TICKETS FOR STRIKEFORCE NASHVILLE: HENDERSON VS SHIELDS GO ON SALE TOMORROW
Three world title fights highlight first ever STRIKEFORCE MMA event in Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 4, 2010) -Tickets for STRIKEFORCE Nashville: Henderson vs. Shields, the first ever STRIKEFORCE mixed martial arts (MMA) event in the state of Tennessee on Saturday, April 17, go on sale tomorrow/Friday, March 5 at 10 a.m. CT at the Bridgestone Arena ticket office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com <http://www.ticketmaster.com/> ) and STRIKEFORCE’S official website (www.strikeforce.com <http://www.strikeforce.com/> ).
Headlining the STRIKEFORCE card at Bridgestone Arena (formerly known as Sommet Center) will be the world middleweight (185 pounds) title bout between MMA legend and two-time United States Olympic wrestling competitor Dan Henderson (25-7) and reigning STRIKEFORCE champion Jake Shields (24-4-1)
STRIKEFORCE World Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) Champion Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1) will defend his crown against undefeated MMA star and two-time NCAA All-American wrestler “King Mo” (6-0) while STRIKEFORCE World Lightweight (155 pounds) Champion Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (17-2) will put his title on the line against DREAM Champion and top-ranked Japanese superstar Shinya Aoki (23-4).
One of the most decorated figures in the history of MMA, Henderson, who left the UFC to sign a multi-year agreement with STRIKEFORCE in December 2009, is the only fighter in the sport’s history to simultaneously hold two different titles in two different weight classes (welterweight and heavyweight) for a major fight promotion (PRIDE Fighting Championships).
The 31-year old-Shields, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and resident of San Francisco, captured the vacant STRIKEFORCE middleweight crown with a unanimous five-round decision over fellow superstar Jason “Mayhem” Miller in a live CBS primetime televised matchup at Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., on Nov. 7, 2009. Shields, who has not suffered a defeat since December 14, 2004, will put a 13-fight win streak on the line when he faces Henderson.
Since 2006, the 24-year-old Mousasi has reeled off 15 consecutive victories to become the top 205-pound fighter in the world. An aggressive, Dutch-Armenian fighter, who relocated with his family from Iran to The Netherlands when he was four-years-old, captured the STRIKEFORCE light heavyweight title by impressively stopping Renato “Babalu” Sobral one minute into the first round of their meeting at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. on Aug. 15, 2009.
Unbeaten since he made his MMA debut in Japan with a first round (2:11) TKO over Travis Wiuff on Sept. 28, 2008, the 28-year-old King Mo is a former NCAA Division I All-American and Big 12 wrestling champion for Oklahoma State University. With a mere 11 months of MMA experience under his belt, the Murfreesboro, Tenn.-born fighter decimated two-time UFC tournament champion and MMA legend Mark “The Smashing Machine” Kerr just 25 seconds into their meeting with a barrage of punches on Aug. 28, 2009.
Melendez, a 27-year-old Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu stylist, reclaimed the STRIKEFORCE lightweight belt from the man who took it from him – Josh “The Punk” Thomson – with a five-round unanimous decision in one of the most ferocious battles of all time in the cage at HP Pavilion on Dec. 19, 2009. The stunning victory came just four months after the San Francisco native avenged the only other defeat of his career by stopping Japanese wrestling ace Mitsuhiro “The Endless Fighter” Ishida with an onslaught of punches in the third round (3:56) of a rematch on Aug. 15, 2009.
The 26-year-old Aoki, a dangerous submission expert who holds a black belt in both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as well as judo, is recognized as one of the sport’s premiere 155-pound fighters. His tremendous flexibility has allowed him to surprise many opponents, thus earning him the nickname “Tobikan Judan,” which is Japanese for “master of flying submissions.”
On Oct. 6, 2009, Aoki seized the DREAM lightweight title by submitting superstar Joachim Hansen with an armbar in the second round (4:56) of a championship bout in Yokohama, Japan.
The event will air live on the CBS Television Network on April 17.
STRIKEFORCE in March 2009 signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA events on premium cable television network SHOWTIME. The promotion made its live, primetime debut on CBS with the “Fedor vs. Rogers” mega-fight that it co-promoted with M-1 Global on Saturday, November 7 and generated 5.46 million viewers for the main event between the world’s number one heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, and superstar Brett “The Grim” Rogers.
About STRIKEFORCE
STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com <http://www.strikeforce.com/> ) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE, sanctioned by ISKA, has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts (MMA) series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.
Drinking Buddies Dan Henderson and Jake Shields to Fight for Strikeforce MW Title
Written By: Dallas Winston (TheGarv.com)
It was exactly one week ago today that Dan Henderson and Jake Shields bumped into eachother at the local watering hole and decided to throw some drinks back together. The pair will now get to know each other even better as their impending collision for the Strikeforce middleweight title has been made official.
The heavily rumored clash will take place sometime in April, and there is no confirmation as of yet on whether the 185-pound championship bout will be shown on CBS or Showtime. Shields had the following comments on the fight and the potential venues:
Henderson Vs. Shields for Strikeforce MW Title (Updated)
Written By: Dallas Winston (TheGarv.com)
The sentiment that “there is no good competition for Jake Shields outside of the UFC” is officially dead and buried. Dan Henderson announced today on ESPN MMA Live that his Strikeforce debut will be against middleweight champion Jake Shields for the title.
To immediately vault clear across the entire spectrum to the opposite side, I don’t know how many questions will be answered about Shields and his MMA status should he by chance lose to Henderson. Shields has been a piece of the top 10 rankings at welterweight, middleweight, or both for the last several years. One could probably get away with the same statement about Henderson, except Dan has floated in between middleweight and light-heavyweight, and couldn’t touch 170 pounds without discarding a major appendage or two.
Video: Hendo on Strikeforce, Shields, Dana White
By: Dallas Winston (TheGarv.com)
Dan Henderson is interviewed by Sherdog.com on various topics such as why he signed with Strikeforce, how his relationship with Dana White is, and how Dana is fat and needs to stop expanding his collection of suits.
Hendo also shares his thoughts on the fight with Jake Shields, stating that he thinks Shields is actually bigger than he is.
Jake Shields video talks Strikeforce middleweights; possible Georges St. Pierre fight
By: Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com)
And let’s not forget some guy named Dan Henderson is also in the Strikeforce middleweight fold…
Shields Expected for Henderson’s First Strikeforce Opponent
By: Dallas Winston (TheGarv.com)
Rumors have surfaced that newly signed Strikeforce fighter Dan Henderson will jump immediately into the frying pan by facing middleweight champion Jake Shields right off the bat.
The match-up is allegedly being targeted for April of next year. If this sounds like a bold move on behalf of Henderson and Strikeforce, this may only be step one of three lofty goals that Hendo has set for himself with the promotion: the MMA vet has stated that he would like to fight the existing champions starting at middleweight (Shields), then light-heavyweight (Gegard Mousasi), and finally, heavyweight (Fedor Emelianenko).
Jason Miller vs. Jake Shields photo gallery
By: ProMMA.info
Jake Shields and Jason “Mayhem” Miller fought an intense five round middleweight title fight at Strikeforce – Fedor vs. Rogers on Nov. 7. Shields wanted no part of Miller’s striking and repeatedly tried to get the fight to the ground.
Well-versed in the grappling game himself, Miller defended the submission attempts of Shields, and at one point had the Cesar Gracie protege in serious trouble with a rear-naked choke. Shields rallied, kept the pressure on Miller, controlled the pace and position, and took home the unanimous decision.
We snapped a complete photo gallery of both fighters, including “Mayhem’s” flamboyant entrance, the bout itself, and their attendance at the post-fight press conference. Enjoy these photos of Miller and Shields after the jump, then take a look at our complete “Fedor vs. Rogers” gallery in the ProMMA.info photo album.
Continue reading →
Nate Diaz talks Jake Shields and more at the 2009 Gracie Open (Video)
By: Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com)
MMA Quick Quote: Jake Shields is going to smash ‘Mayhem’ Miller on Nov. 7
By: Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com)
“I have nothing against Jason. I think he’s a tough fighter, but I’m gonna go out there and beat the crap of him on the 7th, ya know? Jason likes to talk and I’m gonna go out there and once we’re in the cage, you’ll see what happens. I’ve certainly prepared on my end. When I get through Jason Miller, then we’ll see who they bring at me. Seems like they’re bringing in some big middleweights so there’s lots of possibilities. I feel the best that I have ever felt. I’m going to go out there and try to smash Mayhem. I’ve been working on my stand-up, wrestling and jui jitsu, every aspect. I’m gonna go out there and make a statement and beat the living crap out of him.”
Former Elite XC welterweight champion Jake Shields tells FightHype.com that he’s going to steamroll former ICON Sport middleweight champion Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller at Strikeforce: “Fedor vs. Rogers” from the Sears Centre on Nov. 7 live on CBS. The one-time “Bully Beatdown” buddies have recently been squabbling back-and-forth, claiming that the other was afraid to fight. Now the ink has dried and it’s only a matter of weeks before they hook ‘em up. Who ya’ got?
To view the original article go to: MMAmania.com
THE INFO epsiode 29: featuring Justin Wren and Jake Shields
By: Matt De La Rosa
TUF 10 participant Justin Wren and Strikeforce fighter Jake Shields joined Matt De La Rosa and “Fast Eddie” Constantine on this weeks edition of THE INFO. Wren, who will be blogging for PRO MMA (promma.info) throughout the TUF 10 season, talked about his journey to The Ultimate Fighter house, his professional career, wrestling background, meeting Kimbo Slice and the various types of cuisine that fans can expect to see on the upcoming season. Shields pulled no punches when it came to the topics of Cung Le’s status as Strikeforce’s 185 pound champ, taking on either “Mayhem” Miller or Jacare, the ADCC, Bully Beatdown season 2 and more. The boys also discussed the passing of Ross Clifton, Fedor versus Rogers and the CageDivas appearance on MMAJunkie radio.
To view the complete article go to: ProMMA.info
ESPN News- Festive Cowboys Stadium weighs in Manny Pacquiao, Joshua Clottey March 13, 2010Festive Cowboys Stadium weighs in Manny Pacquiao, Joshua Clottey. […]Calvin Watkins
- Samuel Peter KOs Nagy Aguilera, eyes heavyweight title shot March 13, 2010Former heavyweight titleholder Samuel Peter moved a step closer to another title opportunity when he savagely knocked out Nagy Aguilera in the second round of a title eliminator on Friday night at the Gaylord Texan hotel. […]Dan Rafael
- Former lightweight champ Spadafora stops Fiorletta in 8th round March 12, 2010Former IBF lightweight champion Paul Spadafora stopped Italy's Ivan Fiorletta in the eighth round Friday night. […]Associated Press
- Junior welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley Jr. signs with HBO March 12, 2010Junior welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley Jr., the No. 1-rated 140-pounder in the world since pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao's exit from the division, will switch to HBO. […]Dan Rafael
- Manny Pacquiao plans to entertain at post-fight party March 10, 2010Manny Pacquiao has big plans for Saturday night -- after his fight against Joshua Clottey. […]Associated Press
- Muhammad Ali visits San Francisco Giants' clubhouse March 9, 2010Muhammad Ali showed up in the San Francisco Giants' clubhouse as part of a campaign for his charity. […]Associated Press
- Judge dismisses felony coercion charge in battery case against Roger Mayweather March 9, 2010A court clerk says a judge dismissed a felony coercion charge against boxing trainer Roger Mayweather, who faces trial June 1 on allegations that he beat and choked a female boxer at a Las Vegas apartment he owned. […]Associated Press
- Floyd Mayweather Jr. associate faces charges in Vegas shooting March 9, 2010Police say an associate of boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been arrested on attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon charges in an August shooting outside a Las Vegas skating rink. […]Associated Press
- Britain's Amir Khan to defend WBA light welterweight title against American Paulie Malignaggi March 9, 2010Amir Khan of Britain will defend his WBA light-welterweight title against American challenger Paulie Malignaggi on May 15 at New York's Madison Square Garden. […]Associated Press
- Devon Alexander stops Juan Urango to unify WBC, IBF light welterweight titles March 9, 2010Devon Alexander knocked out Juan Urango with a right uppercut at 1:12 of the seventh round to unify the WBC and IBF light welterweight titles on Saturday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena. […]Associated Press
- Festive Cowboys Stadium weighs in Manny Pacquiao, Joshua Clottey March 13, 2010
