On April 9, 2011, Strikeforce will hold their first major event since being recently purchased by Zuffa, LLC. Strikeforce: Diaz vs Daley will be an important event for every fighter competing on this card. This card will feature a title Welterweight title bout with a champion looking for a bigger payday fighting an outcast who sees the title as leverage for future deals, a Lightweight title bout with a champion looking to earn recognition as the best there is rematching against a Japanese veteran looking to avenge an old loss, a former champion looking to make a statement on his journey back to the title against a late replacement that is always dangerous with name recognition that shakes nerves, and a lightweight with a Japanese champion known for wicked submissions that have broken bones facing an unorthodox grappler.
Main Card Bouts:
(C)Nick Diaz (24-7-0(1)) vs Paul "Semtex" Daley (27-9-2)
(C)Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez (18-2-0) vs Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri (27-6-2)
Gegard "The Dream Catcher" Mousasi (30-3-1) vs Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine (17-9-1)
Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki (26-5-0(1)) vs Lyle "Fancy Pants" Beerbohm (15-1-0)
(C)Diaz vs Daley
The main event of this event will pit two trash talking former UFC fighters in a bout to decide who is the Strikeforce 170lb champion as a classic grappler vs striker match is expected. Reigning champion Nick Diaz will look to defend his title for the third straight time against British contender Paul Daley. Diaz is a well known BJJ black belt that has developed a striking game that involves small punches in great quantity that add up to cause serious damage. Daley is a solid striker alone that has one punch KO power that has resulted in twenty of his wins by way of knockout. Since choosing not to sign a new contract with the UFC to fight for his trainer Cesar Gracie's fight promotion that never even started, Diaz has racked up a record of 10-1-0(1) outside the promotion fighting lesser named fighters as well as becoming the longest reigning male Strikeforce champion having defended the title recently with a Rnd2 Submission win at Strikeforce: Diaz vs Cyborg. Daley met his exit from the UFC on a different note after throwing an illegal sucker-punch after the final bell of a fight he clearly lost that immediately prompted President Dana White to issue a lifetime ban to the Brit citing that his actions & attitude after the fight were the cause. After his banishment, Daley issued the usual apology saying sorry to the UFC, the fans, & even Koscheck who was the receiver of the illegal strike. Daley has since posted 4-0 streak outside the promotion, though he has proven that he still has difficulty cutting down to the maximum to fight as a Welterweight which cost him the opportunity to officially fight for a title in his last bout which he won by Rnd1 KO at BAMMA: Daley vs Shirai. Though this bout looks like a classic striker vs grappler match-up, the truth is that it could remain a stand-up affair for the entire fight. Diaz has proven that his iron jaw can take devastating punches & that he is more than willing to take on an opponent in their own game, though he has usually used this as a tactic to somehow lure his opponent to the ground where he needs only seconds to lock on a submission. Daley is & possibly always will be a striker with no intentions on ever going to the ground unless to slam fists from above. Daley will without a doubt look to KO Diaz as soon as possible to avoid any chance of the fight ending up on the ground where he has been submitted in five of his nine losses. If this bout continues on to later rounds, the bout will move to Diaz's favor with his cardio far exceeding Daley's. In the striking game, Daley has the overwhelming power advantage, while Diaz will have the tremendous advantage at any point the fight touches the ground.
(C)Melendez vs Kawajiri
The co-main event of the night will feature a rematch between tow entertaining Lightweights for the Strikeforce 155lb title after fighting each other just over four years ago. Gilbert Melendez will look to defend his title for the second time in a row as he again faces Tatsuya Kawajiri in his promotional debut. Melendez comes in on a four fight winning streak that includes winning & defending the Strikeforce Interim 155lb title, reclaiming the undisputed title, then defending it against dangerous submission artist Shinya Aoki with a Unanimous Decision at Strikeforce: Nashville. Kawajiri enters the cage after a come back win over former Strikeforce 155lb champ Josh Thomson with a good Unanimous Decision win at Dynamite!! 2010. With the recent purchase of acquisition of Strikeforce by Zuffa, LLC, Melendez will come in with a goal that is to prove he is one of if not the best lightweight fighter of all & want to challenge whoever possesses the UFC 155lb title. Kawajiri will come in with a heavy heart after the recent tragic events that still plague his nation of Japan as well as avenge his loss to the champion. Melendez is dangerous wherever the bout may go, & showed that his avoidance of submissions was perfect when engaging Aoki on the ground. KawajiriKawajiri worked his striking to get the clinch & take him down easily where he controlled most of the fight. That strategy may not work so well on Melendez who trains with fellow champion Nick Diaz & UFC 170lb contender Jake Shields. Having earned a victory over him before, Melendez will be the favorite coming into this bout with his eyes set on proving he is the best fighter at 155lbs. Kawajiri will come in with the emotional backing of countless Japanese fans as he also looks to prove that Japanese MMA has not died completely.
Mousasi vs Jardine
The second bout on the main card was originally scheduled former Strikeforce 205lb champion Gegard Mousasi to meet contender Mike Kyle in a bout that fans had been calling for. Plans changed immediately after news came just over a week away from the event that Kyle had broken his hand again while training for this fight. While fans worried that Mousasi would have to be scrapped from the card completely seeing as a suitable replacement may not be available so close to the event. With the recent purchase of Strikeforce, it is little surprise that the UFC made the suggestion of a recently released veteran & big name draw in Keith Jardine to step in for the injured Kyle.
Mousasi will come into this bout on a two fight win streak with two Rnd1 submission wins with the latest earning him the Dream Light heavyweight championship against Tatsuya Mizuno at Dream 16. Jardine returns under the Zuffa banner with his promotional debut under Strikeforce on a two fight win streak with a recent Rnd1 TKO win over Aron Lafton at Fresquez Productions-Double Threat. When informed that Jardine would be his new opponent, Mousasi presented a realistic evaluation of how any result may affect him negatively. Mousasi realizes that a win over Jardine could be seen as a simple win over a late replacement & a UFC has-been, while a loss could be seen as losing to a late replacement, a UFC has-been, & a fighter who holds wins over names like Forrest Griffin & Chuck Liddell. Jardine will come into this bout looking at it as a second chance to redeem himself in the eyes of UFC brass. Just recently after being brought in on a week's notice, Jardine announced that win or lose he intends on dropping down to fight at 185lbs in his next fight. Mousasi is a well rounded fighter even at the young age of 25 & will be prepared no matter where the fight goes with a technical striking game that has earned him seventeen wins by way of knockout & a ground game that has earned him ten wins by submission. At the age of 35, Jardine is nearing the the time in his life where a chance at a championship is shrinking. Jardine has a well recognized striking game that includes devastating leg kicks, while also having an underrated ground game that he rarely utilizes. This bout will almost assuredly remain standing with both looking to finish, though Jardine may look to take the fight to the ground where King Mo Lawal dominated Mousasi.
Aoki vs Beerbohm
The first bout of the night will feature a lightweight bout between Dream lightweight champ & Japanese MMA star Shinya Aoki fighting against unorthodox grappler Lyle Beerbohm. Aoki will come into this bout on a three fight win streak with a Rnd1 Submission win Yokthai Sithoar at Deep-50 Impact; Aoki competed at Dynamite!! 2010 against Yuichiro Nagashima in a mixed rules bout where he was knocked out while shooting for a takedown, but the bout was ruled as an exhibition to to the mixed rules & therefore is not officially on his record. Beerbohm comes in off his first professional loss by Unanimous Decision at Strikeforce: Challengers 14 against Pat Healy. Aoki is well know as a dangerous submission grappler who has sixteen of his wins by preferred way of submission, who uses that recognition to intimidate his opponents. Beerbohm is an active grappler as was seen in his recent bout against Healy which stayed on the ground most of the fight with both continuously trading positions & rolling. Aoki on the other hand is known for keeping tight control when getting a fight to the ground & not allowing his opponent room to move. Beerbohm is the kind of grappler that wears down his opponents with constant pressure. After his knockout at Dynamite!! 2010, Aoki had hinted that he feels he should retire from the sport of MMA, though talk of possible retirement has faded since then. Both fighters have made no secret that each feels they have the advantage on the ground, & both have also said that they intend on getting the fight to the ground as soon as possible. While Aoki will look to lock on another painful submission, Beerbohm may actually look to utilize his striking to control the fight & use his grappling to avoid submission attempts or the ground altogether. Aoki will be the favorite coming into this bout as the assured aggressor looking for the submission finish.
As the first Strikeforce event under the new ownership of Zuffa, this event could be more important than many think as a measurement of how much profit can come from this new business acquisition. The main event holds its own potential importance as Dana White promised that contracts for current Strikeforce fighters that are banned or are not on good terms with the UFC will be honored. Welterweight contender Paul Daley has said that he intends on capturing the title as a means of leverage in negotiating a new contract & make Zuffa feel as if they need him so that he can be paid more. Melendez on the other hand looks at his title bout as a set-up for possible matches against opponents who are considered more elite competition in the UFC. Mousasi will look to earn a win willing to take whatever positive or negative criticism that may follow with the intention of either getting to back to the Strikeforce title, or take on top competition in the UFC. Jardine will look to resurrect his career in Zuffa in what could be his final stretch to capture a title before time runs out in his career. Aoki will simply look to bounce back from an embarrassing defeat in a bout he was expected to win easily, & make a statement on behalf of Japanese MMA. Beerbohm will simply look to bounce back from his first professional loss with a win over a big name in Aoki. An interesting fact that we have yet to here anyone else mention is that three Japanese MMA stars are fighting on this card, when Japanese promotions Dream & Sengoku are reported to have lost their major investors & multiple reports of fighters who have yet to be paid for having competed in events for these promotions. Japanese veteran Kawajiri, Dream Lightweight champ Aoki, & new Dream Featherweight champ Hiroyuki Takaya are all Dream based fighters from Japan who are all fighting on this card as media & fans continuously wonder if promotions in Japan are truly finished. Mousasi is an exception though as he has a contract that allows him to fight in both Strikeforce & Dream. The circumstances surrounding the Japanese MMA scene may lead to a pilgrimage of fighters based in Japan looking to find opportunities in Europe ore the United States. Strikeforce: Diaz vs Daley could serve as one of the most important events for Strikeforce as the beginning of their new business arrangement being owned alongside the UFC.
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