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Raul Castillo (6-0-0) vs. Yancy “Frisson†Medeiros (7-0-0)
Raul Castillo is currently undefeated in Strikeforce competition, having attained victories over both Andrew Montanez and Brandon Michaels. Raul Castillo is also a veteran of the Gladiator Challenge promotion, where he defeated Nik Theotikos, Eric Lawson and Josh Neal. It has been nearly a year since Raul Castillo had an MMA fight, so cage rust can become a factor in this fight. Raul Castillo will be bringing a six fight undefeated streak into the fight, which has currently lasted over three years. Raul Castillo will be looking to use his striking skills to win the fight, with four victories coming by knockout. Yancy Medeiros will be making his Strikeforce debut in this fight, but he is a veteran of the Hawaii Fight League promotion. While in the Hawaii Fight League, Yancy Medeiros defeated Rigo Mendoza, Eddie Ohia, Larry Perreira and Gino Venti. Of his seven professional MMA fights, only one has gone to a decision for Yancy Medeiros, which speaks to his finishing abilities. Yancy Medeiros will be entering the fight riding a seven fight undefeated streak, which has lasted over two years. Yancy Medeiros will be looking to use his striking skills to win the fight, with five victories coming by knockout.
My Prediction: Raul Castillo
Strikeforce Welterweight Division Fight
James Terry (7-1-0) vs. Tarec “Sponge†Saffiedine (7-2-0)
James Terry is currently undefeated in Strikeforce competition, with two straight victories coming over Zak Bucia. James Terry is also a veteran of the Cage Combat Fighting Championships promotion, where he defeated Josh McDonald, Tony Juares, Jack Montgomery and Josh Hinkle, while suffering a lone defeat to Jeremiah Metcalf. Despite making two previous appearances at Strikeforce events, this will be James Terry’s first Strikeforce Challengers Series fight. James Terry will be entering the fight riding a two fight winning streak, which has lasted nearly a full year. James Terry will be looking to use his striking skills to gain the victory, with two wins coming by knockout. Tarec Saffiedine will be making his Strikeforce debut in this fight, but he is a veteran of Japan’s DREAM promotion. While in DREAM, Tarec Saffiedine defeated Seichi Ikemoto, while suffering a loss to Dong Sik Yoon. Prior to the loss to Dong Sik Yoon, Tarec Saffiedine was riding a six fight winning streak that had lasted over two years. Tarec Saffiedine is also a veteran of the Shooto promotion, where he defeated both Guillaume Janvier and Raymond Jarman. Tarec Saffiedine will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with five victories coming by way of submission.
My Prediction: Tarec Saffiedine
Strikeforce Middleweight Division Fight
Luke Rockhold (6-1-0) vs. Paul Bradley (12-1-0)
Luke Rockhold is currently undefeated in Strikeforce competition, having defeated Josh Neal, Nik Theotikas, Buck Meredith, Cory Devela and Jesse Taylor. Luke Rockhold has also competed in the Melee On The Mountain promotion, where he defeated Mike Martinez and suffering a lone defeat to Tony Rubalcava. Of his seven professional fights, none have gone to a decision for Luke Rockhold, which speaks to the fighters finishing abilities. Luke Rockhold will be entering the fight riding a five fight undefeated streak, which has lasted over two years. Luke Rockhold will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with all of his victories coming by submission. Paul Bradley is also undefeated in Strikeforce competition, with a lone victory coming over Levi Avera. Paul Bradley also competed in the Legends Of Fighting promotion, where he defeated James Powell, Adam Stoup and Troy King. Paul Bradley started off his MMA career in impressive fashion, with a ten fight undefeated streak that had lasted over two years. In 2009, Paul Bradley fought UFC veteran Mike Pierce at a Respect Is Earned event, losing by unanimous decision. Paul Bradley will be looking to use his striking skills to gain the victory, with four wins coming by knockout.
My Prediction: Luke Rockhold
Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Division Fight
Trevor Prangley (22-5-0) vs. Karl “Psycho†Amoussou (11-2-1)
Trevor Prangley has had a successful run in the Strikeforce promotion, defeating Anthony Ruiz and Falaniko Vitale, while suffering a defeat to Jorge Santiago. Trevor Prangley also spent time in the UFC, defeating Curtis Stout and Travis Lutter, while suffering defeats to Chael Sonnen and Jeremy Horn. It has been nearly two years since Trevor Prangley last fought in the Strikeforce promotion, which occurred in September 2008. Trevor Prangley will be entering the fight riding a five fight winning streak, which has lasted a little over a year. Trevor Prangley will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with nine victories coming by way of submission. Karl Amoussou will be making his Strikeforce debut in this fight, but has primarily competed in the M-1 promotion. While in M-1, Karl Amoussou has defeated Sultan Tikhaev, Dmitry Samoilov, Mike Dolce, Min Suk Heo, Kazuhiro Hamanaka and John Doyle, while suffering defeats to Arman Gambaryan and Lucio Linhares. In an interesting career note, in the last three years, Karl Amoussou has only fought twice outside of the M-1 promotion. Karl Amoussou will be riding a three fight winning streak heading into the fight and hasn’t suffered a defeat in over a year. Karl Amoussou will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with seven victories coming by submission.
My Prediction: Trevor Prangley
Strikeforce Women’s 135lb. Title Decision Fight
Sarah Kaufman (10-0-0) vs. Takayo Hashi (12-1-0)
Sarah Kaufman is currently undefeated in Strikeforce competition, having defeated both Miesha Tate and Shayna Baszler. Sarah Kaufman is a veteran of both the Hardcore Championship Fighting and King Of The Cage promotions, where she defeated Sarah Draht, Misty Shearer, Ginele Marquez and Molly Helsel. Unlike current Strikeforce 145lb. Women’s Champion Cristiane Santos, a title victory for Sarah Kaufman will make the fighter the first undefeated women’s champion in the promotions history. Sarah Kaufman will be entering the fight riding a ten fight undefeated streak, which has lasted over three years. Sarah Kaufman will be looking to use her striking skills to gain the victory, with eight victories coming by knockout. Takayo Hashi will be making her Strikeforce debut in this fight, but she is a longtime veteran of the Smackgirl promotion. While in Smackgirl, Takayo Hashi defeated Mika Haragai, Yoko Hattori, Yukari Yukari, Kazuma Morohoshi, Kinuka Sasaki, Miki Morifuji, Sybil Starr and Hitomi Akano, while suffering a lone defeat to Hitomi Akano. Takayo Hashi also holds a victory over the aforementioned Sybil Star, who is an independent women’s wrestler in the United States. Takayo Hashi will be entering the fight riding an eight fight winning streak, which has lasted over four years. Takayo Hashi will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with four victories coming by way of submission.
My Prediction: Sarah Kaufman
(Note: I will be providing live coverage of Strikeforce Challengers Series VI on Friday February 26th at 11pm EST., right here on PWInsiderXtra.com)
You can contact David Tees at bigtees360@yahoo.com
