By
Anthony De Franco 
December 15, 2009, at 4:09 pm
Another battle in the burgeoning MMA war that is the Zuffa empire against Strikeforce is going to be fought this Saturday night. In one corner is the empire, bringing us a card without many names but with a decent main event and a couple of rising starts. In the other is little MMA promotion that could, bringing us one of the best prospects in MMA, a lightweight fight that could be one for the ages, and a main event star returning to the cage.
The problem is: Which one should you watch, and which should you DVR? Let’s break it down:
WEC 45
The card is headlined by the return of Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone against Ed “9MM” Ratcliff. While Cerrone is a draw in the WEC, he’s really not a high level fighter by any stretch of the imagination. If we put him in the UFC lightweight division, where would he stand? Is he better or worse than a guy like Clay Guida, or an aging Sean Sherk? Let’s go as far to say that just maybe Mac Danzig could beat him. Ratcliff is a knockout artist that no one has really heard of. Could he be a star? Sure. However, he’s more likely to be a comeback fight for Cerrone.
The semi-main has a chance to be a real good fight as Anthony Njokuani tries to get his third consecutive knockout victory against newcomer Chris Hordecki. General Manager Reed Harris said that he has been trying to sign Hordecki for almost three years, so alot is clearly expected of him. However, the best case scenario for the WEC is Njokuani gets an impressive KO and a title shot.
If you are looking for a wildcard fight, check out Joseph Benavidez vs. Rani Yahya. Benavidez is a fast rising prospect out Urijah Faber’s camp, and could make a name for himself with a victory here.
Strikeforce: Evolution
The main on this card is the return of Cung Le. Le is a controversial figure in MMA, because he is one of the few “old” style fighters still being successful. He is a kickboxer, but uses some interesting takedowns and defense from the realm of San Shou. The guy he’s fighting, Scott Smith, is a former Ultimate Fighter Alumni. He’s not quite a can, but he really shouldn’t beat Le. He’s going to try and stand with a guy who broke Frank Shamrock’s arm with a kick. Not a good plan.
The Semi-main might be the best fight of the night. Gilbert Melendez might be the best lightweight that no one has eve heard of. He’s got sick cardio, great wrestling, a Gracie BJJ background, he’s really the complete package. He’s the interim champ, and is looking to unify the title against Josh Thomson. Thomson is a UFC and PRIDE veteran with some of the best wrestling in a division full of wrestlers. Let’s put it this way: Sherdog thinks that he can take B.J. Penn down. He previously defeated Melendez by decision, and this is long anticipated rematch.
The third best fight on this card is the major promotion debut of King Mo, Muhammed Lawal. He’s been touted as the next great heavyweight in MMA, and the world will finally get to see him this weekend. He’s going to move down to 205, according to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, but will fight Mike Whitehead first. Whitehead is also a TUF alum, but has always had spotty cardio, and just doesn’t have the athleticism to hang with Lawal.
The Verdict
I don’t think there is much of a question here. Strikeforce offers a better card with bigger names. The best fight of the night is on the card, in addition to one of MMA’s up and coming stars. Tune into Showtime on Saturday, and then check out the WEC after Cung Le breaks Scott Smith’s skull.
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Condit Out of 108, Daley Has Harsh Words
If I was Dana White, I would curl up in the corner and cry. The best laid plans of mice and men continue to go awry for White and the UFC, as yet another injury has crippled the UFC 108 card. From MMA Unltd:
Condit is one my favorite “action” fighters. He’s nicknamed “The Natural Born Killer” for a reason. He possesses great standup and a decent enough ground game to compete in the UFC welterweight division. With this win over Daley, he could have gained some traction to start fighting tougher opponents, but now that has to wait.
Speaking of Daley, check out what he told Bloody Elbow about Condit:
And….you’re a moron. Daley has great standup and showed it against Martin Kampmann at UFC 103. Not to mention that his nickname, “Semtex” is also the name of my favorite grenade in Modern Warfare 2. However, I just can’t get on board with people telling people who are hurt that they are less than a man. At some point, Daley is going to have pull out of a fight, and I fully plan on turning this back around on him.
Categories: MMA
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