko, was handed the first legitimate defeat of his professional fighting career this evening in San Jose as decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Fabricio Werdum made mixed martial arts history in California, submitting the feared Russian heavyweight with vice-like armbar/triangle choke early into the very first round.

Emelianenko looked to have Werdum in a world of trouble in the opening moments of round one during “Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Rogers“, battering the Brazilian with a series of big left hooks that dropped the submission specialist to the canvas. Fedor’s fatal mistake came when he followed the decorated grappler to the ground looking for the ground and pound finish. After escaping an initial armbar attempt, Emelianenko’s willingness to momentarily play his cards on the canvas with Werdum quickly left him vulnerable to the bout ending armbar/triangle choke conversion just 1:09 into the contest.

True to form, and expressionless Emelianenko seemed unaffected by the suprising loss at the hands of the fellow PRIDE veteran when asked what he was thinking immediately following his first true professional defeat as a mixed martial artist, stating, “Really, nothing, because the one that doesn’t fall doesn’t get up.”

Cung Le managed to avenge the sole defeat of his career in his hometwon of San Jose as the decorated San Shou practitioner showed a tremendous amount of patience while mercillesly picking apart Scott Smith over the course of one and a half rounds striking on his way to the second round TKO victory. A perfectly timed spinning heel kick to the ribs from Le lit the fuse and a few unanswered strikes to the battered Smith on the canvas sealed the deal.

Also on the card was Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos defending her 145 female title against a game but outmatched Jan “Cuddles” Finney. Cyborg beat Finney about the cage for the duration of the two rounds contested between the two, eventually swarming her battered and bruised opponent in the second round with a series of punches which were capitalized by a brutal fight finishing knee to the chin.

A full list of results from the event are below:

Bobby Stack def. Derrick Burnsed via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)

Yancey Medeiros def. Gareth Joseph via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 1:19

Bret Bergmark def. Vagner Rocha via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-26)

Chris Cope def. Ron Keslar via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:32

Josh Thomson def. Pat Healy via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:27

Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos def. Jan Finney via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:56

Cung Le def. Scott Smith via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:46

Fabricio Werdum def. Fedor Emelianenko via submission (armbar/triangle) – Round 1, 1:09