With ?Cyborg?s? 16-second win and no Gina Carano, does women?s 145-pound division stand a chance?

With ?Cyborg?s? 16-second win and no Gina Carano, does women?s 145-pound division stand a chance?

Dana White was already wondering about the viability of the Strikeforce women's 145-pound division. After watching Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos destroy a helpless Hiroko Yamanaka in 16 seconds Saturday night, he's got to be thinking more about promoting just one female division down at 135.

Add in that each month Gina Carano is away from the sport, cements the fact that she's never returning for a serious run, and the featherweights better watch their diet and prep to slim down.

That's not going to be an easy task for Cyborg. You are what you are, and she's a large woman. She already looks ridiculous shredded at 145. Can she really cut another 10 pounds in healthy fashion and recover in one day to be 100 percent rejuvenated on fight nights?

"I'm going to put in a valiant effort to try and make 135," Santos told MMAjunkie's John Morgan through an interpreter. "Maybe if I can make a catchweight and fight at 140 first and slowly make my way down to 135, but I'm going to put in a good effort to get down to 135."

If the 145 division remains, Strikeforce could match up Cyborg against Ronda Rousey. That'll certainly make for a good prefight promotion, but from a fight standpoint, it may be a mistmatch. What does it say about the 145-pound division if the best option for the champ is to face a woman who is just four fights into her pro career?

The signs are there that Carano isn't coming back. There will simply be too many opportunities and too much money in the entertainment world to allow her to return to getting punched in the face. Her film "Haywire" is due for release in 2012. You can see in this January GQ feature why she'll be so highly sought after as a female action movie star.

With ?Cyborg?s? 16-second win and no Gina Carano, does women?s 145-pound division stand a chance?

What do you guys want? A more loaded 135 division or to see Zuffa/Strikeforce to show some patience and allow the field to develop the next few years at 145?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/With-Cyborg-s-16-second-win-and-no-Gina-Carano?urn=mma-wp10890

José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez

Fedor returns to Japan to fight Ishii on NYE

Fedor returns to Japan to fight Ishii on NYE

Fedor Emelianenko is heading back to the place that made one of the biggest stars in MMA history. The long rumored fight against Satoshi Ishii is on. DREAM just confirmed its Dec. 31 fight card via email.

Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri are also featured on a card that is loaded with Japanese stars. Bibiano Fernandes, Rodolfo Marques Diniz, Masakazu Imanari and Antonio Banuelos will also finish off the DREAM bantamweight tournament.

Fedor was released from his deal with Zuffa/Strikeforce back in August after a loss to Dan Henderson. Including that loss, he'd dropped three straight. He returned on Nov. 20 to defeat Jeff Monson in Russia.

In Ishii, he faces a fighter with just six pro MMA fights under his belt. Ishii, the heavyweight Judo gold medalist at the 2008 Olympics, was the prize of a bidding war between Japan and the UFC. He chose to turn down the American promotion's offer. Since then he's fought a slew of underwhelming opponents. His most recent fight was down at light heavyweight, where he fought Paulo Filho to a draw in Brazil.

FIGHT FOR JAPAN "Genkidesuka!! Oomisoka!! 2011!

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Satoshi Ishii

Shinya Aoki vs. Satoru Kitaoka

Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Takeshi "Lion" Inoue

Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kazuyuki Miyata

*Yuichiro "Jien-Otsu" Nagashima vs. Katsunori Kikuno

Bibiano Fernandes vs. Rodolfo Marques Diniz

Masakazu Imanari vs. Antonio Banuelos

Hideo Tokoro vs. Yusup Saadulaev

Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Ryo Chonan

**Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Peter Aerts

*Mixed rules match (1R - 3min kickboxing rules, 2R - 5min MMA rules)

**IGF rules

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Fedor-returns-to-Japan-to-fight-Ishii-on-NYE?urn=mma-wp10698

Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè 

James Toney and Ken Shamrock Nearly Fight at a Press Conference - James Toney

James Toney and Ken Shamrock are supposed to fight sometime in the fall of 2011. The two had a short press conference in Van Nuys, California to announce the fight, but started to get physical a little early.

Source: http://mmalice.com/james-toney/james-toney-and-ken-shamrock-nearly-fight-at-a-press-conference-video_184a34575.html

Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana 

Tuesday morning knockout: Capoeira kick from Brazil

Our friends at Yahoo! Sports Brazil shared a knockout that will undoubtedly start your day off well, unless your name is Francisco Neves.

Cairo Rocha used this capoeira-inspired kick at the Brazilian Fighting Championships in Sao Paolo on Friday. He has three wins in 2011. All three are first-round stoppages, with two submissions before this knockout.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Tuesday-morning-knockout-Capoeira-kick-from-Bra?urn=mma-wp10940

John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves 

Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs Set for UFC 145 in March

Undefeated heavyweight Travis Browne will welcome former Strikeforce fighter Chad Griggs to the Octagon in a matchup slated for UFC 145 on March 24 in Montreal, the UFC announced Tuesday. The only other bout set for the UFC 145 fight card is a welterweight matchup between Rory MacDonald and Che Mills.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/26970/travis-browne-vs-chad-griggs-set-for-ufc-145-in-march/

Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama 

Frank Mir says Alistair Overeem has little chance of staying on his feet against Brock Lesnar

Frank Mir says Alistair Overeem has little chance of staying on his feet against Brock LesnarWhen fellow fighters can't decide how a big tilt is going to shake out, you've got something big on the horizon.

Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal says Alistair Overeem has a solid shot of stopping Brock Lesnar's powerful takedowns. Frank Mir, a former opponent of Lesnar, says Overeem will be like a fish out of water at UFC 141 this Friday in Las Vegas.

Watch UFC 141 right here on Yahoo! Sports

If Overeem sprawls or tries to knee, it'll do him no good.

"Brock doesn't shoot that low. He'll put his forehead in your chest, and he's going to run you through. If he's not able to take you down with that initial blast, he's going to run you against the cage," Mir told "The MMA Insiders" on ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas. "Then he's going to rip your legs out from under you. Now, you should have gotten taken down in the middle of the area, but instead, you've been taken down against the cage [where it is more dangerous]. Speaking from experience, that sucks."

Mir, was a state champion high school wrestler in Nevada. He was helpless on the ground, crunched against the cage. Overeem is about the same size as Mir. Is he stronger, with better technique? We may find out Friday night.

"Now, you have a guy who is not a black belt in jiu-jitsu and who is not a wrestling All-American who is going to be able to get back to his feet, so what does he do?" Mir said.

Mir said Overeem's background indicates little to say that he'll get back to his feet. He also worries about all the extra mass Overeem has added over the years.

"Are you going to try to tell me he's going to wrestle with a national champion wrestler for five minutes? His cardio is going to suck [after wrestling with Lesnar for a while]. I've seen guys with muscles like that, and that's why he slows down," said Mir.

Overeem has to catch Lesnar in the first 90 seconds or he's got little shot.

Not only did Mir question Overeem's chances to survive grappling, but he's not overly impressed with the guy that some say is the best striker in the heavyweight division. Lesnar may even do some damage standing. Mir pointed out that Overeem was hit a lot in his fight against Fabricio Werdum and tired badly half way through the fight.

Frank Mir says Alistair Overeem has little chance of staying on his feet against Brock Lesnar

Quotes via Kevin Iole

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Frank-Mir-says-Alistair-Overeem-has-little-chanc?urn=mma-wp11153

Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger 

2012 MMA crystal ball: Where are these 34-somethings 12 months from now?

2012 MMA crystal ball: Where are these 34-somethings 12 months from now?Retirement is inevitable for every athlete. Whether it's voluntary or forced is up to the athlete. In fighting, it's too often forced. There's no exact age or time. Some guys have to walk away in their early 30's, others like the incredible Randy Couture, make it into their late 40's.

The end of the 2011 was unkind to several legends of MMA who are past their 34th birthdays. As a result, their careers are gasping for their last breath of air.

In 2012, we could see the end of the road for Tito Ortiz, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Matt Hughes. Then there's Brock Lesnar.

He's not a legend, but he is the pay-per-view king of the sport and yet his future could be in question following UFC 141. Lesnar has battled serious health issues and after his loss to Cain Velasquez 15 months ago, many question his passion for the sport.

During our "The MMA Insiders" show on ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas, Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole, MMA analyst Frank Trigg and myself talked about who will be standing at the end of 2012.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/2012-MMA-crystal-ball-Where-are-these-34-someth?urn=mma-wp11097

Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott

Strikeforce?s Three Stars: Santos, Bowling and Melendez

Strikeforce?s Three Stars: Santos, Bowling and Melendez

In a month packed with fights, Strikeforce still managed to stick out with memorable decisions and fast knockouts. Here are Cagewriter's Three Stars from Saturday night's fights; tell us yours in the comments or on Facebook.

No. 1 -- Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos: She was out of the cage for 18 months, then only needed 16 seconds to defender the Strikeforce featherweight title. She is so far ahead of any competition that she poses a conundrum for Strikeforce matchmakers. Who will emerge to steal that belt? It clearly wasn't Hiroko Yamanaka. Santos said after the bout Ronda Rousey talked too much, so maybe the Olympian is next for Cyborg.

No. 2 -- Roger Bowling: Jarron Peoples learned the hard way to not anger Bowling. Peoples weighed in nine pounds over the welterweight limit, which understandably angered Bowling. He took out his anger with a flush uppercut that knocked out Peoples in just 42 seconds. Unfortunately, three of the main card fights went to a decision, so there was no time for Bowling's win to be shown on Showtime.

No. 3 star -- Gilbert Melendez: The Strikeforce lightweight champion beat up on Jorge Masvidal for five rounds, then challenged Zuffa to bring him better fighters. With Strikeforce and Showtime signing a new deal, Melendez will stay put, but he still wants to fight the best. Melendez's plea for great fighters to "Step into my hexagon" should be printed on t-shirts immediately.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Strikeforce-s-Three-Stars-Santos-Bowling-and-M?urn=mma-wp10913

John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago AlvesÂ