Doing his best to perpetuate Strikeforce’s classless reputation, journeyman Joe Riggs spoke out against women’s MMA last week, responding to Sarah Kaufmann’s complaint that she doesn’t get enough exposure despite holding a belt at 135 pounds. I have to include his whole quote:

“I don’t know what that [Sarah Kaufman’] is talking about. She’s lucky to even be on TV. As long as [women fighters] don’t say things like they don’t want to be on the Challengers card and they want to be main events then they’re good. We’re the show. The men are what people are here to see.”

Wow. Nice guy. So – looking past Riggs’ general tackiness, is there any merit to what he said?

For the most part, I answer an emphatic “NO.” I paid good money to watch Gina Carano and Cyborg Santos headline a Strikeforce pay-per-view last year. The fight was a phenomenal display of striking and I felt I got my money’s worth and then some.

Hey, Joe. Guess what?  I would never pay a cent for any card you headline. I don’t think I’d even watch it. You bore me. You’re not even good enough to fight in the UFC.

So I do believe that Riggs is wrong in stating that the men are always the top draw over the women. Simply not true. Die-hard MMA fans hold their breath and count the days until they get to see Cyborg unleash her Muay Thai fury again. I know I do.

On the other hand – Riggs inadvertently touched on one topic I raised a couple months back. Women’s MMA is exciting – at the top of the food chain. Cyborg and Sarah Kaufmann are worth watching. But I do worry that the talent level is thin and some women, like Jan Finney, can get badly hurt matched up with the elite.

Still – all that means is that women’s MMA is a work in progress. It doesn’t mean it’s not worth watching or putting on a nationally televised fight card. The matchmakers just have to work a little harder to keep fighters safe.

Now go back to your hole, Joe Riggs. I didn’t even know you were still alive until you were quoted speaking about a female fighter. You sure you’re a bigger name than Sarah Kaufmann?

MMA Gym North York, Toronto, Brampton, Etobicoke, Markham, Mississauga, Oshawa, Peel Region, Pickering, Richmond Hill, Scarborough, Thornhill, Vaughan, Woodbridge, York, York Region Ontario Canada.

After no particularly big fight cards for several months, Strikeforce is finally back and ready to reassume its position as the UFC’s main competitor in mixed martial arts promotions. Sure, the UFC still has most of the top fighters, but Strikeforce will showcase some high-end talent this weekend. Here are my picks for the big fights.

MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: Jake Shields (24-4) vs Dan Henderson (25-7)

After feeling slighted by the UFC, Dan Henderson defected to Strikeforce and was immediately rewarded with a title shot against highly regarded middleweight champ Jake Shields. Both fighters are ground guys first and foremost, with Shields relying on his BJJ and Henderson using his Greco-Roman wrestling background.

The pick: Dan Henderson. Remember, Shields fought most of his career at welterweight and Henderson fought most of his career at light heavyweight; that’s a 35-pound weight difference. Henderson should have the strength advantage in grappling and has a clear edge in the standup thanks to his extremely heavy hands. He’s just a tough matchup for Shields altogether. Though Shields’ record is impressive, I would argue Henderson, even at his advanced age, is the toughest man he’s ever faced. I’m just not convinced he can hurt Henderson or even submit him.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1) vs Muhammed Lawal (6-0)

This should be very interesting. The mouthy Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal will put his undefeated record on the line in an effort to steal the light heavyweight belt from Gegard Mousasi, who has looked positively untouchable of late.

The pick: Gegard Mousasi. Whom has Lawal beaten? Mousasi is a world-class fighter, a non-stop finisher who can beat guys with his blazing hands in the striking game or submit them on the ground. While he’s beaten more solid “B” fighters than “A” guys, he’s still far more experienced than Lawal. Even though Lawal is a powerhouse wrestler, I don’t think he’ll scare Mousasi. The champ is a cerebral fighter who is comfortable in virtually any situation. I think he’ll pick Lawal apart.

LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: Gilbert Melendez (17-2) vs Shinya Aoki (23-4, 1 NC)

After watching Takanori Gomi get embarrassed against Kenny Florian’s boxing in the UFC a few weeks back, Shinya Aoki, ranked as the No. 2 lightweight in the world by most publications, has a lot to prove. Can he finally shake the notion that the Japanese fighters’ skills don’t translate across the pond?

The pick: Gilbert Melendez. I’m not sure what it is that gets lost in translation for Japanese fighters. Is it a hostile crowd atmosphere? Maybe the conversion to the confining cage after years of fighting in rings? Whatever the cause is, I’ve lost confidence in Japanese imports. Instead of backing Aoki based on his name recognition, I’d like to see him earn the win again the tough, gritty Melendez.

By Matt Larkin
Guest MMA Writer

MMA Gym North York,  Toronto, Brampton, Etobicoke, Markham, Mississauga, Oshawa, Peel Region, Pickering, Richmond Hill, Scarborough, Thornhill, Vaughan, Woodbridge, York, York Region Ontario Canada.

It’s great for mixed martial arts that the world-class fighters and, just as importantly, the title belts have come out of the woodwork. While it’s true that UFC 112’s title matchups look lopsided, I’m seeing the glass as half-full. Let’s just enjoy the fact that we can watch Anderson Silva and BJ Penn in action. Here are my picks for the fights.

MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: Anderson Silva (25-4) vs Demian Maia (12-1)

Dana White had to get creative and go with “Plan C” as Anderson Silva’s opponent after Vitor Belfort got injured and Chael Sonnen’s political obligations sidetracked him. As a result, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu virtuoso Demian Maia gets the middleweight title shot before he’s actually ready.

The pick: Anderson Silva. Sadly, I could see this fight ending inside the first minute. While it’s true that The Spider has been strangely tentative in at least two of his last three fights, Demian Maia’ s striking is so remedial that there’s absolutely no threat to Silva in the standup (very different from, say, fighting Patrick Cote). Silva’s lightning-fast and accurate Muay Thai strikes should overwhelm Maia quickly. Even though Maia’s BJJ is unbelievable, Silva is still a black belt himself. Maia’s BJJ was neutralized in his last fight when he battled a fellow BJJ black belt in Dan Miller. So Maia won’t have much of an edge on the ground and is horrifically overmatched on his feet. Yep, this should be a slaughter.

LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: BJ Penn (15-5-1) vs Frankie Edgar (11-1)

Like the middleweight and welterweight divisions, the lightweight division has plenty of talented fighters in its second tier but a huge gap between the champion and everyone else. Frankie Edgar is just the latest underdog to challenge BJ “the Prodigy” Penn, who has successfully reinvented himself as a dominant force now that he’s committed to staying in shape.

The pick: BJ Penn.  We can at least expect a closer fight here, however. Frankie Edgar is among the most underrated and cerebral fighters in his division, as he’s very capable on the ground with his wrestling base and decent BJJ and he’s also very technical and accurate in his boxing, capable of picking opponents apart. The problem is that Penn has the same strengths as Edgar but his skills are even more advanced. Penn’s BJJ is unmatched, his boxing is superb and he has a solid size advantage over Edgar, who is one of the smallest lightweights around. Edgar should give a better effort than Diego Sanchez based on intellect alone, but we shouldn’t expect more than that.

Matt Hughes (43-7) vs Renzo Gracie (13-6-1)

This was a long time coming. Finally, legendary Renzo Gracie makes his UFC debut at age 43. Unlike Royce Gracie, Renzo doesn’t have to face Matt Hughes in his prime. But can Renzo have a chance given his age and the fact that he hasn’t fought for over three years?

The pick: Matt Hughes. We’ve seen this movie before. When Royce lost to Hughes, the message was clear: MMA had grown up and a pure BJJ artist could no longer trump a bigger man easily. While Renzo has more modernized striking than Royce did, he’s still the older and physically weaker fighter. I think even a past-his-prime Hughes will have his way with Gracie.

By Matt Larkin
Guest Writer

MMA Gym North York,  Toronto, Brampton, Etobicoke, Markham, Mississauga, Oshawa, Peel Region, Pickering, Richmond Hill, Scarborough, Thornhill, Vaughan, Woodbridge, York, York Region Ontario Canada.

Ask any diehard MMA fan and you’ll probably hear that UFC 109 marks the last “boring” UFC fight card for a while. I guess it’s hard to get excited when main event features two men with a combined age of 91. But, as UFC 108 showed us, sometimes events that look weak on paper produce the best bouts. Here are my picks.

Randy Couture (17-10) vs Mark Coleman (16-9)
The main event, which was supposed to occur at UFC 17, pits two similar fighters against each other, but with one crucial difference between them. UFC Hall-of-Famer Mark Coleman is known for his wrestling base and for pioneering American ground-and-pound. Fellow Hall-of-Famer Randy Couture is also a stud wrestler (Greco-Roman).

The Pick: Randy Couture. Unlike Coleman, Couture has evolved throughout his career. His striking isn’t dominant but it’s much better than Coleman’s. I expect Couture to keep the fight standing and beat Coleman with his superior boxing. Why bother taking Coleman down if Couture won’t have a distinct advantage on the ground?

Nate Marquardt (29-8-2) vs Chael Sonnen (24-10-1)
Two streaking fighters collide in an important middleweight matchup here. If Marquardt wins, he should meet the winner of Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort in a title fight.

The Pick: Nate Marquardt. His striking has improved exponentially the last few years and Sonnen won’t have his usual grappling advantage. Marquardt is arguably the biggest, strongest middleweight out there. Sonnen is in way over his head.

Mike Swick (14-3) vs Paulo Thiago (12-1)
Mike “Quick” Swick has plenty to prove after squandering his chance for a welterweight title shot in a lacklustre effort against Dan Hardy. He’ll try to keep the fight standing against Thiago, a BJJ black belt.

The Pick: Mike Swick. If he’s smart, he’ll bring back his aggression. He has to watch out, though; remember when Thiago floored Swick’s good buddy Josh Koscheck with an uppercut?

Demian Maia (11-1) vs Dan Miller (11-2)
Maia’s another fighter under a fair amount of pressure. He suffered his first loss against Nate Marquardt last summer and his total lack of competent standup was exposed. Miller hopes to rebound after Chael Sonnen bullied him at UFC 98 in May.

The Pick: Demian Maia. We only have to worry about Maia when he faces someone with heavy hands. Miller is a ground guy himself and is simply no match for Maia’s peerless BJJ skills.

Matt Serra (9-6) vs Frank Trigg (19-7)
As old and Coleman and Couture are, I almost feel like these two welterweights are more washed up. Essentially, the only guys they have a chance to beat are each other.

The Pick: Matt Serra. His BJJ is strong and he at least looked like a fighter in his decision loss to Matt Hughes in May. Trigg, on the other hand, looked like a civilian in his embarrassing loststo Josh Koscheck at UFC 103.

Here’s hoping you watch this Saturday, as we never know when classic bouts pop up. I’m especially excited for what should be a grappling chess match between Maia and Miller.

By Matt Larkin
Guest Writer

MMA Gym North York,  Toronto, Brampton, Etobicoke, Markham, Mississauga, Oshawa, Peel Region, Pickering, Richmond Hill, Scarborough, Thornhill, Vaughan, Woodbridge, York, York Region Ontario Canada.