Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier Results: Three Stars

Since we at Fight Cove operate out of the Great White North, what better way to honor one of Canada’s great pastimes (Hockey) than to use the famous “three stars” system for Strikeforce events? If you are unfamiliar with the system, this is how it works. An independent, non-bias viewer (in this case, yours truly) selects the three top performers from the event to name as the “three stars”. If you couldn’t figure it out on your own, the first star is the most impressive performer from the event, the second star is the second most impressive, and so on and so forth.

The “three stars” are judged off the effectiveness and overall impact of their performance. Still following? Good, cause here are the “three stars” from “Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier”.
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VIDEO: Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier Post-Fight Interviews

“Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier” has come to a conclusion from San Jose, California. Daniel Cormier, Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante and both Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson turned in spectacular performances.

At the conclusion of the event, all the big winners from the event were available to talk with the media and provide further insight on their performances.
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Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier Post-Fight Thoughts & Analysis

“Strikeforce: Barnett vs Cormier” is in the books, and once again the Strikeforce organization delivered a brilliant night of mixed martial arts action. Daniel Cormier defeated Josh Barnett to win the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix in the main event. Also on the main card Gilbert Melendez defended his lightweight championship against Josh Thomson while Rafael Cavalcante and Chris Spang each picked up impressive victory over their respective opponents on the main card.

Catch my post-fight thoughts and recap for the “Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier” main card in the full entry.
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Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier Event Results

Date: Saturday, May 19, 2012
Location: San Jose, California
Venue: HP Pavilion

Main Card (Showtime)
Heavyweight Grand-Prix Final Bout: Daniel Cormier def. Josh Barnett via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)
Lightweight Championship Bout: Gilbert Melendez def. Josh Thomson via Split Decision (47-48. 48-47, 48-47)
Light Heavyweight Bout: Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante def. Mike Kyle via Submission (Guillotine Choke) – R1 (0:33)
Welterweight Bout: Chris Spang def. Nah-Shon Burrell via TKO (Punches) – R1 (1:35)

Preliminary Card (Showtime Extreme)
Lightweight Bout: Isaac Vallie-Flagg def. Gesias Cavalcante via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Light Heavyweight Bout: Guto Inocente def. Virgil Zwicker via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Light Heavyweight Bout: Gian Villante def. Derrick Mehmen via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Welterweight Bout: Quinn Mulhern def. Yuri Villefort via Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Lightweight Bout: Bobby Green def. James Terry via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
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Everything You Need To Know About Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier

“Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier” is only hours away from kicking off live from San Jose, California. Five preliminary bouts will kick off the evening on Showtime Exteme at roughly 5pm ET/8pm PT. From there, a four main card headlined by the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Finals between Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier will broadcast live on Showtime in the United States and Super Channel in Canada at 10pm ET/7pm PT.

With that said, use the few hours before tonight’s Strikeforce card to take a look at Fight Cove’s complete coverage of the big event.
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UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones Arrested For Suspicion Of DUI

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones was arrested in upstate New York early Saturday morning (May 19) for driving under the influence (DUI).

Jones was arrested by police at 5:02am ET after he crashed his Bentley into a poll and totaled the car in Binghamton, New York.

According to the report by TMZ, Jones was taking into custody by Broome County Sheriff and was later bailed out by his mother. Jones suffered minor injuries in the accident.
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Poll Results: Who Will Win The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Final?

We are only hours away from the conclusion of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix as “Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier” is set to go down from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

The votes have been tallied and the results for this week’s Fight Cove poll are in. The question “Who Will Win The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Final?” was answered by exactly 150 readers and the result was extremely close.

Who do the fans believe will win tonight’s main event between Josh “The Warmaster” Barnett and Daniel Cormier on Showtime? Find out in the full entry.
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VIDEO: UFC 146 Primetime: Dos Santos vs. Mir (EPISODE 2)

UFC Primetime is back on FX with the ninth installment of the series, this time highlighting the UFC 146 main event between heavyweight champion Junior “Cigano” dos Santos and Frank Mir. Episode one of the three-part series aired Friday night on FX, and featured an inside look at the lives and training camps of the two superstars set to meet in one of the most lucrative prizes in combat sports.

The fight between dos Santos and Mir was put together rather abruptly after former number one contender Alistair Overeem was forced off the card a number of weeks ago. Mir stepped up to the challenge of facing the Brazilian champion and has the opportunity to become a three-time UFC champion. With just one week until the fight, watch as cameras follow dos Santos and Mir in real time as the weeks wind down to the May 26 bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Junior Dos Santos
“When I get in the octagon I take it very serious, you know, because it’s my whole life in there, you know? I want to keep the things going very well for me and for my family.”

“I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t go out at night and do stupid things, you know? I don’t like those things, you know? I don’t need that.”

Frank Mir
“Fighting with our bodies, that’s limited, father time sets in. Keeping your mind strong, that’s forever. I can use my mind now to be the great equalizer. Dos Santos pretty much does the same thing in every fight. He’s undefeated in the UFC and he’s the current holder of the belt, but as far as tricky and surprising, I don’t really think you can put that on him. I know his footwork, you know, his speed. Things that are simulatable.”

“I think dos Santos wants to end it quickly, cause, you got to be realistic, you know everybody it’s funny I heard his corner saying, you know, ‘The only chance Mir has is if it goes to the ground’. I’m like, ‘Well, the only chance he has is if it doesn’t go to the ground’ (laughs). It goes back and forth, if he goes to the ground with me he’s dead, you know what I mean? Might as well go ahead and start calling the orthopedic surgens and prep the room.”

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The Ultimate Fighter: Live Episode 11 “Like A Spartan” Quick Results

The eleventh episode of “The Ultimate Fighter: Live” aired tonight on FX and featured the final two round-of-eight quarterfinal elimination fights as Vinc Pichel (Team Cruz) took on Chris Saunders (Team Faber) and teammates collided when Al Iaquinta (Team Faber) fought Andy Olge (Team Faber).

Going into tonight’s episode, Mike Chiesa from Urijah Faber’s team and James Vick from Dominick Cruz’s team had already secured their place in the semifinal round after victories on last week’s episode.

Who was able to move on in the competition and place themselves only two wins away from becoming “The Ultimate Fighter”?

Quick results for episode 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter: Live” can be found in the full entry.
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Renan Barao Steps In For Injured Dominick Cruz, Faces Urijah Faber For Interim Bantamweight Title At UFC 148

A little over one week after breaking news emerged that Dominick Cruz was forced off the UFC 148 fight card with a knee injury, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has officially announced that Brazilian contender Renan Barao will step in for the injured Cruz to face Urijah Faber at the event.

Due to the severity and longevity of Cruz’s injury, an interim championship belt will be on the line when Faber and Barao face off on the July 7 fight card.

The bout was officially announced by UFC president Dana White on the May 18 episode of “The Ultimate Fighter: Live” reality show.
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Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier Staff Predictions

Saturday, May 19 at 10pm ET/7pm PT on Showtime
HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, USA

Main Card (Showtime)
Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier (Heavyweight Bout – Grand Prix Finals)
Mike Bohn: If Josh Barnett cannot take Daniel Cormier to the ground and keep him there, I think he is going to have serious problems with the quickness of Cormier in the stand up department. Although he has been in the MMA game for a much shorter time than Barnett, Cormier’s skills match up well and I believe he will be much improved from his last fight against Antonio Silva. There are a lot of ways this fight could play out, but I like Cormier’s chances of catching Barnett with a big strike over the five-round fight and finishing it off with a TKO to become the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix champion. Daniel Cormier via TKO – R3

Jon Gerow: This fight will be decided in the opening minutes when Josh tries to take Cormier to the ground. If he can’t take down the olympic wrestler his chances on the feet are very slim. Daniel Cormier via TKO – R2

Erik Jackson: This fight will be decided in the first couple of minutes. Can Barnett close the distance and get Cormier to the ground? My guess is no. Daniel Cormier via Unanimous Decision
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Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier Weigh In Results & Video

“Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier” weigh ins are in the books from San Jose, California. Conclusion of the weigh ins means tomorrow night’s fights are one-step closer to becoming a reality.

All 18 fighters competing on the card came in on weight, making the nine bout card official. All that remains is the winners and losers to be determined inside the cage tomorrow night, live on Showtime from the HP Pavilion.

Weigh in results for “Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier” main card below, preliminary results & video in the full entry.

Main Card (Showtime)
Heavyweight Grand-Prix Final Bout: Daniel Cormier (238 lbs) vs. Josh Barnett (248 lbs)
Lightweight Championship Bout: Josh Thomson (153 lbs) vs. Gilbert Melendez (Champion) (153 lbs)
Light Heavyweight Bout: Mike Kyle (203 lbs) vs. Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante (206 lbs)
Welterweight Bout: Chris Spang (169 lbs) vs. Nah-Shon Burrell (170 lbs)
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AUDIO: UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir Pre-Fight Media Conference Call

The “UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir” pre-fight media conference call went down yesterday morning and fighters competing in the top two headlining bouts (Junior Dos Santos, Frank Mir, Cain Velasquez and Antonio Silva) were on the call to answer questions from members of the media.

While the media call was relatively uneventful in comparison to others, the fighters did have some interesting things to say. Highlights from the call below, complete audio can be found in the full entry.

Junior Dos Santos
“I don’t promote fights by talking trash. I say what I say because I believe it. I confirm and stand by what I said and what I meant by the remark was that I feel that Frank Mir lacks heart and lacks the ability to proceed through rough spots in a fight. That’s my personal opinion. It’s what I truly believe.”

Frank Mir
“My father’s been with me since day one, and I’ve always kind of had the mentality with my children- it’s been about three years now that I’ve owned my own gym- just for the sake of having my children there. That’s one of the things I think was neat about the show was that people actually got to see a side of me that I think nobody normally sees.”

Cain Velasquez
“Big Foot’s just a big guy. He has a lot of power. He does everything well. He’s good on the ground, he’s good on his feet, punches and kicks and knees. He has good cardio, so he’s a guy that’s really well-rounded everywhere.”

Antonio Silva “Cain Velasquez is a lighter and much faster and is diametrically opposed to my strong points which are my strength and my Jiu Jitsu, so I try to come in a little bit lighter to be able to counter his speed and his lightness. I think this will be favorable to me.”

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VIDEO: The Ultimate Fighter: Live Episode 11 “Like A Spartan” Preview

Episode 11 of “The Ultimate Fighter: Live” airs this Friday night (May 18) on FX Networks. The last episode saw the first two quarterfinal bouts take place when James Vick (Team Cruz) and Mike Chiesa (Team Faber) moved on to the semifinal round with victories over their respective opponents.

Now 11-weeks into the competition, the second to last episode will feature two live fights as Vinc Pichel (Team Cruz) takes on Chris Saunders (Team Faber) and Al Iaquinta (Team Faber) meets Andy Olge (Team Faber) in the final two lightweight quarterfinal bouts of the season. Also, with the recent news coach Dominick Cruz will be able to fight opposing coach Urijah Faber at season’s end, UFC president Dana White will announce Cruz’s replacement at UFC 148

According to BetOnFighting.com, Iaquinta (-500) is a massive favorite again Olge (+350), while Vichel (-300) is slightly favoured against Saunders (+240)

The show airs LIVE at 10pm ET/7pm PT on FX in the United States and Canada. Be sure to tune it.
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VIDEO: Watch Behind The Scenes Footage Of Jon Jones’ Win Over Rashad Evans At UFC 145 In “On The Brink”

UFC Ultimate Insider gives the viewer an exclusive look before UFC 145. Go behind closed doors and witness the candid moments of Jon Jones & Rashad Evans that were not covered anywhere else. From backstage at the first press conference to the final preparations in the last 48 hours; follow Jones’ camp every step of the way.

“Rashad ended up landing an overhand right in the third, and it was a good punch. It sent a jolt through my whole body, it was a terrible feeling, it slowly reminded me not to play games with Rashad, not to take him lightly. With that speed and power at any moment it could be over. I was actually praying in the back of my mind that the zig and the zag would connect and he would end up knocked out.”

“You know I knew I was the champion, but I also knew that I hadn’t defeated Rashad Evans yet. Rashad is unquestionably one of the best light heavyweights in the sports history, it was very gratifying. When it was all over, I just felt great and I’m just so grateful and a want to keep working hard, keep trying to be a good person and hopefully you know things coming my way.”

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