DIAZ VS. DALEY WAS BETTER THAN ADVERTISED
I had concerns about the main event falling short of expectations. Boy, was I wrong.

For three ticks shy of five minutes, these two went toe-to-toe, trading punishing blows and trying to put the other one away. Both men got rocked at different points in the frenetic first round, and even though they only used 1/5 of the allotted time, the fans still got what they came for and then some.

Whatever your feelings on the organization, you have to give Strikeforce their due: more often than naught, we’re treated to wildly exciting fights, and Saturday’s main event was no different.

Read the full article.

Middleweight Champion Jake Shields (24-4-1) vs. Dan Henderson (25-7)
Dan Henderson is making his first appearance in Strikeforce after leaving the UFC in a contract dispute. He immediately steps in to fight Jake Shields, the middleweight champion who is a natural welterweight. Shields has had success at the bigger weight class, but in this fight, he will have trouble controlling Henderson on the ground like he has past opponents. Henderson is a very solid all around fighter and his bigger size should allow him to get the win by either knockout or decision.

Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1) vs. Muhammed Lawal (6-0)
Two very different people meet in this fight as Mousasi is like a silent killer. He stays composed and just runs through opponents while Lawal is very loud and cocky despite having just six professional fights. Lawal is good on his feet with powerful strikes, but in this fight, he will need to fight off his back against Mousasi, who can take the fight anywhere. Lawal has a puncher’s chance, but Mousasi will be smart enough to get the fight to the ground, where he will win by submission.

Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez (-160) vs. Shinya Aoki (+130)
This fight should be very competitive. Melendez has won his last three, but all of his fights have been fast paced and close. His win over Josh Thompson won him the title, but now he faces Aoki who bounces around to different weight classes and finds success in each. Melendez will look to use boxing and wrestling to win while Aoki will try to use quickness and submissions. Look for Melendez to win a hard-fought five-round decision over Aoki, but each fighter will have their chances to finish the fight.

One month ago I had a lot of debate as to who is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

After UFC 101, my questions were answered.

Long have I felt Fedor Emelianenko was the best in the world no matter the weight class, but that honor I now give to Anderson Silva following his absolutely flawless win over Forrest Griffin.

The Silva victory combined with Emelianenko opting to sign with Strikeforce puts Silva at No.1 in my book. When making this list I am considering the fighters as they are today, not as they were five years ago. Emelianenko looked a little sloppy in his last fight and is now going to have much easier competition as a whole in Strikeforce, whereas Silva and Georges St. Pierre have fought the best and looked impressive doing so.
So, here is my list. As always, I encourage healthy discussions.

1. Anderson Silva (24-4) – Middleweight/Light Heavyweight – UFC
If you really look at, the Silva vs. Griffin fight was every bit as big as St. Pierre vs. Penn from a standpoint that you had a champion from one weight class facing a bigger fighter that was one fight removed from being the champion in that weight class as well. Silva made Griffin look like Glass Joe from Mike Tyson Punch Out and basically made Griffin quit out of embarrassment (which has caused me to stop reading Forrest’s book, as he know seems to look like a hypocrite). After that display, I truly feel that Silva could not only be Light Heavyweight champion, I have serious beliefs that he is the kind of guy that could actually beat a guy like Brock Lesnar. His accuracy and power while backing up would be a problem for Lesnar in more ways than one. Brock wouldn’t be able to get a takedown without eating a solid knee or punch that could put him down. I know many of you think I am crazy probably, but that is the way I feel.

2. Georges St. Pierre (19-2) – Welterweight – UFC
I used to think GSP could give Silva a fight, but I don’t feel so good about that now. If Silva was to move to Light Heavyweight on a permanent basis, I would like to see GSP move up to middleweight for a new set of challenges. Guys like Mike Swick and Martin Kampmann don’t seem to present much of a challenge and nobody is going to be excited to see rematches with Jon Fitch or Thiago Alves. Middleweight could present some intriguing fights and would really test GSP.

3. Fedor Emelianenko (30-1-1) – Heavyweight – Strikeforce
Well, again this is all about present day and Fedor hasn’t done anything as of late to keep his top ranking while guys like Silva and St. Pierre are beating some of the best. Fedor had no control over what happened with Affliction: Trilogy, but the option to sign with the UFC was there and he turned it down. He has to know that UFC has better overall talent and hosting an exhibition sparring match with Gegard Mousasi is not going to get me excited. I think Fedor’s career is probably the best of anyone, but in terms of best fighter in the world today, I don’t see him as No. 1.

4. Lyoto Machida (15-0) – Light Heavyweight – UFC
Machida is on his way to building an argument for the No. 1 spot after his quick finishes of Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans. Machida has a unique style like Anderson Silva that has been hard for opponents to figure out. Machida vs. A. Silva is the fight people would love to see, but alas, it will not happen as both have stated they won’t fight each other due to their close bond. Machida is another fighter that seems to be able to transcend his weight class and I think could pose a great challenge to the heavyweight division.

5. Brock Lesnar (4-1) – Heavyweight – UFC
People hated the idea of Lesnar being on this list, but which fighter in the heavyweight division has looked better than him in the last couple years. Lesnar disposed of Randy Couture and Frank Mir and dominated Heath Herring. His speed, power, and agility are equal to any smaller-weight fighter, but he applies it all to a 285-pound frame. Lesnar is still learning but has clearly looked better in his last three fights than other heavyweights like Couture, Mir, Nogueira, CroCop, and Arlovski. Other up and comers like Shane Carwin, Cain Velasquez, and Brett Rogers still have to sustain wins over big names to surpass Brock.

6. BJ Penn (14-5-1) – Lightweight – UFC
Penn showed why he is the best lightweight in the world with his submission win over Kenny Florian at UFC 101. Diego Sanchez in up next for Penn, but I still feel the Hawaiian would rather be fighting at 170, where he thinks he can be the best there too. Perhaps with a few more wins at 155, Penn can take another crack at the 170-pound weight class.

7. Jake Shields (23-4-1) – Welterweight/Middleweight – Strikeforce
Shields is another fighter that has had success in multiple weight classes, but he is not higher on the list because his competition is not as deep as other fighters. I think Shields could be a great challenge for St. Pierre in the UFC, but for now he is set at Strikeforce, where the organization seems locked into to making him their marquee fighter.

8. Mike Thomas Brown (22-4) – Featherweight – WEC
Not much new on Brown, but he does have an upcoming fight with Jose Aldo, which may be a tougher fight than his two with Urijah Faber. Aldo is explosive, but a win for Brown would push him higher up the list.

9. Miguel Angel Torres (36-2) – Bantamweight – WEC
I know many will cry foul here, but I am not going to write off Torres. His loss to Brian Bowles was clear cut, but Torres had Bowles hurt prior to getting caught. I still look at Torres and see him as the best 135-pounder in the world. Bowles will have a chance to show the win was no fluke in the near future, but for now, I look at this loss like St. Pierre’s loss to Matt Serra. We all know then that Serra was not the best in the world, and I don’t see Bowles as the best yet either.

10. Rashad Evans (13-1-1) – Light Heavyweight – UFC
Rampage Jackson held this spot a month ago, but based of Griffin’s loss at UFC 101, I think that hurt Jackson’s stock, as he was unable to really damage Griffin much in their fight last summer. Evans made shorter work of Griffin and seems to be more of a multi-dimensional fighter than Rampage, who hasn’t changed up his game much over the years. When Evans and Rampage fight in December, that will answer the questions as to who should be in this final spot.

Honorable Mention: Thiago Alves, Rampage Jackson, Dan Henderson, Gegard Mousasi, Jon Fitch, Shinya Aoki, Diego Sanchez

- On a side note, give me Gina Carano in an upset and Mousasi in a quick win at tonight’s Strikeforce card.

1) Become a MVP winner in Major League Baseball. Check, as he won the 1988 American League MVP Award with the Oakland A’s.
2) Become a star on a television reality show. Check, as he became a cast member in Season five of the Surreal Life on VH-1.
3) Write a tell-all book on the steroid era in baseball. Check, as he wrote the book entitled Juiced.

And now you can add headlining a mixed martial art event to his list, as Canseco will fight 7-foot-2 and 330 pound Hong-Man Choi on May 26 in Japan.

Canseco vs. Choi is one of four matches in DREAM’s “Super Hulk Tournament” organized to boost television ratings. Here is the entire card:
Super Hulk Tournament (Open-Weight)
- Jose Canseco vs. Hong-Man Choi
- Gegard Mousasi vs. Mark Hunt
- Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa vs. Bob Sapp
- Jan “The Giant” Nortje vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

Despite a 1-2 record, Choi is a dangerous MMA fighter due to his size and sheer strength. This is a definite step up from Canseco’s last opponent inside the ring, actor Danny Bonaduce. They boxed to a draw in an exhibition bout last January, and Canseco was also knocked out in a boxing match against former NFL player Vai Sikahema last summer.