Strikeforce

Many sports fans were introduced to Ronda Rousey this week.

That isn’t an insult. It’s just that, outside of MMA fans, the ESPN Body issue is likely the first time a solid chunk of the sports world has heard her name. Rousey must ignore her new-found fame, though, and not let the bright lights blind her from her Strikeforce domination.

According to Marc Raimondi of the New York Post, Rowdy had about 76,000 Twitter followers before the issue was released. Today, she’s approaching 86,000. While that isn’t a Charlie Sheen-like rise, Rousey is tapping into a new fan base.

As an admitted Twitter addict, Rousey must resist the temptation to fall in love with her ever-growing popularity. Just recently, she called out Kim Kardashian. With her diss, Rousey garnered praise from every Kardashian hater on the planet (and there are many).

At this moment, Rousey is one of the hottest names in the world of sports. Sarah Kaufman is one person hoping that the notoriety gets to her head.

Rousey and Kaufman are scheduled to fight on August 18th. While Rowdy has been a force to be reckoned with over the course of her career, Kaufman isn’t a pushover. Rousey boasts just five professional wins compared to Kaufman's career record of 15-1.

The average sports fan may never heard of Kaufman—she doesn’t have 16,000 followers on Twitter, but that means nothing in the Octagon. While the fight will highlight Rousey, it’ll be a match between the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the MMA.

Kaufman talked to MMAjunkie in late June about the matchup. She said:

“Ronda hasn't fought someone like me yet. It's going to be a shock for her. I definitely want to test [Ronda's] chin, for sure.”

If Rousey’s focus wavers next month, her undefeated record will be no more.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels

At Saturday's Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy, Luke Rockhold may have retained his middleweight title, but he did very little to change my opinion of him. 

Before the fight, I did not consider him a top 10 middleweight in the world.

After the fight, I know he is not top 10 material.

I certainly am not going to rip on the man and devour his performance. After all, he won, easily handling an always-game opponent in Tim Kennedy. 

That said, when was Tim Kennedy ever a top 10 fighter? Rockhold should have annihilated Kennedy, and he should have done so even more impressively than he did. 

Bleacher Report's rankings for the top 10 middleweights in the world provides a "who's who" of phenomenal fighters. 

From Hector Lombard to Michael Bisping to the perennial champion Anderson Silva, the UFC is absolutely loaded with middleweights studs. 

Luke Rockhold may be a stud according to the ladies (so I hear), but he is not a stud in the cage. 

Let us peruse his resume:

His first eight fights were against fighters you probably have never heard of (and he still lost one of them via TKO). Still, everybody gets caught once in a while, so we will give him a pass on that loss early in his career.

To this end, he did what he needed to do: he won enough fights on the small-time shows to make it to the big show, and that is not a feat to take lightly; in fact, it is very impressive. 

That said, we are talking about how he stacks up against the best of the best in the world, the cream of the crop at 185 lbs.

Rockhold's last three fights were against Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, Keith Jardine and Kennedy, in that order.

He beat Souza by a decision which some felt was controversial (I felt he won pretty clearly), Jardine via TKO and Kennedy via lazy decision. 

The Souza win is quality, but the other two do not really prove anything to me other than that he continues to do what he has to do to be a good—but not top 10—fighter. 

Knocking out Keith Jardine is like submitting Kimbo Slice; if you do not do it, you are doing something wrong, period.

The fashion in which he beat Kennedy was disappointing, to say the least. I wanted him to show off his extensive striking and grappling skills which I had heard so much about, but what I saw was a fighter looking to score points and simply get out of the cage with a win.

That is fine...if you are OK with maintaining a nice plateau in your career's trajectory. 

Rockhold had the chance to really prove something against Tim Kennedy, and he failed to do that. If he was constantly rocking Kennedy and attempting submissions but Kennedy was simply too resilient to be finished, I would be fine with that.

That was not the case, though. Kennedy offered little resistance at all, and a hungry fighter hell-bent on winning would have stuck it to him and ended the fight. Kennedy's gameplan consisted of weak takedown attempts and haymakers, and any of the top 10 UFC fighters would have figured out a way around this bland attack.

The bottom line is this: Luke Rockhold is in the minor leagues of the UFC, if you will, and he still is not annihilating opponents. Hector Lombard is a perfect example of what he could be doing, and that difference is exactly why Lombard cracks the top 10 but Rockhold does not.

Luke Rockhold may be the best middleweight in Strikeforce, but he is mid-tier in the UFC.

He thinks he wants a part of the big time, but until he shows up bigger than he has thus far in his career, he is in for a rude awakening when he steps into the Octagon.

After defeating Robbie Lawler on Saturday night at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy, Lorenz Larkin dropped to his knees and humbly requested that Strikeforce fighters get in on the bonus action that the UFC roster has enjoyed for years.

Zuffa has a rich tradition of handing out significant sums of money to UFC fighters who give a standout performance on any given night. Specifically, the company assigns bonuses to the fighter who scores the most impressive knockout and the slickest submission, as well as the two fighters who put on the most entertaining fight.

Strikeforce, also owned and operated by Zuffa, has no such system in place. But why not? As Larkin put it in his post-fight address to Dana White on Saturday night, "We're your family, too."

The basest explanation of why the promotion has no bonuses is that Strikeforce fighters are new members of this family. And extended members at that.

Zuffa only acquired Strikeforce recently (2011), and most of the pre-Zuffa systems have remained intact—including an absence of bonuses. Secondly, bonuses could be said to be a UFC thing as easily as they could be said to be a Zuffa thing.

But still, Larkin makes a good point. After all, the guys in Strikeforce are providing their bosses with the same services that UFC guys provide, albeit to lesser fanfare.

It will be interesting to see how Dana White, who was addressed by name by Larkin, responds to the request. It will also be interesting to see how much those bonuses are worth, should White respond in the affirmative.

Regardless of what comes of it, it's good that someone brought attention to this issue. Most Strikeforce fighters make smaller base salaries than their UFC counterparts, are denied PPV sharing revenue because they fight almost exclusively on Showtime and presumably make less in sponsorship money (as they reach a lesser audience than UFC fighters).

It would have been one thing for Larkin to have begged for a bonus for himself, but he didn't do that. He begged for a change to the system. For all fighters under the Strikeforce banner.

Maybe Strikeforce guys don't, in general, deserve to make as much money as UFC fighters do. Maybe the compensation level that comes with fighting in the UFC should remain a characteristic of making it to the big show.

Maybe.

But this is just bonuses. Rewarding Strikeforce fighters for putting on a show hardly tarnishes the prestige of fighting in Zuffa's other, grander show.

Simple solution—give them smaller bonuses. That's a fine blend of equality and meritocracy. Everybody wins.

It was one of the funniest jokes on twitter. Adding the hashtag #SinceJasonHighLastFought to tweets about current events of various levels of importance. We did it partly because it was a travesty that Jason waited almost a year for a fight and partly because many of us consider Jason a friend, if only through twitter. 

I'm one of those people. I make absolutely no bones about being friendly with Jason. He was one of the first professional fighters to truly embrace the medium and use it to interact with fans and media. He's so good at it that many considered him the all-star of last year's fighter summit, as he kept us all in the loop about the various Zuffa happenings. 

He's currently on a seven fight win streak and has been undefeated in almost two years. In that time frame he's defeated Japanese MMA legend Hayato "Mach" Sakurai and Jordan Mein. Yes, the same Jordan Mein whose fight was aired last night on Showtime. 

He's now 3-0 in Strikeforce yet I'm not sure there's actually any video evidence to support this. I'm pretty positive I remember him fighting Quinn Mulhern on television, but I couldn't actually say this with 100 percent confidence. 

It's obvious that Jason's annoyed at this as well. He's everything a promoter asks for in a fighter. He's great with fans and won't ever make a rape joke. He'll interact with anyone who tweets at him and drop some next level knowledge whenever asked. And they'll never have to worry about a failed drug test as Jason is outspoken when discussing PED usage in sports (he's against it).  

So back to the original point, if Jason High fights and no one sees it, did it really happen? 

I'd like to think it did. He apparently won his fight in 26 seconds by what he calls a "gullytine". It's a guillotine that's just mad gully. For those that need a definition, gully means either hood or real. 

And here's the realness: Jason got jobbed last night.

Showtime apparently didn't even bother recording the choke. I'm only guessing but with it only going 26 seconds, you'd figure they'd at least have time to add it to a video package or montage. I'm upset about that but the biggest travesty is that they couldn't even mention him in the graphics.

That's dirty and Jason has every right to be upset. I hope this was just an honest mistake where all the cameramen left the lens caps on their cameras totally by accident. And then the graphics guy at Showtime Sports forgot to add him to the list of wins from the broadcast. And then Pat, Mauro, and Frank also all happened to miss the fight so they couldn't mention it at any point during the broadcast. 

It's plausible. Right?

Strikeforce lightweight contender Pat Healy steps into the cage tomorrow night to fight Mizuto Hirota in front of a hometown crowd in Portland, Oregon.

The fight takes place during Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy and will air on Showtime—and will be Healy's seventh performance in the Strikeforce cage.

There is a lot on the line for the Oregon native, as he could propel his way to a Strikeforce lightweight title shot against Gilbert Melendez.  He also is dealing with the added pressure of fighting in front of a hometown crowd that expects an impressive performance from him.

Healy recently spoke with Bleacher Report about the lightweight scrap tomorrow, and his expectations in the fight.

Healy first discussed the benefits of fighting at home:

“For me, it’s super exciting.  I love fighting here in Portland.  I have a ton of support, they gave me a section of 150 tickets, and the event sold out a couple weeks ago.  There will be tons of friends and family cheering for me.  I grew up fighting here, so it really helps.  It’s also great to sleep in my own bed, eat regular foods, and not have to make a big adjustment.”

Team Quest is one of the well-established MMA camps in the United States, with a strong stable of fighters able to push one another during training camps. 

“I think it helps to come from a strong camp.  I don’t have to bring other people in.  Everything I need is at home; all of my training partners and support.  When you really begin to rapport with training partners, it helps—everyone at the gym and I train with have my back.  We train the right way.”

It’s not uncommon to hear fighters bring in specific fighters or training partners to help during camp, though Healy benefited from a separate training adjustment, which he explained.

“The only difference for this fight, we had a few guys spend time in Thailand, then come back and help me with my clinch game.  I won’t ever be a striker out at range trying to look slick; I like to fight with my hands on the guy, using my weight, but it’s great to get the training experience.”

Healy has an idea of what Hirota will likely try and do inside the cage, but the Team Quest fighter expects to be able to impose his game plan on the smaller Japanese fighter:

“I expect him to keep his distance from me.  He has good, quick hands and good movement.  He won’t want to make it a grappling match.  He’ll try to move away and use his striking.  I’ll be sure to turn this into the type of fight I want it to be.”

To be more specific of what’s expected, Healy discussed how he’s found success in the cage, forcing opponents to try and adapt.

“I don’t tend to change my game plan (for anyone).  I want to put my will on him.  I watch tape, I plan for things he might do…but my ultimate goal always is to make my opponent fight my fight.”

Healy will look to try and wear down Hirota, whether it takes a minute or two or the entire 15 minutes, and keep the Japanese fighter on his back.  If the fight is standing, Healy can find success by getting into the clinch and ensuring Hirota doesn't have space to better prepare his striking.

If successful, there is only one option Healy will accept: 

"I expect a title shot with a win after I beat Hirota on Saturday night.  No one has the win streak I have at lightweight right now, and I (paid my dues)."

Tyron Woodley has traveled the road from prospect to contender and if everything goes as planned, on Saturday night he will be crowned champion. The former University of Missouri wrestling standout faces veteran Nate Marquardt for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title.

This will undoubtedly be the biggest fight of Woodley's career. Marquardt, who was once considered one of the best 185-pound fighters on the planet, will make not only his Strikeforce debut, but his first showing in the 170-pound weight class as well.

Woodley intends to spoil the party when the two fighters lock up in Portland. He feels this is the moment he has been waiting for and is eager to accomplish his goal of becoming champion.

"It feels really good to be fighting for the title," Woodley told Bleacher Report. "It's been a long time coming and a lot of preparation has gone into this. Not just with fight camp but all of the experiences and things I've been through. Those things have prepared me for this moment. I have to go in there and get the job done. Once the fight is over is when all the release and excitement kicks in.

"I'm a complete mixed martial artist. I bring the full package of striking, conditioning and wrestling into the cage. I think I've fought guys who are just as tough as Marquardt but he may be better in specific areas than some of my past opponents. I definitely think he's the most well rounded guy I've faced.

"I'm coming out with the belt. I'm really at the point where I'm getting everything rolling. Every aspect of my game from the wrestling to the striking, from power to conditioning is coming together. I can't tell fans how the fight will go but they can expect me to get my hand raised at the end of it."

In the lead up to their bout, Marquardt has fired off his opinion in interviews about Woodley. He feels the undefeated fighter has taken shots at his highly publicized struggles and vowed to make him pay for it. Woodley disagrees with the accusations.

Rather than take it personally, he believes his opponent is using the talk for his own benefit.

"His talk isn't any type of motivation for me," Woodley said. "If anything I think he's using it to motivate himself. I've said it a million times that I respect him and his family. I know he's been through some difficult things and I've veered away from talking about TRT or him saying things that are uncharacteristic for him to say.

"It's him trying to hype himself. Sometimes people have to pump themselves up and I'm not one of those guys. I believe my training, lifestyle and belief in God is more than enough to motivate me. I don't need anything extra to get me hyped up. I don't buy into it. 

"In my opinion I've been overly respectful to him. I don't listen to the things he says. All I know is he has a rude awakening coming for him this Saturday."