Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields is preparing himself for the biggest fight of his career, former Pride and UFC legend Dan Henderson. On April 17 Shields will be fulfilling the last fight of his Strikeforce contract, and looks forward to weighing out his options as a free agent. UFC Chairman Dana White is well aware of the situation and seems to be pulling for Jake to do some big things.

“If Jake Shields could pull that off that would be incredible. Good for him,” said White recently when speaking about the fight with Henderson “He’s going to get paid, because what’s going to happen is we would love to take him from there and I’m sure they’d love to pay him to stick around.

“And I will help drive that (expletive) number right up through the roof, and let the Showtime boys pay him a lot of money, so that Jake can stick it right up their (expletive). I just choked out Dan Henderson and now you (expletive) are going to pay me for trying to stick it up my (expletive), I’m going to stick it up yours.”

Coming into his fight with Henderson, Shields holds an impressive professional record of 24-4 and is regarded as one of the top up and coming fighters in the sport today. With a win over Henderson we could see the Strikeforce Middleweight champions stock soar to new heights.

MMAWeekly.com

After knocking out Brendan Schaub and Stefan Struve in consecutive bouts, UFC Heavyweight, Roy Nelson, has proven that he is a legitimate contender in the division. Winner of The Ultimate Fighter 10, casual fans have generally overlooked the rotund fighter simply because his body is shaped more like a circle than a bodybuilder. Now that he has two highlight reel knockouts, Nelson cannot be ignored any longer. As the MMA community has started to take notice of Nelson’s punching power, many people don’t realize that he is also a decorated black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Nelson is a bit of a throwback to the old days of MMA. He doesn’t regularly train with a high profile camp, he doesn’t pump himself full of supplements and yet he has found success. Whether or not that success continues remains to be seen.

While he may be several fights away from a title shot, it has become clear that Nelson is ready to step up in competition. In the past, Nelson has playfully called out James Toney and Heavyweight Champion, Brock Lesnar, but he insists that he doesn’t have a preference. He’s willing to fight any opponent the UFC matches him up with.

“I don’t really make those choices. I was saying I’d rather be fighting for the belt and be done with it. It’s the UFC and there’s so many great guys, there’s so many great fights to match up with.”

With Lesnar scheduled to fight Shane Carwin for the title at UFC 116 and Cain Velasquez choosing to wait for his shot, a bout against Junior Dos Santos intrigues Nelson.

“I’d love it. I think Dos Santos deserves (a title shot) over Cain (Velasquez) just cause he’s whipped some better competition. I mean his very first fight was (Fabricio) Werdum. He’s beat up some really good guys. I think he definitely deserves a good chance or a good stab at it.”

However, Nelson does know that MMA is a business at the end of the day. Building himself up with more attention getting fights, such as Toney, suits Nelson just fine.

“It would be bigger for PR. Technically we’re just playing for PR, we’re not fighting for money, we’re fighting for PR. So then I guess James Toney would be the better fight.”

A future opponent for Nelson has yet to be named, but he knows that there are many challenges left.

“I know I won’t get Shane (Carwin) or Brock (Lesnar), they’re supposed to be fighting in July. Cheick Kongo is just coming off his win over Paul Buentello, so he’s out in the wind. Then you’ve got Dos Santos, he’s still out in the wind. You’ve got Velasquez still out in the wind.”

Should Nelson face Toney next or step up and fight an established contender? Is a bout with Dos Santos too much of a jump in the rankings at this point? Perhaps a fight with Frank Mir could be the answer. Nelson defeated Mir during a Grappler’s Quest event in 2003. That matchup could introduce the public to Nelson’s ground game.

(source: MMA Weekly)

After his first defeat in the Octagon, new UFC acquisition, Takanori Gomi, reflected on his performance against Kenny Florian at Fight Night 21. Going into the bout, questions lingered regarding which Gomi would be making his UFC debut: the aggressive knockout artist who dominated the Pride Lightweight division or the passive, almost bored fighter that befuddled fans during his last few appearances.

On his performance during the Florian fight:

“Damn it is frustrating. I was moving pretty well, constantly applying pressure. It was an utter defeat. There are a lot of things I need to improve.”

On his goals in the UFC:

“I want to acclimate myself to the Octagon a little bit more and get myself into the groove. I will continue my challenge (in UFC) as long as I am physically capable. I won’t make any excuses but everything will eventually fall into its place. I struck out on my first at-bat, so I will strive to get a hit next time around.”

Gomi believes that the loss is simply par for the course. Making the transition to the UFC has proven difficult for many fighters.

“The major league (UFC) is no joke, and Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop also faced hardship.”

Will the true “Fireball Kid” show up in his next fight or is this the beginning of the end for Gomi? Who will the UFC match him up with next? Perhaps an all out brawl with Sam Stout or Melvin Guillard can remind fans of why Gomi was once considered the best Lightweight fighter in the world.

(source: MMA Mania)

Former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Tim Sylvia, is set to face off against Mariusz Pudzianowski, five-time “World’s Strongest Man” title holder, at the “Moosin: God of Martial Arts” event on May 21st in Worchester, Massachusetts.

That’s assuming the promotion receives its license.

The actual event itself has yet to be approved by the Massachusetts athletic commission. If it does move forward, the Moosin fight card would be the first sanctioned MMA event in the state. According to those close to the situation, the official paperwork is going through this week and should be approved soon.

Adding to the headache, Sylvia isn’t entirely sure he’s even licensed to fight in the state. There has been no official word on his status. Meanwhile, Pudzianowski is scheduled to compete two weeks before the Moosin event for the KSW promotion in Poland.

All things considered, the company pushes forward with their promotion of the event. Both Syliva and Pudzianowski met with the press and found themselves in the same room for the first time.

Sylvia was not impressed with his 320 pound opponent.

“He’s a big boy, but I can tell he’s scared. He wouldn’t stare at me straight on, eye to eye. He kept turning away. So he’s definitely worried already.”

Pudzianowski did not seem to back down from the challenge.

“Tim is a big man, so there will be a lot of targets to bash up.”

Moosin: Gods of Martial Arts will be available on pay-per-view. The fight card also features former UFC fighters Travis Wiuff, Yves Edwards and Travis Lutter.

(source: Sherdog)

A few days before he attempts to defend his Lightweight Championship against Frankie Edgar at UFC 112, BJ Penn revealed that he is interested in making a move to the Welterweight division. As of now, Penn isn’t sure if he will split time between the two weight classes or relinquish his belt and switch to 170 pounds permanently. Unlike his last attempt, when he immediately fought Georges St. Pierre for the Welterweight title, Penn intends on taking things slower this time around.

“If everything goes well on April 10, I definitely would consider moving up to 170. Not that I’m – not that it’s 100-percent guaranteed. If I do make that move I’m going to move slow. I’m not going to try to rush anything. Maybe I would think about it more as testing the waters. I’d talk to Dana and see if he would want me to vacate the belt, but maybe try do something like Anderson (Silva) is doing, test the waters, see how everything is going and see how everything plays out.”

If Penn is able to defeat Edgar, he will have virtually cleared out the weight class. Besides rematches, Gray Maynard is the only name that immediately comes to mind as a potential number one contender. Penn’s intention to move up is not out of disrespect to the 155 pound division, he simply wants to challenge himself and put on memorable fights before his career winds to a close.

“I try to just be true to myself and what my own personal goals are. And if I feel in my life that I want to try to take a fight at 170 pounds, I’ve got to stay true to myself and to my motivation. Of course, anybody would like a free shot for the title. But like I said, I want to take my time. I want to test the waters. And it’s exactly what Anderson said, we just want to put on some other great fights. That’s what this whole thing is about is about, putting on the biggest and the greatest fights in history.”

In addition to a potential third fight with St. Pierre, Penn would find a wealth of new challengers in the Welterweight division. Bouts against the likes of Thiago Alves, Paul Daley, Jon Fitch and even Dustin Hazelett could be very entertaining. Rematches with Matt Hughes or Matt Serra would also make for an interesting transition back to 170 pounds.

(source: MMA Weekly)