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Five Questions Heading into Strikeforce: Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum

“This is it…the moment we’ve all been waiting for.”We in the MMA World have many moments that we have been waiting for, but few moments can top the aura that will overcome the multitudes in my home turf of Dallas, Texas on Saturday night, June 18th&m…

“This is it…the moment we’ve all been waiting for.”

We in the MMA World have many moments that we have been waiting for, but few moments can top the aura that will overcome the multitudes in my home turf of Dallas, Texas on Saturday night, June 18th—the night when Alistair Overeem, Fabricio “The Emelianenko Hunter” Werdum, Josh Barnett and Brett Rogers all appear on the same card.

Joining these three Grand Prix quarterfinalists and the reigning heavyweight champ are the returning Gina Carano, Chad Griggs, Jeff Monson and Daniel Cormier.

With these names comes a guarantee of excitement, but it also raises up a few questions.

I now present to you five of those questions that some of us have heading into this star-studded fight card in Dallas!

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5 Things to Watch for in Kenny Florian’s Featherweight Debut

Kenny Florian will make his featherweight debut at UFC 131 in Vancouver on June 11, and I for one am looking forward to seeing it. Florian is dropping down after two legitimate runs at the 155-pound title and will face tough Brazilian and WEC veteran D…

It is always interesting when a fighter switches weight divisions and this is no different with Florian. It will be all about adjustments for him and I’m sure he will be in peak shape and ready to roll on fight night.

I am looking forward to this match-up big time and will be in the building that night, and when I zoom in on Ken Flo that night, I will be looking for some specific things that are questions in my mind in regards to his decision to drop down and his game in general.

Here are five things to watch for in Kenny Florian’s featherweight division debut.

5. Will he make this a stand up war?

Florian’s stand up—and Muay Thai in general—is well known and respected, yet that is also the base of Nunes’ game. Will Kenny look to out bang Nunes to try and make a point that he is the new big bully in town?

If so, we could be in for some fireworks here and I must take Florian to prevail on points.

4. Was size a factor for him at 155 pounds or does he really have poor take down defense?

In his big fights against bigger guys he got taken down too many times at crucial times and many believe it was due to a size disadvantage. Nunes will test that too as he has strength, and will look to take Kenny down if he feels he is in trouble on his feet.

If Nunes is successful, then it will be crystal clear that wrestling and take down defense are not strengths of Ken Flo’s game.

3. Will he be aggressive and look to finish fast to make a statement?

Remember when Kenny emphatically stated to Joe Rogan, “I FINISH FIGHTS AT 155!”? Well he isn’t lying and we will see if Kenny can finish and finish quick at 145 pounds as well. I believe he needs a lopsided beat down win to really legitimize his shot at Aldo.

Will Florian rush out, push forward and unleash hell? I sure hope so because if he is cautious in this fight, it will seem that some of the piss and vinegar has been lost from his game.

2. Will he try and implement his GSP-type game plan that didn’t work for him at 155?

Whether it be a jab and push strategy to a take down and top control clinic in Vancouver, if Kenny tries to follow the Firas Zahabi school of safe and secure in his fight with Nunes he will not endear himself to the fans that night or set himself up for any type of demand vs. Jose Aldo.

A win is a win and I’m not saying he’s going to do it, but just watch for it. He might pull it out as a last resort if Nunes gets the upper hand at all.

1. Will he overlook Nunes and make a critical error and lose this fight?

With all the air time that Ken Flo gets, we have all heard of his master plan to fight Jose Aldo and that that was the reason he came down to 145 pounds in the first place. He better be motivated for Nunes and look him dead in the eye because this guy is hungry for Aldo too and he is not to be overlooked.

If Kenny makes that mistake, he will be in an incredibly tough spot in his career where his relevancy at either weight class may come into question. My opinion is if he makes that mistake he deserves all the criticism he gets and he will have to dig deep to come out of the spot he will be in.

Enjoy the fight everyone, it will be a key moment in Kenny Florian’s career.

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UFC 131: Antonio Nogueira Says Shane Carwin "Will Be Easier" for Dos Santos

It appears that not everyone associated in mixed martial arts was aware of Shane Carwin stepping in to replace Brock Lesnar at UFC 131, including UFC heavyweight, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Nogueira, who is a mentor and training partner to Junior d…

It appears that not everyone associated in mixed martial arts was aware of Shane Carwin stepping in to replace Brock Lesnar at UFC 131, including UFC heavyweight, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Nogueira, who is a mentor and training partner to Junior dos Santos, will watch his protege square off against Carwin, with the winner promised a title shot at UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. According to FightersOnly.com, Nogueira was in the middle of conducting an interview when he heard about the news.

“Is Lesnar out? Is this a lie? Are you speaking seriously!?,” he said.

The addition of Carwin sets up an interesting bout between two of the top heavyweight strikers. While the sudden replacement only gives dos Santos a limited amount of time to prepare, Nogueira said it won’t be an issue.

“I think the change is good and will help us in Cigano’s training. He was very much focused into boxing and a little without wrestling. The fight will be easier for him for sure.”

Carwin was originally scheduled to fight Jon Olav Einemo at the event, but when news broke of Lesnar’s absence, Carwin was notified and slotted into the main event picture.

As for Nogueira, he will return to the Octagon at UFC Rio, where he will take on heavyweight prospect, Brendan Schaub.

UFC 131 takes place on June 11, live from the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

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Maximo Blanco Signs with Strikeforce: Will He Dethrone Gilbert Melendez?

It has now been announced that Strikeforce has signed former King of Pancrase Maximo Blanco to a multi-fight contract. With this taking effect, what is the promotional plan with him? There are many possibilities for him in the organization, but if not …

His record is 8-2-1 (1 NC). He has won his last six fights, most notably scoring a TKO victory over former Strikeforce title contender Rodrigo Damm. In April it was announced that he would vacate his King of Pancrase title because he was unable to defend it due to numerous injuries.

Now that it is official that Maximo will be fighting under the Zuffa banner, what will be the first move for the company? Gilbert Melendez is in need of an opponent, but recently stated that his next fight will most likely be outside of Strikeforce. Would the company want to set him up with a big test in the likes of Tatsuya Kawajiri or a Josh Thompson type of contender? Or would they want him to start low and work his way up? A person like Pat Healy or Lyle Beerbohm would be a good stepping stone to build his name up to American fans.

He is a highly looked upon fighter, but does he have the tools to defeat Gilbert Melendez, or any of the top-tier lightweights that Strikeforce has to offer? There is no doubt he could beat a lot of the top guys in the division, but adapting to the cage may be a tough obstacle for him. At the current moment in time, I’d say that Gilbert would most likely run through him in a cage and Maximo wouldn’t receive the credit that he deserves.

Truth be told, Maximo needs five solid wins under the Strikeforce banner, but with the lack of depth of the roster, three wins may earn him a shot at Gilbert Melendez.

This is the best prospect that Strikeforce has acquired since being bought by Zuffa; now is the time to capitalize on it. Maximo is a very explosive fighter, so expect great things out of this new talent.

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UFC 131 Fight Card: Breaking Down Shane Carwin vs. Junior Dos Santos

After the recent announcement of Brock Lesnar being forced out of his bout at UFC 131, UFC heavyweight Shane Carwin will be Lesnar’s replacement, as he will square off against Junior dos Santos.This will be Carwin’s first appearance inside the Octagon …

After the recent announcement of Brock Lesnar being forced out of his bout at UFC 131, UFC heavyweight Shane Carwin will be Lesnar’s replacement, as he will square off against Junior dos Santos.

This will be Carwin’s first appearance inside the Octagon since his loss to Lesnar last year at UFC 116, since then Carwin has spent a substantial amount of time recovering from backs surgery.

Dos Santos has been on an impressive run since his debut in the UFC, recently defeating Roy Nelson at UFC 117.

The Brazilian has made his tenure in the heavyweight division look easy so far, picking up wins over some of the prominent fighters, including Fabricio Werdum, Gabriel Gonzaga and Mirko Cro Cop.

Both men hold some notable victories over some the division’s top stars, and a win for either Carwin or dos Santos will guarantee a title shot against Cain Velasquez later this year.

Here is a breakdown of Shane Carwin vs. Junior dos Santos

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UFC 133: Phil Davis Doesn’t Plan on Losing to Rashad Evans

During the past few months, many of the UFC’s top fighters have been plagued by injuries, the latest being light heavyweight champion and Greg Jackson prodigy, Jon Jones. The highly anticipated bout between two former friends, Rashad Evans and Jo…

During the past few months, many of the UFC’s top fighters have been plagued by injuries, the latest being light heavyweight champion and Greg Jackson prodigy, Jon Jones.

The highly anticipated bout between two former friends, Rashad Evans and Jon Jones, has been postponed due to Jones getting injured during training when he tore a ligament in his right hand.

Evans’ last scheduled bout with then-champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was also postponed when Rua was injured during training. Evans chose to wait for Rua to heal and for his shot at regaining the light UFC heavyweight title, a decision that he has come to regret.

This time, while not a title shot, Evans will not be waiting on his opponent as the undefeated and very hungry, Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis steps up to replace the champion in what could be a three-round war between two of the sport’s best wrestlers.

While Evans and Jones continue their newfound grudge via Twitter, Davis is focused on only one thing: his fight with Evans at UFC 133.

Stepping up and seizing the opportunity is nothing new to Davis. He stepped up to replace Tito Ortiz in his last fight against former PRIDE fighter, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira also known as, “Little Nog”. Davis beat Nogueria by unanimous decision, controlling him with his superior wrestling.

According to Eric Fontanez at MMA Weekly, Davis is preparing for a battle against an opponent of equal, if not better wrestling skills.

“He’s someone I should definitely be concerned about with my skill set…I expect a pretty good fight,” Davis said.

“I invite the opportunity to face someone of his level of wrestling and I think I’ll be fine.”

Regardless of Evans’ wrestling ability, Davis plans on controlling the fight.

“I like to think I’m going to be the one controlling the pace of any fight,” he said. “And I don’t think this will be any different.

“I will take this fight wherever it wants to go.”

Even though Davis is undefeated, he will be facing an experienced former champion with only one loss on his record and who has been in deep water before.

Considering each of these great athletes wrestling experience, this fight could turn out to be a high-paced wrestling match. Regardless, Davis is facing the biggest test and challenge of his career.

For Davis, it’s just another opportunity, one that leads to a light heavyweight title shot and one he doesn’t plan on losing.

“Losing was never something I planned on doing.”

Davis told MMA Heat’s Karyn Bryant that it makes no difference to him who he fights.

“To me it’s not about fighting people. I don’t care if you can beat this guy or that guy. I want to have the belt.”

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