Strikeforce/CBS April 17th Card Updates

[NWOWolfpack]

http://www.punchdrunkgamer.com/mma/mma-news

Strikeforce’s Next CBS Card Taking Shape


As of today several match-ups for Strikeforce’s second CBS show have been announced for the promotions April event. Here are the confirmed fights as well as the rumored participants for the April 17th show:

Main Card:

Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki (Strikeforce LW Title Bout)
Jake Shields vs. Dan Henderson (Strikeforce MW Title Bout)
Gegard Mousasi vs. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (Strikeforce LHW Title Bout)


Swing Bout:

Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Tim Stout


Preliminary Card:

Zach Underwood vs. Hunter Worsham
Josh Schockman vs. Cale Yarbrough
Dustin Ortiz vs. Justin Pennington
Andrew Uhrich vs. Dustin West
Chris Hawk vs. Ovince St. Preux
Thomas Campbell vs. Cody Floyd

[NWOWolfpack]

DAN HENDERSON TO CHALLENGE JAKE SHIELDS FOR STRIKEFORCE MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE AT BRIDGESTONE ARENA IN NASHVILLE, TENN., ON APRIL 17th

Gegard Mousasi Will Defend Light Heavyweight Crown Against “King Mo,” Gilbert Melendez Risks Lightweight Belt Against Top-Seeded Rival Shinya Aoki


Mixed martial arts (MMA) legend and two-time United States Olympic wrestling competitor Dan Henderson (25-7) will challenge STRIKEFORCE World Middleweight (185 pounds) Champion Jake Shields (24-4-1) in the main event of a highly anticipated STRIKEFORCE fight card at Bridgestone Arena (formerly known as Sommet Center) in Nashville on Saturday, April 17.

In other featured bouts, 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 wrestling star “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).

An exclusive special pre-sale ticket purchase opportunity for STRIKEFORCE: Henderson vs. Shields will take place for “STRIKEFORCE Insider” e-newsletter subscribers (http://www.strikeforce.com/signup.asp) beginning at 10 a:m. CT tomorrow/Wednesday, March 3, and ending at 10 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 4. STRIKEFORCE Insiders will receive a special e-newsletter Tuesday tonight with the pre-sale code.

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. CT on Friday, March 5 at Bridgestone Arena ticket office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online (http://www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE’S official website (http://www.strikeforce.com).

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.

[Keithlewis]

[EzFlyer]

such a sweet card. as awesome as all 3 fights are, i'm actually VERY confident in picking a winner in all 3. hendo, melendez, mousasi.

i'm stoked as hell to see all 3 fights though. awesome card!!! can't wait for gegard to shut king mo up!

[Keithlewis]

Hunter Worsham, a member of the United States Army's 101st Airborne and son of mixed martial arts pioneer Cal Worsham, will square off with Nashville, Tenn., resident Zach Underwood in a middleweight (185 pounds) preliminary bout at Strikeforce Nashville: Henderson vs. Shields at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday, April 17.

The 26-year-old Worsham, a married father of one, is stationed at Fort Campbell, located an hour away from Nashville. The upcoming matchup represents the biggest opportunity of his career.

"It is an honor to be fighting on this show. The fact that Dan Henderson is headlining (against Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields) is an honor in itself," said the 6 foot 1 inch Worsham. "But I believe this is the level I should be at. Strikeforce is where I want to be. They're right in my backyard.''

A four-year high school wrestler, Worsham competed for Cordova High in Rancho Cordova, Calif., for three years and, in his senior year, for Folsom High in Folsom.

"I wrestled throughout high school, but I'd been into cage fighting since I was 13,'' said Worsham, who's father fought in some of the earliest UFC events in the mid-1990's and owned a gym with MMA legend Don Frye. Hunter started doing MMA when he was 17 years old and, before the elder Worsham retired, father and son fought on the same card, each winning by knockout on Aug. 4, 2007.

Worsham, who entered the Army on Sept. 3, 2008, trains three times a day when he is not in the field or is off work.

"This fight isn't a one-time thing. It's a way of life for me (outside of the Army). In school, I didn't know what I wanted to do, but fighting came naturally. I wasn't in a lot of street fights but, with red hair and glasses, I got picked on a lot.''

The bullying ceased almost immediately after a conversation with his father.

"When I told my Dad, he said to 'never let another kid touch me again.' That's when I started to really train hard. Besides, I'd figured why fight in school or on the streets when I could just go do it and look good in front of a crowd, while making some money and being honest about it.

"I wouldn't be the fighter I am today without my Dad, who won five of seven title fights and fought a lot of the better guys that others wouldn't. However good I am in this sport is because of him.''

Worsham turned pro in April 2007 and fought four times that year. Due in large part to his stint in the service, this will be just his third start in two and a half years and second since donning the army green.

Worsham won his second MMA belt in his last outing when he captured the Gladiator Challenge light heavyweight (205 pounds) title on March 6 with a 2:43, first-round submission (armbar) over Phillip Brown. He captured the Gladiator Challenge 170-pound crown with a crowd-pleasing, five-round unanimous decision over Niko Medina on Aug. 13, 2008.

Worsham hasn't heard officially but he expects to be deployed shortly after the fight on April 17.

"It has all worked out for the best,'' he said. "Everything I do, serving in the Army, fighting in MMA, is for my wife and our 16-month-old. It is definitely tough leaving them behind, but the upside, fighting on this Strikeforce card, or any other, is all for them."

[Keithlewis]

Music City will be rockin' as 11 area fighters, including former University of Tennessee linebacker Ovince St. Preux, will join Muhammad "King Mo" Lawal of Murfreesboro, Tenn., in mixed martial arts (MMA) competition at the Strikeforce Nashville: Henderson vs. Shields event Saturday, April 17, at Bridgestone Arena.

The first MMA fight card in Nashville history that will be televised on network television (CBS) will include nine athletes from Nashville, one from Knoxville (St. Preux) and one from Memphis. They will be featured on the non-televised portion of the fight card.

St. Preux (4-4), who will take on Chris Hawk (3-3) of Memphis, is a 6-foot-3, 26-year-old who played for the Vols from 2001-2004. After graduating with a degree in Sociology in '04, he became heavily involved in MMA, competing in Tennessee's first sanctioned MMA event on Feb. 20, 2009, and has since utilized his impressive wrestling skills and natural athletic abilities.

Hawk, a 6-foot-1, 24-year-old member of Memphis Judo & Jiu-Jitsu, specializes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai. An all-around athlete, he played baseball, basketball, football and soccer in school.

Four of the undercard bouts will pit Nashville area fighters against one another: Justin "The Punisher'' Pennington (debut) vs. Dustin Ortiz (1-0) at 125 pounds; Hunter "The Future'' Worsham (5-1) vs. Zach "Thunderwood'' Underwood (5-2) at 185; Thomas Campbell (3-0) vs. Cody Floyd (3-0) at 145; and Andy "Stunner'' Uhrich (4-0) vs. Dustin West (2-2) at 170.

Another Nashville fighter, Josh "The Warhammer'' Shockman (6-2), will take on Cale "Aquaman'' Yarbrough (6-1) of Atlanta.

Doors at Bridgestone Arena will open at 6:30 CT. The first preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m.

Pennington is an explosive and charismatic bantamweight. The 5-foot-4-inch, 24-year old specializes in wrestling and trains San Shou boxing at Integrated Martial Arts in Lebanon, Tenn., under Brian Fussell.

Ortiz triumphed in his pro debut last Feb. 20, in Nashville, winning by impressive first-round submission over Lucas Thomas via an arm triangle just a minute into the match.

Worsham is in the Army and stationed in Ft. Campbell, Ky. A fine wrestler with strong standup, the 5-foot-10, 26-year-old Worsham is a two-time champion in the Gladiator Challenge.

Underwood, a native of Music City who now resides in Union City, is a heavy-handed stand up fighter with a relentless style. He turned pro on April 24, 2009, and won all three of his starts that year. He registered a unanimous decision victory over Terry Robinson last Feb. 27.

West was born and raised in Ashland City, which is 20 miles northwest of Nashville. At Cheatham County High, he earned All-State honors in football. West enlisted in the United States Marine Corp after high school. He served for six years and spent 12 months in Iraq. A specialist in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, West went undefeated as an amateur before turning pro July 18, 2008. He's coming off a 50-second TKO over Marcus Fletcher in February.

Uhrich, a member of Team Vortex, is a popular 6-foot, 24-year-old known for his elbow strikes and aggressive style. He compiled an amateur record of 6-0 before going pro in October 2007. Uhrich won a unanimous decision victory over Brandon Barger in his last start in October '09.

Campbell earned "Amateur of the Year" honors in 2009 by an MMA website. An experienced fighter, he is coming off a 37-second knockout over Dan Virtue this past March 6.

Yarbrough has won six in a row since losing his debut on July 19, 2007. This will be the 6-foot-2, 23-year-old's first start in 2010. A top athlete in high school where he participated in baseball, basketball, football, and swimming, Yarbrough attends the University of Georgia where he studies psychology. He got the nickname "Aquaman" for his prowess in the pool.

Shockman, who fought in the UFC, is a talented sort who possesses good boxing and Muay Thai skills and makes for scintillating scraps.

The six undercard fights will precede the televised portion of Strikeforce Nashville: Henderson vs. Shields live on the CBS Television Network.

In televised Strikeforce world title fights, legendary MMA superstar and two-time U.S. Olympic wrestling competitor Dan Henderson (25-7) will challenge middleweight (185 pounds) champion Jake Shields (24-4-1), who has won 13 straight dating to December 2004, light heavyweight (205 pounds) champion Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1) will defend his crown against undefeated MMA star and two-time NCAA All-American wrestling star Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (6-0) and lightweight (155 pounds) titlist Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez (17-2) will risk his belt against Dream champion and Japanese superstar Shinya Aoki (23-4).

[Keithlewis]