(Looks like T-Wood traded his lay-n-pray for some float-n-gloat. / Photo via Getty Images)

In terms of job security, Jake Shields has every strike against him right now. He’s coming off a six-month drug-suspension, his UFC appearances have been either forgettable or memorable for the wrong reasons, his official Octagon record is an uninspiring 2-2, and he’s even more expensive than Jon Fitch. It’s safe to assume that Shields will need to win his next match to avoid the axe — and according to new reports, that’s not going to be easy.

As first revealed by MMAJunkie, a welterweight bout between Shields and Tyron Woodley is being targeted for a June 15th UFC event in Canada (city/venue TBA). The fight will mark Shields’s return to the 170-pound division after his brief trip back up to middleweight at UFC 150, where he defeated Ed Herman by decision before that victory was overturned.

Like Shields, Tyron Woodley has endured “boring fighter” criticisms in the past for the way he’s used his suffocating wrestling to prevent opponents such as Paul Daley from standing and banging. But in his UFC debut earlier this month at UFC 156, Woodley showed off his tremendous knockout power, blitzing Jay Hieron in just 36 seconds. T-Wood’s previous fight against Nate Marquardt in Strikeforce was also an entertaining scrap, although it ultimately led to the first loss of Woodley’s career.

So will Shields fight any differently when it’s clear that his job is at stake? How do you see this one going down?

(“Progidy.” “The 30-something Randy Couture of the 40-something crowd.” “I don’t speak-a the Portuguesa.” “Leg kick to the midsection.” All the classics are here. / Props: zombie00713 via MiddleEasy)

Thiago Tavares ‘Surprised’ By Recent Failed Drug Test Following UFC On FX 7 (Fightline)

‘Bigfoot’ Silva’s Manager: Cain Velasquez Rematch Possible, but Slower Path to Title Preferred (MMAFighting)

Johny Hendricks Calls Georges St. Pierre an ‘Idiot’ for Thinking Nick Diaz Deserves a Title Shot Over Him (MMA Mania)

Anthony “Showtime” Pettis and the Evolution of Mixed Martial Arts (BleacherReport)

If Condit Gets Hurt, Tyron Woodley Wants to Fight Rory MacDonald at UFC 158 (MMAConvert)

Jack Slack’s Greatest Strikers: A Brief Look At Giorgio Petrosyan (BloodyElbow)

Pictures: Joe Lauzon Competes In Food Decathlon (FightDay)

Steven Seagal and Joe Arpaio Are Training a ‘Posse’ of School Shooting First Responders (FilmDrunk)

The 40 Softest Athletes in Sports History (Complex)

2013 Valentine’s Day Gift Guide (MensHealth)

7 Must-See Photos That Haven’t Been Photoshopped (DoubleViking)

Everyone Is Doing the Harlem Shake Right Now (Break)

50 Horrible Photos Taken By Horribly Professional Photographers (WorldWideInterweb)

(Bobby Green vs. Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennet at KOTC – Fight 4 Hope.)

For obvious reasons, the main focus of Saturday night’s UFC 156: Aldo vs. Edgar card is on both the headlining title fight and the title implications of an Alistair Overeem win, but that is not to say that there aren’t plenty of intriguing matchups to be had on the undercard as well. Featuring the UFC debuts of a couple Strikeforce veterans and an undefeated Hawaiian prospect, UFC 156 promises to deliver from top to bottom, so join us after the jump to get the inside scoop on all of the unfamiliar faces that will be stepping into the octagon Saturday night.

(Green vs. Dan Lauzon at Affliction: Day of Reckoning.) 

Bobby “King” Green (LW)

(“Come on, you guys, give him a hand for trying.”)

If you were looking over the UFC 156 fight card and thinking to yourself “Hey, this card is almost too stacked. I could really use a lackluster fight to make a sandwich or go to the bathroom during,” well then do we have some great news for you. Now that Erick Silva has fallen victim to the great injury curse of 2012 (2013 status pending), it appears that Strikeforce welterweight Tyron Woodley has been called over to the UFC in his absence. As was the case with future highlight reel victim Lucas Martins, Woodley will be making his promotional debut on short notice against a much more experienced opponent. However, unlike Martins, Woodley actually finds himself in a matchup that he stands a good chance of winning.

Woodley will be squaring off against Jay Hieron, a Bellator/IFL/Strikeforce veteran who has simply not been able to put it together in the octagon, going 0 for 3 in the promotion thus far. After we hyped the hell out of his UFC return, Hieron put on an incredibly disappointing — not to mention tepid — performance against Jake Ellenberger at UFC on FX 5, resulting in a unanimous decision victory for the Omaha native. You guys remember that fight, right? Anyone? Who am I kidding, not even Hieron’s mom remembers that fight.

(We believe the words you’re looking for are Like a Boss. Props to Fightlinker for the gif.) 

Aside from bringing Tyron Woodley’s championship aspirations (not to mention his mother’s dramatic retelling of Big Momma’s House 4: The Skriekening) to a crashing halt, it turns out that Nate Marquardt’s brilliant standing elbow also did a fair share of damage to Woodley’s upper lip. To put it simply, the wound most closely resembles what would happen if you were to mix Ambien with PCP and attempt to dry shave in a Southwest airplane bathroom. During takeoff. With a flensing knife. Also, you’re blind. OK, so maybe that wasn’t as simple a description as it could have been, but you get the point.

Check out the nasty cut after the jump.

“And now there’s a tree in the woods involved? Geez, throw me some more curveballs, Dana!”

Judging by the activity in our liveblog’s comments section, there weren’t many of you who tuned in to last night’s Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy. Judging by the “advertising” that went into this event, which included Frank Shamrock’s acting chops and a last second plug on the UFC’s Facebook page (to which one of the comments with the most “likes” asked who the guys were in the main event that looked more like accountants than fighters), Zuffa is perfectly okay with this. And from the two – yes, two – reporters who even bothered to show up to the pre-event press conference, we have to admit that the ghost ship that has become Strikeforce is partially all of our faults.

It’s a shame that Strikeforce is getting the Bamboo Lounge treatment, but after the entertaining main card that those of us who watched were treated to, at least the promotion is fading into obscurity with dignity.

Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold earned a convincing unanimous decision over the formidable Tim Kennedy. He came forward with an aggressive striking attack throughout the fight, managing to stuff numerous takedown attempts as well. Granted, Kennedy never seemed like he was in danger of being knocked out or submitted, but that’s far more of a testament to how game Kennedy is than it is a criticism of Luke Rockhold.

(Luckily, Scott Coker was there to break the tension with one of his trademark sauerkraut farts. I’m sorry, I usually don’t go that lowbrow, but nobody’s reading this, right? / Props: Esther Lin/Showtime)

Here’s a quick list of things that people are more interested in than Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy, according to Google trends: Bastille Day. Chick-fil-A. Wayne Gretsky’s foxy daughter, Paulina Gretsky. Steam. Yes, steam, like vaporized water. Now, was all that just a cheap ploy to draw more search traffic to our liveblog? Sure. But you know what? These guys need all the attention they can get.

If you’re here with us tonight, we thank you and welcome you. Tonight, Strikeforce is presenting a title fight double-bill, with Luke Rockhold attempting to make his second middleweight belt-defense against Tim Kennedy, and Nate Marquardt and Tyron Woodley throwing down for the vacant 170-pound strap. Plus, Robbie Lawler welcomes Lorenz Larkin to the middleweight division, and Keith Jardine gets a third chance to earn a win in Strikeforce, this time against BJJ scion Roger Gracie.

We’ll be giving you round-by-round results from the Showtime main card starting at 10 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and feel free to discuss Gustav Klimt and Michael Clark Duncan’s heart-attack in the comments section.

(Meh. / Photo via Strikeforce)

I get it; we’re all a little burned out right now. With two UFC events over the last six days and a Strikeforce event scheduled for tomorrow night in Portland, you might be thinking, well, maybe I can sit this one out and come back strong for Rousey vs. Kaufman. Over-saturation must be the culprit, because there’s no other explanation for why a card with two title fights — featuring the always-thrilling Luke Rockhold and the return of Nate Marquardt — should be completely ignored by fans and media alike. You want to talk about lack of heat? Wikipedia hasn’t even bothered to create a page for this event. That is cold, brother.

Unfortunately, the fighters have to compete whether you guys care or not. And they know you don’t care. And that really sucks for them. Strikeforce held a press conference yesterday to promote the Rockhold vs. Kennedy card, in which the headliners answered questions from “two reporters in four rows of chairs,” according to this thoroughly depressing account by Steven Marrocco of MMA Junkie.

“I just came from Vegas, where they had 2,000 people at the weigh-in,” said Tyron Woodley, who will be fighting Marquardt for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title. “I think it’s a disrespect to Strikeforce. It should be advertised a little bit more.” Marrocco points out that the UFC 148 weigh-in attendance was closer to 8,000 if you want to split hairs.

Tim Kennedy, as you can imagine, was even less courteous in his assessment:

(Props: MMAFightingonSBN)

In a new interview on MMA Fighting’s “The MMA Hour,” Nate Marquardt revealed that he has discontinued the testosterone replacement therapy that led to his dismissal from the UFC last June. Marquardt started TRT in 2010 to treat low testosterone-production which left him feeling sluggish, irritable, and forgetful, but recently decided that the hassle ain’t worth it. As Marquardt explained to Ariel Helwani:

“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to fulfill my dreams going that route. I just feel it was so much of a hassle and stress with the commissions and all that, I guess, that the right thing for me to do right now is to choose not to do it. And you know, definitely I’ve pursued a lot of other stuff to try to help my health and a lot of it’s helping. I feel great right now. I’m in really good shape, and that’s not something I’m worried about right now.”

As Mike Chiappetta points out, “Marquardt leaving the treatment behind is no small story, as there is much literature that suggests that TRT, once taken, is to be used for a lifetime.” Meaning that Nate’s decision to discontinue treatment could actually be detrimental to his health — assuming he ever needed it in the first place. (The way that MMA fighters have been casually jumping on and off hormone therapy certainly doesn’t improve TRT’s reputation as a cheap route to a competitive advantage.) Still, Marquardt says he’s in great shape without the extra testosterone boost, and will prove it as he drops to welterweight for the first time to battle Tyron Woodley for Strikeforce’s vacant welterweight title on July 14th in Portland, Oregon:

(Snot rocket, five points.)

Eight months after being fired by the UFC for elevated testosterone levels before a scheduled match with Rick Story, Nate Marquardt is back under the Zuffa umbrella. The former UFC middleweight contender has signed with Strikeforce, where he is expected to make his long-delayed welterweight debut later this year. UFC president Dana White confirmed the news on last night’s edition of UFC Tonight on FUEL.

MMA Junkie adds that Marquardt’s first opponent in Strikeforce could be undefeated (though occasionally boring) 170-pound contender Tyron Woodley, who holds victories over Jordan Mein, Paul Daley, and Andre Galvao; verbal agreements are reportedly in place for the matchup. With the Strikeforce welterweight title still vacant, a Marquardt vs. Woodley match could have great significance to the promotion. Could this be Nate’s first step back to the Octagon? Or does Woodley pull a Chael and out-wrestle Marquardt for three rounds?

In a disturbing instance of foreshadowing, Scott Coker waits way too long to intervene. Props: Five Ounces of Pain

We’ll be honest: It’s getting pretty hard to write Strikeforce aftermath articles anymore. With a Strikeforce event, you already know that the favorite is going to win. You already know that the champions have run out of legitimate challengers. Every aftermath piece we’ve written for a Strikeforce event since the UFC’s acquisition of the organization demonstrates this. Essentially, the organization is going through the motions, yet we have to find a way to write something original about it.

Heading into Rockhold vs. Jardine, it was pretty clear that the organization was giving Jardine a title shot out of convenience. He was healthy, available and had a name that fans recognized. Because Strikeforce isn’t planning on growing as an organization, those qualifications were enough to earn him a title shot against Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold, despite never having competed at middleweight before. The fight didn’t come off as a legitimate title fight- it came off as a litmus test for Rockhold.

Keith Jardine gave us the same performance that we’ve come to expect from him. His awkward movement and looping punches seemed to confuse Rockhold at first, but once Luke Rockhold managed to figure out Jardine’s style he controlled the fight. While looking like a guy who hadn’t weighed 185 pounds since the ninth grade didn’t help Keith Jardine’s cause, it’s hard to imagine that a less fatigued Dean of Mean would have done significantly better. Luke Rockhold is the younger, more diverse fighter. Jardine is the same fighter that had been figured out years ago, except now he’s in the twilight of his career. A prospect that’s ready for the big leagues can beat an opponent like Keith Jardine, and that’s exactly what Rockhold did.

(Worst. Charity bachelor auction. Ever. / Photo via Strikeforce)

Okay, let’s go through this one more time: Luke Rockhold is Strikeforce’s middleweight champion. Keith Jardine is the former UFC light-heavyweight contender who Rousey’d his way into a title shot at 185. They’ll be fighting in the main event of tonight’s Strikeforce card on Showtime. Also, King Mo returns against Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin, Robbie Lawler faces off against Russkie McFancykicks, and Jordan Mein will try to snap Tyron Woodley’s undefeated record with those bionic elbows of his.

I fully expect tonight’s liveblog turnout to be more of an “intimate” affair, but that doesn’t mean we won’t do our best to give you a good show. Round-by-round results from the “Rockhold vs. Jardine” main card broadcast will be piling up after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET, courtesy of CagePotato liveblog up-and-comer Steve Silverman. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for coming, guys.

We had the opportunity to speak with Strikeforce welterweight contender Tyron Woodley yesterday ahead of the busy grand opening weekend of his St. Louis American Top Team affiliate gym, ATT Evolution and we touched on a variety of topics including his upcoming bout with Canadian prospect Jordan Mein, his gym’s revolutionary youth program and the rampant use of PEDs in the sport. We also touched on his thoughts on the inevitable GSP-Diaz match-up and why he thinks Stockton’s best fighter was right to turn down a fight with him.

You can download the interview directly HERE if you aren’t subscribed to The Bum Rush on iTunes.

Check out the highlights of our chat with T-Wood after the jump.

It may be five years too late for the winner of tonight’s Fedor vs. Henderson bout to gain anything other than bragging rights, but that isn’t stopping us from being excited. Those of you who saw yesterday’s link dump already know that Fedor is only seven pounds lighter than he was when he fought Antonio Silva. Even though the scale doesn’t show it, Fedor looks more athletic than we’re accustomed to seeing him. Of course, if you’ve been paying attention you aren’t too surprised. Dan Henderson made weight as well, tipping the scales at 207 pounds.

To get an idea of how small Fedor is for a heavyweight, skip to about the two minute mark. Even though Fedor has the sixteen pound weight advantage, you wouldn’t know it by looking at him standing next to Hendo. Henderson, who pretty much came into this fight at light heavyweight, appears to be the same size as Fedor. And remember, Dan Henderson isn’t exactly the Anthony Johnson of the light heavyweight division.

Everyone else on tonight’s card made weight for their fights. Yes, this includes Paul Daley, who weighed in at 171 pounds for his fight against Tyron Woodley. Full results, courtesy of mmafighting.com, are after the jump.

Photographic proof that ReX tried to end Jason’s baby making days.

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson goes down tomorrow night at the Sears Centre just outside of Chicago.  To help get you in the proper spirit, Doug “ReX13” Richardson and Jason Moles have returned to eloquently debate some of the more important storylines surrounding this historic event. Will Fedor go 0 for 3?  If so, will the internets asplode?  Are we nearing the end of women’s MMA on the big stage? Who gives worse gambling advice, ReX or Jason? Do us a favor and slog through this painfully long column, then let us know your own thoughts in the comments section.

(Tyron Woodley vs. Andre Galvao, 10/9/10)

In the wake of Evangelista Santos’s recent injury withdrawal, undefeated welterweight contender Tyron Woodley will step up to replace him against Paul Daley at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson, July 30th in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Despite our impassioned pleas to give Woodley a shot at the gold, the fight will reportedly be a non-title affair.

That shouldn’t come as a big surprise, considering Zuffa’s hatred of Paul Daley; the company likely wants to avoid any situation in which they might have to refer to him as a “champion.” So maybe Woodley will get a shot at Strikeforce’s now-vacant welterweight title if he wins this fight. And at that point, Strikeforce’s 170-pound division will be so thin and cleaned out that their welterweight belt will have about as much prestige as a goddamned Burger King crown.

(“…and I want water made from the iceberg the Titanic hit and….”)

When Strikeforce announced over the weekend that Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, who lost to Nick Diaz in his last fight in January, would  be facing Paul Daley – Diaz’s last victim – on SF’s July 30 card,  it was surprising to hear murmurs that the winner might take home the promotion’s vacant strap for a number of reasons.

(OK, Julia watch for the le-. Never mind. VidProps: ProMMANow.)

What’s this? A fairly solid Strikeforce Challengers card that (for once) accomplishes its stated mission of showcasing a bevy of the promotion’s up-and-coming fighters? Believe it, people. Strikeforce managed to prolong some of the momentum it established late in 2010 and took advantage of the Showtime channel’s free preview weekend on Friday night with a decent card that saw a number of its more favored prospects pull off victories. Granted, things dragged a little bit down the stretch with Daniel Cormier, Ovince St. Preux and Tyron Woodley grappling their way to consecutive unanimous decisions, but on the whole this show has to be considered something of a success, at least as far as the often maligned Challengers series goes.

For the more punch-hungry fans out there, Amanda Nunes’ lightning quick 14-second knockout of Julia Budd certainly broke the monotony of the wrestling clinic, too. Video of that at top. After the jump, further musings on what it all means …

Strikeforce returns to Nashville for the first time since The Incident tonight when their "Woodley vs. Saffiedine" Challengers card pops off at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. You can catch the main card on Showtime beginning at 11 p.m. ET/PT. (It’s one of those free preview weekends, by the way.) If you have no plans tonight but feel like staying up late anyway, here’s what you could be seeing…

Tyron Woodley (7-0) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (10-2-1)
Coming off a dominant first-round TKO over Andre Galvao, Woodley has been making his name as one of Strikeforce’s best welterweights. The former University of Missouri wrestler will meet Belgian Team Quest product Saffiedine, who is 2-0 under the Strikeforce banner and is coming off a huge decision win over Brock Larson at Shark Fights 13 in September. 

Daniel Cormier (6-0) vs. Devin Cole (18-8-1)
We’re not sure why Daniel Cormier didn’t get an alternate-spot in Strikeforce’s heavyweight tournament — with six stoppage wins on his record and championship belts in two separate leagues (King of the Cage and Australia’s Xtreme MMA promotion), he’s one of the fastest-rising prospects in the division. IFL vet Devin Cole is coming off a decision loss to Aaron Rosa at Shark Fights 13, but he’s a seasoned vet who might be able to withstand the pressure that Cormier brings.

The icy glares of Nick Diaz and KJ Noons that have been haunting the top of our homepage all day should serve as a firm reminder — Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II goes down tomorrow night on Showtime, starting at 10 p.m. Be sure to come back tomorrow for round-by-round results in our liveblog. In the meantime, check out the final thoughts from a few of the main card players in these clips from strikeforcefilms.

Above: Marloes Coenen and Sarah Kaufman discuss their 135-pound title scrap. 135 is an unfamiliar weight class for Coenen, but she’s had no problem with the cut, and as you can see during the face-off at the end, she’ll be carrying a serious height advantage.

After the jump: KJ Noons talks about his own trip to a new weight class, and his appreciation of Diaz’s style. Nick Diaz gives him props for taking the rematch, and suggests that he might not have been motivated in their first fight, due to Noons’s lack of name-value. ("I’d rather fight Fedor, y’know?") Then, some genius reporter asks Nick if he’s going to jump ship to the UFC, with Scott Coker sitting right next to him. Ouch. Also, Tyron Woodley breaks down his matchup with Andre Galvao and talks about his development in the sport.

("Limited government, fiscal responsibility and a literal definition of the Constitution. I don’t know what’s so hard for you to understand about this, Kevin.")

While the Strikeforce broadcast team was busy reminding us how “old school” Kevin Casey’s one-dimensional, jiu-jitsu-only approach was on Friday night, they forgot to mention that Matt Lindland wasn’t exactly born yesterday, either. If Casey fought like it was 1993, as Mauro Ranallo suggested at one point, then Lindland fought like it was 1996 and the results were very much the same as if the main event of “Strikeforce: Challengers” had actually happened 15-years ago.

And somewhere, Michael Schiavello wept …