Strikeforce came to the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida tonight for Strikeforce: Miami, which was headlined by a pair of title bouts. Nick Diaz became the first Strikeforce Welterweight Champion by defeating DREAM champ Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromskis in the night’s main event.
Elsewhere, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos successfully defended her Strikeforce Women’s Lightweight (145-Pound) Championship against Marloes Coenen, while former NFL Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker won his MMA debut. MMARising.com has live play-by-play from the event.
The Freestyle Cage Fighting Women’s Grand Prix kicked off tonight at FCF 39 at the FireLake Grand Casino in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Eight of the top female bantamweights in the sport clashed in hopes of advancing on and earning a guaranteed Strikeforce contract.
Showcasing a card filled with entertaining Japan vs USA bouts, King of the Cage travelled to the island of Okinawa, Japan on Saturday for KOTC: “Toryumon.” In the night’s headliner, Shooto ace Mamoru Yamaguchi captured the KOTC Junior Flyweight Championship with a second-round submission of Frank Baca.
Undefeated Canadian prospect Rory “The Waterboy” MacDonald may be a part of the UFC’s first card in his native British Columbia. The 20-year-old has verbally agreed to face former WEC Welterweight Champion “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit at UFC 115 on June 12th in Vancouver.
Freestyle Cage Fighting showcases eight of the top female bantamweights in MMA in the opening round of the FCF Women’s Bantamweight Grand Prix at FCF 39 on Saturday, January 30th. Stars such as Kaitlin Young, Shayna Baszler and Jennifer Tate will all compete for a Strikeforce contract.
With its first series of collectible UFC figurines set for a February release, Round 5 MMA today revealed the lineup for UFC Series 2. Among those in the second series are past and present UFC champions BJ Penn, Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin.
Strikeforce will showcase a number of new faces on January 30th when the promotion travels to Sunrise, Florida for Strikeforce: Miami. Headlined by a pair of title fights, the event also features the promotional debuts of knockout artist “Marvellous” Melvin Manhoef, pro wrestling star Bobby “The Dominator” Lashley and former NFL Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker.
Former DREAM Lightweight Champion Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen may become the promotion’s first two-division champion. The Norwegian standout is rumoured to be dropping down in weight to challenge Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes for the DREAM Featherweight Championship at Dream.13. FiveOuncesOfPain.com first reported on the planned bout.