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It was a battle of the Jakes as Shields faced Ellenberger in the main event of the UFC’s latest Ultimate Fight Night, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

The show began with middleweight action as Alan Belcher faced Jason MacDonald.

We saw a slow start before Belcher defended against MacDonald’s take down, engaging in a clinch against the cage. But MacDonald really wanted that take down, and pulled guard so he could take the fight to the ground.

Big mistake. Belcher immediately went on the offensive with the ground and pound. MacDonald managed to counter the first onslaught with a kimura attempt but it wasn’t long before Belcher escaped and went back to work.

It wasn’t long before it was all over, with MacDonald verbally tapping to give Belcher the impressive comeback win.

Then it was down to the featherweight division as Jonathan Brookins faced Erik Koch.

This was one of those interesting three round affairs. While Koch was hoping to make this a striking battle Brookins did a good job of turning this into a clinch war in the first two rounds, trying for the take downs and going for clinches against the cage so he could unload with the knees and the dirty boxing.

Koch had his moments, but it wasn’t really until the third round where he was able to impose his will with some nice combinations before Brookins managed to regain control with more take down attempts and clinches against the cage.

So with the fight going the distance it was in the hands of the judges with all three giving the fight to Koch. Somewhat surprising in my humble opinion, as I thought Brookins put in the higher work rate.

After an interview with Jon Jones and Rampage Jackson it was on to the next fight, another middleweight encounter, this time between Court McGee and Dongi Yang.

For two rounds these two fought an intriguing striking battle, and even though it was largely uneventful both guys looked solid with their blows. McGee also went for a couple of take downs which Yang easily defended against.

The fight suddenly sprang into life in the third round when Yang connected with a flying knee, and although he connected with a few good punches McGee really upped his game, finally scoring with the take downs he was looking for, getting the big one towards the end of the round and going for a guillotine just as the fight came to an end.

Once again the judges were called into action, with McGee taking the unanimous decision. Well, at least they got this one right!

The main event saw Jake Shields taking on Jake Ellenberger in the welterweight division.

The blink and you’ll miss it affair of the evening saw both men testing the waters with jabs and uppercuts. Ellenberger then threw Shields to the ground, with the former Strikeforce champion immediately getting to his feet.

Seconds later Ellenberger connected with two knees, one to the body and one to the knee. Shields slumped to the ground, with Ellenberger following him down for a brief period of ground and pound before the referee stepped him to give Ellenberger the highly impressive TKO win.

In conclusion – on the night that a certain Mr. Mayweather was bringing disgrace to the world of boxing the UFC showed us how things should be done with another great show, and while some of the fights may not have been that spectacular they certainly delivered, with the battle of the Jakes the fight of the night for me.

So in all the latest Ultimate Fight Night gets the big thumbs up as a perfect appetiser for what is to come next weekend.

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com.

It was the battle of the unbeaten streaks as Jake Shields challenged Georges St-Pierre for the Welterweight title in the main event of UFC 129, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

The broadcast began with the preliminaries, starting with Sean Pierson against Jake Ellenberger in the welterweight division.

Ellenberger tested the waters early with some strikes, and after Pierson escaped from a take down Ellenberger soon opened up a cut above his man’s right eye.

Seconds later and it was all over, another left sending the Canadian crashing to the mat. Pierson was out before he hit the ground as Ellenberger took the impressive knockout win.

It was down to bantamweight for the next fight as Ivan Menjivar faced Charlie Valencia.

Another quick fight began with a few kicks before both men jockeyed for position in a clinch. Menjivar then connected with a left elbow to Valencia’s nose. The cracking sound was sickening, and moments later the referee stepped in to give Menjivar the TKO win.

Then it was back up to welterweight as Nate Diaz faced Rory MacDonald.

This proved to be a very intriguing three rounder. For the first two periods the fight looked pretty even. Both men had their moments but neither could take overall control.

That was until the third round. MacDonald really upped his game, taking the fight to Diaz and taking him down with three suplexes, adding some crisp strikes and nice grappling to the equation.

All three judges gave the fight to MacDonald, and rightfully so. But I’m left to wonder what happened to the brash and cocky nature the Diaz boys normally display.

Middleweight action followed as Jason MacDonald went up against Ryan Jensen.

This fight went to the ground straight away, with Jensen going for an early guillotine. MacDonald soon escaped and put on a great display of grappling, locking in a triangle choke for the submission win.

The main show began in the lightweight division as Mark Bocek took on Ben Henderson.

This was the first time I’d seen Henderson in action, and he put inv a pretty good performance, especially with his striking.

Bocek had a few good moments, especially on the ground in the second, going for an anaconda choke before switching to a guillotine attempt.

But it wasn’t enough as all three judges gave the fight to Henderson. You know, I think I’m going to have to dig out those old WEC shows I recorded from Extreme Sports so I can take another look at this Henderson guy.

Then it was up to the light heavyweight division as Vladimir Matyushenko took on Jason Brilz.

The blink and you’ll miss it affair of the show. Matyushenko came forward early, a left/right combination sending Brilz down. Matyushenko followed him down for a few more blows before the referee wisely stepped in to give Vladimir the knockout win after just 20 seconds.

Featherweight action in the form of Yves Jabouin against Pablo Garza followed.

Garza looked to use his size advantage early, but it wasn’t long before Jabouin began to hack away with leg kicks, knocking Garza down several times.

But then, from out of nowhere, Garza came back with a flying4 triangle. Jabouin tried to fight it for as long as he could but eventually it was too much as he tapped out to give Garza the great submission win.

More light heavyweight action followed, the battle of the former champions as Randy Couture faced Lyoto Machida.

I think you know who I wanted to win this one. Sadly it didn’t happen. Couture tried to impose his will on the fight, but Machida’s superior striking meant that he couldn’t get a clinch going. Machida kept the momentum going, controlling the remainder of the round.

The end came in the second round. Machida feigned a left but connected with a jumping right kick that sent Couture down. And that was it, Machida had the knockout win, with Couture immediately announcing his retirement, bringing an end to a glittering career.

After another showing of the Menjivar/Valencia fight it was on to the first title fight of the evening as Mark Hominick challenged Jose Aldo for the Featherweight title.

Aldo was another of those guys I’d heard a lot about but never seen before, and everything I’d heard was true.

What we had here were two great performance as Hominick’s display of kickboxing was top notch as he had Aldo on the defensive on more than one occasion.

Aldo put in some good ground work, and it was his ground and pound in the forth that swelled Hominick’s forehead like a balloon.

But despite the swelling and possible problems with his eyes Hominick took it to the champion in the final round, taking the fight down and unleashing with the ground and pound.

But it was too little too late for the hometown challenger, with all three judges scoring in favour of Aldo.

The main event saw Jake Shields challenging Georges St-Pierre for the Welterweight title.

Once again GSP proved that he is just so far above everyone else in the division.

For the majority of the fight GSP was able to beat Shields in the striking game, and whenever Shields went for a take down the champion easily defended.

However, a jab to GSP’s left eye affected his vision, and more jabs from Shields opened up a cut underneath, so by the time the fifth round started GSP couldn’t see out of that eye. But despite this handicap he did enough to negate Shields once again.

The judges’ decision, not surprisingly, went to GSP, another worthy win for an outstanding champion.

And then, because the show was over-running by 20 minutes, ESPN called it a day, cutting out the remaining filler material.

In conclusion – in front of 55,000 rabid fans (and that’s a term I’ve used to describe Canadians before), the UFC’s biggest show ever certainly delivered.

From the opening match in the preliminaries right up to the main event we were treated to some great performances from the likes of Aldo and Henderson. But the event was also tinged with sadness as we saw Randy Couture fight for the last time.

As for Georges St-Pierre, once again I’m left to wonder who will be able to beat this man. I have a feeling that answer could lie in the middleweight division.

So in all UFC 129 gets the thumbs up from this particular writer, although ESPN gets the thumbs down for the way they abruptly ended their coverage. I guess they couldn’t do without showing the latest episode of The Ultimate Fighter for the umpteenth time, could they?

With thanks to big brother Mark for lending me his copy after my Sky box decided to turn itself off two hours into the show. Check out his blog at http://playingtoanaudienceof.blogspot.com/.

It was one of the most anticipated fights of the year as Cain Velasquez challenged Brock Lesnar for the Heavyweight title at UFC 121, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

The broadcast began with the preliminary fights as Patrick Cote faced Tom Lawlor in the middleweight division.

This was a great way to open the show. Lawlor dominated as soon as the fight went to the ground in the first. Cote just didn’t seem to have any answer to Lawlor’s ground game, and he would probably have succumbed to Lawlor’s arm triangle had he not used the cage to escape.

All three judges gave everything to Lawlor, just reward for his outstanding efforts.

The middleweight action continued as Court McGee faced Ryan Jensen.

The proverbial game of two halves saw Jensen take control early on with some crisp striking, but as the fight progressed McGee took control, first in the striking department and then on the ground from the end of the second.

The end came in the third round. After McGee took the visibly tiring Jensen down he unleashed with the ground and pound before locking in an arm triangle for the impressive submission win.

Filler material in the form of the welterweight clash between Mike Guymon and Daniel Roberts followed.

Lasting just over a minute, Roberts went for a standing guillotine after a flurry of punches. He quickly modified the hold into an anaconda choke, with Guymon having no choice but to tap.

The main show began with heavyweight action as Brendan Schaub took on Gabriel Gonzaga.

Gonzaga looked the shadow of the man who took Cro Cop out a few years ago. Schaub had the beating of him early on with his superior striking, and the Brazilian just didn’t seem to have the answer to Schaub’s game plan.

All three judges gave the fight to Schaub. No surprises there, although you have to wonder what’s left for Gonzaga.

Then it was down to the light heavyweight division as Tito Ortiz went up against Matt Hammill.

Ortiz came into this fight needing to make a big statement after his loss to Forest Griffin and his recent health issues, and even though he came forward with punches and kicks early it wasn’t long before Hammill took control.

It was an impressive display from Hammill as he beat Ortiz in the striking department and on the ground, the fight ending with Hammill unleashing with the ground and pound as the horn sounded.

Once again the judges were called into action, with Hammill getting the unanimous decision. An excellent display, but I find myself asking that question again. What’s left for Ortiz?

Welterweight action in the form of Diego Sanchez against Paulo Thiago followed.

Sanchez was another fighter looking to make a big statement. He succeeded.

Thiago looked good early on as he went for a d’arce choke in the first round. But the big moment came in the second when Sanchez lifted Thiago into the air and roared as loud as he could when he slammed him to the mat.

From there it was all Sanchez as he put on a great display of ground work. Thiago went for another d’arce choke, but by that time he was exhausted, and easy prey to Sanchez’s ground and pound as the fight came to an end.

Yet more work for the judges, who once again gave a unanimous decision, this time in favour of the highly impressive Sanchez.

Yet more welterweight action followed as the debuting Jake Shields faced off against Martin Kampmann.

Everyone thought that the former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion would have an easy time here. Kampmann obviously hadn’t read the script.

Shields put in some excellent ground work in the early stages, and although he looked on top Kampmann was able to keep up with him.

But as the third round began Shields looked spent, with Kampmann taking control, until Shields managed to reassert himself as the fight came to an end.

There was even more work for the judges as Shields took the split decision. His performance may have been enough to get him the win but he may be in the wrong weight division here.

The main event saw Brock Lesnar defending the Heavyweight title against Cain Velasquez.

This definitely lived up to all the hype, and then some. Lesnar took Velasquez down a couple of times, but the challenger was able to easily get to his feet. It was then that Velasquez took control, and when he managed to take Lesnar’s back it was the beginning of the end.

Velasquez’s striking was top notch, and as Lesnar’s energy levels went down to zero Velasquez unleashed with a torrent of blows which the champion had no answer to, and as the first round entered it’s final minute the referee wisely stepped in to give Velasquez the title winning TKO win.

With some time to kill more filler material followed, beginning with more heavyweight action between Jon Madsen and Gilbert Yvel.

A lengthy feeling out period at the beginning of this one before Madsen suddenly exploded into action with a massive take down. Seconds later he had the win, with Yvel unable to respond to his ground and pound.

The broadcast rounded out with another showing of the Guymon/Roberts fight.

In conclusion – having been slightly disappointed with last week’s effort, UFC 121 more than made up for that.

Every fight delivered, especially the main event, although I’m left to wonder what’s left in the career of a couple of the fighters, especially Tito Ortiz. The man is a true legend, and a definite Hall of Fame candidate, but the MMA world seems to be passing him by.

As for Jake Shields, I have to admit I was surprised that he was fighting in the welterweight division. He may have earned a shot at either Josh Koscheck or Georges St-Pierre, but he may be in the wrong weight class.

In all this was a good show, which means that Dana White and his crew have regained the full thumbs up from this particular writer.

In the words of Joe Rogan: Batista joins a bunch of savages

Now this picture is something that grabs my attention as a pro wrestling to MMA convert.

Pictured above is former WWE pro wrestling superstar Dave Batista, alongside the Caesar Gracie camp. Rumour has it muscle-bound freak Batista, who trained in BJJ and Muay Thai before leaving the sports entertainment world, is in talks with Scott Coker’s California based Strikeforce outfit.

A future possibility would be the match-up of Batista versus another former WWE heavyweight and current Strikeforce contracted fighter – Bobby Lashley. First impressions are of sceptisism, featuring 2 former WWE guys in a freak show fight. However after watching this video and seeing who he’s training with, it’s clear he’s focussed and taking the MMA switch seriously.

From Sherdog.com:

Scott Coker had stated that he would be interested to see the 41 year old matched up against former WWE star, and Army wrestler Bobby Lashley claiming that it would be a fun fight for the fans. Only time will tell how interested Batista is in competing in MMA at age 41 it is a little late to pick up the sport.  It is yet to be seen if Batista will be able to handle all the hard work involved in becoming an MMA fighter.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

JOSH THOMSON AND GILBERT MELENDEZ TO SQUARE OFF FOR UNDISPUTED STRIKEFORCE LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY, DEC. 19, AT HP PAVILION IN SAN JOSE, CALIF.

NEW YORK (Nov. 24, 2009)—After twice being forced out of the highly anticipated rematch due to injuries, STRIKEFORCE World Lightweight (155 pound) Champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson (16-2) is healthy and ready to defend his title against top-seeded mixed martial arts (MMA) rival and Interim Champion Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (16-2) on Saturday, Dec. 19 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

Thomson, who captured the lightweight championship by earning a five round, unanimous decision over Melendez in the main event at HP Pavilion on June 27, 2008, has not seen action since Sept. 20, 2008, when it took him a mere 1 minute and 14 seconds to demolish Ashe “The Archer” Bowman during STRIKEFORCE’s second event at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Shortly after undergoing surgery for a broken fibula in his left ankle earlier this year, Thomson sustained a break in the bone located above the original injury.  He suffered yet another setback after the bone broke a second time.

“Everything feels great now.  Nothing is going to keep me out of this fight,” said the 31-year-old Thomson of San Jose.  “I’m looking forward to getting back in there and going to work.”

While Thomson was sidelined, the 27-year-old Melendez of Santa Ana, Calif., remained busy in 2009, scoring a second round (2:02) knockout over Brazil’s Rodrigo Damm at STRIKEFORCE:  Shamrock vs. Diaz on April 11 and avenging the first defeat of his career by punching his way to a third round (3:56) TKO of Mitsuhiro “The Endless Fighter” Ishida at STRIKEFORCE:  Carano vs. Cyborg the following Aug. 15.  Both bouts took place at HP Pavilion.

His brilliant performance against Ishida, whom he had lost a unanimous decision to in Saitama, Japan on Dec. 31, 2007, returned Melendez to the top-10 rankings in MMA’s lightweight division.

“I’ve been training for this fight for a long time now and have been thinking about it ever since Josh beat me last year,” said Melendez, a protégé of both STRIKEFORCE World Middleweight Champion Jake Shields and Muay Thai legend Jongsanan Fairtex.  “I’ll be getting the best Josh Thomson out there and he’s going to get the best Gilbert Melendez so it’s going to be a great fight for the fans.”

Tickets, priced from $30, are on sale at the HP Pavilion box office as well as at all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE’S official website (www.strikeforce.com).

The live SHOWTIME® telecast will begin at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast), and conclude with a sensational, strikers’ main event featuring undefeated superstar and former STRIKEFORCE World Middleweight (185 pounds) Champion Cung Le (6-0) against power punching Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith (16-6).

Also in action will be 2000 Olympic wrestling silver medalist Matt “The Law” Lindland (21-6), who will take on fellow superstar Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (10-2) at middleweight.  Light heavyweight (205 pounds) star Muhammed ” King Mo ” Lawal (5-0) and middleweight knockout artist “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (16-5) will each face opponents to be announced.

About STRIKEFORCE
STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.

A little bit later than planned due to health problems (I’ve got an infection in the left side of my jaw! Send get well messages to the usual address), we’re now going to take a look back at the recent Strikeforce/M-1 Global Fedor v Rogers show, shown on Bravo here in Britain on a one day delay. Is the Russian heavyweight really the best MMA fighter in the world?

The show began with heavyweight action, two Brazilians going up against each other with Fabricio Werdum taking on Antonio Silva. This was a great way to start the show. Silva tried to keep the fight upright in the first round, scoring with some good shots as he tried to stay away from Werdum’s ground game. This plan worked well in the first round, but as the fight went on Werdum began to stamp his authority on the fight, taking it to the mat and showing some good ground work. Naturally, the fighters began to tire in the third round, but this didn’t seem to stop their progress, and with the fight going the three round distance, Werdum took the unanimous decision. Nice stuff here, and a very enjoyable fight.

Then it was down to the light heavyweight division, with Gegard Mousasi facing Thierry Sokoudjou. The great fight action continued with this one. Both men looked good in a first round that was fought at a rather frantic pace, and Sokoudjou in particular looked quote impressive. Sadly, the man from Cameroon couldn’t keep his momentum going into the second round, with Mousasi soon getting the win after some good ground and pound work. A nice TKO win for the Dutchman here, but Sokoudjou can also be proud of his efforts in this one.

The third fight saw Jake Shields and Jason Miller fighting it out over the vacant Strikeforce Middleweight title. This was the title that Cung Le recently vacated when he retired, an retirement that hasn’t actually lasted that long, as he’s making a comeback next month. Anyway, back to the matter at hand. We got a tremendous display of ground fighting in this one, as Shields put on a great performance, although his excellent work wasn’t to the liking of the crowd at times, as they rained down a chorus of boos as he went to work. Miller look good as well, but as the fight went on it was obvious that Shields was the better fighter, although he just couldn’t get that final submission move. It really came as no surprise that Shields got the unanimous title winning decision, and although his fighting style wasn’t to everyone’s liking, this was a fine example of how you can get an exciting fight without a big knockout punch of quick submission victory.

The main event saw Russian sensation Fedor Emelianenko facing Brett Rogers. It seemed that everyone thought that Fedor would get a quick and decisive victory in this one, but I guess that Rogers didn’t read the script, especially in the first round when a left hook from the big American bloodied the Russian’s nose. Later on in the round Rogers’ ground and pound almost got him the win, but Fedor eventually escaped, almost getting the win himself with an arm triangle. The decisive moment came in the second, when Fedor’s big right hand sent Rogers crashing down to the ground. A brief moment of ground and pound followed, before the referee quickly stepped in and called a halt to the proceedings, giving Fedor the much anticipated victory, and capping off another fine performance from the Russian.

In conclusion – This is by far the best Strikeforce show I’ve seen, and the best MMA show outside of the UFC I’ve seen this year. Four outstanding fights, and a show that finished on a high note as Fedor got the expected win. But that big question is still waiting to be answered – is Fedor still the best heavyweight fighter of all time? Well, I’m afraid that, for me, this fight didn’t really answer that question. Strikeforce may be giving him a bigger platform, but that question won’t really be answered until he steps in to the UFC cage.

Review courtesy of Julian Radbourne @ www.twoshedsreview.com

–The CBS Strikeforce event did a 2.3 rating on the fast nationals from 9-11 p.m. It finished last among the four networks in the time slot and third among the four MMA events held on CBS. The Fedor fight started after 11 p.m., so isn’t included, so the rating should end up higher including the main event. CBS averages a 4.1 rating in that time slot. They did win the time slot in Males 18-49.

–Right after the show ended last night, in Google trends, Fedor vs. Brett Rogers was No. 3, Fedor himself was No. 19, Jason Miller was No. 21 and Jake Shields was No. 24. However, this morning, all were out of the top 40.

–Emelianenko suffered an injury to his left hand punching Rogers as well as a broken nose on the first punch of the fight.

–On the ESPN crawl this morning, they mentioned last night’s show, but only mentioned Jake Shields beat Mayhem Miller and never mentioned Fedor’s win. Amazing.

–The Chicago Sun Times had last night’s fights with the top banner with a photo and a big article today. (thanks to Matthew Schreiner)

–Newsday on page A73 (not on the web site) did a story noting between last night’s show, UFC 105 and the WEC show on Nov. 18 there are three big events that won’t cost you a penny. They said with those three shows and UFC 106 on PPV, they called it The November to Remember. That has a clever ring to it.

–Sportsnet in Canada will be airing UFC 105 live on Saturday night at 3 p.m. Eastern time as well as on tape delay at 8 p.m. Spike will only air it as a prime time special at 8 p.m. The Countdown show will be tomorrow night at 11 p.m.

–Actor Ed O’Neill (Al Bundy) is on the cover of today’s USA Weekend, the Sunday newspaper supplement in his BJJ garb and talks about his experiences with BJJ

–Action movie “Bad Guys” with Quinton Jackson in a main role comes out next week on DVD (thanks to Anthony Sullivan)

MMA RETURNS TO CBS;
FEDOR WINS BY SPECTACULAR TKO

CHICAGO, (Nov. 8, 2009) – Saturday night marked MMA’s return to primetime on CBS featuring the No. 1 MMA fighter in the world, Fedor Emelianenko, against Brett Rogers, in the main event.  The event aired live on the CBS Television Network at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Attendance at the Sears Centre Arena was 11,512 (sellout).

Below are the results for the four broadcast fights:

Fedor Emelianenko, Stary Oskol, Belgorod, Russia, TKO 2 (1:48, strikes) over .Brett Rogers, Minneapolis …

Jake Shields (24-4-1), San Francisco, Calif., won a five-round decision (49-46 twice and 48-47) over Jason “Mayhem” Miller (22-7), of Orange County, Calif.; Shields captures vacant STRIKEFORCE World Middleweight Championship

Gegard Mousasi (30-2-1), Leiden, Netherlands, TKO 2 (3:43, strikes) over Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (7-5), Murrieta, Calif. …

Fabricio Werdum (13-4-1), Marina Del Rey, Calif., won a three-round decision (29-28 three times) over Antonio Silva (13-2), Coconut Creek, Fla. …

Billy Evangelista Defeats Jorge Gurgel, Shane Del Rosario Remains Undefeated At STRIKEFORCE Challengers

Rockhold, Warren and Frausto all winners on SHOWTIME® from the Save Mart Center in   Fresno , Calif.

FRESNO, CALIF. (November, 6, 2009) – One night before the monumental CBS/ STRIKEFORCE/M-1 GLOBAL SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS Fedor vs. Rogers event LIVE on the CBS Television Network, hometown favorite Billy Evangelista defeated Jorge Gurgel via unanimous in the main event of Strikeforce Challengers on Friday night on SHOWTIME.

The two lightweights traded punches from the opening bell until the waning seconds of the first round when Evangelista (10-0) took Gurgel to the mat.  But, in the final 30 seconds of the second round, Gurgel landed a powerful left kick that sent Evangelista to the mat.  Just when it looked as if Gurgel (13-6)  was about to submit get Evangelista with a guillotine choke, the Fresno native was able to escape with just a few tics remaining.

The third round featured some back-and-forth action, and Evangelista won by scores of 30-27, 30-27, 29-28.

”The guy is tough, it was exactly what I expected,” Evangelista said.  “He was very aggressive; I have to take my hat off to him.  He almost had me with the guillotine, but I was able to get out.  It was a great fight, what else can I say?

Gurgel was clearly disappointed with his performance.

“Billy fought a great fight,” Gurgel said after the fight to SHOWTIME MMA expert commentator Stephen Quadros.  “I expected to get booed.  I just wanted to get some respect from the crowd, and I think I got that.”

While Quadros was impressed with Evangelista’s showing, he argued that Gurgel looked great, even in losing.

“It was everything we expected it to be,” Quadros said.  “Evangelista showed a lot of guts in this because he had to fend off the wild hits and submission attempts from Gurgel.  He showed a lot of heart in this fight.

“But, based on his performance, even in this loss, people still want to see Jorge Gurgel.”

In an explosive fight that few thought would go past the first round, Shane Del Rosario (9-0) defeated local favorite Brandon Cash “Money” (5-1) via first round submission in a matchup of two hard-hitting heavyweights.

After getting floored with a sweeping hook from Cash, Del Rosario was in trouble early, taking an onslaught of punches while on the mat.  But, the undefeated prospect was able to get up and turn things around, getting the previously unbeaten Cash into an omoplata and ending things at 2:57 of the first round.

“That was pretty good,” Del Rosario said.  “I knew he was going to come out swinging.  He caught me pretty good, but I bounced back.  I’ve been working on submissions a lot, and I was able to get one here.”

Rising middleweight star Luke Rockhold defeated fellow 185-pound prospect Jesse Taylor via rear naked choke in the first round in the third SHOWTIME televised fight of the evening.   The fight almost immediately went to the mat, with both fighters attempting submissions.  Rockhold (6-1) was able to get Taylor into the rear naked choke, and with Taylor (13-5) refusing to give up and unable to escape, the referee ended the fight at 3:42 of the first round.

“That was by far my toughest opponent, and I rose to the occasion,” Rockhold said.  “I think I proved myself tonight, and I’m ready for whoever they give me next.  I tried to keep the fight standing up, but I trained with a lot of wrestlers and I was ready for it. “

In the quickest fight of the evening, Merritt Warren (5-2) defeated Thomas Diagne (1-1) via heel hook submission.  With both fighters grappling on the mat, Warren got Diagne, who initiated the takedown, in a heel hook, forcing the French San Shou champion to tap out at 3:49 of the first round.

“This guy had crazy kicks, but I was more technically sound,” Warren said.  “I landed some really powerful shots on the floor.  I went for it, he was really slick and I couldn’t get a hold of him, but I got the heel hook and I went for it.”

In a hard fought female MMA match, Fresno native Zoila Frausto (4-0) defeated Elisha Helsper (0-2) via unanimous decision.  Both fighters wanted to stand and trade punches, but the fight turned in Frausto’s favor in the second round when she landed a devastating right leg kick to Helsper’s face.

“My head kick really turned it around for me,” Frausto said.  “I knew she was going to be tough.  She kept coming, but I fought back.  We both wanted to stand there and trade.

“I’ve been working on my kicks forever and I’m just happy I landed it right.”

Also during the telecast, former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le announced that he would return to the ring on the Dec. 19 STRIKEFORCE event on SHOWTIME.

“I’ve been staying in good shape and I’m ready to get back in there for the fans,” Le said.  “I’ll be fighting for Strikeforce on Dec. 19.”

STRIKEFORCE Challengers is a proving ground for up-and-coming MMA fighters. The series is designed to provide today’s top prospects with the opportunity to step-up their level of competition and demonstrate their ability in a nationally televised event.

Friday’s fights will re-air on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 11 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME 2.  The telecast will also be available On Demand beginning Monday, Nov. 9, and running through Dec. 6.

Saturday, Nov. 7 on CBS, the World’s No. 1 MMA Heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, will face undefeated American powerhouse Brett “The Grim” Rogers on Saturday, Nov. 7 LIVE on CBS Television Network (9:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) from Sears Centre Arena in Chicago .

Simply referred to as “Fedor” by fans around the world, the Russian is one of the most dominant fighters in the sport.  He is a master of the Russian military combat system Sambo and boasts a record of 30 wins, one loss, no draws with 16 wins by submission, seven knockouts and seven decisions.  The 28-year-old Rogers (10-0) is a massive physical specimen standing 6-feet, 5-inches tall and weighing 265 pounds.  He possesses two of the heaviest hands in the sport of MMA, an attribute that has helped him knock out all 10 of his professional opponents.

In other broadcast fights, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, also known for hosting of MTV’s hit reality series Bully Beatdown, will face fellow submission specialist Jake Shields for the STRIKEFORCE Middleweight Championship.  STRIKEFORCE Light Heavyweight Champion Gregard Mousasi, who is riding a 13 fight win streak, will face light heavyweight Judo expert Rameau Thierry Sokoudjo in a non-title matchup of two, hard-hitting KO artists.  Plus, heavyweights Antonio “Big Foot” Silva returns to action against Fabricio Werdum.

Complete STRIKEFORCE Challengers Results:

Main Card:
Billy Evangelista def. Jorge Gurgel – Unanimous decision (3 Rounds) (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Shane Del Rosario def. Brandon Cash “Money” – Submission (omoplata) – 1st Round 2:57
Luke Rockhold def Jesse Taylor – Submission (rear naked choke) – 1st Round 3:42
Merritt Warren def. Thomas Diagne – Submission (heel hook) – 1st Round (3:49)
Zoila Frausto def. Elisha Helsper – Unanimous Decision (3 Rounds) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Preliminary Card:
Ben Holscher def Johnny Goh – Unanimous Decision (3 Rounds) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Casey Olson def. Chris Culley – TKO (Punches) – 1st Round (2:36)
Cole Escovido def. Maurice Eazel – TKO (Punches) -1st Round (1: 47)
Rico Altamirano def. Alex Trevino – Unanimous Decision (3 Rounds) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

About STRIKEFORCE
STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose ’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose .

About Showtime Networks Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

FIGHTERS, EXECS CAN’T WAIT FOR SATURDAY NIGHT TO ARRIVE; FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

Thursday, Nov. 5, CBS Channel 2 WBBM, Chicago, Illinois

CHICAGO (Nov. 4, 2009) – The Mixed Martial Arts fighters who will appear on the CBS Television Network this Saturday, Nov. 7 (9 p.m. ET/PT) and executives for Strikeforce and M-1 Global participated in a jam-packed final press conference at CBS Channel 2 WBBM Thursday for “STRIKEFORCE: Fedor vs. Rogers’’ at the Sears Centre.

In the four bouts on the CBS broadcast, the legendary Fedor “The Last Emperor’’ Emelianenko (30-1, 1 NC), of Russia, will meet unbeaten, hard-hitting Brett Rogers (10-0) of St. Paul, Minn.; streaking, world-class Jake Shields (23-4-1), of San Francisco, who has won 12 in a row, will be opposed by colorful Jason “Mayhem’’ Miller (22-6), of Orange County, Calif., for the Strikeforce world middleweight belt, Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi (29-2-1), of the Netherlands, will put his 13-fight winning streak on the line against Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (7-4) of Murrieta, Calif., in a non-title scrap; and Fabricio Werdum (12-4-1) of Marina Del Rey, Calif., and Antonio “Big Foot” Silva” (13-1), of Coconut Creek, Fla., will clash in a battle of top-notch Brazilian heavyweights.

Tickets, starting at $35, are on sale at the Sears Centre Arena box office (www.searscentre.com), at all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).

Doors for the live event open at 5:15 p.m. CT. The first non-televised bout begins at 6 o’clock CT.

What the fighters and executive said Thursday:

SCOTT COKER (Strikeforce)
“We are very excited to be here.  We are happy to have fights on CBS and in primetime.  We have a historic night of fights ahead of us.  We have the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, Fedor Emelianenko, fighting Mr. Brett Rogers.  We also have the Strikeforce middleweight title belt on the line between Mr. Jake Shields and Mr. Mayhem Miller.  It has been an exciting week with Jason!

“When you talk about companies working with partners, you find try to find a partner where the goals are common and aligned in future business plans. With M-1, we have found that to be true.  They have been amazing partners.

“We know Alistair (Overeem) will be fighting in the first quarter of next year.  Depending on the outcome of this fight and the next, we can work on putting a fight together. You see the matchup potential between the winner of the Silva vs. Werdum fight and the winner of the Fedor vs. Rogers fight.  I think it would make sense for those two guys to fight each other in the future depending on how things go.  Then, Alistair can come in later and fight the winner of that fight.  We have some great heavyweight fights upcoming and we are looking forward to promoting them.

“I believe Alistair will be available in the first quarter.  We will get him in the mix as well as some other heavyweights we will announce here in the next week or so.”

“Fedor is the reigning champion (of WAMMA).  I believe that they will honor the fight and that the fighter that wins the fight will get the belt.

“The beauty of this deal is that we get to watch Fedor vs. Rogers on CBS for free.  We can try to get as many millions of eyeballs as we can to drive mixed martial arts forward as a mainstream sport.  We are proud to do that.”

JOOST RAIMOND (M-1 Global):
“We have a huge fight card on the line. It is unprecedented. It is the best fight card we could ever imagine.  With CBS, we have found the greatest outlet ever to bring the great sport on MMA and these great athletes to a huge audience.  I think now the overall U.S. public can enjoy the wonderful event we have on Saturday night at the Sears Centre.

“The partnership with Strikeforce and M-1 Global is tremendously important. We have gotten off to a great start. We have had a lot of media attention for the event. Thanks to Scott Coker for working with M-1. This partnership allows us to bring you the best events possible with the best fighters possible. We have Strikeforce’s Brett Rodgers and M-1 Global’s Fedor Emelianenko as the headliner. We are all in great anticipation of what is going to happen there.

“For us, the American market is extremely important.  In a partner, we look for a company with the same goals.  Synergy is extremely important and what we can bring from both our sides is Strikeforce has an amazing stable of fighters and M-1 Global has a growing stable of fighters with Fedor and Gegard [Mousasi] heading that up. Together we have the additional strength in putting on very good events.  Strikeforce has a great base in the U.S. and we bring international knowledge to the table.”

SERGEI MATVIENKO (M-1)
“We hope that the relationship we are starting now will be very long and beneficial.  As far as we can see, MMA is getting more and more popular all over the world – not only America or Japan.  We hope that the show will be liked by all of the spectators.  I really believe we won’t disappoint anyone that will be watching the show.  Let the strongest win.”

FEDOR

“I watched the fight of Brett against Andrei Arlovski.  I know that Brett is very strong.  He has a very strong knockout punch.  We usually train for all fights in the same way with some slight difference regarding the opponent.  This time we are just doing some corrections regarding the technique of Brett.

“I am certainly planning on performing in the United States. I know for sure I will have two fights next year in the U.S. and then we will see if the contract will work.  Maybe we will sign another contract.

“I never think about how impressive I am.  I just come to the ring to show my techniques and skills.  I want to finish the fight as fast as possible.”

BRETT ROGERS
“I am ready to go.  I have been training real hard.  It has been a long training camp.  I understand who I am fighting, but he is just a man.  I can’t wait.

“Up until this point, I have had to get back to work the next day.  It is a great experience training and focusing on what I have to do come fight night.

“It does feel good to come to Chicago and put on a show in my birthplace.  At the same time, Minnesota would have been good.  My goal is to go out and put on a good show.

“(With two days to go) I just meditate and do what I normally do.  I try not to get stressed. If I get stressed I am going to lose focus on my main goal. I just stay relaxed. Come Saturday morning, I definitely get into that fight mode.  I think about everything that is coming, knock out the butterflies and then after that it is on.  I am in that ball right now and I am ready to explode.  This is the first time coming into a fight that I can just train and fight. I am ready to go.”

JAKE SHIELDS
“I feel great at this weight. I am willing to fight wherever – welterweight, middleweight, wherever. I am just looking for good fights. I think Miller was the fight that makes sense. I am willing to go up in weight. I am not that small. People forget, I cut a lot of weight (to make 170). People make too big of a deal about the weight. I’m not going to use that as an excuse. Win or lose I am ready to fight and I don’t think weight is going to be a factor.

“I fight because I want to keep myself interested in the challenge. If it is not interesting, there’s no point in doing it any more. It is exciting for me to bounce between the weights. Right now I’m worried about going up and staying up, but who knows what the future holds if they find a good opponent in the ‘70s. Right now I am not worried too much about that.  I am just looking at one fight at a time, but it does keep it interesting for me.

“I am taking it one fight at a time, but most likely I’ll take another fight at 185. My weight is up right now and obviously I’m willing to drop back down, but I wouldn’t want to go up and down every other fight.  That makes it difficult. Really, I’m just worried about getting through Miller and see what happens from there.”

JASON “MAYHEM’’ MILLER
“(Referring to Shields’ winning streak) All good things come to an end.  It is an amazing streak that Shields has put together.  I am proud to be guy standing across the cage from him on Saturday night.

“I don’ think I’m going too overboard [in the spotlight]. My goal is to provide entertainment for the CBS viewers. If they just want to watch a bar fight they can go to their local brew house. I am going to try to perform so that everybody is talking – that includes walking to the stage, and all the way to the post-fight press conference.

“I think people think because I am on TV every minute that I am standing in front of a camera every minute.  Honestly, Bully Beatdown takes about two weeks to film and then they just replay it nonstop.  Everyone thinks I live inside the box in their living room.  It is not true.  I actually walk around and do things outside of that.

“As far as marketing goes, you stick me in front of a camera and a microphone and I am going to blah, blah, blah and hopefully you are going to either want to watch me get me teeth knocked out or knock somebody’s head off.  Part of my job is standing in a cage and beating somebody up, but the other part of my job is to make sure that you care about the fact that I am going to do it.”

GEGARD MOUSASI
“Every time you win, people expect more of you. There is some pressure, but I feel like I have good people around me that keep me focused.  It is a very good fight for me and I am well trained so, God willing, it will be a good night.

“It is huge exposure for us fighting on CBS.  It is a great card.  I think any fight could have been on the main card, so I am concentrating on winning and doing my part.  It is a big deal.

“I will try to finish the fight, but every fight is different.  Sometimes you can finish the fight quickly, other times not. I don’t really care. I just want to win if it is decision or submission or anything. I’m just going to do my best to win.”

RAMEAU THIERRY SOKOUDJOU
“I believe he got injured during a fight, so I am looking forward to fighting him now. This is a great opportunity for all of us. I know this will not be an easy fight. No fights are.

“But I am here to give my best. When it is over, Mousasi will know he will have been in a very hard fight for both of us.’’

FABRICIO WERDUM
“I am very happy to be here. This is a great opportunity for me.  I think the Mike Kyle fight was hard, but I’m ready for all fighters.  I have trained a lot and have trained with the best fighters and coaches in the world.  My focus now is on this big fight. After that, my goal would be to fight Fedor or Rogers.

“But I know I can’t look ahead. For me, the future is Saturday.’’

ANTONIO SILVA
“It has been a while since I have fought in the States.  It’s great to be part of a card that includes fighters like Fedor and Brett Rogers. I’ve come to seek what I think is mine. I will be working very hard for that.”

“Werdum is a fighter of many qualities. He’s fought in many events. He has strengths and weaknesses. I’ve been training very hard in Jiu-Jitsu and standing up with my coach. I just came out of a fight in Japan and have been fighting ever since. It is do or die.  It is a big fight and it is very important.  I have come and I am ready to lay it down.”

CONTACT:  STRIKEFORCE: Mike Afromowitz, (917) 566-8754, mafromowitz@strikeforce.com
CBS Television Network, Mitch Graham, (818) 655-1592, Mitch.Graham@CBS.com
SHOWTIME Sports: Chris DeBlasio, (212) 708-1633, Chris.DeBlasio@Showtime.net
SHOWTIME Sports: Annie Van Tornhout, (212) 708-1663, Anne.VanTornhout@Showtime.net
M-1 Global: Jacob Schaap, 31 646 722 019, Jacob.schaap@m-1global.com
Sears Centre: Julie Avis, (847) 649-2230, Julie.Avis@searscentre.com
Brener Zwikel & Associates, Inc.: John Beyrooty, (562) 233-7477, Johnnybey@aol.com