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Jay “The Thoroughbred†Hieron (17-4-0) vs. Jesse “JT Money†Taylor (13-3-0)
Jay Hieron is widely considered to be one of the best welterweight fighters in MMA right now and this fight will mark his MMA debut. Jay Hieron is a longtime veteran of the International Fight League, where he won seven of nine fights in the promotion. Jay Hieron also fought in the UFC, losing to current UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre and Jonathan Goulet. Jay Hieron also fought once before in the Affliction promotion, where he defeated Jason High at Affliction: Day Of Reckoning. Jay Hieron is a fighter who is comfortable wherever the fight ends up, with eleven victories coming by knockout and submission. Jesse Taylor had a very short run in the UFC as a cast member of the UFC Ultimate Fighter 7 cast, the lost to fellow cast member CB Dollaway at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 14. Following the loss to CB Dollaway, Jesse Taylor has been on a seven fight winning streak that includes a victory over UFC veteran Drew Fickett. Jesse Taylor also fought overseas in the DREAM promotion, where he defeated Dong Sik Yoon after his opponent suffered a foot injury. This fight will mark the seventh fight of 2009 for Jesse Taylor, who has won the previous six fights he has had this year. Jesse Taylor is a fighter who is comfortable wherever the fight ends up, with ten victories coming by knockout or submission.
My Prediction: Jay Hieron
Strikeforce Interim Lightweight Title Fight
Gilbert “El Nino†Melendez (15-2-0) *Champion* vs. Mitsuhiro “Endless Fighter†Ishida (18-5-1)
Gilbert Melendez won the Strikeforce Interim Lightweight Title after defeating Rodrigo Damm at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz. In his other Strikeforce fights, Gilbert Melendez has fought the likes of Harris Sarmiento, Clay Guida, Tetsuji Kato, Gabe Lemley and Josh Thomson. Gilbert Melendez also spent time in the WEC, where he defeated Gary Quan, Jeff Hougland and Olaf Alfonso. Gilbert Melendez was also part of the PRIDE promotion in Japan, where he defeated Nobuhiro Obiya and Tatsuya Kawajiri. Gilbert Melendez will be looking to use his striking skills to win the fight, with nine victories coming by way of knockout. Mitsuhiro Ishida comes into this fight as a late replacement for Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson, who hasn’t fully recovered from a broken leg. Mitsuhiro Ishida has fought Gilbert Melendez once before, defeating him by unanimous decision at Yarennoka: New Years Eve 2007. Mitsuhiro Ishida also previously fought before in the Strikeforce promotion, defeating Justin Wilcox at Strikeforce At The Mansion II in 2008. Mitsuhiro Ishida primarily fought overseas in Japanese promotions like PRIDE, Shooto, DREAM and Greatest Common Multiple. Mitsuhiro Ishida is a fighter known for taking fights the distance, with thirteen prior victories coming by decision.
My Prediction: Mitsuhiro Ishida
Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Title Fight
Renato “Babalu†Sobral *Champion* (35-8-0) vs. Gegard “The Dreamcatcher†Mousasi (25-2-1)
Renato Sobral won the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Title in his Strikeforce debut, by defeating Bobby Southworth at Strikeforce: Destruction in 2008. Renato Sobral is a longtime veteran of the UFC, where he fought the likes of Maurice Smith, Kevin Randleman, Elvis Sinosic, Chuck Liddell, Travis Wiuff, Chael Sonnen, Mike Van Arsdale, Jason Lambert and David Heath. Renato Sobral also fought in both events for the Affliction MMA promotion, where he defeated Mike Whitehead and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. Nearly a decade ago in 2001, Renato Sobral fought top ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, whom defeated him by unanimous decision. Renato Sobral will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with eighteen victories coming by way of submission. Gegard Mousasi is widely considered to be one of he best MMA fighters in the world right now and he will be making his Strikeforce debut in this fight. Originally, Gegard Mousasi was scheduled to face Renato Sobral at Affliction: Trilogy, but Strikeforce picked up the fight following the demise of Affliction MMA. Gegard Mousasi is currently on a twelve fight winning streak, with five of those victories coming in the DREAM promotion, where he won the DREAM 2008 Middleweight Grand Prix. Thus far in his MMA career, Gegard Mousasi has fought the likes of Akihiro Gono, Hector Lombard, Evangelista Santos, Denis Kang, Melvin Manhoef and Mark Hunt. This fight against Renato Sobral will mark the first time Gegard Mousasi has fought outside of the DREAM promotion in over a year. Gegard Mousasi is a fighter who is comfortable wherever the fight ends up, with twenty three victories coming by knockout and submission.
My Prediction: Renato Sobral
Strikeforce Women’s 145lb. Division Title Decision Fight
Gina “Conviction†Carano (7-0-0) vs. Cristiane “Cyborg†Santos (7-1-0)
After a nearly three year absence from Strikeforce, Gina Carano returns to the promotion to compete for the first women’s championship in the promotion. In her lone Strikeforce appearance, Gina Carano defeated Elaina Maxwell at Strikeforce: Triple Threat in 2006. Gina Carano has primarily fought in the Elite XC promotion, defeating Julie Kedzie, Tonya Evinger, Kaitlin Young and Kelly Kobold. Gina Carano will be bringing a seven fight undefeated streak into the fight, which has lasted over three years. This fight in the Strikeforce promotion will mark the first time in nearly two years that Gina Carano has fought outside of the Elite XC promotion. Gina Carano will be looking to use her striking skills to win the fight, with three victories coming by knockout. Cristiane Santos made her Strikeforce debut at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz when she defeated Hitomi Akano by TKO. In her two Elite XC appearances, Cristiane Santos defeated both Shayna Baszler and Yoko Takahashi, both fights occurred in 2008. In her lone MMA loss, Cristiane Santos was defeated by Erica Paes via submission at Show Fight 2 in 2005. Cristiane Santos will be bringing a seven fight winning streak to the fight, the streak has lasted nearly four years. Cristiane Santos has also fought in the Samurai Storm promotion, where she defeated Vanessa Porto, Chris Schroeder, Elaine Santiago and Marise Vitoria. Cristiane Santos will be looking to use her striking skills to gain the victory, with five previous wins coming by knockout.
My Prediction: Cristiane Santos
(Note: I will be doing live coverage of Strikeforce: Carano vs. Santos on Saturday August 15th at 10:30pm EST. right here on PWInsiderXtra.com)
You can contact David Tees at bigtees360@yahoo.com
