Strikeforce

Photo: Danillo Villefort reacts after a loss to Jesse Len

Strikeforce Challengers 18 betting odds and picks: Thursday, August 11, 2011; Jorge Gurgel vs. Joe Duarte headlines nine-fight card at the Palms; By Case Keefer; Jorge Gurgel suspects that Strikeforce didn’t do him any favors and gave opponent Joe Duarte added motivation heading into their main event bout at Strikeforce Challengers 18 Friday. Gurgel’s picture is prominently placed in the middle of the event’s poster, while Duarte is nowhere to be found.

Photo: Pat Healy throws a punch at Josh Thomson during a

Pat Healy rising through Strikeforce ranks after tough journey: Wednesday, August 10, 2011; Healy faces Eric Wisely in one of five main cards at Strikeforce Challengers 18 Friday; By Case Keefer; Dan Hardy, Paul Daley and Carlos Condit have more in common than the fact they all ascended to nearly the top of the UFC welterweight division within the past two years. All three respected mixed martial arts veterans hold a loss to current Strikeforce lightweight Pat Healy within the first five years of his career. Healy, who fights Eric Wisely on the Strikeforce Challengers 18 card at 6 p.m. Friday at the Palms, didn’t take a traditional route and ease into MMA.

Photo: Dan Henderson celebrates his win over Fedor Emelia

Dan Henderson stops Fedor Emelianenko in first round of Strikeforce bout: Sunday, July 31, 2011; Miesha Tate takes women's 135-pound championship belt in co-main event; By Case Keefer; History has shown a number of legendary fighters reaching the end of their careers after a string of uncharacteristic losses. Fedor Emelianenko may have joined that unfortunate group after a first-round TKO defeat to Dan Henderson in Chicago.

Photo: Marloes Coenen, from the Netherlands, celebrates a

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson betting odds and picks: Friday, July 29, 2011; Emelianenko more than a 2-to-1 favorite against the undersized Henderson; By Case Keefer; The fight with the highest stakes at Saturday’s Strikeforce card in Chicago will come before the main event. A heavyweight clash between Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson is arguably the most notable bout ever promoted by Strikeforce.

Photo: Dan Henderson celebrates his defeat of Michael Bis

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson: A fun fight for the fans: Thursday, July 28, 2011; Fedor vs. Henderson headlines Strikeforce's weekend show in Chicago; By Case Keefer; It’s inaccurate to assume that matchmaking in major mixed martial arts promotions has gotten away from booking fights solely for fans’ enjoyment. The main event of Saturday’s Strikeforce card in Chicago, which will air via tape delay on Showtime at 11 on the west coast, proves otherwise. A heavyweight matchup between Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson has fans clamoring, but it’s a bout that doesn’t make much sense for either fighter. Emelianenko and Henderson are two of the most popular and well known mixed martial artists in the world, but their careers are in drastically different places.

Photo: Ovince St. Preux makes his way to the octagon for

Strikeforce Challengers gives fitting introduction in first Las Vegas show: Saturday, July 23, 2011; Bobby Voelker defeats Roger Bowling in Main Event; Ovince St. Preux wins ninth straight; By Case Keefer; The decision to permanently relocate the Strikeforce Challengers series to the Pearl at the Palms earlier this year turned the venue into mixed martial arts’ ultimate proving ground. The Challengers cards are unique in that they make up the only major mixed martial arts series solely dedicated to developing up-and-coming talent. It’s a place where some fighters work their way up to a shot at the big time, while others find out they’re not ready to rise beyond the minor leagues.

Photo: Scene from inside The Pearl at The Palms Casino fo

Strikeforce Challengers 17 betting odds and picks: Thursday, July 21, 2011; Oddsmakers see a close fight in Bowling vs. Voelker III; By Case Keefer; Trilogies are always special in combat sports. A third meeting between two fighters can only take place if the first two matchups were both indecisive and exciting. Welterweights Bobby Voelker and Roger Bowling add a third chapter to their rivalry Friday at The Pearl at The Palms in the main event of Strikeforce Challengers 17.

Photo: Strikeforce mixed martial artist Lavar Johnson, le

Strikeforce's Lavar Johnson wants to be known for more than being injured in shooting: Wednesday, July 20, 2011; mixed martial arts:; By Ray Brewer; Mixed martial artist Lavar Johnson knows his fight Friday could be his last. You see, he lost his most recent fight, and in the “what have you done for me lately” world of MMA, a second consecutive loss for a relatively unproven fighter could spell disaster.

Photo: Alistair Overeem, top, punches Paul Buentello in a

Alistair Overeem, Josh Barnett move on in Strikeforce heavyweight tourney: Sunday, June 19, 2011; Jorge Masvidal all but clinches next shot at Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez; By Case Keefer; The two remaining favorites in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix advanced to the semifinals of the tournament Saturday in Dallas. Alistair Overeem and Josh Barnett defeated Fabricio Werdum and Brett Rogers, respectively, to reserve their spots in the final four. “I’ve got a tournament to fight, bit-by-bit, inch-by-inch, one-by-one,” Barnett said in a spirited speech to the American Airlines Center crowd after his win. “I’m going to take them down one by one. One skull to the collection to the next to the next until I’m standing on top of a pile of bodies with a pile of gold in ...

Photo: Daniel Cormier, left, and former NFL great Hersche

Daniel Cormier uses Olympic pedigree to rise up Strikeforce ranks: Friday, June 17, 2011; Undefeated Cormier excited about Saturday's bout against veteran Jeff Monson; By Case Keefer; The man competing in tomorrow’s Strikeforce: Dallas card who is most likely to hold a major heavyweight championship belt in two or three years might not be any of the four fighters in the much-publicized Grand Prix tournament. Some would argue that distinction belongs to Daniel Cormier, an up-and-comer who meets Jeff Monson in the second bout on the main card, which Showtime airs via tape delay at 10 on the west coast.

Photo: Fabricio Werdum celebrates his firs round submissi

Fighters in Strikeforce heavyweight tournament hope for shot at UFC belt: Wednesday, June 15, 2011; Rematch between Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum headlines weekend card; By Case Keefer; UFC President Dana White prides himself on putting together the fights everyone wants to see. Because of that reputation, it’s hard to imagine a bout pitting the eventual winner of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix and the UFC heavyweight champion not happening sometime next year. As the Grand Prix marches on with its second slate of opening round matches Saturday in Dallas, demand is growing from fans and fighters alike about a future showdown between the two champions.

Photo: K.J. Noons, left, and Nick Diaz exchange blows in

Strikeforce's K.J. Noons returns this weekend with Nick Diaz still on his mind: Wednesday, June 15, 2011; Noons faces Jorge Masvidal in Dallas for status as No. 1 Strikeforce lightweight contender; By Case Keefer; Strikeforce lightweight K.J. Noons believes he can break everyone in professional mixed martial arts into two categories. “There are people in this game who are athletes and there are people in this game who are true fighters,” Noons said while in Las Vegas earlier this month.

Photo: Sarah Kaufman, right, fights Marloes Coenen in a w

Televised card revealed for first Strikeforce Challengers show in Las Vegas: Tuesday, June 14, 2011; Three bouts announced in support of Roger Bowling vs. Bobby Voelker; By Case Keefer; Two of the better-known women in mixed martial arts will face each other when the Strikeforce Challengers series begins its residency at the Palms on July 22. Strikeforce officials announced Tuesday that Sarah Kaufman (13-1) and Liz Carmouche (5-1), the last two victims to welterweight champion Marloes Coenen, would meet in the co-main event of Strikeforce Challengers 17 in Las Vegas.

Strikeforce Challengers series makes Las Vegas its new home: Sunday, May 29, 2011; MIXED MARTIAL ARTS: All future Challengers cards will be held at the Palms starting with event on July 22; By Case Keefer; UFC 132, which is slated for July 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, will not serve as Las Vegas’ last major mixed martial arts event of the year as previously expected. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker announced before Saturday’s UFC 130 that the promotion’s Strikeforce Challengers fight cards will permanently move to Las Vegas later this year. The first event is scheduled for Friday July 22 at the Palms’ Pearl Theater.

Photo: Keith Jardine prepares for his fight against Matt

Strikeforce Notebook: Nick Diaz explains showmanship toward Paul Daley: Sunday, April 10, 2011; Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine discuss their majority draw; By Case Keefer; SAN DIEGO — A lot of Nick Diaz’s supporters stressed the importance of fighting “smart” against British knockout king Paul Daley heading into their Saturday bout. Dropping his hands, sticking out his chin and shouting at Daley at the beginning of the fight probably wasn’t what they had in mind for the champion. “It could have been a little cleaner for me,” Diaz said. “I think I was still pumped up from the weigh-in. It could have been working with me or against me.”

Nick Diaz fails to back up years worth of talk

A welterweight title fight that felt incredibly different wound up remarkably the same. Georges St. Pierre manhandled nemesis Nick Diaz with his wrestling. St. Pierre won every round on every judges' scorecard in Montreal for his sixth straight unanimous-decision victory. Diaz had preached his superiority over St. Pierre for years, but when he finally got his chance, he looked as helpless as all the other challengers to the 170-pound division's throne in the last six years. St. Pierre's consistency continued to amaze. Now it's on to Johny Hendricks, who defeated Carlos Condit in the evening's co-main event. Could he be the one to finally threaten St. Pierre?

Main Card Results
Winner	Loser	Method
Georges St. Pierre	Nick Diaz	Unanimous Decision
Johny Hendricks	Carlos Condit	Unanimous Decision
Jake Ellenberger	Nate Marquardt	Knockout
Chris Camozzi	Nick Ring	Split Decision
Mike Ricci	Colin Fletcher	Unanimous Decision

Date	Event	Headlining Match	Location
June 22	WBA Welterweight Title	Paulie Malignaggi vs. Adrien Broner	Brooklyn, N.Y.
July 6	UFC 162	Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman	Las Vegas: MGM Grand Garden Arena
July 27	UFC on Fox 8	Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga	Seattle
August 3	UFC 163	Jose Aldo vs. Anthony Pettis	Rio de Janeiro
August 17	UFC on Fox Sports 1 card	Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Chael Sonnen	Boston
August 28	UFC on Fox Sports 1 card	Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann II	Indianapolis
August 31	UFC 164	Benson Henderson vs. T.J. Grant	Milwaukee