MMA-URLS

Nate Marquardt returns to Zuffa and will face Tyron Woodley for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title on July 14 in Portland.

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Former UFC star Nate Marquardt is scheduled to fight top 170-pound contender Tyron Woodley for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title.

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Former top UFC fighter Nate Marquardt will finally make his Strikeforce and welterweight debut in July, and it will be in a title matchup. He will compete for Nick Diaz's old Strikeforce welterweight championship against a SF veteran, Tyron Woodley. MMA Weekly has it: The main event for the upcoming Strikeforce event in July is almost set as Nate Marquardt will make his promotional debut against Tyron Woodley with the vacant welterweight title on the line. Sources close to the match-up confirmed the fight to MMA Weekly on Monday with verbal agreements in place for the July showdown. Marquardt (31-10-2) was released from the UFC last June after a TRT issue prevented him from fighting Rick Story. He then signed with BAMMA, but never competed under their banner and was let out of his contract a few months later. Strikeforce signed him a couple of months ago, and this bout had been rumored ever since. Woodley is undefeated at 10-0 in his career, eight of those wins coming in Strikeforce. His last bout was a split decision win over Jordan Mein in January. The card will apparently either take place in Portland, Oregon or Indianapolis, Indiana. It was thought that a Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Kennedy middleweight title bout would headline the card, but we'll have to wait and see.

Posted in: title, strikeforce, welterweight, marquardt, woodley

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Nate Marquardt is likely to face Tyron Woodley at a July Strikeforce event for the vacant welterweight title. The bout will be Marquardt’s first fight since his sudden release from the UFC prior to the UFC on Versus 4. MMAWeekly first reported the bout. Marquardt was released from the UFC after the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission denied him from participating on the UFC on Versus 4 card due to elevated testosterone levels. While PSAC cleared Marquardt a few days later, UFC President Dana White fired Marquardt during a twitter video before the event took place. Marquardt had been signed to the British promotion BAMMA, but was released after the promotion was unable to secure an opponent. Marquardt’s opponent, Tyron Woodley, has not lost in his ten professional fights, eight of which have been with Strikeforce. The former MIZZOU wrestling standout has notched notable wins over Andre Galvao, Tarec Saffiedine, and Paul Daley. Woodley most recently fought in January, where he won against Jordan Mein. MMAFrenzy.com

Posted in: ufc, marquardt, woodley, place marquardt,  marquardt fight

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The lack of depth on Strikeforce’s roster looks to be coming into play once again with the organization’s apparent decision to award another title-shot to a competitor who has never actually fought in the related weight-class. Recent examples of similar booking include Ronda Rousey and Keith Jardine who both got a crack at a championship in their divisional debuts. This time around the vacant welterweight belt will be on the line with unbeaten grappler Tyron Woodley taking on seasoned veteran Nate Marquardt. Though no date is confirmed it is expected the bout will take place in Portland, Oregon this July on the same card linked to Roger Gracie-Jardine and Tim Kennedy-Luke Rockhold. MMAWeekly was first to report the match-up as being verbally agreed to by both parties. The majority of Marquardt’s success has come at 185 pounds as a member of the UFC where he beat the likes of Demian Maia, Martin Kampmann, Dan Miller, and Rousimar Palhares. The 31-10 Marquardt has been out of action for more than a year after being cut based on an elevated level of testosterone, then signing with British promotion BAMMA despite never actually having an opportunity to fight for them. Marquardt Discusses Re-Signing with Zuffa Woodley is 10-0 with eight of his wins coming under the Strikeforce banner. He has been on a particularly impressive run as of late with victories over Tarec Saffiedine, Paul Daley, and Jordan Mein. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: keith jardine, marquardt, ronda rousey, woodley, welterweight belt

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It appears Strikeforce finally has a plan in place regarding their still-vacant welterweight championship. Though not officially announced, a May bout between Nate Marquardt and Tyron Woodley will apparently involve the organization’s divisional title even though Marquardt will be making his 170-pound debut in the match-up. “It’s the best outcome I could have imagined, with all this. Like I said – back with Zuffa, back in a title-fight for my first fight back. It’s amazing,” said Marquardt on this week’s episode of Inside MMA, adding their clash would be contested over a five-round period. The belt has been on the shelf since Nick Diaz vacated it to join the UFC this past fall. “He’s a smart fighter, but at the same time, I have a lot more experience than him. It’s gonna be my fight to dictate where it goes,” Marquardt explained of his upcoming meeting with Woodley. Woodley is 10-0 in his career including recent wins over Paul Daley and Jordan Mein, while Marquardt holds an overall record of 31-10 with the bulk of his success coming at 185 pounds. “Nate the Great” has been out of action for more than a year after being released by the UFC due to testosterone use, then signing with BAMMA and waiting for a bout with Daley that never materialized. Marquardt Addresses Criticism of TRT It is expected Marquardt-Woodley will be added to next month’s Strikeforce event in San Jose currently co-headlined by Gilbert Melendez-Josh Thomson and Daniel Cormier-Josh Barnett. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: nate, marquardt, tyron woodley, woodley, ” marquardt

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It was a typical Wednesday night for Tyron Woodley. After training, he darted between training a woman working hard to get in shape, two teenagers working on their striking skills, conducting an interview with Cagewriter, and keeping an eye on kids' wrestling practice at ATT: Evolution in suburban St. Louis. At the same time, it was a far from typical evening. Woodley was waiting to show his new gym to Ricardo Liborio, the head of American Top Team and Woodley's longtime coach. He nervously checked his phone and watched the door. Juggling several roles at once is something Woodley is used to doing. He's a fighter for Strikeforce who expects to fight on May 19 against Nate Marquardt for the Strikeforce welterweight belt. He is the father of three boys. He is the founder and head coach at AT: Evolution. But on this night? He's a nervous student who can't wait to show off his masterpiece to his teacher. Woodley has been talking about building a gym that serves entire families for years. He once even dreamed about the gym he would one day own. "When I walk through this door, and I look down the hallway, I see what I saw in my head seven years ago in a dream. I smell the smells I smelled in the dream. I see the people working the way I saw them in a dream. For me, it's something God promised me and it's coming forth. People thought I was crazy, but those people who didn't think I could do it are now left in the back," Woodley said.

Posted in: way i, dream, nate marquardt, st louis, woodley

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Tyron Woodley said he's had an average of three to five weeks to prepare for a fight. For his next one, he'll get 12 - if he can get official word from his promoter that May 19 is indeed the date that he gets the biggest opportunity of his career against Nate Marquardt. "I want them to give me a bout agreement and confirm that we are going to do this on that day," Woodley told MMAjunkie.com. "Because I've already started training."

Posted in: official word, bout agreement, tyron woodley, woodley, day woodley

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While welterweight Paul Daley has a fight this weekend at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey against Japanese veteran Kazuo Misaki, an adversary he certainly isn’t overlooking, it appears the hard-hitting Brit has a different opponent on his mind – Tyron Woodley. Daley and Woodley went to war for fifteen minutes last July in a bout where “Semtex” not only pressed the pace but showed marked improvement in terms of limiting Woodley’s takedowns. However, in the end the unbeaten Woodley still walked away with the decision win and that doesn’t seem to be sitting well with Daley. “I beat Woodley in my opinion, so it wasn’t that frustrating,” explained Daley in an interview with Strikeforce. “He fought a scared fight and was tired by the second round. I feel bad that the referee’s decisions gave him the win in the judges’ eyes. Three minutes s of inactivity on the floor…that’s not scoring points, and it certainly ain’t entertaining for the fans, who all cheered when it was stood back up.” The 29-11-2 Daley has fought twice since the loss, picking up a pair of decisions, but expects to get back to his old ways of rendering opponents into puddles of goo on Saturday night against Misaki, also on a two-fight winning streak. After beating Misaki, as he expects to do, Daley plans to ask for a second shot at Woodley based on being not only one of the division’s most entertaining fighters but a deserving contender. “After this fight, the only fight I should be offered is a rematch with Tyrone Woodley for the welterweight belt,” said Daley, elaborating that his plan in 2012 is “to stay very busy, and keep fighting and keep winning.” Fans can tune in to catch Daley-Misaki on Showtime when the main card starts up at 10:00 PM EST. The event is headlined by Miesha Tate defending her bantamweight belt against unbeaten judoka Ronda Rousey. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: fight, ’t, daley, woodley, tyrone woodley

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"Real fighters let the fight evolve in whichever way it should go, and they fight to finish, not stall.....real lions go for the kill. I beat Woodley in my opinion, so it wasn’t that frustrating. He fought a scared fight and was tired by the second round. I feel bad that the referee’s decisions gave him the win in the judges’ eyes. Three minutes of inactivity on the floor...that’s not scoring points, and it certainly ain’t entertaining for the fans, who all cheered when it was stood back up. After this fight, the only fight I should be offered is a rematch with Tyrone Woodley for the welterweight belt. It (the division) is interesting, but I think I am the only real character left, now that Nick Diaz has gone." Strikeforce welterweight attraction Paul Daley (via UFC.com), who battles PRIDE import Kazuo Misaki on the main card of the promotion's "Tate vs. Rousey" event this Saturday night (March 3, 2012) on Showtime, doesn't want to hear about any future match-ups unless they involve fellow 170-pound contender Tyron Woodley. "Semtex" lost a unanimous decision to "T-Wood" at the "Fedor vs. Henderson" event last July, but has yet to accept the loss as anything other than a poor job by the referee, for failing to restart the action when Woodley would secure takedowns and do little with them. Anyone think the British bomb-dropper is chewing on sour grapes? Or does he deserve a second chance to beat the unbeaten?

Posted in: fight, paul daley, woodley, welterweight belt, stallreal lions

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Strikeforce welterweight contender Paul Daley occupies a peculiar spot in the 170-pound MMA world. The fans want to see him fight, likely to see him live up to his nickname “Semtex” and detonate one of his fists on someone’s chin. At the same time, practically none of his opponents want to see him fight his fight, leaving many bouts to turn into lessons into frustration for the Nottingham product.Yet Daley, 29, takes a mature approach to this dilemma, and when asked if his power will lead everyone from this day forward to be shooting for takedowns from start to finish, he replies, “No, not the real fighters. Real fighters let the fight evolve in whichever way it should go, and they fight to finish, not stall.....real lions go for the kill.”One of those “real lions” was current UFC contender Nick Diaz, and though Daley lost their Strikeforce welterweight title bout via first round TKO in April of last year, the four minutes and 57 seconds of fury that preceded the final verdict was some of the best action seen in the sport in 2011. It was a fight in which there were no losers in the eyes of the fans, and when Diaz vacated the belt to chase after UFC gold, Daley was expected to be the next to ascend to the throne. Unbeaten Tyron Woodley had something to say about that though, and in Daley’s most recent Strikeforce bout last July, he lost a three round decision to “T-Wood”, who wisely used his wrestling game to nullify the Brit’s striking for 15 minutes.“I beat Woodley in my opinion, so it wasn’t that frustrating,” said Daley. “He fought a scared fight and was tired by the second round. I feel bad that the referee’s decisions gave him the win in the judges’ eyes. Three minutes s of inactivity on the floor...that’s not scoring points, and it certainly ain’t entertaining for the fans, who all cheered when it was stood back up.”Undeterred, Daley remained active for the rest of the year, decisioning UFC vets Jordan Radev and Luigi Fioravanti in back-to-back fights, with his only serious challenge being the scale, as he came in overweight for the Radev bout, the fourth time he’s done so in his last 10 bouts. Against Fioravanti, he got his weight in check and closed out the year with his third win in five 2011 fights. It was a hectic schedule to say the least, but one he wouldn’t mind keeping in 2012 and beyond.“I want to stay very busy, and keep fighting and keep winning,” said Daley, who will return to Strikeforce this Saturday night against Japanese veteran Kazuo Misaki, the 2006 PRIDE welterweight Grand Prix champion and someone who owns wins over the likes of Dan Henderson, Denis Kang, Siyar Bahadurzada, Phil Baroni, and Ed Herman. It’s an impressive resume, and though Misaki has finished 15 of his 24 wins, fighters like Woodley and Josh Koscheck (who decisioned Daley in a 2010 UFC bout) may have provided the blueprint to beating Daley. So how big of a part does wrestling play in the Brit’s training camps these days?“I wrestle a lot, but mostly, I work on takedown defense, which is coming along nicely,” said Daley, who knows that Misaki has the style to give him trouble not just on the mat, but standing as well.“He (Misaki) is so well rounded, I can’t rest anywhere,” he admits.On paper, it’s one of the most intriguing bouts on an intriguing card at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, and with Woodley coming off a January win over Jordan Mein, and Daley now facing the highly-regarded Misaki, does “Semtex” see this week’s matchup as an unofficial title eliminator?“Yeah, most definitely. After this fight, the only fight I should be offered is a rematch with Tyrone Woodley for the welterweight belt.”In the meantime, enjoy Paul Daley, as he is certainly a jolt of energy for the Strikeforce welterweight division. He agrees.“It (the division) is interesting, but I think I am the only real character left, now that Nick Diaz has gone.”

Posted in: fight, bout, welterweight, daley, woodley

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Imagine this scenario. You move in to a new apartment and instantly start to discover odd things. First, the previous tenants have left behind an Elvis mug. Who knows why? Next, taking the pictures off the wall you notice they have also sellotaped pictures of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to the back. Finally, you find Mormon pamphlets in one of the cupboards. The feeling of living in someone else’s house is strong and unsettling but hey, don’t let that stop you drinking out of an idolater’s Elvis mug. That’s the best metaphor I can come up with to describe the situation that Nate Marquardt is now in as he moves into Tyron Woodley’s house, the Strikeforce 170lb division, where Woodley has declared himself the unofficial champion. As reported on Fuel TV’s UFC Tonight show last night, Marquardt has signed with Strikeforce and has verbally agreed to face Woodley in a bout one would expect to be for the vacant welterweight belt, rumored to do down in May. For those that do not know, after his fight with Yoshiyuki Yoshida, along with the whole BAMMA 9 event was pulled from a February 11th date, Nate and his manager Lex McMahon negotiated an amicable split with the British promotion in order to find fights elsewhere. This Strikeforce contract comes eight months after losing his job with the UFC and ten months after his last fight, a unanimous decision win over Dan Miller. Credit to Obilo Nwokogba for the banner image.

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MMAWeekly Radio is back for the attack on Monday with UFC champ Frankie Edgar, Strikeforce contender Tyron Woodley and Team Alpha Male's Lance Palmer.

Posted in: monday, lance, frankie, woodley, tyron

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Pretty? No. Effective? Yes. That might be the best way to describe Tyron Woodley's win over top 170-pound prospect Jordan Mein at the Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" event that took place last Saturday night (Jan. 7, 2012) at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. He got the job done. The undefeated wrestling phenom did exactly what he's done in his last three fights, also decision wins, and that's control the pace with effective grappling and position. While he failed to secure a stoppage, it shouldn't take away from the fights he has finished, including five submissions and one technical knockout across his short but impressive career. At least, that's "T-Wood's" argument (via Sherdog's Savage Dog Show), one he's making after Strikeforce executives failed to guarantee him a 170-pound title shot. "To me, it should be, ‘Tyron’s fighting for the belt next.’ That’s the only answer I was looking forward to hearing. Yeah, it concerns me and it kind of really frustrated me that -- what are we guessing about? Did I guess when [Strikeforce] called me and said, ‘Hey, you want to fight this tough kid in three and a half weeks?’ When I was just told basically I was going to fight in February 24 hours before then? Those are my thoughts. I’m just being honest. I’ve knocked guys out. I’ve submitted guys. I’ve made people stop through strikes. I’ve had different kinds of submissions. My response is going to be not very good, number one. Number two, they announced something at the press conference that caught me and several others by surprise: Paul Daley and [Kazuo] Misaki fighting … which draws a huge problem because obviously Misaki would be the most legitimate person to match me up with for a world title. So now it’s like, once again, I’m a victim of circumstances. My world title, me fighting for the belt, is dependent on somebody else. What if Paul Daley beats him? We’re going to rematch for the title? Are they going to have me fight immediately after March? I just fought in January. Are these guys going to fight in March and then turn around and fight in April? I don’t think so." Woodley's best argument is that no other fighter in the welterweight division, at least in Strikeforce, can be ranked higher than him at 10-0. Two possible contenders, Paul Daley and Tarec Saffiedine, were already victimized by him in previous fights. So what now? If the UFC is adamant about keeping the divisions separate, Woodley could become the Robinson Crusoe of the 170-pound island. However, if he does get a cross-town transfer, it could set off an entirely new career trajectory. Any Maniacs out there have an opinion for (or against) him?

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Tyron Woodley ran his Strikeforce record to 8-0 on Saturday with a split decision over Jordan Mein.

Posted in: doesn ’t, split decision, tyron woodley, woodley, strikeforce record

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I'm not sure where the term "lay and pray" began. But I do remember the experience of being a frustrated viewer while watching Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock II at UFC 5. A few things amplified the experience. For one, the action preceding it was fantastic. Well, a Shakma level of 'fantastic' given the presence of Jon Hess and whatever S.A.F.T.A was supposed to actually be. Then there was the hype of the two best fighters going at in the UFC at the time. What ensued between Shamrock and Gracie wasn't a fight: it was a nightmare. It was competition in limbo. Watching and reading the reactions of fans and observers to Tyron Woodley's performance is what I would expect in response to a dud of a fight. Nothing happened. I'm not the type to judge a fighter's performance when he does what he needed to do to win. But that's not to say I enjoyed it. However, what exactly do fans want? I found myself stuck in a debate with readers over "lay and pray", and what should be 'done' with it: as if a fighter's methods need to be discriminated against like an emerald-colored Bruce Banner in an arm wrestling contest. Aggressive stand ups, judges giving less weight to top control and takedowns, yellow cards, and making knees to downed opponents legal are the typical suggestions. Knees to the head I can get behind. Although ironically I'd argue that wrestlers wise in the ways of Dave Schultz would benefit more. Less weight to top control? I can also get behind that assuming that the fighter on bottom is active, and showing effective aggression while the fighter on top simply takes damage. On the point of aggressive stand-ups: no. The idea that a fight should be stood up simply because nothing is happening is ridiculous and as we've seen before, aggressive stand ups allow fighters on bottom to simply hold on for dear life in order to force a stand-up. It allows fighters to be lazy. I understand the criticism. Even established sports like the National Hockey League, with former debates about the two-line pass and sudden death, have been forced to manage the relationship between sport and spectacle. But for all the criticism thrown Woodley's way, it's the loser that deserves equal if not more condemnation. Jordan Mein knew exactly what Woodley was gonna do. Why not plan accordingly? It's not as if the sport lacks precedent in this regard. Diego Sanchez won round 2 (not according to all judges, granted) off his back against Clay Guida by peppering him with elbows (Mein started to do this, and then simply stopped). Why not use butterfly guard to create space? Or attempt the many different sweeps to reverse position? To me, an even better example exists in the Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim scrap at UFC 132. On paper, Kim's key to victory was simple: lay on top of him, and ride out the clock. He did this previously against Nate Diaz at UFC 125. And I'm not sure there are many people that would argue Condit is a far better grappler than Nate. Nate has experience against serious competition in the grappling world, and for proof, look no further than his match with Ryan Hall at the US Open in 2007, which he won via kimura. So we're not talking about the difference between a better grappler and a lesser one: we're talking about the difference between tactics. Condit used the kitchen sink. When they were on the feet he didn't restrict himself to simply punches. When they were on the ground, he didn't limit himself to simply throwing up submissions from his back (scoring a beautiful sweep that rattled Kim's confidence). It's not like fighters don't have options on the feet either. Against Kenny Florian at UFC 136, Jose Aldo got into the habit of moving laterally immediately following a combination so that he was never in the way of a direct route for a double leg. Yes, I know. 'Easy for you to say Castillo, you silly armchair blogger". And that's a fair point. I'm not saying Woodley gave some kind of inspired performance. You won't ever find me watching that fight again. Even on first viewing, the fight was a test, and I found myself a stereotype of impatience as I returned to clips from Big Trouble in Little China in an open window while grabbing a coke and a handfull of Blue Diamond chocolate almonds. But the importance of "lay and pray" (such as it is) is that it forces fighters to find solutions on their own. It forces opponents on the bottom to dare to be 'exciting' themselves. I want to see fighters learn through trial and through error. I want to see innovation; not accommodation. And that innovation should be organic. Criticize Tyron Woodley (still a bright prospect who has room to grow just as many wrestlers before him who were once one dimensional) all you want, but don't forget the guy on the bottom. It takes two to avoid the tango.

Posted in: ufc, fight, fighter, woodley, bottom

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Filed under: StrikeforceHope you enjoyed your free preview weekend of Showtime in all its MMA-tastic glory. Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine went down more or less exactly as expected on Saturday night, with every favorite notching a victory and every underdog taking a beating that was almost perfectly in line with how long their odds of success were. With the event over and the Showtime preview curtain drawn closed, it's time once again to sort through the action in search of the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between. Biggest Winner: Luke Rockhold He took a tough situation and made it look easy. Granted, a win over Keith Jardine doesn't mean what it did five years ago, but you can't complain about a first-round knockout. Rockhold was calm when he needed to be and ruthlessly aggressive when he saw his opening. He looked like a champion, in other words. His appeal for the UFC to send him some challengers was also a pretty savvy move. Zuffa won't bring him over to the big show? Then let the big show come to him. Framing it that way lets the fans know that he wants bigger challenges just as badly as they want to see him challenged, but without alienating his employers in the process. For now, Strikeforce could match him against either Tim Kennedy or Robbie Lawler without eliciting too many groans, but if Rockhold keeps winning that talent pool is going to become a puddle very quickly. Biggest Loser: Adlan Amagov It looks bad enough when you wind up and hit a guy with a very illegal knee early in the first round. It looks even worse when that same guy comes right back at you with a very legal knee that floors you en route to a quick finish. Amagov seemed to be doing well against Lawler in the opening seconds, but that flagrant foul halted his momentum and only made Lawler mad. Then Amagov found out for himself what it's like to be on the business end of a Lawler blitz. Strikeforce seemed hot on the young Russian coming into this bout, and that enthusiasm was not entirely unfounded. But this loss shows that he's still in need of a little more seasoning -- and maybe a primer on the unified rules -- before he's ready for the big fights. Most Predictable: Keith Jardine Again, you can't blame Jardine for stepping up and taking his shot when Strikeforce offered -- what's he supposed to say, 'Thanks, but I don't deserve it'? -- but the rest of us saw this coming. Jardine's toughness has never been a question, but his skills have eroded with age. So has his chin. As nice a guy as Jardine is, we've got to be honest and admit that he'd done nothing to justify a title shot. Yes, he's had a full, interesting career. And sure, anything can happen in a fight. At least, theoretically. At the same time, just because a given outcome is not impossible that does not make it likely. 'Anything can happen' is what you tell yourself when you're about to do something that you know is a bad idea. It's a way of reassuring yourself that while failure may be likely, it's not guaranteed. That's fine for some pursuits, like buying a lottery ticket. But maybe it's not the right way to go about booking title fights. Most Impressive in Defeat: Tyler Stinson When the fight stayed standing, he had Tarec Saffiedine looking worried and confused. It was just when it hit the mat that Stinson seemed woefully out of his element. If he had better takedown defense or even just more of a sense of urgency about getting off his back, maybe this one would have gone a different way. Instead, he came off looking like a decent prospect with some obvious holes in his game. That's not the worst thing that can happen. Saffiedine is a good fighter who's struggled less with bigger names, so Stinson can take some minor solace in that. He can also get back in the gym and improve his wrestling, and then maybe the next time he gets a shot like this he'll earn more than just a moral victory. Least Impressive in Victory: Tyron Woodley If you've been waiting for Woodley to develop into something more than just a wrestler with perfunctory ground-and-pound, your wait continues. He had little trouble taking Jordan Mein down and keeping him there, but once on top he seemed to put it in cruise control. Woodley's ground attack appears designed solely to avoid stand-ups and submissions. Anything else -- say, I don't know, damaging his opponent in search of a finish -- is a bonus. There were very few bonuses to be had against Mein, and so Woodley contented himself with staying on top and out of harm's way. That's smart, in a way, and it resulted in a decision victory. But as far as career advancement goes, it's maybe not the best strategy. Woodley is 10-0 in his three years as a pro, which means he ought to be able to do a little more than just wrestle at this point. This fight was a great opportunity for him to show off a more well-rounded game, or at least a little more aggression once he had the fight where he wanted it. He took the cautious approach instead, and fans surely took note. Most Passionately Compassionate: Mo Lawal After knocking out Lorenz Larkin with a torrent of rapid-fire right hands, Lawal's biggest concern seemed to be the lack of concern displayed by referee Kim Winslow. He seemed disgusted with how long she allowed the beating to continue and could even be heard on the broadcast chiding her for it as they stood awaiting the official announcement. Winslow claimed she wanted to give Larkin the chance to show he was still in it, but this was after he'd already been knocked out of it and then briefly back in again. Apparently Lawal doesn't like being forced to hurt his fellow man more than is absolutely necessary, which is strange, considering his stated goal of ending "Feijao" Cavalcante's career in a rematch. Let's hope Winslow isn't the ref for that one. Strangest Sight: Mauro Ranallo interviewing Dana White A year ago it would have been difficult to imagine a Strikeforce broadcast punctuated by a cageside interview with the UFC president. And now there he is, standing alongside the voice of MMA on Showtime, doing an interview that is noticeably less enthusiastic than the screaming pre-fight pitches he's used to doing with Joe Rogan. In fairness, this time White didn't have a pay-per-view to sell, but neither did he look terribly happy about his camera time. I guess some things you do because you want to, and other things you do because you have to. For White, all things Strikeforce seem to fall into the latter category. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, strikeforce, way, jardine, woodley

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Cheer up Tyron, you won. I suggest you listen to some Mayer Hawthorne and just chill for a while, you've got a lot of stuff going on as a gym owner, pro fighter and proud Papa. Last night may not have been the prettiest win, but a W is still a W and no one at MiddleEasy thinks you're going to lose any time soon. So you have that going for you. As it stands now, Tyron Woodley is at the top of his respective division in Strikeforce, but with barely two fights a year coming his way and a vacant welterweight title floating about in the ether, T-Wood is understandably frustrated. LayzieTheSavage and Zeus's shadow caught up with Mr Woodley in the press room after the fights last night and asked him just about every pertinent question imaginable for a guy in his position, including his massive confusion over the Daley/Misaki matchup and the state of the Strikeforce welterweight division. Very interesting stuff.

Posted in: fight, night, tyron woodley, woodley, tyron

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It was a bout that was hopefully going to be a starmaking performance for either man when top welterweight contenders Tyron Woodley and Jordan Mein waged war on the main card of Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" last night (January 7, 2011). Woodley entered the cage with an undefeated record and a small wave of hype while Mein had defeated four notable opponents in 2011 alone to enter contender status in Strikeforce. It was a bout which was supposed to get fans excited about the next potential future Strikeforce welterweight champion. So why were fans booing both men out of the cage? Find out inside as well as what's next for both fighters. Mein looked cautious early, wary of Woodley's takedown, but when it came, he could do nothing to stop it. There was a slight resistance along the cage, but it was only delaying the inevitable. Woodley gained top position and remained there for the rest of the round. The problem? His inactivity. Woodley didn't try to pass guard. He didn't try to posture up and drop big punches or elbows after perhaps the first initial strikes immediately following the takedown and he didn't try to go for a submission after the initial takedown when he threatened with an arm triangle. Once Mein regained full guard, he was simply content to bury his head into the Canadian's chest, not even looking at his foe, and drop random punches to Mein's sides. Mein was actually more effective throwing elbows to the top of Woodley's exposed head than anything else, although the top position should have been enough to win the round. Woodley wasn't the only one to blame, however. Mein was completely ineffective off his back as well. Elbows from bottom simply aren't enough when you aren't capable of either getting back to your feet or trying to submit your opponent off your back. This went on for three straight rounds and despite there being plenty of opportunities to stand the fight up, the referee actually chose when Mein was threatening with a keylock to bring them to their feet. It was just a bad night for referees all around. In the end, Woodley top-controlled his way to the judges scorecards where, surprisingly, two of the judges not only gave Mein a round off his back, but one of the judges gave Mein the fight, despite spending about 2 minutes standing out of 15 tops. Regardless, Woodley won a snoozer of a split decision. For Jordan Mein, this was simply a frustrating fight. He didn't put up nearly enough resistance that would have been necessary to tire Woodley out and take over in the later rounds. Also, he didn't do hardly anything off his back to concern the American Top Team fighter. He's a dangerous striker, but he was almost entirely shut down by a fighter who was almost completely relying on one skill to defeat him. Hopefully this was a wake-up call for him to either get better at popping back to his feet, being more active off of his back or improve his takedown defense. He's gonna need it against the elite welterweights anyways. Expect to see Mein against some other top Strikeforce welterweights coming off a loss like James Terry, Eduardo Pamplona or perhaps fellow main card welterweight loser Tyler Stinson. For Tyron Woodley, he won, but there's a big difference between winning and impressing. He did not impress hardly anyone with that victory. He wasn't aggressive, he didn't look to do damage or pass guard or finish the fight. He looked like a fighter who didn't want to take any risks whatsoever or try to improve his position. It's almost like he's regressing, although that can't possibly be true after all the time he's been putting in with great fighters at ATT. This wasn't the performance of someone that Strikeforce would potentially want to have headline fights. There's Georges St. Pierre's recent performances, there's Jon Fitch and then there's Tyron Woodley last night. It was that bad. Unfortunately for Strikeforce, they're pretty much out of options. Woodley is likely going to be fighting for the title with his next bout against either Bobby Voelker or in a rematch against fellow main card winner Tarec Saffiedine, although "The Sponge" apparently broke his arm in his fight. One wildcard option suggested by some fans could be if Jon Fitch heads over to Strikeforce and challenges for the title there because he's clearly not going to be doing so in the UFC for many years. At least that's an intriguing possibility. So what do you think, Maniacs? Did you feel the same way about Woodley's performance as most everyone else did? Does he deserve a title shot after his victory? Sound off! For complete Strikeforce "Rockhold vs. Jardine" results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here and here.

Posted in: fight, strikeforce, didnt, woodley, mein

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LAS VEGAS - Earlier this week, undefeated Strikeforce prospect Tyron Woodley made some waves by calling himself "the uncrowned champion of Strikeforce's welterweight division." Following his decision win over Jordan Mein at Saturday's "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" event in Las Vegas, Woodley took it a step further, demanding a title shot in his next event. In this "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" post-event notebook, read what "T-Wood" had to say and get further updates on winners Robbie Lawler, Tarec Saffiedine and Nah-Shon Burrell.

Posted in: title shot, strikeforce, rockhold, jardine, woodley

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Tyrone Woodley defeated Jordan Mein in their main card fight at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine.

Posted in: strikeforce, jordan mein, woodley, mein, card fight

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Tyron Woodley defeated Jordan Mein by Split Decision. The Judges scored the fight 29-28 Jordan Mein, 29-28 Woodley, 30-27 Woodley. Woodley landed a body kick early. Mein backed Woodley against the fence. Woodley exploded forward looking for a single leg but Mein defended well. Mein landed an uppercut but Woodley dropped and completed a takedown. Immediately as they hit the ground Woodley attempted an arm triangle. Mein quickly postured up but Woodley drove him back down to the mat. Huge elbow from Woodley. Another elbow from Woodley lands but Mein uses it to stand back up. Knee from Woodley from the clinch. Overhand right landed for Woodley and backed Mein up. Woodley clinched and then hit the takedown working from Jordan Mein's half-guard. Woodley working just enough to keep the fight on the ground. Mein opened up with some elbows that may or may not have been completely legal. The ref allowed the fighters to work despite not really providing an exciting round. Mein attempted a knee and Woodley used it to complete a takedown. Woodley continued his not-so-relentless attack on Jordan Mein. He made no attempted to pass guard, content to work just enough to keep the fight on the ground. He'll be the Strikeforce welterweight champion and the crowd hates him. Mein works for a keylock from guard and the referee stands the fighters up. Ankle pick from Woodley was unsuccessful as Mein sprawled out. Jordan Mein attempted the slowest takedown as the round came to a conclusion. Tyron Woodley entered the fight 9-0 and a big win over Paul Daley. He's the number one contender for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title. Jordan Mein is 22-7 in his career and came in on a five fight winning streak. He is 1-1 in the organization.

Posted in: fight, jordan, jordan mein, woodley, mein

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The Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" main card broadcasted live on Showtime from Las Vegas, Nevada, tonight (Sat., Jan. 7, 2012) featured what amounted to a welterweight number one contender bout, as Tyron Woodley looked to finally earn his crack at the vacant belt against prospect Jordan Mein. It's been widely considered almost a foregone conclusions that Woodley has been headed for stardom and his turn was supposed to continue tonight against a tough and durable but very beatable opponent in Mein. Mission accomplished. No different than Tarec Saffiedine before him, though, Woodley used a strong wrestling game and a whole lot of top control to win what many casual fans would likely call a boring fight. Hell, I'm sure a lot of hardcore fans would call it the same. Nonetheless, "T-Wood" is likely headed for a 170-pound title fight with this all-important split decision win. Like it? Mein was a stalker early, walking Woodley down and making him uncomfortable against the cage. Woodley's big right hands looked more nervous than anything else. That's probably why none of them landed. A clinch and failed takedown attempt led to a restart from the referee after a stall in the action but the exact same sequence played itself out. Mein walking Woodley down, Tyron looking to clinch and get the takedown. Except this time it worked. Woodley worked punches and top control, scoring points and doing what he does best, which is smother his opponents and steal their will. Unsurprisingly, Woodley did the exact same thing in the second round, dragging Mein to the floor and just imposing his will. Jordan was game this time, doing what he could to stay busy with elbows from the bottom and throwing his legs up for submissions, but the judges tend to favor the dominant position, as we all know. And that was all Woodley. Guess what the final frame opened with? You got it. Another takedown from Woodley! 15 minutes and a cranky crowd later and Woodley emerged the victor with a split decision victory. He's likely headed for a welterweight title shot but he'll receive a response much like Jon Fitch does. *Crickets*

Posted in: takedown, jon fitch, woodley, mein, welterweight number

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Strikeforce is ready to kick off 2012 on a high note with not only a card full of solid match-ups but live preliminary bouts on Showtime for the first time in promotional history. Headlined by middleweight champion Luke Rockhold defending his belt against crafty cagefighter Keith Jardine, the show starts up on Showtime Extreme at 8:00 PM EST with main card action heading over to Showtime two hours later. Other bouts on the lineup include former light heavyweight title-holder Mo Lawal taking on undefeated striker Lorenz Larkin, hard-hitting fan-favorite Robbie Lawler duking it out with Adlan Amagov, and a battle sure to determine a top contender to the vacant welterweight championship involving Tyron Woodley and Jordan Mein. Woodley Feels He Should Be Fighting for a Title As always Fighters.com will be tuned in throughout the event and relaying live results back to readers as they unfold in real time. Check out a complete rundown of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine outcomes below: Estevan Payan vs. Alonzo Martinez Ricky Legere vs. Chris Spang Gian Villante vs. Trevor Smith Nah-Shon Burrell vs. James Terry Tyler Stinson vs. Tarec Saffiedine Tyron Woodley vs. Jordan Mein Mo Lawal vs. Lorenz Larkin Robbie Lawler vs. Adlan Amagov Luke Rockhold vs. Keith Jardine Tweet

Posted in: strikeforce, vs, rockhold, jardine, woodley

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Filed under: StrikeforceTyron Woodley is a perfect 10-0 in his MMA career. Woodley defeated Jordan Mein by split decision at Saturday night's Strikeforce event, winning his tenth fight in much the same way he has won his last couple of fights: He used his superior wrestling to control the fight for 15 minutes, and got booed afterward by fans who didn't find the fight entertaining enough. It was surprising that one judge scored the fight 29-28 for Mein, who drops to 23-8. The other two judges scored it 30-27 and 29-28 for Woodley, who said he would like to fight for the Strikeforce welterweight title. "I should be fighting for the title next," Woodley said. Although Mein landed some hard punches in the early going, Woodley did exactly what he wanted to do in the first round, taking Mein down and controlling him on the ground. Woodley had a good first round. The second round was similar, in the sense that Woodley took Mein down and stayed on top of him, although this time Mein was much more active from his back, landing elbows from the bottom and at least attempting to do some damage. At the start of the third round Mein threw a kick, and Woodley made him pay for it, catching Mein's leg and planting him on his back. Woodley stayed on top on the ground for most of the round and although they did get back to their feet at the end of the round, Woodley clinched with Mein and remained in control. It was an easy decision win for Woodley, even if one judge didn't see it that way. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, round, jordan mein, woodley, mein

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Despite losing its welterweight champion, light heavyweight champion and eventually its entire heavyweight division, the Strikeforce mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion is determined to soldier on with events on Showtime. In fact, tonight (Sat., Jan. 7, 2012) the San Jose, Calif.-based organization will host its first event of the New Year as part of Showtime's free preview weekend. Leading the way is newly-minted middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, who will face former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contender, Keith Jardine, in a five-round war that pits the future of the sport against, perhaps, its past. In addition to stars such as Muhammed Lawal and Robbie Lawler, other prospects abound, including Tyron Woodley, Jordan Mein, Tarec Saffiedine and Adlan Amagov, making for what's sure to be one heck of a 2012 debut. And, if you know where to look, a profitable one. Join me after the jump for a closer look at the odds behind Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine," which will emanate from "The Joint" at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada: Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" Undercard Odds: Chris Spang (-300) vs. Ricky Legere (+230)Gian Villante (-150) vs. Trevor Smith (+120)Alonzo Martinez (N/A) vs. Estevan Payan (N/A)James Terry (-170) vs. Nah-Shon Burrell (+140) Thoughts: There really isn’t that much here at the moment -- two of the three bettable bouts are pick-‘ems and the odds, unfortunately, reflect that. The other, Spang-Legere, features one fighter with only four bouts under his belt and another who’s significantly more experienced, but against lesser competition. I’m a fan of Burrell since he beat up Joe Ray and I’m convinced he has plenty of upside, but Terry is a fine fighter himself. Unless Burrell gets to +175 or so, I’m leaving this one alone. Same with Villante-Smith, as Gian has lost two of his last three, but has the wrestling to make it a long and frustrating night for Smith. Overall, just save your cash for the main card and curse the difficulty in watching Strikeforce prelims, because these are really good fights on Showtime later this evening. Strikforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine Main Card Odds: Tarec Saffiedine (-450) vs. Tyler Stinson (+300)Tyron Woodley (-370) vs. Jordan Mein (+280)Muhammad Lawal (-600) vs. Lorenz Larkin (+400)Robbie Lawler (-170) vs. Adlan Amagov (+140)Luke Rockhold (-550) vs. Keith Jardine (+375) Thoughts: These are some very interesting odds. Let’s take a closer look. I am of the firm belief that Saffiedine is one of the brightest prospects in the welterweight division. He’s not the best finisher, but he has phenomenally technical striking and ever-improving wrestling honed by Team Quest. Stinson has good power, but his submission defense is completely porous and, despite that power, I have my doubts that he can handle the karate prowess of Tarec. Therefore, cram "The Sponge" into a parlay. I’m not all that high on Woodley and am a big fan of Mein, but I just see this ending badly for the Canadian. Simply put, I’m not convinced of his ability to stay off his back or hurt "T-Wood" once there. Further, Mein isn’t the type of high-energy, swarming fighter Paul Daley is, making me doubtful of him gassing Woodley. The last wrestler of even comparable takedown prowess to Woodley (besides what’s left of Joe Riggs) was Jason High, who decisioned Mein in the latter’s absurd six-fight 2010 campaign. Based on Woodley’s stifling of Saffiedine and resilience against Daley, I consider him a decent bet despite the skewed odds. Mein has a bright future, but the present is going to grind him into the floor. "King Mo," Rafael Cavalcante fight notwithstanding, is, in my firm opinion, one of the very best light heavyweights in the world. When he doesn’t try (and fail) to be Roy Jones Jr., he has phenomenal chain wrestling, heavy hands and a truly unbelievable chin. I love watching Larkin fight, but he doesn’t have the type of thunderous power needed to put Lawal down standing, and his high-flying style of offense is just begging to be dragged to the ground. Lawal is going to lay down the hurt on this one -- parlay him with some of the other favorites. Amagov has arguably the best chance of any of the underdogs on the main card to pull off the upset, but unless the odds go up to the +175 range, it’s in your best interest to leave this fight alone. Lawler is one of the most dangerous punchers in the division, but he’s also incredibly frustrating. At times, he’s a force of nature, as seen by his starching of Lindland, but at other times, he’s content to sit back and lose the fight. He didn’t sufficiently engage the notoriously chinny "Babalu" and, despite having a tired Tim Kennedy right where he wanted him, refused to pursue and put him away. Amagov has demonstrated a beautiful array of kicks and some excellent throws, but he seemed a little too willing to engage in a sloppy brawl against Anthony Smith for me to recommend betting on him. Until and unless the odds get more skewed, leave this one alone. Too many questions. Let me go ahead and say it: Keith Jardine is boned. He’s only won three of his last 10 and that "draw" with Gegard Mousasi was, for lack of a better word, baloney. He’s making his first-ever cut to 185, which can mean anything good for his notoriously poor chin. His striking has been figured out, his wrestling isn’t great, and he really doesn’t have a submission game. Rockhold, on the other hand, beat a consensus top-10 middleweight after being out for a year and a half. This is not complicated. Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" Best Bets: Parlay: Saffiedine and Woodley -- $94 to make 51.94Parlay: Lawal, Rockhold and Woodley -- $67.79 to make $50.94. Get your Hello Kitty umbrellas and My Little Pony ponchos ready, Maniacs. A deluge of MMA is coming this weekend, which signals the start of a very busy 2012. Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver live Strikeforce results later this evening, which is as good a place as any to talk about all the action inside the Octagon, as well as what you've got riding on the sportsbook. See you then, Maniacs!

Posted in: vs, rockhold, jardine, odd, woodley

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How is a baseball hat still a baseball hat when it's shaped like a duck's head? Ducks are the model for baseball hats. They don't get any compensation unless you call 'Sweet and Sour Sauce' something to be proud of. That was my way of making your head explode with novelty before Friday night. If you're still reading this, it probably didn't work. My bad. Let me give it another shot. Pull out your thinking caps on this one. You know, the ones that your 4th grade teacher told you to put on until you realized they were imaginary. What would possibly happen if Tyron Woodley fought Nick Diaz? Technically, you can walk over to your nearest gaming console and assemble the match on EA Sports MMA. However, we're talking about reality here. Not some digital construct that was created by a team of incredibly talented developers who I consumed Hawaiian BBQ with in Fresno, CA. In this current intersection in time and space, it's a question that will never have an answer. It's the fight that everyone wanted before Diaz signed with UFC and left Tyron with a vacated belt to grab in his division. While tomorrow night may not be a title fight, Woodley still has an incredibly composed gameface going into his bout with Jordan Mein. Check out this interview we grabbed with the Woodley and don't miss Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine airing on Showtime 10:00 pm EST/PST, a part of the 'Freeview weekend' -- which means it's essentially free MMA for your eyes to consume.

Posted in: tomorrow night, tyron woodley, woodley, baseball hat, baseball hats

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It’s the first Strikeforce of the year – hooray!  Middleweight champ Luke Rockhold is defending his belt against Keith Jardine, who’s about as worthy a challenger as Urijah Faber or Bob Sapp – boo!  Okay, enough with the griping.  Saturday night’s main event may be a big pile of suck (for reasons such as Jardine’s five-fight losing streak that got him booted from the UFC,  and his last bout ending in a draw), but there’s no cause to lambast the rest of the card, which is actually quite decent.  There’s an ex-champ, a legendary slugger, and a wealth of promising up-and-comers on deck, all of whom deserve love.  So let me give them love – all of them – in the form of a preview. -Luke Rockhold vs. Keith Jardine – Rockhold was a very talented nobody who was wrecking dudes on the lower rungs of the ladder, so in September he was given a crack at the more-experienced Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza’s belt.  And I’ll be damned if Rockhold didn’t outwork him and earn himself the Strikeforce crown.  So here we are then, with the champ set to defend his title for the first time against former light-heavyweight Jardine in what should be a walk in the park for the Dave Camarillo-trained grappler.  Can “The Dean of Mean” stuff a takedown?  Sure.  Can he still wing kicks and punches from odd angles and throw opponents off?  Sure.  But there’s a fire that burns within the hearts of those who can and do compete at the highest levels, and though Rockhold put that flame on display in his five-rounder against Jacare, a peek inside Jardine’s chest is like looking inside the freezer compartment of your refrigerator – there’s a TV dinner, a torn-open bag of peas, some stray cubes that fell from the tray, and that’s pretty much it.  Rockhold is taking this one, maybe by sub, maybe by decision.  -Robbie Lawler vs. Adlan Amagov – Lawler has been knocking people into oblivion since  before he starred in the UFC’s first appearance on cable television (fun fact: it was on Fox Sports Net’s “Best Damn Sports Show Period”, and he TKO’d Steve Berger).  Unfortunately, he’s also been falling to expert submission specialists since those early days, too.  But Chechen fighter Amagov isn’t so much a “make you tap out” kind of guy as much as he’s a “brawl ‘til you fall” guy, so this could be one heck of a thrilling bout while it lasts.  Does Lawler still have it in him to send a young buck to Dreamland?  I don’t see why not.  With his last four losses coming at the hands of Tim Kennedy, Jacare, Renato Sobral and Jake Shields – elite fighters all – taking on a prospect who has yet to face top talent should be no problem. -Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal vs. Lorenz Larkin – Former champ King Mo may have bitten off more than he could chew against Rafael Cavalcante, but since losing the belt the trash-talking wrestler bounced back to easily crush Roger Gracie – a win that reestablished him as a prominent (read: badass) member of the organization’s light-heavyweight division.  On the flip side, aside from a performance in September that lacked magic, Larkin has been epitome of “exciting striker and rising star”, and Lawal should be the mother of all tests of his ability to defend takedowns.  In terms of sheer mettle, I see Larkin going the distance.  Sadly, I don’t see the up-and-comer doing more than surviving while the ex-champ dry humps him.  King Mo is taking the decision here. -Tyron Woodley vs. Jordan Mein – As one of the best guys to ever come out of the Strikeforce Challengers “little league”, Woodley has been so effective with his “lay and pray” technique, the Catholic Church has given him the rank of cardinal.  (Get it?  “Pray”?  Heh-heh.)  Mein, though highly-touted as a stud and sporting wins over Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, Marius Zaromskis and Josh Burkman, is going to have a rough night if he can’t keep Woodley off of him.  And frankly, I have Woodley smothering him to death. -Tyler Stinson vs. Tarec Saffiedine – After seeing Stinson get handled by Steve Carl in Bellator, I tend to believe his 15-second knockout of Eduardo Pamplona (a Brazilian who is to striking what the Human Torch is to fire) was a fluke.  Regardless, his bout against Saffiedine should be entertaining as hell given Saffiedine’s propensity for standing and creatively throwing fists and feet.  For handily defeating the likes of Scott Smith and Brock Larson, I give the edge to the man from Belgium.  But when leather is flying, you never know.  Stinson could catch him.

Posted in: ’t, vs, rockhold, jardine, woodley

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Luke Rockhold vs Keith Jardine Brent Brookhouse: Jardine has a lot of question marks heading into the fight. Given that we’ve never seen him at middleweight and how lackluster his career has been over the past few years this is a fairly easy pick. Yes, Jardine can make things awkward and has a difficult style to figure out, but this is a five round fight where he’s going to eventually get hurt and finished. Luke Rockhold by TKO, round 3.Leland Roling: Jardine is a tough man to beat, but Rockhold should have this on lockdown, especially if he can bring this fight to the ground. Luke Rockhold via decision.T.P. Grant: This match up left my scratching my head. Jardine, while an able and respected fighter, has never made the cut to 185 lbs in his MMA career. Luke Rockhold is coming off an impressive win over ‘Jacre’, the biggest of his career. I don’t think there is anything Jardine can really do to Rockhold that is going to slow him down for long and I expect the cut to hit Jardine hard. Rockhold takes firm control of this fight when it moves to championship rounds. Luke Rockhold via Decision. Fraser Coffeen: Let it be said that I suck at Strikeforce predictions. I think it’s a combination of there being a lot of untested fighters, plus fighters with some real down time between fights, so there end up being too many variables, and I get all muddled. Case in point: this fight. Jardine’s first time at 185, plus he’s getting up there in years, plus Rockhold only has 1 fight in the last 2 years. See what I mean? I think the key to beating Jardine is to rush him and knock him out, which Rockhold won’t do. Still, the champ has enough striking skill to outpoint Jardine. I think. But don’t rule an upset out here. Luke Rockhold by KO, round 3Tim Burke - I actually figured Jardine might have a shot here, until the press conference yesterday. Rockhold is still inexperienced and doesn’t have a lot of power in his hands, which is Jardine’s obvious weakness. I figured Rockhold definitely held the edge, but Jardine didn’t deserve to be a 4-1 dog. But at the PC yesterday, he said the cut was tough and he was still "big" less than 24 hours before weigh-ins. That’s going to be a draining cut even if he makes it, and I’m completely behind Luke now. I still can’t see a finish though. Luke Rockhold by decision.David Castillo: Despite all the hate being thrown Jardine’s way, I’ve gotta be the one to put on the stupid cap and say that I think Rockhold will have some trouble. I think it was Subo who brought up on fight linker’s podcast how uinique Jardine’s ability is to drag opponents down to his level and make everyone in the cage look like crap. Which is true when Jardine is not being floored by a left hook. I don’t know if that principle will hold here, as Rockhold doesn’t have a lights out left hook, but he is the better fighter and I think his "unorthodox" striking will be the difference in contrast to Keith’s not-unorthodox but sloppy, awkward striking. Luke Rockhold by TKO, round 4. Staff Picking Rockhold: Leland, Grant, Brookhouse, Fraser, Tim, Gould, David, RothStaff Picking Jardine: SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine Robbie Lawler vs Adlan AmagovBrent Brookhouse: I like Amagov a lot. He’s got very good technique for MMA striking and is actually exactly the right kind of guy to pick Lawler apart. Robbie has the chance for a one shot KO and you can never write him off, but I think he loses all three rounds here. Adlan Amagov by decision.Leland Roling: I’m not sold that Robbie Lawler walks through Amagov. Sure, Robbie possesses a brutal one-punch style of fighting, but I still believe Melvin Manhoef wrote the blueprint for strikers. Maintain distance and batter Lawler’s base. Amagov can do that with precision. The question is whether he can avoid Lawler’s power to start and avoid leaning in too far later in the fight. I’m not convinced he can win, but I believe he’s a surprisingly good bettor’s pick. Robbie Lawler via TKOT.P. Grant: Two strikes going into cage, Lawler wants to brawl and Amagov wants to box. Lawler’s camp has been adamant saying that his recent diagnosis with asthma will make all the difference with Lawler’s cardio problems. I still question how Lawler trains, he is infamous for skipping sparring sessions and preferring to lift weights rather than work on skills or cardio. I think Amagov stays on the outside, survives the early rounds and drags Lawler into deep water. Adlan Amagov via TKO, Round 3Fraser Coffeen: Lawler’s loss to Tim Kennedy looms heavy in my mind. Though only 29, he’s an 11 year veteran, and those years are catching up with him. Lawler grew more patient in his fantastic post-UFC run, but as of late, he seems to be moving back towards that one punch KO style he used to employ, and not with great results. I think he relies on the Hail Mary here. And I think it fails him. Adlan Amagov via KO, round 1Tim Burke - If Robbie Lawler could remember that he used to be a wrestler, he’d probably be able to take this without a ton of difficulty (despite Amagov’s improvements on the floor). But he’s purely a standnbanger now, and I don’t think that’s going to fly with a more technical striker like Amagov. He’s not throwing the hail mary in this one. Adlan Amagov by decisionDavid Castillo: Surprised by the amount love for a completely unknown Amagov. He is a technical striker, but I think of him as an incredibly poor man’s version of Mamed Khalidov. And he gets way too loose with some of the more "cute" tactics of his on the feet (like the roundhouse kick, which he seems to love). Inexperienced, and unrefined, I think Lawler catches him at some point. Robbie Lawler by TKO, round 2. Staff Picking Lawler: Leland, David, RothStaff Picking Amagov: Grant, Brookhouse, Fraser, Tim, GouldMuhammed Lawal vs Lorenz LarkinBrent Brookhouse: I hate this fight. This is where the lack of depth in Strikeforce hurts them and their ability to bring along fighters correctly. I’m a huge fan of Larkin, but he’s not ready for Mo yet. That was made pretty clear in struggling in his win against "The Slim Shady of MMA" Nick Rossborough. Larkin is a lot of fun to watch but he has too many holes in his wrestling game and, as much as it pains me to say this, Lawal will exploit those badly. Muhammed Lawal by decision.Leland Roling: Similar to the Mein vs. Woodley showdown, it’s a high-flying striker vs. wrestler battle that will likely hit the ground quickly. I think Larkin has a decent chance at catching Lawal with something crazy in the opening exchanges, but it’s difficult for a fighter who relies heavily on kicks to maintain his legs against a world class wrestler. Lawal shoots, gets a takedown, and batters Larkin to a victory. Muhammed Lawal via decision.T.P. Grant: Gian Villante was able to take down Larkin without much effort, I think Lawal is going to have a field day with Larkin. The only way I think Larkin is able to stay competitive in this fight is if we see the see Lawal that wanted to box and showboat against Feijao instead of wrestle. And even then I think Larkin would have to get lucky to notch a win. Muhammed Lawal via Decision. Tim Burke - See above re: Mo’s wrestling. The only difference to me is that I don’t see Mo being tentative on the ground like he was against Mousasi. I think he’s going to get a GnP finish. Muhammed Lawal by TKO.David Castillo: Easy pick. If Larkin had more power, I might be inclined to consider him for an upset pick, but he doesn’t, so I can’t. Even so, Lawal has a pretty sturdy beard, and so I don’t expect him to get hurt at any point. It took Feijao a hurricane of strikes to finally put Mo down, and besides, Larkin won’t be able to avoid the takedowns. At all. Because I think Lawal is a student of the game, and is an underrated grappler, I see him passing guard and pounding Larkin out. I predict it’ll be the most dominating performance of the night, actually. Muhammed Lawal by Rear Naked Choke, round 2. Staff Picking Lawal: Leland, Grant, Brookhouse, Fraser, Tim, Gould, David, RothStaff Picking Larkin: Tyron Woodley vs Jordan MeinBrent Brookhouse: Mein is a good fighter but Jason High already showed how to take the decision against him. Woodley is very good at what needs to be done to get the win here. Tyron Woodley by decision.Leland Roling: It’s hard not to like Jordan Mein. He’s exciting to watch and takes the risks necessary to win. But Woodley’s wrestling will take full advantage of that aggressiveness, plowing Mein into the canvas and controlling him from the top. Tyron Woodley via decision.T.P. Grant: I’m going to side with Brookhouse and Rolling here. Wooldey’s wrestling is just too good for Mein. Crazier things have happened than Mein knocking out Woodley, but I don’t see it happening. Tyorn Woodley via decision. Tim Burke - While I do think that Tyron Woodley is an excellent wrestler, people are putting way too much stock into the Mein loss to Jason High. That was a closer fight than people seem to think, and it was 16 months ago. Mein’s takedown defense has improved a lot since then, and I still feel that Woodley doesn’t take punches all that well. Mein at +280 is a joke, this a close fight. GO CANADA! Jordan Mein by TKO.David Castillo: Mein has picked up some good wins, but I wasn’t too impressed. He beat a Zaromskis that was totally uninterested, and Santos is just not a good fighter at this weight (or any weight for that matter). Even if Woodley decides to stand and bang, I like his chances. Tyron Woodley by decision. Staff Picking Woodley: Leland, Brookhouse, Fraser, Gould, David, Grant, RothStaff Picking Mein: TimTarec Saffiedine vs Tyler StinsonBrent Brookhouse: Sinson’s reach may be a problem but I still like Saffiedine to get inside and outwork him to take two of the three rounds. Tarec Saffiedine by decision.Leland Roling: At a glance, Saffiedine is the clear cut favorite in this match-up. He has the punching prowess to get the job done standing, and he possesses enough credible wrestling skill to maintain his feet or control from the top. There is a chance that won’t work against Stinson. At 6’3" tall, Stinson has a 6" height advantage on top of proven knockout power. His lone crutch is on the ground, and Tarec hasn’t been submitting opponents left and right. This could get interesting, possibly an upset in the works. Tarec Saffiedine via decision.Tim Burke - I don’t even know why Stinson got this fight, to be honest. Quinn Mulhern or Jason High would have been much better tests for the Sponge. I guess 15 second KO’s will do that for you. It’ll probably be exciting, which is a good way to start a card. But Saffiedine will expose a lot of the holes in Stinson’s standup game, despite the height/reach advantage. Tarec Saffiedine by decision.David Castillo: I could see this being a slugfest early ,and Stinson should catch Saffiedine early, who might be unsuspecting, but after that it’s all Tarec. He’s more technical, and more polished. Tarec Saffiedine by decision. T.P. Grant: With everyone and their brother picking Saffiedine it seems crazy to pick Stinson. Well, challenge accepted. The huge height difference I think will give Saffiedine fits, and Stinson has legit KO power. Tyler Stinson by TKOStaff Picking Saffiedine: Leland, Brookhouse, Fraser, Tim, Gould, David, RothStaff Picking Stinson: Grant

Posted in: fight, rockhold, jardine, lawal, woodley

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Tyron Woodley has taken the welterweight division in Strikeforce by storm, defeating some very tough and highly respected opposition. While he is happy to step into the cage to stop the rise of Canadian standout Jordan Mein at tomorrow night’s Strikeforce: Jardine vs. Rockhold event, he believes he personally should be fighting for the vacant title. “I should be fighting for the title. I don’t know about him,” said Woodley in a conversation with Fighters.com. “I don’t think he has the kind of recognition and been on the scene long enough. He’s only got one Strikeforce fight, and has beat a guy that’s lost a couple fights. I think (Evangelista Santos) is a tough opponent, but he’s not the type of guy who he should beat and be fighting for a title afterward.” Those may sound like harsh words, but Woodley says that he respects Mein’s talents, which was what brought him to taking the fight. “It’s hard, because (Strikeforce) didn’t have anybody ready (for a title fight,) and I thought, ‘You know what? I should fight somebody I obviously respect and I think is an awesome fighter and brings a lot to the table. I remember when being in (Mein’s) shoes when I was trying to get myself on the map. He’s got the skills, and you saw that against ‘Cyborg’. So I mean, the threat is really there.” In the end, regardless of the outcome, Woodley believes there is a title shot in his future. “I think I should be fighting for the world title no matter what. Woodley blankly stated. “I mean, there are only so many fights in the world you can be (told) ‘Your next fight can be for the title.’ We’ve done that three or four times already, so at this point, it’s time to go ahead and do it. I mean, me and Paul Daley went at it, and I thought that could’ve definitely been for the belt.” Woodley closed by saying it did not matter to him whom his opponent would be for a potential title fight. Woodley meets Mein on the main card of tomorrow’s show at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event will be broadcast live on Showtime in the United States, and Superchannel in Canada. Tweet

Posted in: fight, title, strikeforce, woodley, mein

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Tyron Woodley has his sights set on becoming a star in MMA. To do that, the former University of Missouri wrestling standout must stop rising star Jordan Mein Saturday night. Despite being the less experienced fighter, Woodley understands that much of the pressure is squarely on his shoulders for the bout with Mein. Woodley is 9-0 in his young MMA career, while Mein sports a mark of 23-7. “This fight is important and my mental game has to be there,” said Woodley in a recent interview on Strikeforce’s website. “This is a young kid that would like nothing more than to knock me off and take my place in line and possibly throw himself into title contention. I’m not gonna act like it wasn’t a test and wasn’t a trial, because it was, but I think at the end of the day I learned a lesson early and I think I’m going into this fight with some steam.” Woodley recently opened a gym in Rock Hill, Missouri called ATT Evolution Gym. It has taken away from time he would normally have spent training himself for the Mein bout, but the businessman in Woodley understands how important this decision was. “I think it’s a test of having to find balance,” Woodley said. “My gym’s not going anywhere, my family’s not going anywhere, and I’m sure as heck not going anywhere when it comes to MMA, so I’ve learned a real good lesson about delegation and believing in my staff and my team and separating myself when I have to.” With a win, Woodley would likely position himself to compete for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title later in 2012, as the title remains unclaimed since Nick Diaz left for the UFC. Woodley-Mein will be part of the main card for Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine, which airs live on Showtime from Las Vegas. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: strikeforce, i ’m, wasn ’t, woodley, mein

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In one of the more compelling match ups on the Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine card, undefeated wrestler Tyron Woodley takes on talented Canadian Jordan Mein in the welterweight class.It was obvious that Tyron Woodley (9-0) was becoming more than a one-dimensional wrestler when he clubbed elite BJJ player Andre Galvao with punches for a first round stoppage. While many were hoping to take in a style vs. style clash on the mat, Woodley was intelligent to take the path of least resistance and surpass his best opponent to date without breaking a sweat. The clout of his opposition continued to rise in his last two affairs, as Woodley went back to his roots to neutralize stand-up specialists Tarec Saffiedine and Paul Daley with stifling ground control, defeating both by decision. His striking has grown to a level where he can engage effectively enough to set up his takedowns smoothly and training at American Top Team has surely expanded his submission grappling awareness. Jordan Mein (23-7) began his fight career at a blistering pace, competing once every two months during his first two years in the game. This trial by fire has now paid dividends. Mein is a wee twenty-one years old with thirty fights clocked on his resumé. Seven fights back, scrapper Jason High was Mein's first taste of top-shelf competition. Though he lost by decision, the match sparked an eye-catching six-fight win streak that Mein is still enjoying. The surge includes strike-stoppages over former UFC welterweight Joe Riggs and Evangelista Santos (the latter in his Strikeforce debut) as well as decisions over former DREAM welterweight champ Marius Zaromskis (in a fight contested entirely on the feet) and another former UFCer in Josh Burkman. He's turned it on recently and the kid definitely has all the ingredients to be a future superstar. Gifs and analysis in the full entry. SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine Striking-wise, Mein, barely old enough to slosh down a beer in the states, conducts himself with the cool composure of an experienced veteran. To the right is a clip of him picking apart feared kickboxer Zaromskis in their Score Fighting Series match. Zaromskis kept hunching over to his left while covering to defend, and Mein picked up on the tendency and hammered him with the flying knee. Zaromskis postures a little and drops his hands after the knee, so Mein flicks out the push kick and then changes his stance before unfurling the right hook/left straight combo, which is his go-to sequence on the feet. Against "Cyborg", Mein started to find his range after the first round and softened him up with long one-twos. Here, he cracks away with a series of his two favorite strikes before doubling up shots downstairs. He then goes back to his bread-and-butter combo and artfully dodges the uppercut. This is also a good example of the volume that Mein can put together. I count eight punches in this animation compared to a measly one for Santos. Mein has excellent footwork, a knack for measuring the distance, he integrates kicks from outside and he's a beast in the pocket. Another sign of his maturity as a fighter is how he's patient and calculating while finding his rhythm, but knows exactly when to engage his killer instinct. And "killer instinct" is quite a befitting term for the ruthless of barrage of short elbows that Mein overwhelms Santos with to the right. Many younger fighters will waste energy flurrying on a dazed opponent, but Mein -- again showing his phenomenal grasp of distance -- quickly switches from punches to short, cleaving elbows (with both hands) that bore right through the defensive guard of Santos. Woodley's background is in freestyle wrestling but he's proven to be a monster in the clinch with Greco Roman tactics as well. Saffiedine's footwork allowed him to elude a few of his shots from outside, so Woodley adjusted and started to steer him against the cage and work takedowns from the body-lock. Not only was the change in approach a success, but it was a good sign of Woodley's intelligence and diversity. Against "Semtex", who has bullish strength and a wicked clinch game, Woodley had some trouble with upper-body clinching. Daley did a good job of keeping his hips out of his reach and blasted him with a few solid knees in early tie-ups. Woodley kept clinching to avoid the perils of Daley's malicious Muay Thai in open space and started to drop levels and attack Daley's legs with ankle picks and high singles. Again, altering his approach to securing takedowns made a world of difference. Daley became overly cautious to plant his feet, which threw off his striking and diminished his power, and his balance was affected because he was constantly retreating and back on his heels. To the left we see Woodley's alternative to tangling with Daley in an upright clinch. This was a well executed compromise between rifling shots from outside and dealing with Daley's upper-body strength and knees in a deep clinch. Woodley was methodical in closing the distance, steering Daley into a corner, darting into contact-range without eating punches, tying up his arms to muffle his striking and undermining his foundation by getting leverage on one of his legs. It's worth noting that Daley was admirable off his back with busy hips and constant activity. There's no way Mein can match Woodley's strength and wrestling chops. He does, however, have phenomenal technique and fundamentals in every aspect. In his fight with another solid wrestler in Josh Burkman, Mein was adept with head-position in the clinch and used underhooks well to shuck off takedowns; in open space, his footwork and circling kept him free of all attempts. Burkman did nail a huge slam from the clinch for his only successful takedown, but Mein created space and got back to his feet almost instantly. Since belt color means almost nothing in MMA nowadays, it's difficult to assess Mein's grappling and submission prowess. He's not an elite virtuoso who is unstoppable off his back but he is extremely capable with scrambling, defense, sweeps, submissions and escapes. He also has a full gas tank and gradually finds his rhythm as the fight progresses. Just like we saw against "Cyborg", he found a foothold in the second and had his timing perfectly dialed in by the third, which is when he started to connect at a higher frequency and slip most of Santos' strikes. Though it's not his specialty, Woodley is no slouch on the feet and his power has to be respected. Mein should be able to undress him from outside but has to be cautious when entering Woodley's wheelhouse. Mein is not exactly a huge power-puncher as most of his knockouts have come from flawless fundamentals and accuracy or a mounting volume of strikes. In the past, he has surprised opponents by setting the tone with his telephone-pole punches from the fringe and then vaulting into the pocket with flying knees or aggressive combinations with uppercuts and short elbows. Along with Saffiedine and Jason High, these are the premiere welterweights in Strikeforce. It's quite understandable that Woodley is the favorite here. He's never lost and has similar style to High, who is responsible for Mein's last loss. Additionally, on paper, Mein matches up with Woodley a lot like Saffiedine, whose talent could not overcome Woodley's wrestling. I'm going to hang my neck out and take Mein for the upset here, thinking he'll weather the first-round storm and start establishing his takedown defense and sighting in his hands soon after. Woodley is definitely the safer pick but Mein is worth a look at the -260 to -280 odds. My Prediction: Jordan Mein by decision. Mein vs. Zaromskis gif via Caposa All others via Zombie Prophet of IronForgesIron.com Poll Tyron Woodley vs. Jordan Mein Woodley Mein   7 votes | Results

Posted in: fight, vs, daley, woodley, mein

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LAS VEGAS - If Strikeforce ever gets around to handing out the welterweight title recently vacated by Nick Diaz, Saturday's "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" event seems to have a blueprint in place. Featured welterweight bouts? Tyron Woodley vs. Jordan Mein and Tarec Saffiedine vs. Tyler Stinson. Each winner would appear a perfect candidate for an upcoming title fight. Woodley, though, doesn't see it that way.

Posted in: vs, las vegas, welterweight title, woodley, tarec saffiedine

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LAS VEGAS - Strikeforce welterweight prospect Jordan Mein readily admits that his Saturday night clash with Tyron Woodley is the biggest fight of his career. Of course, Mein said he's felt the same way about each of his 30 previous contests. Mein also admits that facing wrestlers, of which Woodley is one of the best in MMA, is always a difficult challenge. Of course, with 30 professional fights under his belt at just 21 years old, Mein isn't exactly one to shy away from a challenge.

Posted in: tyron woodley, woodley, mein, course mein, contests mein

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LAS VEGAS - Strikeforce welterweight prospect Jordan Mein readily admits that his Saturday night clash with Tyron Woodley is the biggest fight of his career. Of course, Mein said he's felt the same way about each of his 30 previous contests. Mein also admits that facing wrestlers, of which Woodley is one of the best in MMA, is always a difficult challenge. Of course, with 30 professional fights under his belt at just 21 years old, Mein isn't exactly one to shy away from a challenge.

Posted in: tyron woodley, woodley, mein, course mein, contests mein

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Tyron Woodley is very likely the top welterweight on Strikeforce's roster. A wrestler by trade, he's dominated his opponents using takedowns and top control to break their wills. This weekend he's fighting Jordan Mein in what is a number one contender fight for a future shot at the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title. I had the pleasure of speaking with Tyron the day before he opened his new gym in St. Louis to find out what's going through his head as he prepares for the biggest fight of his career. The gym is called 'ATT Evolution' and is a huge step towards his goal of opening a non-profit for children.. Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow) - So there was some big news the other day that Showtime extended the deal with Strikeforce to 2014. What's your take away from that announcement? Tyron Woodley: My take away is that I was fighting January seventh regardless so for me I was really focusing on my next bout and my next opponent. Getting in there and showing fans what they need to see so they can realize that this is why I should be the champion. It's great news that the organization is sticking around. I didn't feel I was in jeopardy of being without a job. Had they disolved the organization, I feel like someone would have seen value in me and wanted to pick me up. So for me it was focusing on things I can control. I can't control what they decide to do with the organization. Of course I would like to win the belt since I've been in Strikeforce for a while and paid my dues to work my way to the top. Overall I just focus on things that I can control. Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow) - Is there any disappointment that fighters won't be able to signed over to the UFC? Is there any disappointment on your end or no not really? Tyron Woodley: No, not really man. Everyone's in a rush to jump ship and fight in the UFC. It comes with a lot of territory. Number one you are showing the organization that supported you that if anything better comes along you are looking to jump ship. Two, they're deep. You lose a close fight and you can be unemployed. Are you going to go back to Showtime and ask them to sign you again? So for me it's being loyal to the people I work for. It's the same organization and obviously you've got to be careful by the way you do things. For me it's focusing on the Strikeforce belt, getting a world title. Having a belt, having a title is gonna put you in a better position no matter what happens and if I do go to the UFC which obviously -- the goal is to be number one and those guys are in the UFC, so I can't be telling a story that I never planned on fighting in the UFC ever. You gotta do it the right way. You gotta do it with that belt and with some steam. You go over there like Nick Diaz, Jake Shields, Dan Henderson, and Alistair Overeem. They went over there to fight the top five in the world immediately and some of them for the belt. Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow) - So you've fought for the old regime, the old owners in Strikeforce and now the Zuffa-owned Strikeforce and you were at UFC 136...what's the biggest difference between how things used to be run and how they're run now. And what's the difference between the Strikeforce product and the UFC product in your eyes? Tyron Woodley: I think that Strikeforce did great with what they had. The resources were obviously no where near what UFC has. They didn't have the marketing power. They now have the funds to do a lot of things so I think Strikeforce did the best with what they had. They signed some big names: Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Dan Henderson. They signed a lot of top guys with what they had so I think that's a credit to them being strategic. Since being purchased by the UFC they've just become more. There's more to the product and there are improvements with how it's presented on television. The interviews. They've really shown us how to push ourselves as a brand as a fighter. So they want your branding to be strong because it's good for them. Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow) - Now the fight this weekend, you're fighting Jordan Mein. Has there been any discussion that this is gonna be for the belt or a number one contender for the belt? Tyron Woodley: I'm already the number one contender. They made this fight because I needed to fight. And because it's a good match up. This fight won't be for the belt nor do I think it should be for the belt. I think he's a tough kid and I think he has a good record. He has a lot of fights and a lot of experience but overall, US fans need to get to know him a little bit better. He also just got to Strikeforce. So of course he'd love to take my fans and move forward for the belt. My job is to make sure that doesn't happen. More after the jump... SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow): Has there been any discussion on when you will fight for the title? You've wiped out that division. The only person you didn't get to fight was Nick Diaz, has there been any talk on who you would fight? Tyron Woodley: Unfortunately, there's so many guys in the weightclass who are prospects still and they really just don't have the name recognition for Showtime to be interested in for a title fight. So now you have to look at somebody who may be a good match up. There's guys who have issues getting into the US and others are injured so it's a peculiar situation where once again I am a victim of my situation. Me and Paul Daley one hundred percent should have been for the title. Now there's a situation where we're saying "what do we do?" Nick Diaz was a great bout and I hope to hopefully get that bout. But right now I gotta focus and know that everything is gonna work out. Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow): Now as far as Strikeforce, you're 7-0 in the organization. The only other fighter that's riding a big win is Tarec Saffiedine, who you've beaten... Tyron Woodley: The Tarec Saffiedine that I've already beaten by winning every round? That Tarec? HAHAHA Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow): Yeah I mean, is that a fight that makes sense? He's obviously made improvements. You beat him for three straight rounds and they present that as 'this is for the belt' what's in your mind with that one? Tyron Woodly: He's made improvements and he's a tough fighter. I've been on the record saying he's one of the toughest guys in the division. When I took that bout I was sitting at the Strikeforce event in St. Louis and I took that fight on four weeks notice, I proved I was a kid who could take every round and put him away and force him to play my game. Everyone's like oh okay, I give it a B+. Then he fights Scott Smith who's walking around basically like a heavy bag taking punches and not even punching back. But that said, who did he just beat? He just beat Scott Smith who was taking a beating the whole time. His last real fight was with me on January 7th. I fought Paul Daley and he fought Scott Smith. The difference is that I fought a top 10 guy who can knock somebody out and you fought a guy who will take a beating until the last 30 seconds and then try and knock somebody out. I just don't feel like it makes sense. I think the fans want to see if because they sometimes don't realize what Mixed Martial Arts means. They think it's kickboxing. They want to see me go in there and not wrestle and just kickbox the whole entire time. Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow): Now is that something that bothers you when they boo because you're going back to your bread and butter? You're a wrestler. Why wouldn't you use your greatest skill? Does that bother you when fans have the expectation that you're gonna go into a kickboxing bout? Tyron Woodley: No, it doesn't bother me at all. It just puts me in a situation where you have to laugh because of the ignorance at not knowing what's going on. I had every intention on getting in and getting him frustrated by throwing punches and taking him down. I was in the cage and I don't remember them screaming. What I was doing was forcing them to not be able to concentrate on their game plans. As a smart fighter, if I know that something is frustrating my opponent and taking him completely out of his game, I'm gonna keep doing it. If he can't think clearly then his chances of winning a fight are very limited. I know what I'm doing and I know my goal is to get to the top. Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow): Alright so you've spoken in the past about opening up a non profit for children and you've just opened up a new gym, is that part of the goal or totally separate? Tyron Woodley: This is a little different. I do a mentoring program in St. Louis. It focusing on having a purpose and being a friend. With ATT Evolution, I want to impact the home. My impact here will be on the mom and the kids and bringing them together. Once I do that successfully then we're gonna focus on my non-profit. First thing first is to create a good business model and find the people that can push it forward. A lot of times running a non-profit is harder than running a for profit center because you have to have a combination of donors and good business model. Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow): Thank you Tyron. Tyron Woodley: Hey man, anytime.

Posted in: fight, strikeforce, belt, woodley, tyron

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Unbeaten welterweight Tyron Woodley has been patient. But now he's got a plan: Beat Jordan Mein on Saturday, then get some Strikeforce gold in the spring.

Posted in: strikeforce, welterweight, strikeforce gold, jordan mein, woodley

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Hitting the gym nowadays is an exercise in humbleness. There are a ridiculous number of young guys coming off the street and throwing picture-perfect Thai kicks and hitting omoplata sweeps after a week of training. I even had a fifteen-year-old with less than a month's training fake a high-crotch and take my back in what appeared to be one movement -- and I train in a city that 90% of you have never heard of. The point I'm making here is that the future of MMA doesn't only look bright, but it is shining like a halogen bulb inches from our collective eyes. Being unable to stop the takedown is probably due to my inability to stick to a game plan. Lucky for me I can take hints from some of the best fighters in the business. At Strikeforce: Rockhold vs Jardine on Saturday night, Tyrone Woodley faces one of the aforementioned wunderkinder, 22-year-old Jordan Mein who was last seen picking apart 'Cyborg' Santos before finishing the fight with laser-guided standing elbow strikes than any Nak Muay would be proud of. Woodley spoke to Sherdog Radio Network’s 'Beatdown' show and after stating he understands that he is a big scalp, he told them exactly how he plans to beat Mein. “It’s my goal that no matter what round we’re in, how I’m feeling, basically to use my setups, use quick, fast hands to set up explosive, powerful takedowns... Instead of letting him knock me off and put himself on the map, I’m going to drain him. I’m going to use that energy and I’m going to get back to my roots, to that hunger I had when I first got to Strikeforce.” While you pace back and forth soliloquizing in your bedroom about the possibility that Woodley could set himself up for a shot at the vacated welterweight Strikeforce title with a win over Mein, I'm gonna head over to DstryrSG.com to read about Sambo techniques I'll never be able to hit but will nevertheless write down and try anyway. [Source]

Posted in: i ’m, ’m, plan, woodley, mein

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Two of the most talented welterweight fighters in Strikeforce will meet this Saturday night (January 7, 2012) as undefeated Missouri wrestling standout Tyron Woodley takes on rising Canadian prospect Jordan Mein on the main card of Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" in Las Vegas. Woodley has risen from Strikeforce Challenger to can't miss prospect over the past year and it all culminated with his victory against former title challenger and UFC standout Paul Daley earlier in the summer. "T-Wood" is hoping to finally earn a crack at Nick Diaz's vacated welterweight title with a victory over a fellow top prospect. Jordan Mein is on an absolute roll. He stepped up his competition level in 2011 and steamrolled everyone in his path with victories over Joe Riggs and Marius Zaromskis on the Canadian circuit before blasting Evangelista Santos in his Strikeforce debut to instantly leap into the mix of contenders. Mein is primed and ready for a major upset on Saturday night. Will Woodley be able to outgrapple the scrappy Canadian? Can Mein set a pace that his opponent won't be able to keep up with? How does each man secure a victory on Saturday night? Let's find out: Tyron Woodley Record: 9-0 overall, 7-0 in Strikeforce Key Wins: Paul Daley (Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson), Tarec Saffiedine (Strikeforce Challengers 13), Andre Galvao (Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II) Key Losses: none How he got here: Tyron Woodley was a standout wrestler at Missouri, earning All-American honors twice while competing and training alongside fellow superstar wrestler and eventual Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren. Woodley took it slow with his MMA career, fighting seven times as an amateur and winning all seven easily due to his excellent wrestling base. After a quick 2-0 start as a professional on the local circuit in fights that lasted less than two minutes combined, Woodley was invited to participate in his first Strikeforce Challengers event. Woodley steamrolled through his first three Challengers opponents, submitting each one in less than two rounds. After a tough scrap against Oregon wrestler Nathan Coy that Woodley barely squeaked by with a split decision, he would crush top Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Andre Galvao in his first appearance on a non-Challengers Strikeforce show. Woodley would fight one last time on the Challengers series against fellow top prospect Tarac Saffiedine out of Team Quest and he would pass this test with flying colors, utilizing his dominant top control wrestling to keep "Sponge" on his back for three straight rounds while avoiding any flashy submissions and sweep attempts. He drew former top UFC and Strikeforce contender Paul Daley this past summer and was able to eventually put "Semtex" on his back over the course of three rounds, although it was not nearly as easy as some had anticipated. He's hoping to get a shot at the vacant welterweight title with a victory on Saturday night. How he gets it done: Woodley has done some very smart things in preparation for this fight. He brought in Thiago Alves to help him prepare for Mein's stand-up attack and he brought in Jason High, the last man to defeat Mein. Alves is one of the best strikers in the welterweight division and should do wonders for helping Woodley hang in the stand-up department while High should be able to provide pointers and weaknesses in Mein's game that he can take advantage of. Standing is a bad idea against Mein, as it's his strongest attacking option. If Woodley wants to put a stamp on this fight, he needs to come out and put the Canadian on his back with authority. He can't be content with takedowns, though, as if he sits in Mein's full guard, he's going to be eating a large quantity of elbow attacks. Expect to see Woodley be a little more aggressive on the canvas, looking to pass guard or drop some nice ground and pound. Most important for Woodley is to not explode out of the gate and blow all his energy early. He gets off to great starts, but then he hits an adrenaline dump and has trouble recovering in the later rounds. He can't afford to get tired against Mein so hopefully, he paces himself at the beginning of the bout. Jordan Mein Record: 23-7 overall, 1-0 in Strikeforce Key Wins: Evangelista Santos (Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov), Marius Zaromskis (Score Fighting Series), Joe Riggs (Wreck MMA) Key Losses: Jason High (Rumble in the Cage 40), Mike Ricci (Ringside MMA: Rivalry) How he got here: Jordan Mein has been a very busy young man. At just 21 years old, he's already been competing in MMA for over five years. He stumbled out of the gate with his first ever opponent being current top UFC prospect Rory MacDonald and after a 3-4 start to his career, he found his groove. Mein competed entirely in Canada for the next four years, slowly progressing up the ladder facing stiffer and stiffer competition. After dropping a decision to Jason High at his father's Rumble in the Cage promotion in 2010, he hasn't looked back since, going on a tear that included the likes of UFC veterans Joe Riggs, Josh Burkman and former Dream champion Marius Zaromskis. He caught the attention of Zuffa after the Zaromskis victory and was given a tremendous opportunity against former Strikeforce title challenger and overall ferocious Brazilian Evangelista Santos this past September. He hung with the veteran for two rounds and then pulverized him in the third with a brutal onslaught of elbows to score the biggest victory of his career. Now he'll get a chance to become an instant contender if he can knock off Woodley, who's currently sitting atop the welterweight mountain in Strikeforce. How he gets it done: Mein has to find a way to do his damage in the striking department without exposing himself to easy takedowns. Mein has a decent submission game, but it's highly unlikely that he could pull anything off against a wrestler of Woodley's caliber unless "T-Wood" is completely exhausted. Speaking of that, perhaps Mein's biggest advantage is his gas tank. If he can make Woodley work extra hard for every takedown and push a very high pace, he could force the Missouri alum to sap his energy in the process. Woodley has dealt with conditioning issues late in fights before and Mein is precisely the type of fighter that can take advantage of a situation like that. Hell, he did it in his last fight when "Cyborg" slowed down drastically. In the stand-up, Mein needs to keep his distance and keep Woodley moving. Standing still is a no-no as that won't do anything to tire Woodley out. If he can press the American Top Team product into the fence, he can do some damage with his strong Muay Thai game and he can also wear Woodley down as battling in the clinch is something that consumed a significant amount of energy. Mein needs to draw this fight into the third round and then explode. Fight X-Factor: The X-Factor for this fight has to be conditioning. Jordan Mein should not have an issue in that department, even if he's fighting from his back for much of the first two rounds. The big question mark will be if Tyron Woodley can last all three rounds and remain dominant. Conditioning issues plagued him against Nathan Coy, a fight he barely squeaked by with split decision and it almost cost him in the final two minutes against Paul Daley, a fight he'd been controlling with ease before being too tired to score the takedowns. Mein can smell blood if his opponent begins to falter, so Woodley hopefully has been putting in the extra work to make sure he doesn't gas out in the later stages. Bottom Line: This is a very interesting match-up between, in my eyes, the two best current welterweights on the Strikeforce roster. Why it isn't for the title is beyond me, but viewers should treat it as such. These are two extremely talented prospects currently sitting atop the division. This bout has potential for terrific swings of momentum, back and forth striking exchanges and lots of ground work. There's a possibility it slows down if Woodley isn't aggressive after takedowns, but that's a risk you're going to have to take. On paper, this should be a very good one. Who will come out on top at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine? Tell us your predictions in the comments below! Poll Who do you see potentially earning a welterweight title shot with a victory on the Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine main card? Tyron Woodley Jordan Mein   0 votes | Results

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Tyron Woodley has been in Jordan Mein’s position before: young, hungry and hoping to knock off someone with a name.

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Strikeforce is planning on filling the vacant welterweight championship in the coming year, and Tyron Woodley is in line to fight for it. If Woodley can get past Jordan Mein on January 7 at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker says Woodley will be in the title fight against an opponent yet to be determined. Woodley has risen up from the Strikeforce Challengers series to put himself in contention with a win over Paul Daley earlier this year, improving his record to 9-0. “Yeah, I think you have to look at it that way. Tyron Woodley, he’s a product of our Challengers show, if you remember when we first discovered Tyron, and he’s proven to be an amazing fight,” said Coker, while appearing on MMA Weekly’s radio show recently. “He’s beaten some of the top guys and his fight with Paul Daley, I think that kind of put the icing on the cake.” Coker mentioned maybe bringing in an established fighter to meet Woodley for the title, or giving the opportunity to another one of Strikeforce’s up and coming stars. “I’m going to have to sit back and talk with Sean (Shelby) and find out what they have in store for new guys coming in. It might be one of the old guys, it might be a new guy,” Coker said. “Sometime I think before summertime in 2012 you’ll see a welterweight title fight. T-Wood if he wins and another opponent.” PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

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MMAWeekly Radio is back for Tuesday's edition of the big show with guests like Chris Weidman, Tyron Woodley, Dave Herman and author Glenn Cordoza.

Posted in: tuesday, tuesdays edition, woodley, tyron, glenn

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Strikeforce's welterweight division is a bit of a puzzle these days. With divisional champion Nick Diaz now in the UFC, the weight class lacks any definitive gold standard. That the UFC continues to house the top thirteen welterweights in the world further complicates things. How can Strikeforce firmly establish, let alone expand, the 170 pound weight class with so little big-name talent available? Rather than hang their hat on one star attraction--ala Diaz--development of new talent and dedication to current, underexposed fighters will be key. So, let's look at the welterweights... Top Five Tyron Woodley, undefeated in his career and in the midst of a lengthy campaign through Strikeforce, is the organization's clear welterweight front runner. Following wins over Andre Galvao, Tarec Saffiedine, and Paul Daley, Woodley was considered next in line for a title shot. With Diaz gone, Woodley should figure all the more heavily in the division. Turning his fight with Jordan Mein into a championship affair would make a lot of sense. Jordan Mein finds himself in a fight with Woodley after his sensational Strikeforce debut, which saw him use a barrage of standing elbow strikes to snuff out Evangelista Santos. At 23-7-0, with twenty of his victories coming by TKO or submission, Mein is just the kind of new blood the welterweight division needs. With heavy hands and a knack for brawling, Bobby Voelker has climbed to 4-1-0 in Strikeforce. His lone defeat came by way of a contentious technical decision against Roger Bowling, a loss that he avenged twice over. It's hard to say how far his riotous style will take him, but given his strong record and fan-friendly style, Voelker's probably due for a step up in competition and exposure. Along with Jordan Mein, Jason High is one of the best addition's to Strikeforce's welterweight roster. With a strong team behind him and a record of 15-3-0, the American Top Team representative ought to be a big factor among Strikeforce welterweights. That he owns a win over Mein doesn't hurt. For a while, Tarec Saffiedine was running neck-and-neck with Tyron Woodley en route to contender-ship. And though a tepid decision loss to Woodley put a halt to such hopes, Saffiedine made it look easy against Scott Smith in his follow-up fight, and a rumored bout with KO-artist Tyler Stinson this January could once again set him apart from the pack. After the jump, the best of the rest, plus the ever-insightful conclusion... The Best of the Rest Roger Bowling has demonstrated a flair for the knuckle sandwich, though he hasn't made it work for him quite as well as welterweight nemesis Bobby Voelker. In typically concussive fashion, Bowling improved his Strikeforce record to 3-2-0 last weekend, and his style should continue to make him an asset to the division. Come this January, Tyler Stinson will have the chance to prove that his upset win over the surging Eduardo Pamplona was no fluke. There's much to gain in his upcoming fight with Saffiedine. Strikeforce mainstay Luke Stewart has been MIA since a poorly rendered split-decision loss to Andre Galvao in March of 2010, and Galvao himself has been absent from the ring since a KO loss to Tyron Woodley last October. To paraphrase a great man, they have some ‘splaining to do. And so... A glance at Strikeforce's welterweight division reveals a lot of exciting fighters who for the most part have yet to display any consistency beyond undercard-level fights. Aside from crowning a champion, there's a lot of sorting that needs done. With this in mind, fighters like James Terry, who's seen action at both 155 and 170, and Nate Moore (2-1-0 in Strikeforce) will be invaluable, but it may help to introduce some more established talent into the division, as well. For this purpose, I think Delson Heleno (23-6-0) and Chris Wilson (17-8-0) would make excellent additions to the organization. A high-level grappler like Heleno, who has submitted both Jake Ellenberger and the aforementioned Stinson, would bring some welcome variety to the 170-pound proceedings, which at this point skews heavily toward straight fisticuffs. With wins over Jay Hieron and Rory Markham (the latter by TKO), Wilson would likewise add some much needed depth to the welterweight division.

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If and when Tyron Woodley fights for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title, you can't tell him he didn't earn it. The undefeated former two-time All-American wrestler from Missouri has waded through a gauntlet of top Strikeforce opponents including world champion Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylist Andre Galvao, All-American wrestler Nathan Coy, top Team Quest prospect Tarec Saffiedine and even former title challenger Paul Daley. The proud Missouri native has been keeping very busy on the side, hosting the grand opening of his own satellite gym, American Top Team: Evolution in his hometown of St. Louis this past weekend. Woodley was recently announced to be fighting fellow top prospect Jordan Mein on the main card of Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" on January 7, 2012 in the promotion's first event with the new Showtime contract. If a victory against Mein doesn't earn him a crack at Nick Diaz's vacant title, nothing will. "T-Wood" spoke with MMAmania.com about opening up his new gym, the benefits of being able to stay home and still receive top training and what he's been doing to prepare for his next challenges in 2012 in this exclusive interview. See for yourself Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): This is crazy for you with your gym opening. You've been doing interviews with everyone talking about it, your weekend is jam-packed with events. How are you feeling right now? Tyron Woodley: I'm actually really hungry. (laughs) I'm trying to go and grab some food and it's not any more of a headache than I expected. Some things are out of your control. You've just got to have the wisdom to roll with what you can and not fluster yourself with things that are out of your control. For me, it's been a blessing man. The gym came together and I wanted to be open in October but now we're opening at the right time. We'll be putting the last finishing touches, wiping off the mirrors and everything when we open up tomorrow so we're having a great time. A lot of people that support me are coming into town. There's a lot of good guys coming in, Randy Couture, Thiago Alves, Din Thomas, Marcus Brimage so it's been a lot of support. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You had the "Grand Opening Celebration" on Saturday. Can you tell me what was planned for it? Tyron Woodley: Yeah, Saturday was used to showcase my employees, all the trainers I have there and I want them start to increase their brand as well so we're gonna display them and give some demonstrations. My Muay Thai coach wanted to do a demonstration and we'll basically display the facility, show everyone why it's important for American Top Team to be here. A lot of people don't know what American Top Team is so we've got to educate them, bring them up to speed, gotta show them our fighteres, show them our trainers. They all see us fighting on TV and winning world titles but I want to show them that everyone is qualified. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Is it a distraction at all? You have a fight coming up in a few weeks and you had to worry about this gym opening and everything. Have you still been able to get all the proper training that you need? Tyron Woodley: Oh yeah. My wife has been amazing through the process. She's really been holding the fort while I'm doing this. I'm bringing in Thiago Alves, Marcus Brimage and also we'll be getting Jason High so it's great. With all the people coming up, I've been getting some really good training. Several of my coaches flew in from LA so for a change, I don't have to go there. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Yeah and that has to be important to finally have a camp at home instead of spending all that time traveling and driving around, to basically have it in your backyard. Tyron Woodley: Oh definitely, man. The holidays are coming up and normally I spend four days just traveling alone which is four days I could have been training here. My personal trainer works with me, gives me organic meals delivered to my house so I don't have to worry about how my family's doing or anything like that. I can focus on training and doing what I need to do. In LA, I go out there sometimes and there's crazy traffic in LA. I get stuck in traffic, waiting and then I have go turn around and go get stuck heading to another training place again. I think everything happens for a reason and we've got big things happening in St. Louis. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Speaking of big things happening, they had the big Strikeforce-Showtime announcement that they've got a deal going through 2014. What does that mean to you especially because Dana White said he wants to get involved and build Strikeforce up like the UFC? Tyron Woodley: For me, personally, it makes things easier. I've just gotta keep focusing on what I'm doing, focusing on winning a world title, get to the big show at a major platform and then everything at that point is gonna solve itself. I can focus on, "Hey, I'm gonna leave Strikeforce to go the UFC," because Strikeforce gave me an opportunity when nobody else would and they believed in me. They matched me up with opponents that were good fights for me and not just easy wins. Good fights at that point in my career and they've really done a great job of letting the fans get a chance to know me so all-in-all, I've had a great experience with Showtime and Strikeforce. Obviously I want to be the number one guy in the world so basically, the UFC will be my future but right now, I'm focusing on that Strikeforce belt. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You've got Jordan Mein coming up on January 7th, and according to my rankings, I'm the official ranking guy but I have you and Jordan as the top two ranked Strikeforce welterweights right now. Are you surprised that this fight isn't for the title or do you just Strikeforce didn't feel Jordan had that name value to make it a title fight yet? Tyron Woodley: I think there's a couple other guys that might have been there a little bit longer. Jordan has a lot of wins and he's coming off a great performance against Cyborg. I think he's a tough guy and that's why the bout interests me because I get no backlash for this fight. You hear people say, "Oh, he doesn't face tough guys, just easy fights," but I haven't had an easy fight. I wish I could get an easy fight. I fought Nathan Coy, Marcos Galvao the best grappler on the planet right now and I fought Tarec Saffiedine and then I fought Paul Daley. Several of those fights could have been a title fight so I haven't gotten involved with the title. This kid hasn't gotten the recognition in the US yet but he's definitely worthy of it. He's definitely qualified and he's a tough, dangerous person. He trains hard and I'm pretty sure he would love to switch spots with me but I won't let it go down like that. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I don't want you to look past him or anything but who would be in a title fight, say you win or lose. Who would be the other guy on the other side? It seems to me like they've got Bobby Voelker, some other guys building up but you and Jordan are the top two guys right now. Who else do you see up there in that top realm at welterweight in Strikeforce right now? Tyron Woodley: You mean like me and Paul Daley were the top two guys? In about 6-8 months, I'm sure people will say me and Tarec Saffiedine are the top two guys. I don't know what that means anymore. I could see that this kid is the toughest kid and I said I think Tarec is one of the tougher welterweights. I think he's a tougher match than Daley, a tougher match than Diaz but I beat him and then he goes and creams, he steamrolls Scott Smith and now all of a sudden he's this amazing striker who lost every single round when he fought me so for me, I've got to do it the old fashioned way. I've got to do it the hard way. I've got to prove to everyone by winning, beating big, tough guys consistently and at the end of the day, that's what it's all about. You can be the best easy, knocking off somebody that's not that great to get the belt but if you have to work for it, you have to wait for it, you have to be patient, I think overall, all in all, it's gonna be worth it at the very end. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You're bringing in Thiago Alves to help you prepare for this fight, Jordan Mein used some ferocious elbows to finish off Evangelista Santos in his last fight so do you feel like Thiago Alves and his awesome Muay Thai skills will really help you prepare for him? Tyron Woodley: Oh yeah, I think Thiago Alves is like 3-4 classes above Jordan Mein. I think he's in a position where he's probably the best striker in the welterweight division. He's just a superior striker with devastating power. He punches harder than Paul Daley, can take punch, give a punch, stands in the pocket and moves around well. All in all, I think he's the better striker and what I think is gonna happen is I get a chance to spar with one of the best guys. I think Cyborg got taken out because he was fatigued. He probably could have hit Cyborg 12 times in a row to finish the fight just because he was so fatigued. He was almost to the point where he has to take guys out in the first round. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You said you're bringing in Jason High and he's the last guy to actually beat Jordan Mein. He beat him in 2010 I believe so have you actually had a chance to work with Jason and pinpoint some of the weaknesses you feel Jordan has? Tyron Woodley: Yeah, I work with Jason High quite a bit. I used to wrestle him in high school. A lot of people don't know he's from Missouri because he's been in California so long but I train with him, Antonio McKee is a great training partner. He's very smart and always in amazing shape. People think, "Oh, he's just a wrestler," but no, he takes people down over and over and over again and he throws counters. It's such a blessing to me because he beat this guy. I can formulate a good strategy. He can tell a few things Mein wasn't looking forward to and he found out during the fight. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Do you feel Jordan Mein is vulnerable to your elite wrestling skills? Tyron Woodley: I definitely think he will be vulnerable to the wrestling but more importantly, I think he'll be vulnerable to the power. I think he's a young kid, probably got a few more growth spurts left in him and I think he just hasn't developed yet. He's gonna fight a grown man and that's what I have to go in, take that chip off my shoulder and just try to take it to the young buck. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You've had a terrific 2011 but you have had some fights where you've slowed down at the end, usually late in the third round. Have you pinpointed what it is that kind of goes wrong there at the end of a fight? Is it a case of just going a little too hard too fast? Tyron Woodley: I always go out the same way. I usually start out hard, all over the place in the first rounds especially. That's the thing, how many guys lose the first round and then have to try to catch up losing the round. I always try to burst out, get a lead in the first round and then feel it out in the second round and then after that, I just go from the heart. For me, when I fought Paul Daley, he was definitely strong and the thing was, I was holding on too long. The last time when you hold on, breathing slowly and throwing and breathing and moving, you've got all those muscles and oxygen needs to move around. I've been doing more cardio, roadwork and putting myself out there more respiratory-wise. I've been doing a lot of sprints up hills, flipping tires and doing a lot of combat training that definitely has me ready for those explosive 30 second bursts but I definitely need five round conditioning. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Going forward, what are you expecting to happen in 2012? What would be some of your MMA New Year's Resolutions? Tyron Woodley: I wanna fight more this year. I've been traditionally fighting twice a year and even the champions like Jon Jones and Dominick Cruz, these guys are fighting 3-4 times a year and they're champions. I think it's not a stretch to fight four times a year. I would love to do that and it would keep me active. All in all, that's what it would take for me to take the belt and keep the belt. Tyron would like everyone to check out his new gym, American Top Team Evolution in St. Louis if you're in reach of a drive or a plane flight. You can find his gym at 9751 Manchester Road, Rock Hill, MO. 63119. He's like thank his sponsors Clinch Gear, Xtreme Couture Management, American Top Team, Metobolic Meals, everyone who's put him in a position to be on top. You can follow his gym on twitter @ATTEvolution or you can follow him @TWooodley. So what do you think, Maniacs? Will the grand opening of his new gym be a distraction in the lead-up to his huge welterweight showdown with Jordan Mein? Will Tyron Woodley finally become Strikeforce welterweight champion in 2012? Sound off!

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The welterweights will be going to war inside the hexagon early next year, as a pair of Strikeforce prospects, Tyron Woodley vs. Jordan Mein, have been booked to square off against each other at the "Rockhold vs. Jardine" event on Jan. 7, 2012, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The promotion announced the match-up late yesterday. Woodley, just two years into his mixed martial arts career, is already 9-0 with seven of those wins coming under the Strikeforce banner. His latest victory, a unanimous decision drubbing over Paul Daley back in July, was supposed to be the catalyst to bigger and better things for the American Kickboxing Academy product. It wasn't. But squashing another prospect should do him some good. Despite the fact that he's just 21-years-old, Jordan Mein has amassed a record of 23-7 since his professional debut back in June 2006. That includes a third round technical knockout win over Evangelista Santos in his Strikeforce debut back in September. He's currently riding a six fight win streak and hoping to break into the big time at the expense of Woodley. Prospect pick-off time! Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" is headlined by yep, you guessed it, Luke Rockhold and Keith Jardine, which is worth watching for no other reason than it might see "The Dean of Mean" become middleweight champion despite going 3-6-1 over his last 10 fights. Check out the current fight card and rumors for the Jan. 7 Showtime event right here.

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Rising welterweights will collide on Jan. 7, as Strikeforce officials Friday announced that Tyron Woodley will lock horns with Jordan Mein at Strikeforce “Rockhold vs. Jardine.”

Posted in: strikeforce, jan, tyron woodley, jordan mein, woodley

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