Bobby Lashley Loses At Strikeforce: Houston

Bobby Lashley lost a second round knockout to unheralded Chad Griggs at Strikeforce: Houston on Saturday. So what was the big deal?

Lashley, just like UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar, is a former WWE professional wrestler and both have legitimate amateur wrestling credentials as well. Lesnar is now the UFC champion and considered one of the best in the world. Lashley after five straight wins appeared dominating Griggs on Saturday but he got caught with an uppercut that cut and hurt him.

Griggs was obviously dominated by Lashley as he spent most of the fight on the mount. Lashley used his ground and pound but his punches did not seem to do a lot of damage. He did not have any submission moves either.

With a predictable offense, Griggs telegraphed takedowns by countering with uppercuts. Lashley was cut open in the first round, bleeding from under the corner of his left eye. By end of the second, Lashley was beat up and bleeding badly.

A single defeat may not necessarily end a career. Fedor Emelianenko lost to former UFC heavyweight Fabricio Werdum but it does not fully tarnish his 10-year undefeated run. We all know Fedor can come back from this loss.

How about Lashley? He lost a fight to a little-known fighter. His offense is predictable and he is clearly several notches below Brock Lesnar in terms of skills and potential. Yes, Lashley can become a better fighter as he evolves but being an elite fighter may not be where he is headed to.

For pro wrestling haters, he may be better off with freak shows or going back to WWE.

One lesson learned is that not all pro-wrestlers can make that successful transition to mixed martial arts.

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Cro Cop Steps Up To The Plate For Injured Minotauro At UFC 119

A rematch between Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira was set for UFC 119 on September 25 at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. This could have been a great matchup since Mir won their previous meeting with a second-round knockout. It was only later after the fight that we found out about Noqgueira's staph infection and knee injury. Seeing a healthy Minotauro fight Mir would have been interesting. However, things were not meant to be.

Nogueira had to pull out due to a reported recurring hip injury. In his place comes Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic on short notice. Cro Cop accepted the challenge feeling he owes it to the fans, to the Fertittas and Dana White who have taken him to where he is right now.

I would say that this may not be a good match right now. Cro Cop may have enough time to prepare for Mir who has, despite losing to Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin recently, has shown improvements in his conditioning and striking. Cro Cop still has superior striking skills compared to Mir but the fight will most likely take place on the ground with Mir using his superior ground and submission skills.

Cro Cop has a shot with his head kicks but it may take more than that to beat a tough Frank Mir. Mir should submit Cro Cop once they get to the ground. Cro Cop still gets credit for taking on this fight on short notice.

UFC 117: Silva vs Sonnen

Tonight on UFC 117 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland CA, we finally get to see how trash talking Chael Sonnen walks the walk against UFC middleweight champion Anderson "the Spider" Silva. Weeks and days leading to the fight, Sonnen has talked more trash than Rampage Jackson and Rahsad Evans have combined. Ordinarily, I wouldn't be as interested in seeing Sonnen fight Silva.

For one, Silva has been far from exciting in his last few fights, even his boss Dana White was so embarrassed at his showing against Demian Maia in Dubai. Fans are also upset they feel they are not getting the entertainment they deserve. There is some truth in it as Silva has made some mockery of the game seeing that challengers are way below his skillset. On the other hand, Silva cannot engage with another fighter who is not willing to engage himself. How can a counter puncher like Silva counter punch when his opponents are just lying on their back waiting for Silva? Oh well, this could go on and on and we can still conclude that Silva bores us to death.

Now in comes Sonnen, an NCAA Division I wrestler with far less impressive MMA credentials. What he lacks in MMA skills and credentials, he compensates with his trash talk. In fact Sonnen has made things far more entertaining even before they step into the Octagon. No one would have cared about him and Silva before. Now people are curious with how Silva has taken all the trash talk and how Sonnen can back up all his blabber.

Depending on how it has affected Silva, I still see him winning in dominating fashion. I would prefer that he use his knees using his Muay Thai fighting style. He can choose to knock Sonnen out early or he can make it agonizingly painful like waht he did to Maia. What remains to be seen is if Sonnen can pull of an upset. He just might get lucky with a takedown or two and grind out a close decision. It is a long shot though. It's like throwing a basketball from backcourt for a three-point shot... in front of Kobe Bryant's outstretched arms.

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