Frank Trigg dominated tough veteran Falaniko Vitale wire to wire en route to a unanimous decision victory at Strikeforce: Payback. Trigg essentially dictated where and when the fight occurred, and Vitale had no response whatsoever. The CompuStrike stats clearly underscored Triggs superiority in the fight, giving him a lopsided 41 to 7 edge in strikes landed.

In the co-main event, Duane Bang Ludwig earned an explosive TKO win over Sam Morgan. After an evenly contested first minute, Ludwig quickly took control with a series of Muay Thai knee strikes which set up a perfectly placed bodyshot to the liver that floored his opponent. Ludwig quickly pressed his advantage and never gave Morgan a chance to recover. Still feeling the effects of the liver shot, Morgan ate another hard punch to the solar plexus and gasping for breath was forced to tap out under the barrage of strikes.

In perhaps the most entertaining bout on the card, highly touted Billy Evangelista survived his second big scare in as many fights to remain undefeated. After a split decision victory over Nam Phan in June, Evangelista found himself in grave danger of a TKO loss early in his bout with tough veteran Luke Caudillo. Caudillo”who goes by the nickname Lil Hulk”opened the fight with a flurry, knocking Evangelista to the canvas three times in the opening minute. Via some combination of wits and toughness, Evangelista managed to survive the barrage and began to take over the fight late in the round with his superior technical striking.

As the rest of the fight unfolded, Caudillo made the mistake of becoming a headhunter looking for a KO punch which allowed Evangelista to take over the fight. Evangelista continued to score with crisp combinations and as the bout progressed demonstrated his superior conditioning”a major factor at the high altitude of the Broomfield, Colorado fight venue. Evangelista would eventually earn a unanimous decision victory though the 30-27 score awarded by one judge was questionable considering that he spent the first half of round one being bounced around the cage like a beach ball.

A highly anticipated womens match took place early in the evening, with former Hooters waitress Michelle The Karate Hottie Watterson easily defeating an overmatched opponent in Tyra Parker. Watterson easily figured out her opponent, however, and The Karate Hottie quickly took over with her more disciplined striking approach. The dnouement came when Watterson landed several big knees from the clinch, took her opponents back and locked in a rear naked choke for the tapout win.

The event marked Strikeforces first visit to Colorado, and another in a series of very entertaining fight cards. Scott Coker and his team deserve a lot of credit for their matchmaking”even in the lower card fights they have a knack for putting together bouts that more often than not are exciting and competitive. Strikeforce is a well managed, first rate promotion that is definitely going places.

Ross Everett is a widely published writer specializing in mixed martial arts, judo, soccer betting, falconry and fantasy role playing games. He is a well known expert on sports betting and has made countless TV and radio appearances. He lives in Southern Nevada with his Filipino houseboy, three Jack Russell Terriers and a retired racing wombat.

The San Jose, CA based Strikeforce MMA promotion recently announced that they have signed Brazilian middleweight Ronaldo Jacare Souza to a multifight contract. He is expected to make his Strikeforce debut on the same October event as recently signed Fedor Emelianenko, which will be broadcast on the Showtime premium cable network.

In a statement released by the promotion, Souza expressed his pleasure at the signing:

I am very excited that I will have the opportunity to fight in STRIKEFORCE amongst many of the worlds best middleweight fighters. STRIKEFORCE has an extremely deep roster of top middleweight fighters. I am looking forward to the challenge and to taking my career to the next level.

Souza got the nickname ‘Jacare’ as a child in his hometown of Manaus, Brazil”its Portuguese for a species of alligator that is common to the area. He clearly likes the moniker, and is known for making ring entrances while making alligator jaws with his arms.

He was a runner up in the 2008 DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament, losing in the finals to Gegard Mousasi. Jacare was in control of the fight until he got caught by a Mousasi upkick that knocked him unconscious. In his last fight, he faced American Jason Mayhem Miller in a rematch of their DREAM tournament bout. This fight ended in a no contest after Mayhem was cut by an inadvertent illegal blow.

Souza began training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the age of 17 and fought MMA legend Randy The Natural Couture to a draw in a grappling contest in 2006. Shortly thereafter he began training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. He has since returned to training in his homeland but will reportedly train in the United States at least part time going forward.

MMA fans are already anticipating several excellent potential matchups for Jacare in Strikeforce, most notably an almost inevitable showdown with another of the worlds top middleweights, Jake Shields. Also of great interest would be a catchweight matchup between Souza and Shields Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu teammate, Nick Diaz.

UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva had lost a lot of his luster coming into Saturday nights UFC 101 matchup with former light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin. He was undefeated in his previous nine UFC contests, but his last three victories had been far from impressive. Hed beaten overmatched James Irvin last July in his first effort at 205. That was followed by a TKO win against Patrick Cote when Cote blew out his knee mid fight. In his most recent bout, hed pouted and showboated his way to a unanimous decision victory by default against a thoroughly overwhelmed Thales Leites. On that night in Montreal hed heard an abundance of boos from the fans who at one point started a GSP chant in reference to his most frequent challenger for pound for pound MMA supremacy. Even Dana White criticized his effort and finally conceded that St. Pierre might, indeed, be the best all around fighter in the game.

There was none of the bad Silva on display at UFC 101. Silva was simply dominant as he overwhelmed the naturally larger Griffin, knocking his opponent down three times before finishing the fight with a spectacular”yet almost effortless”straight right hand. The TKO victory was The Spiders most impressive showing since his submission triumph over Dan Henderson at UFC 82. Ironically, Hendo”off his own devastating KO victory over Michael Bisping at UFC 100″will likely be Silvas next challenger for his middleweight title.

The live crowd in Philadelphia clearly backed the likable Griffin and gave him a huge ovation as he entered the cage to Shipping Up To Boston by the Dropkick Murphys. Silva, meanwhile, received a smattering of boos as he confidently strode to the ring to the sound of Aint No Sunshine by rapper DMX.

He displayed none of that courtesy toward Griffin once the fight began and was simply the wrecking machine that UFC fans had grown accustomed before his recent run of lackluster performances. Forrest came right at Silva, assuming that his natural size advantage would equate to a strength advantage as well.

The resolute Griffin quickly bounced to his feet, this time flashing a high kick which Silva easily countered for another knockdown. This one clearly hurt Griffin, though he once again made it back to his feet quickly and landed a combination of his own. This was his best”and last”offense of the fight. Silva quickly floored Griffin with a left hand that left little doubt to the eventual outcome of the contest.

Silva, backing up, landed a perfect and almost effortless straight right that sent Griffin down for good. The referee didnt even bother to count as he waved his arms over the prone fighter as Silva celebrated his win. Griffin quickly exited the cage and, reportedly, the arena.

Silva, apparently making an effort to be more fan friendly, did his postfight interview in English with a Portuguese interpreter standing at the ready. Hed been criticized in the past (somewhat unfairly) for not making more of an effort to engage the fans, and conducting his interview in English was likely intended to help change that image. His message was simple: I want to fight against the best. Whoever the best is at the time, I want to fight them. Though Silva didnt really affirm that hed be campaigning more at the heavier weight, that was the implicit message of his comment.

On July 15th, former WWE superstar turned MMA fighter Bobby Lashley announced that he had signed a deal to return to full time professional wrestling competition with the US #2 promotion TNA. Lashleys last in-ring pro wrestling appearance came in Mexico on a show for Lucha Libre promotion AAA.

Hes not planning to give up his MMA career. In interviews prior to the TNA signing Lashley left open the possibility of a return to pro wrestling for its significant financial upside, while remaining committed to his shoot fighting efforts. Lashley trains in Florida with the prestigious American Top Team, and ran his record to 4-0 with his victory over Sapp in late June. A press release issued by TNA this morning further validated his suggestions that he planned to do both sports. Lashey himself is quoted as saying:

I want to do both because I can. TNA is giving me the opportunity to compete in both sports which I have a passion for. I will bring MMA fans to wrestling and wrestling fans to MMA

TNA President Dixie Carter also praised Lashley in announcing the signing:

This is a great opportunity for Bobby to do something that has never been done before. He is the perfect ambassador for both sports. We are excited to have him join TNA, he is a true star that brings so much to the table as a member of our roster.

TNAs claims that Lashley is the first active MMA fighter to compete full time in pro wrestling, however, is nothing but hyperbole. Its very common in Japan, though the Japanese fans for whatever reason are better able to compartmentalize an athlete competing in shoot fights like MMA while simultaneously appearing in worked (eg: pre-determined) pro wrestling contests. In fact, Josh Barnett, originally slated to face Fedor Emelianenko at the ill fated Affliction: Trilogy event still makes several appearances a year for Antonio Inokis Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) promotion. Lashley isnt even the first to pull the feat in the US, though hes definitely the highest profile fighter/wrester to turn the trick since MMAs overwhelming boom in popularity. Dan The Beast Severn at one point simultaneously held the UFC heavyweight title and the NWA heavyweight title in pro wrestling.

Lashley’s departure from the WWE in early 2008 was very sudden and remains largely unexplained. He indicated at the time that his departure was not of his own volition but due to circumstances beyond his control. Interestingly, Lashley wasnt subject to a standard non-compete agreement. Speculation at this point suggested that he may have left in response to a racial incident, a theory given more validity when WWE writer (and former member of the Fabulous Freebirds tag team) Michael Hayes was suspended for a racial slur. Neither Lashley nor the WWE has ever confirmed the reason for his departure.

At the time he was released from the WWE, Lashley began training for MMA building on an extensive background of amateur wrestling from both college and the military. The UFC took a pass on Lashley due to the perception that they couldnt market him successfully so soon after Brock Lesnars debut. Lashley certainly has the physical gifts to compete at the highest level in MMA at 63 and 250 lbs. Some even suggest that he may have more potential than Lesnar due to a possible edge in speed and agility. Lesnars recent unification of the UFC heavyweight title and amazing surge in mainstream popularity may give the promotion reason to take a second look at Lashley”they need credible opponents for their new heavyweight champion, but have to be careful not to put him in a position where his inexperience in certain components of MMA wont be exploited lest they kill the proverbial golden goose.

Gegard Mousasi looked to be on his way to a loss to MMA’s self styled gator, Ronaldo Jacare. Jacare had been successful keeping the fight on the ground, though Mousasi was able to fend off a submission. Jacare then made a fateful decision, standing up and looking for a big punch. He never knew what hit him and by the time he regained consciousness Mousasi had his hand raised as victor in the fight.

Jacare tried a Superman punch over the upkicks of the lanky Mousasi, who after missing with the first nailed his second kick perfectly and left the Brazilian knocked out cold. It was the Dutch fighters 2nd upset victory of the night, as he had submitted powerful Melvin Manhouf earlier in the event.

Jacare looked awesome in quickly dispatching of tough Zelig Galesic quickly with a slick armbar. He had been a heavy favorite not only in his semifinal match, but to take the overall tournament victory. It appeared that he was well on the way to the championship before a tactical error”and a well placed kick”changed the course of the fight.

In the co-main event, a long awaited matchup between Mirko Cro Cop and Alistair Overeem ended in a no contest after the Croatian striking machine was unable to continue following two low knee strikes. Cro Cop took a few minutes to recover from the first but was unable to continue after the second, with his corner indicating that the fighter had suffered some unspecified injury to the groin area.

Earlier in the evening, Shinya Aoki had no trouble with tough WEC veteran Todd Moore. Moore tried to mount a striking attack early in the bout, only to have the wily Aoki take his back and lock in a standing rear naked choke. Moore instinctively went to the corner in an effort to extricate himself, only to fall into Aokis trap”as Moore sat down Aoki transitioned into a neck crank.

In addition to the in-ring action, a highlight of the event was the appearance of the best heavyweight in the world, Fedor Emelianenko. The Russian fighting god addressed the crowd and indicated that hed be fighting in Tokyo on New Years Eve without giving any specifics regarding his opponent.

Former UFC fighter Kimo Leopoldo is alive and well after numerous mainstream media reports of his death. The New York Daily News was first to report the story that Kimo had died of a heart attack, and it quickly spread to other media outlets. MMA insiders were immediately skeptical, as there were few details or any independent confirmation.

A few hours later, the story began to unravel. First, Kimo’s agent indicated that he had spoken to him at 11 PM Monday night and that he was alive and well. He did add that he hadnt spoken to him since, but that he had not received word from anyone close to Kimo of a problem nor had he been contacted by any authorities. Shortly after 2:00 PM Tuesday, Kimos attorney reported that the fighter had been located and was alive and well. Theres still a question of how the report that he was dead made it out in the first place, but the New York Daily News isnt providing much of an explanation–theyve simply deleted the report without comment and will presumably pretend it never happened. There’s some suggestion that the rumor started in an online MMA forum, and Kimo has suggested that he’ll pursue legal action against the perpetrator.

The false death rumors are the most recent twist in the bizarre life of Kimo Leopoldo. A native of Munich, Germany, Kimo–he claimed later in his life that he had legally changed his name to simply ‘Kimo’–was the UFCs first over the top personality back when the promotions events were still in the single digits. He burst onto the scene at UFC 3 when”in his pro MMA debut”he gave the legendary Royce Gracie a brutally tough battle. Gracie had won the tournament style format at UFC 1 and 2, and managed to eventually defeat Kimo via armbar submission but took so much of a beating that he was forced to forfeit his UFC 3 final against Harold Howard.

By the end of 1997, Kimo had compiled a 6-2-1 record with his only losses coming to Gracie and another UFC Hall of Famer, Ken Shamrock. He also earned a draw against a third UFC Hall of Famer, wrestling specialist Dan Severn. His career would be downhill from that point, the result of better fighters entering the sport and his own self destructive lifestyle choices.

Kimo became known as much for his flamboyant personality as for his toughness as a competitor. He was a devout Christian, and sported many religious tattoos”most famously a large Jesus inscription across his stomach.

Kimo has battled drug and alcohol addiction throughout his life, and in recent years has reportedly became addicted to meth. In one of his more recent run ins with the law, he was playing with a yo-yo in a parking lot while wearing an orange jumpsuit made for law enforcement disaster response. He was approached by police who questioned him about the outfit, and upon searching him he was found to be in possession of marijuana and subsequently arrested.

Brian Bowles used a counter right hook late in the first round to defeat Miguel Angel Torres by TKO and win the WEC Bantamweight title in the main event of another exciting fight card from Zuffas MMA promotion showcasing the lighter weight classes.

One day after a UFC 101 card that was lackluster at best and disappointing at worst, MMA fans were hoping that the WEC would deliver an exciting event as they almost inevitably do. They werent disappointed, and there really wasnt a bad fight on the card which featured several brutal knockouts along with tightly contested decisions. The event will be remembered for the main event and the shocking upset of Torres, whom commentator Frank Mir had been championing as the pound for pound best fighter in the sport of late. Torres certainly had the credentials”a fighter equally as dangerous on his feet as on the ground, hed compiled a 37-1 record entering the fight against Bowles. Since a 2003 decision loss to Ryan Ackerman, Torres had run off 17 straight victories including his most recent triumph by decision over a tough challenge from Japanese striking machine Takeya Mizugaki.

Bowles entered the cage accompanied by the music of Johnny Cash. This prompted WEC commentator Todd Harris to quip “It takes a special man to walk in to Johnny Cash”. He wasnt kidding, and Bowles quickly announced his presence with authority rocking Torres with an overhand right and scoring a takedown within the first minute. After a groundfighting sequence, the two fighters exchanged punches again and initially it looked like Torres was getting the best of things as he landed a multiple punch combination that sent Bowles backing up. Almost out of nowhere, however, Bowles countered with a perfectly placed short right hook that sent the champion to the canvas. He followed up with some nasty ground and pound punches including a big left hand that knocked his opponent unconscious and forced the referee to wave off the fight.

In his postfight interview, Bowles was clearly pleased but not exactly surprised by the result. His comments indicated that hed been very well prepared for Torres considerable skills and though he conceded that hed been stung by the punching barrage waited for the opening to throw the right hook that ended the fight. Bowles displayed considerable class in victory, and Torres conducted himself in a matter befitting a champion as he accepted the defeat.

A rematch between Bowles and Torres is almost inevitable, but theres plenty of talent in the WEC bantamweight division. The semifinal bout on the card pitted two of these competitors in what may have been an elimination match for #1 contender status as Dominick Cruz handed feisty Joseph Benavidez his first professional loss via unanimous decision.

Further muddling the picture in the bantamweight division was an earlier fight on the card, in which Takeya Mizugaki outlasted Jeff Curran to win a split decision victory. Mizugaki had trouble with the active guard of Curran, but scored takedowns in all three rounds. He did enough from the top position while fending off submission attempts to earn the verdict and to make his claim for #1 contender status.

The founding father of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and patriarch of the Gracie family, Helio Gracie, died in early 2009 at the age of 95. His influence in martial arts as well as the sport of mixed martial arts is mind boggling. The Gracie family name will forever be synonymous with Brazilian sports, jiu-jitsu, MMA and the UFC”not only due to Helios own accomplishments but the legacy he created both by training others and through his family.

Helio Gracie began his training in mixed martial arts early, and by his teenage years was already teaching judo. While he had no problem mastering the theoretical aspects of judo, he found that many of its techniques were less effective for a practitioner with a smaller build. Along with his brother Carlos, Gracie began to work out his own fighting system by adapting many of judo’s techniques and making them more a product of leverage rather than brute strength. This led to the creation of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), frequently called Gracie Jiu Jitsu in his honor.

Gracie also had a professional fighting career, taking on champions from other disciplines in a forerunner to modern mixed martial arts. These bouts were grueling, unregulated affairs with rules that were often made up as they went along and time limits that seem barbaric by todays standards. By his own recollection, he had 15 fights against the top fighters of his day. He began his career in 1932 by submitting professional boxer Antonio Portugal (whod likely never even heard of a submission at that point, let alone experienced one) in just 32 seconds. Later that year, he fought American catch wrestler Frank Ebert to a draw after the ringside doctor ordered the bout stopped after an ungodly fourteen ten minute rounds.

His most famous battle was against Japanese judo legend Masahiko Kimura, resulting in a rare loss for Gracie. Despite the setback, he fought bravely and may have actually enhanced his legend after refusing to submit to a reverse arm bar (the same move that now bears Kimuras name). Only after his arm was broken did his brother Carlos throw in the towel.

Gracie’s greatest impact, however, may have been through his progeny which is an important part of Brazilian sports and mixed martial arts even today. Royce Gracie is well known as the first UFC superstar, while sons Rickson Royler, Renzo have also achieved considerable fame in professional MMA. At the time of his death, Helio Gracie was a 6th Dan Judo black belt and the only living 10th degree master of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Gracie died at age 95, after suffering stomach problems though the cause of his death was officially listed as ‘natural causes’. His last words are classic and highly fitting for a man who gave so much to martial arts and fighting sports:

“I created a flag from the sports dignity. I oversee the name of my family with affection and nerves of blood.

The toughest decision a boxer of MMA fighter will face in his career is deciding to hang up the gloves. Boxing history is rife with top notch fighters that hung around too long, and in a sure sign that its matured as a sport MMA is now experiencing the same phenomenon. After his punishing knockout loss to Melvin Manhoef at DREAM 4 it has become apparent that the time has come for Japanese fighting legend Kazushi Sakuraba to retire.

Mixed martial arts is booming in America, but there’s not one specific fighter responsible for its upswing in popularity. That’s not the case in Japan, as Sakuraba is almost universally acknowledged as having brought MMA to the mainstream of Japanese sports and popular culture. In particular, his on-going feud with Brazil’s Gracie family made him a major superstar and national hero.

While Sakurabas resume certainly justifies the reverence with which hes held by the Japanese fight community, hes not really done anything to build on that legacy for several years. His last truly significant victory was a submission win over former UFC light heavyweight champ Quinton Rampage Jackson and his last victory over what can be considered a quality opponent in his prime was against Kevin Randleman in late 2003.

Sakuraba is not only 38 years old, but he’s what fight experts consider an ‘old 38′ based on the number of grueling, physically and emotionally draining battles he’s competed in. His 90 minute classic with Royce Gracie alone took a toll that some suggest that Sakuraba has never recovered from. Despite this, he continued to face the best opponents in the world after that fight.

Furthermore hed frequently find himself across the ring from much larger superstars, his popularity and fearlessness producing matchups that could never get sanctioned in the US but are commonplace in the wild wild west environment of Japanese fighting. The quality of opposition he faced is staggering”Royce Gracie and several other members of the legendary family, Wanderlei Silva, Mirko Cro Cop, Vitor Belfort, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira stand out as the most impressive names on his record. Unfortunately and not surprisingly, he had difficulty when stepping up in class against heavier fighters and most of these matchups resulted in losses by brutal knockout or other type of stoppage.

Despite his recent setbacks, Sakuraba has made no indication that hell be retiring anytime soon. Hopefully, this decision doesnt put his long-term health and future well being at risk.

From a business standpoint, the UFCs first trip to Germany will clearly fall short of their success in the UK. From poor ticket sales to a downright hostile German media, its been one headache after another for Dana White and company. That was all forgotten thanks to an entertaining if somewhat uneven fight card highlighted by a spectacular main event between Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva. Franklin would ultimately win the unanimous decision victory, but the fight itself far exceeded the expectations of most fans.

For the most part, Franklin picked Silva apart throughout the course of the fight (to quote UFC color commentator Joe Rogan) and deserved the unanimous decision verdict. What made the fight exceptional were the occasional glimpses of the old Axe Murderer. Late in the second and third rounds, Silva tagged Franklin with hard punches that left him clearly stunned.

In the co-main event, heavyweight phenom Cain Velasquez survived a few nervous moments to put in a wall to wall domination of Cheick Kongo. Velasquez was rocked by Kongos punches early in rounds one and two, but quickly recovered to take the fight to the ground where he mauled the Frenchman. The result was an impressive victory for Velasquez over a top level opponent, but his struggles against Kongos standup game left several unanswered questions. The most compelling concern, of course, is that Velesquez might have a weak chin and simply not be able to take a punch particularly well. His problems could also be tactical or simply a case of not having enough patience”rushing his takedown attempts and eating punches rather than work for a less risky opportunity.

The event also featured the UFC return of former PRIDE open weight GP champion Mirko Cro Cop. Cro Cop was making his return to action from knee surgery, and the Croatian striking machine got off to a slow start against overmatched Mostapha Al-Turk as he clearly sought to protect his rebuilt wheels. Of particular note was the fact that Cro Cop didnt throw a kick the entire fight”his bread and butter during his PRIDE dominance, which evoked the mantra right leg hospital, left leg cemetery. Once he let his hands go, however, he demonstrated emphatically that hes still got serious power. He ended the fight late in the first round by flooring Al-Turk with an overhand left followed up with some hammer fists on the ground. Al-Turk survived this onslaught, but when the referee returned the fight to standup he caught a poke in the eye (similar to the one suffered by Josh Barnett in his PRIDE OWGP Final matchup against Cro Cop). This caused him severe difficulty, but likely only hastened the inevitable Cro Cop TKO victory.

Perennial contender Mike Swick looked impressive as he defeated Ben Saunders via 2nd round TKO. After an uneventful first five minutes, Swick let his hands go and his impressive handspeed proved no match for his adversary. Veteran lightweight Caol Uno returned to the UFC after a five year absence, losing a decision to Spencer Fisher in a somewhat tedious tactical affair. In the opening match of the live PPV, Dan Hardy won a hard fought split decision over Marcus Davis. The two men had feuded back and forth in the UK media, and while the fight may not have settled their differences in a decisive manner it did provide a solid opener to the evenings fight card.