This welterweight clash took place on November 10th, 2007 at EliteXC: Renegade, for the organizations vacant 170lb title.  Shields, who at the time was a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt, showcased why he’s one of the most lethal grapplers in the sport by manhandling the very crafty Mike Pyle after eating a couple of well-timed knees from the Xtreme Couture fighter.  EliteXC went bottoms up almost a year exactly from this event, and both fighter went their separate ways, but now, are both competing in the UFC.  Pyle’s set to face undefeated Brit John Hathaway at UFC 120 in what will be his fifth UFC appearance, while Shields will be making his UFC debut against top-ranked welterweight Martin Kampmann at UFC 121.

If Pyle wins his upcoming fight, and Shields loses his, what’s not to say that these two won’t meet again?  Would a rematch between the two go any different?

Weigh-in results thanks to Bloody Elbow:

• Shane Del Rosario (243.6) vs. Lolohea Mahe (264)
• Sarah Kaufman (134) vs. Roxanne Modafferi (133.4)
• Cory Devela (171) vs. Bobby Voelker (170.4)
• Abongo Humphrey (202.6) vs. Mike Kyle (205.8)
• Caros Fodor (155.6) vs. Thomas Diagne (156)

Quick picks are as follows:

• Shane Del Rosario via TKO, round one.  Expect this one to start violently and end quickly.
• Sarah Kaufmann via unanimous decision.  Roxy’s tough, but Kaufmann’s adherence to sticking to the game-plan will win her the decisive decision.
• Cory Devala via TKO, round 3.  Expect a good fight out of these two.
• Mike Kyle via knockout, round 2.  Abongo sucks.
• Caros Fodor via submission, round 2. Never seen either guy fight before, but Fodor reminds me of Fedor, so I went with him.  Yeah I know, makes no sense.  Fucking die.

If you don’t have Showtime, you might be able to watch the event here, or here. I make no promises though.

CagePotato posted an article about how pissed off current Strikeforce women’s welterweight champion Sarah Kaufmann is that she’s still stuck fighting on those damn Strikeforce Challenger cards even though she’s a division champion.  She also made a pretty bold statement directed towards women’s middleweight champion Christine ‘Cyborg’ Santos, which said:

I will NOT eat a ridiculous amount of cookies to make 145lbs JUST for the opportunity to be on a main card and growing man parts… well that would just be ridiculous

Now, I’m making the assumption that she’s implying that Cyborg has some cock n’ balls neatly tucked underneath her fight shorts, and if I’m right, well, she might have just fucked up.  I wouldn’t be shocked to see Strikeforce eventually create a champion vs. champion fight between Kaufmann and Cyborg.  It’s a fight that would obviously be aired on the main card of a CBS or Showtime event, which gives Kaufmann exactly what she’s looking for, as well as an opportunity for Santos to dish out some Chute-Boxe revenge on the young American grappler who is biting off more than she can chew (obviously dependent on Kaufmann successfully defending her title against Roxy Modafferi TOMORROW).

You want to know why Kaufmann is still stuck fighting on the shittiest form of a Strikeforce event?  It’s because she doesn’t bring the same level of brutality that Cyborg brings.  Yeah, Cyborg might have some manly features, and could probably rag-doll a lot of the Strikeforce roster with a one-armed thai clinch, but she’s exciting as fuck, and she delivers exactly what Strikeforce wants in a female fighter, violence, which isn’t what Kaufmann delivers.

Like I said above, Kaufmann’s set to make her first title defense tomorrow night against a very game and equally skilled fighter in Roxy.  Personally, I’m really looking forward to this fight, and if Kaufmann can take out Roxy before the fight hits the judges scorecards, she might have some more leverage when asking for a main card fight on a bigger event.

Who would you take in a fight between Cyborg and Kaufmann at say……a catchweight of 140lbs?

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MMAbay is reporting that Telegraph.co.uk is reporting that Dong Yung Kim, aka “Stun Gun”, has pulled out of his welterweight clash at UFC 120 against rising Brit John Hathaway. Mike Pyle, the Team Quest submission fighter, has apparently stepped in to replace Kim, and in my opinion, makes for a better fight.  Pyle looked really good at UFC 115, where he won via third round submission over Jesse Lennox (awesome fight).  The win helped shake off the disappointing loss to welterweight brute Jake Ellenberger Pyle acquired at UFC 108, where he got TKO’d early into the 2nd round.

Hathaway, who will enter the UFC 120 fight with a perfect 14-0 record, most recently defeated Ultimate Fighter winner and former lightweight #1 contender Diego Sanchez at UFC 114.  Hathaway controlled Diego both on the feet and on the ground, which came as a big surprise to a lot of people considering Diego’s psychotic pace which usually gets the best of his opposition.  Hathaway showcased some really crisp striking, and reinforced to the doubters that he is the real deal.  Hathaway will probably come into the fight has the clear favorite, but Pyle’s slick, and has one of the best ground games in all of mixed martial arts.  Who you got?

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Discuss this topic at the MMA Haven forums!

Nice to see the “Bad Boy” taking a minor step away from doing what gets him the most attention, which is illegally stomping/soccer kicking opponents or beating the piss n’ shit out of night club bouncers who can’t even fight.

Nightmare of Battle has a three-part article on FEG’s plan to defeat the UFC and take over the combat sports world.  Above you can clearly see the plan of attack for Japan’s most powerful fight promotion with the end-result being a “World Cup” of mixed martial arts and kickboxing, something that should send warms waves of awesome through devoted fans of both sports.

Can FEG/Asia dominate this area of the sporting world, and more importantly, still bring us the best fighters on the planet together under one roof?  Let’s be real here, the UFC has the majority of the world’s best talent, and part of the reason so many people watch the UFC is because of the high-calibef fighters that fill their roster.

FEG is going to need a shit-load of cash to get this done, how much who knows, but it’s going to be their biggest endeavor to date that will either see them succeed and rise to the top of the sport dominated by the UFC, or get blown to pieces by the Americans after their initial assault merely adds fuel to the fire?  Or, will Dana White just sit back and smile, waiting for FEG to blow its wad and eventually give in like everyone else has?

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And feel free to stop by the forums, where you can discuss this topic, or not, and just hang out at Mirko’s Fishing Hole.

Former Strikeforce middleweight champion and recent UFC signee Jake Shields confirms via his Twitter account that he will be formally welcomed to the UFC by none other than top-ranked UFC welterweight Martin Kampmann at UFC 121 in October.  The event takes place in Shields home state of California, which should give him some extra motivation to come out and perform at his best in front of his family and friends in MMA’s biggest organization.  He’s got a very tough test in Kampmann, but considering his impressive victories over Dan Henderson and Robbie Lawler (which took place at a heavier weight), I expect Shields to actually win his UFC debut (Yeah Carlos Condit, I’m looking at you bro!).

So, who are you taking? The Gracie submission fighter with some of the best grappling in the sport, or the Danish striker who also possesses a sick ground arsenal?

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The rumored fight card for UFC 121, which features a main event heavyweight title fight between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez, can be seen after the jump.

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Bloody Elbow reported earlier that former UFC welterweight Yoshiyuki Yoshida has inked a three-fight deal with rising promotion Bellator Fighting Championships, and will get a legitimate debut opponent when he meets Bellator’s season two welterweight finalist Dan “The Handler” Hornbuckle.  Yoshida is currently on a two-fight losing streak, getting knocked out by Anthony “Rumble” Johnson at UFC 104, and then dropping a unanimous decision to Mike “The Joker” Guymon at UFC 114, earning him his walking papers.  Hornbuckle will look to get back to his winning ways as well after losing a unanimous decision (that snapped a six-fight win streak) to collegiate wrestling standout Ben Askren in the championship round of Bellator’s season two welterweight tournament.  Expect either a serious ground war, or a one-sided ass-kicking on the feet with Hornbuckle walking away the victor.

The current fight card for Bellator 25 can be seen after the jump.

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Former DREAM and Strikeforce champion Gegard Mousasi comments to MMAJunkie Radio about finally breaking into the heavyweight realm of mixed martial arts.  What say you?  Would Mousasi be better off beginning his transformation into a heavyweight, or should he stick around the Strikeforce light heavyweight division for a little while longer and seek a rematch against King Mo?

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Props: MMAJunkie

The comeback trail of light heavyweight Keith Jardine begins in Amarillo, Texas.

Texas-based fight promotion Shark Fights today announced that Jardine (15-8-1) will attempt to turn his career tide when he meets tough veteran Trevor Prangley  (22-6-1) in the headliner of Shark Fights 13.

Shark Fights 13 takes place Sept. 11 at the Amarillo Civic Center.

Good match-up for Jardine, a victory over Prangley could be just what he needs to get another chance in the UFC, and although I’m sure he’d like to find himself back in the Octagon, does anyone really believe he’s going to fair any better than he did the last four times he fought under the Zuffa banner?  Regardless of the outcome, Shark Fights is probably a temporary home for him.  I could definitely see Keith signing with Strikeforce or Bellator, where he’d be an immediate contender in their light-heavyweight divisions.  If Prangley wins (which I think he will), doesn’t really do shit for the guy in terms of moving up the ladder at 205lb, and that’s because he primarily fights at middleweight, but nonetheless, a victory over a guy who was once considered a front-runner for a UFC title shot can’t be that bad, can it?

There aren’t any details on the current fight card for the September event, but Shark Fights president Brent Medley recently said that this event will be one of their most impressive cards to date.

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