(Aoki/Alvarez 1, from K1 Dynamite 2008. THIS is how men fight.) 

A lot has happened in the four years since Eddie Alvarez was heel-hooked by Shinya Aoki in the first round of their inaugural lightweight championship match back in December of 2008. Aoki has fought a remarkable 13 times since then, picking up notable wins over Marcus Aurelio and Rich Clementi as well as evening the score with DREAM rival Joachim Hansen. He has only gone 1-1 in the States, however, dropping a humiliating unanimous decision to current Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez and notching a quick neck crank submission over Lyle Beerbohm.

Alvarez, on the other hand, went on to become the Bellator lightweight champion after defeating Toby Imada at Bellator 12 in June of ’09, but defended the belt only once in the five fights that succeeded it. We last saw the Philadelphia Fight Factory standout lose said title via fourth round submission in an absolute war with Michael Chandler at Bellator 58 that was my personal pick for 2011′s Fight of the Year.

Well now it seems that these two are destined to collide ONCE AGAIN, in what will surely be…an absolute war (isn’t it funny how you can impersonate Mike Goldberg without even talking?).

(Marcus awoke in a strange room with red carpet and red furniture, naked women on the walls. Was he still dreaming? Just then, a midget entered and began to dance. / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle.)

We may have supported the idea of a Boston vs. New York rivalry-match between Marcus Davis and Phil Baroni at UFC 118, but this could work out even better. According to multiple sources, Davis has verbally agreed to take on Nate Diaz at the August 28th event in Boston. The Irish Hand Grenade saved his job last weekend at UFC 113 with his second-round TKO of Jonathan Goulet (who has been fired again, by the way). Meanwhile, Diaz is coming off his whipping of Rory Markham in his welterweight debut at UFC 111, which followed a 1-3 stretch at lightweight. There might be one hitch in the plan, however — Diaz’s involvement in last month’s brawl at Strikeforce: Nashville. As MMA Junkie writes: 

Six people who participated in the CBS-televised brawl await possible suspension and/or fines from the Tennessee Athletic Commission, though their names have yet to be officially released. A commission meeting scheduled for Thursday in Nashville was delayed by massive flooding that’s submerged much of the city’s downtown area. The meeting tentatively has been rescheduled for May 27. If Diaz is held responsible for his part in the brawl, the TAC could fine him up to $250,000, though he could appeal the fine and delay its enactment.

UFC 118 will be headlined by Penn vs. Edgar II, and will very likely feature James Toney’s UFC debut against Randy Couture; Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard is also expected for the card.

(Props: TSGIGOR)

You see, guys? You see how easy it is to not turn a friendly interview-interruption into a goddamned Royal Rumble? More alternate realities here…

(Left: The poster for this Saturday’s WEC event. Right: Proof of BG’s FightPicker superiority.)

Props to Jeremy Hill for winning the MMA fan package in last week’s MMA FightPicker prize pool — and special props to myself for taking first place in my final head-to-head pool against BF, despite getting four of the questions wrong. It was that kind of week, I guess. (What happened, Dan Quinn’s Tramp Stamp? Put all your eggs in the Tim Stout basket?) Anyway, I hope this eases the rest of your concerns about the sound leadership of CagePotato.com, in the absence of you-know-who.

There’s no prize pool in effect this week on MMA FightPicker, but every week presents new opportunities to claw your way up the leaderboard and challenge the dominance of Aaron Rampey, who frankly seems to be getting a little too comfortable in first place. Perennial contender surf_finland trails him by just 437 PotatoChips at the moment, while nismo17, herbaliser, and Nick Allen TheBrave round out the FightPicker top 5. Take a look at this week’s WEC 48-related questions after the jump, then head over to fightpicker.cagepotato.com to make your picks!

(The scene after the riot. Mauro looks pretty close to throwing down himself. Photo courtesy of WatchKalibRun.)

After his poorly-timed challenge of Jake Shields backfired in violent fashion, Jason "Mayhem" Miller sent out a one-word reaction via Twitter: "Whoops." Since "Whoops" is a tremendous understatement that doesn’t really capture the seriousness of the moment, Miller posted a longer mea culpa on his website last night:

"I would like to formally apologize to CBS, Strikeforce, and all fans of mixed martial arts for my role in the events following the Strikeforce: Nashville event. In retrospect, my timing could not have been worse to ask for my rematch with Jake Sheilds [sic], and I take full responsibility for entering the cage and setting off a chain of events that cast a dark shadow on the sport. I’ve been a fighter and a fan of MMA for over 12 years, and would never do anything to intentionally tarnish the sport I’ve given my life to. In the excitement of the moment I let my emotions run high and made a bad choice that resulted in a debacle, for that, I sincerely apologize."

(Props: MMAFighting.com)

If you assumed that Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal could only function on cocky trash-talker mode, you need to watch this video taken Saturday night, in which Mo is so emotionally vulnerable after defeating Gegard Mousasi in Nashville that he can’t even give Ariel Helwani an interview while standing up. Lawal credits his victory to his trainers, and to the fact that most MMA fighters don’t have good takedown defense. But overall, he wasn’t too impressed with his performance: "I got lazy a few times. I took [Mousasi] for granted because I didn’t respect his skills all too much because I knew I could beat him. I should have taken him more serious, I couldn’t even finish him…I didn’t want it to go five rounds, I wanted to leave him sleeping, but he’s tough, man, he’s seasoned."

And now, let’s all take a moment to reflect on that fact that King Mo is the light-heavyweight champion of a major MMA organization after just seven bouts — only three of which were actually contested at light-heavyweight. While some may interpret that as a triumph of style over substance, or as a symbol of how thin Strikeforce’s 205-pound division is, I just see a guy who did everything right — a fighter whose brief career should be studied by every young scrapper trying to get into the game.

So here it is — the moment that might have sunk Strikeforce’s chances at getting on network television ever again. (As if the monotonous fights didn’t do enough damage to their stock.) When the video cuts away at the 0:15 mark, you miss two things: Jake Shields shoving Jason Miller for getting too close, and Gilbert Melendez shoving Miller immediately afterwards when it looks like Mayhem might retaliate. And then it’s time for the shit to have its blind date with the fan. At this point, Scott Coker’s only hope is that the post-event brawl creates enough heat that CBS wants to give them another chance, selling Strikeforce as the fight club where Anything Can Happen! More likely, CBS will simply want to cut ties with a volatile sport where anything that can go wrong often does.

So how much of the blame for the incident should lie with Miller, and how much should be put on the Scrap Pack? Should Melendez and the Diaz brothers et al. be charged with assault as some are suggesting? After the jump: Nick Diaz, Jason Miller, and Jake Shields give their sides of the story.

("You believe this guy? No towel between his head and hat. I will never understand some people as long as I live." Photo courtesy of the Strikeforce Weigh In Pics gallery on CombatLifestyle.com.)

A note before we get started: The CBS broadcast of tonight’s Strikeforce event may not be live in all areas, so please check your local listings before you run headlong into spoilerville. Now then, we’ve got a short but sweet lineup of fights in store for us, with three titles on the line: Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez defends his belt against invading DREAM champ Shinya Aoki, Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal attempts to steal the crown from reigning light-heavyweight ruler Gegard Mousasi, and middleweight champ Jake Shields faces off against PRIDE/UFC legend Dan Henderson in the biggest fight of his career. Live Strikeforce: Nashville results await you after the jump, beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for round-by-round updates and the usual jokes about Frank Shamrock’s braces and Stephen Quadros’s clown-makeup. 

(King Mo tries, unsuccessfully, to get Mousasi to do something interesting.)

– Strikeforce: Nashville weigh-in results. (Heavy)

– Kurt Pellegrino’s guide to getting autographs from fighters. (UFC.com)

– Dana White, BJ Penn at odds over new book. (The Rumble)

– War Machine not fighting this weekend, and the promoter is pissed. (TMZ)

– Mousasi re-signs two-year deal with Strikeforce. (Sherdog)

– Ben Askren’s funky finish. (Fight Magazine)

– The first pictures of Shinya Aoki in EA Sports MMA. (Middle Easy)

– Shields ready to let his fighting do the talking. (Cagewriter)

– 10 fighters who could drop a weight class. (Bleacher Report)

– Phillies fan makes a great catch. (Total Pro Sports)

– 5 favorite GIFs for a Friday afternoon. (Maxim)

– Police officer in Roethlisberger case resigns. (Scores Report)

– Church erects Jesus painting with foot-tall penis. (Asylum)

– A detective film at its finest. (Ask Men)

– 25 insane book covers. (Holy Taco)

– 10 films begging for a sequel. (Screen Junkies)

– 6 literary heroes you should know. (Made Man)

– Samsung 500 odds. (All Left Turns)

– Crazy opening day fight at Dodgers-Marlins game. (Nothing Toxic)

Tango & Cash. Pancho & Lefty. Lee Harvey Oswald and the CIA. All great duos, and yet none can last forever. So it is with Cage Potato’s own Ben & Ben. But before we break up the team for good, we’re getting together one last time to go head-to-head on Strikeforce: Nashville picks in this week’s MMA FightPicker (Heavy Hitter Pool 10 #1517, stand up!). If you haven’t made your picks yet, get to it. Time waits for no man, and neither does the UFC/Pride prize pack.

Henderson vs. Shields @ Strikeforce: Nashville…
BG: I don’t think he’ll run away with it, but Dan Henderson clearly holds more advantages in this matchup and should be able to take the victory. Hendo has serious knockout power, and unlike Shields’s past opponents, he won’t be manhandled on the ground.
BF: Agreed. Shields isn’t going to submit him and definitely can’t hold him down for five rounds. It’s a bad, bad matchup for him.

 
(Image courtesy of Jimbo Jones, who will probably not be winning the Six Deuce MMA poster contest.)

The non-stop wave of MMA action continues this coming Saturday in Nashville, as Strikeforce presents three title fights (and Jason Miller) at the Bridgestone Arena. Head over to fightpicker.cagepotato.com right now to start making your pool selections, or play the game on Facebook if you’re so inclined.

Unfortunately we can’t give away stolen televisions every week — congrats to TheDemon, by the way — but we still think the current FightPicker prize pool is worth checking out. A reasonable 500-chip buy-in will allow you access to the "MMA Fan Pack Pool 25 #1476." The winner of this pool will receive the following:

– A PRIDE T-Shirt
– A PRIDE 33 DVD
– A UFC "Best of 2009" DVD

Only 25 players are allowed entry, so look sharp. Now let’s take a look at the questions you’ll need to ace to score the loot…

LayzieTheSavage with King Mo Lawal – Watch more Funny Videos

While he was at Reign Training Center checking in with Jason Miller, LayzieTheSavage also bumped into Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal, who will be competing for Strikeforce’s light-heavyweight title at the Nashville show on 4/17. Mo has been calling out Gegard Mousasi since he put away Mike Whitehead in December, and now has an opportunity to prove the doubters wrong and get his belt. If that seems like a tall order, Lawal would like to point out that he’s used to being an underdog, and feels he has advantages in power, athleticism, hunger — and he’s a little bit smarter too. When asked what he’ll do to celebrate a victory next Saturday, King Mo gives an appropriately confident response: "I don’t celebrate victories…I expect to win, so what’s to celebrate?"

(Props: Brion S.)

We’ve reached the mid-way point in our massive MMA event poster design contest, and we’ve already gotten some amazing submissions. To inspire the rest of y’all into getting your asses in gear, we’ve decided to post some of our current favorites, which continue after the jump. Please send your poster entries to feedback@cagepotato.com by next Tuesday. We’ll pick some finalists for voting a week from today; the top vote-getter will score a big ass prize-package from Six Deuce, which includes MMA fight shorts, a Glorious Sweater of Absolute Victory t-shirt, Muay Thai training gloves, hand wraps, ankle supports, and a leather speed bag. Three runners up will score the shorts — a prize worth $45, just for losing. Please swing by 62gear.com and let ‘em know you care!

(Props: Brian R.)

(Props: Steve W.)

LayzieTheSavage with Jason Mayhem Miller – Watch more Funny Videos

When news came out yesterday that Jason "Mayhem" Miller was booked to fight a local banger named Tim Stout at Strikeforce: Nashville on less than two weeks notice, we wondered how the outspoken middleweight felt about it. So, we sent our video editor friend LayzieTheSavage out to Reign Training Center in Orange County to ask him a few questions. In this exclusive video interview, Miller gives his thoughts on his "country boy" opponent, and why he’ll enjoy smashing Stout in the dude’s hometown. He also discusses the challenge of being on the same card as Muhammed Lawal, and what it’ll take to outdo King Mo’s ring entrance. Plus, he tells us a little about the upcoming third season of Bully Beatdown, which he describes as "the most long-lasting show on MTV." So we’re not even going to pretend that The Real World exists anymore, huh?

(Sure, you’ll save a few bucks going to an unlicensed chiropractor, but you wind up paying for it in other ways.)

From a new report on MMA Junkie:

Of course, it had already happened twice before during Aoki’s combat career: When he snapped Keith Wisniewski’s arm in Shooto, and when he dislocated Kuniyoshi Hironaka’s arm in a grappling match. The man is very disrespectful towards arms, basically, and he refuses to feel bad about it. Of course, what really got Aoki in hot water after the Hirota fight was his Stockton-style celebration, which I can’t really see him doing in the U.S. against a guy he has no personal history with. But the bottom line is this: Don’t be a hero, Gilbert. If Aoki has your arm, just tap, unless you want to spend the rest of the year in recovery. Aoki’s already pissed off about the shorts situation. But for a Strikeforce championship belt? Dios mio, he gonna carve you up real nice.

(Props: MMA Payout) 

Last week, CBS started airing TV spots like this one during the NCAA men’s basketball tournament to promote Strikeforce: Nashville. While it’s good that they’re getting some visibility among sports fans, the ads themselves leave a little to be desired. Let’s break it down:

— Does the ad look like it was filmed in one location in less than a half-hour? Check.

— Is Dan Henderson introduced as "one of the most decorated fighters in MMA history," while Jake Shields is simply introduced as "Jake Shields"? That’s a bingo.

— Are cheesy sound effects added when the fighters are hitting the heavy bag? Indeed.

— Does the swooping edit of Dan Henderson entering the frame at 0:12 make you laugh? LOL, yes.

— Is Dan’s delivery of "I’m comin’ for that belt" strangely passionless? Unfortunately so.

— Are the other two title fights on the card mentioned anywhere? Nah, son.

— Does it end with a Chad Kroeger-esque singer going "yeaaaaaah"? Man, does it ever.

(Honestly, which would you rather watch: Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin, or the stunning conclusion to this red-hot war of words? Video courtesy of MiddleEasy.)

Our condolences to anybody who was looking forward to a hastily thrown-together UFC card featuring a couple of old-timers and whoever else was available at the time. A Spike TV source has told MMAFighting.com that the UFC’s rumored Strikeforce counter-programming show on April 17th is no longer happening. This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, considering that no fights had been made official a month away from the date. (The UFC doesn’t seem to share the same "whatever happens happens" attitude as the Japanese when it comes to fight-booking.) And so, Strikeforce wins this particular standoff, and will instead be going heads-up against one of the UFC’s recent pay-per-views. Considering how those PPVs have been doing lately, that’s good news for Scott Coker.

Speaking of Strikeforce: Nashville, MMA Junkie reports that Bobby Lashley (5-0) is slated to appear on the card against an opponent to be named later; if there’s any justice in the world, Wes Sims will get the rematch that we all know he deserves. Lashley’s fight is expected to be part of the event’s preliminary card, but will be shown on the CBS broadcast unless all three title fights go long.

Yesterday, Scott Coker confirmed that Strikeforce’s upcoming Nashville event would stay with its original April 17th date, instead of switching to April 24th in order to dodge a potential UFC counter-programming show. Well, they asked for it. Fighters Only passes along this major announcement:

(I hope you’re working hard, James, because Kimbo is working double-hard.)

It’s not enough for the UFC to simply hold an event the same day their rivals are holding one. No, gentle readers, what Dana White may have in mind is far more savage. In an update on the Strikeforce: Nashville counter-programming situation, Sherdog passes along the following amazing detail:

Tennessee Athletic Commission Executive Director Jeff Mullen says that the UFC has not yet applied for a permit, but if this actually happens, holy shit. This is basically something Keyser Soze would do if he was running an MMA promotion. Again, overall TV ratings would still lean in favor of Strikeforce, but the UFC could steal a lot of the local heat in Nashville depending on who’s on the card. Although the proposed Mike Swick vs. Matt Serra match isn’t happening due to Swick’s impending arm-surgery, Carmichael Dave drops the rumor that James Toney vs. Kimbo Slice is being prepared as the main event for the UFC’s April 17th show.

Kind of short-notice for Lights Out, but it’s not like he was planning on getting his blue belt in BJJ before stepping into the Octagon. He’s working with a fucking boxing coach to prepare for his MMA debut, okay? He doesn’t plan on anybody laying on top of him like a lil’ fag, you feel me? All of this is still unconfirmed, but we hope it goes down, just so we can hear Dana White explain why Dan Henderson vs. Jake Shields is a freak show, while Kimbo vs. Dark Gable is legitimate MMA…

(Now there’s a couple of guys you wouldn’t want to run into in a dark boardroom.)

What, you thought that Strikeforce could put together a stacked card on CBS featuring three title fights, one involving former UFC star Dan Henderson, and Dana White would just stand there and take it like a bitch? C’mon, son. As first reported by Dave Meltzer of f4wonline.com, the UFC is planning to set up a counter-programming show on April 17th — the scheduled date of Strikeforce: Nashville — which will likely air on Spike TV. No matchups are official yet, but a welterweight bout between Matt Serra and Mike Swick is in the works. While the Spike event would likely get blown out by Strikeforce’s CBS show in overall ratings, Meltzer explains the reasoning like this:

Good plan, right? There’s just one problem: Scott Coker might not play along.

Behold the sparse, no-bullshit poster for Strikeforce: Nashville, which clearly takes its design cues from this. Tickets for the April 17th event — priced from $25 to $195 — go on sale to the general public on Friday. Pre-sale begins today at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT for Strikeforce Insider members.

Speaking of Strikeforce, Mauro Ranallo passes along the rumor that the Overeem vs. Rogers fight in May could be for Strikeforce’s heavyweight title, as Fedor Emelianenko’s status with the organization grows hazier. Facepalm, bro. If Fedor can’t make it work with Strikeforce, his only available option is to track down Josh Barnett in Dream. And after that? Is Zuluzinho available for a rematch?