MMA Universe

"I feel beat up. It was a tough fight. She was really good, but I think [the referee] stopped it too soon. I was still moving -- she hit me hard but I could take it. I have to see the fight back of course, but [I kept] moving and my defense was high if I'm correct. She won it. She's the champion. Again, I have to see the fight back because I don't remember anything when I'm fighting -- it's all flashes."

-- Former number one 145-pound title contender, Marloes Coenen, tells MMAFighting.com that she would have liked to continue longer in her fight against female champion Cris "Cyborg" Santos at Strikeforce: "Miami." The referee had apparently seen enough, calling a halt to the action midway through the first round. "Rumina" displayed a ton of heart and determination, eating several hard punches and coming back for more. Coenen had a few bright spots of her own, but for the most part was getting handled by the Brazilian brawler. Would a few more minutes and/or rounds have made any difference or was the Dutch fighter simply overmatched?

He did, but just couldn't finish:

"You’re going to be shocked by this, but [the pressure did not bother me at all]. There was no pressure and the reason why was I really thought the people at AKA prepared me for it. The fighters at the gym, everyone there, they prepared me for this. What I had to do was just go in the ring and do it. I’ve loved (MMA) for about four years. This isn’t something I just decided I wanted to do. It’s something I’ve thought about for over four years. I want to thank Scott Coker and Strikeforce and Showtime for putting it on so my family back home could see it, but this is something I’ve loved for a long time."

-- Former NFL great Herschel Walker, 47, looks back on his third round technical knockout win over Greg Nagy at Strikeforce: "Miami." He -- along with his American Kickboxing Academy trainers and the promoter -- were genuinely pleased with his dominating performance in his first-ever professional mixed martial arts bout. He certainly wasn't a polished finishing machine, but with just nine weeks of training at his age, he impressed more than those just within his inner circle. Will he come back for an encore performance? He didn't shut the door on the possibility, deciding instead to just enjoy the latest lifetime accomplishment on a long list of accomplishments. But if if he does return, rest assured that the charity that receives his six-figure salary donation might be the happiest of all.

Props: ShoSports

Quoteworthy:

"I'm proud to be doing what I do. I wasn't hurt at all [in this fight]. My lip got cut a little, but I wasn't hurt, I was fine.... My gameplan was that I am a better all-around fighter than him, so I was going take what I was going to get. Try and set up my punches. Set up my body punches -- not let him breathe. Set up the knee to the body. Set up the knee to the leg. I'm going to control him on the fence. Control his wrists. I'm going to get the takedown. I'm going to work the guard. I'm going to pass it. I'm going to take that leg and break it off.... I had a plan and counter for everything. I'm a well rounded fighter. That's the difference between me and the rest of the fighters in the world.... It's going to take a lot of hard work and dedication [to beat me]. I'm ahead of the game."

Newly-crowned Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz puts all potential 170-pound title challengers on notice shortly after his dismantling of DREAM Welterweight Champion Marius Zaromskis at Strikeforce: "Miami" last night to capture the vacant crown. Perhaps the only problem is that currently the promotion's talent in the weight class is thin -- Jay Heiron is more than likely the only worthy adversary at this time. Hayato Sakurai is also apparently under consideration. If Diaz is able to eventually topple the "Thoroughbred" or "Mach" if and when they collide, don't be surprised to see him move up in weight to take on bigger-named opponents. There's a rematch with Robbie Lawler that likely has to happen (if he stays with the promotion) and Diaz even called out light heavyweight Gegard Mousasi in his post-fight remarks. This could get interesting ...

Mike Russell, UFC - One word that will never be used to describe Brian Stann is "selfish". In spite of every obstacle he has determinedly driven through in his life and every accolade he has earned in his decorated military and mixed martial arts careers, Stann's arms remain too busy saluting and shaking the hands of the platoon of supporters who stand behind him to stop for a moment and pat himself on the back.

Can anyone stop Cyborg?

Knockout of the year? Let's remember this in December, Maniacs. It was epic.

It's all fun and games until a referee apparently stops a fight too early.

Wes Sims was hamming it up for just about everyone who would watch following his first round technical knockout loss to Bobby Lashley during the post fight press conference that never happened at Strikeforce: "Miami" tonight from the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida.

But all the quirky smiles and awkward tension went out the window when "The Whole Show" decided to push Lashley, turning what everyone thought was another act into potentially the second round that Sims felt he deserved.

After cracking several professional wrestling jokes, and even doing some comical vignettes for the cameras, Sims decided to take it too far and shove the "Dominator." Up until that point Lashley, like the rest of the crowd in the room, was laughing it all off as if it were just Sims being Sims.

Lashley and everyone else soon realized that he was actually, maybe, being serious. Lashley went to remove the bag that was on his back, indicating that he was ready to retaliate. Sims even encouraged him to take it off.

Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and the two were separated. Lashley walked to the other side of the room and Sims exited only to come back in minutes later and yuck it up for the cameras yet again.

It's unclear what Sims real intentions were, but if they were to alienate yet another promotion -- and detonate a potential fight future with Strikeforce -- he can score it a huge win.

Perhaps the first of his career.

"Well, it's one of two things. Either they're going to allow me do it the way I wanna do it and build, or they're going to give me a title shot. Either or. I would like a title shot. I guess it's Overeem, he's the one who has the title right now. Him or Fedor, whoever. I wanted to take my time to build up but everyone's pushing me to get bigger and better fights so if I'm going to get bigger and better fights let's go for the best."

Undefeated Strikeforce heavyweight Bobby Lashley (5-0) talks to the gang at Showtime Sports regarding his "Miami" win over Wes Sims on the main card of the January 30 event. "The Dominator" was too much for the short-notice opponent, finishing the TUF 10 contestant via first round TKO. Lashley wants to continue his slow build to the upper echelon of heavyweights but feels pressured by outside influences to go for the gold. Is he going to pose a legitimate threat to the promotion's top heavyweights? Or will his goose get cooked by the likes of Fedor and Overeem?

Strikeforce: "Miami," from the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida, is officially in the books after kicking things off for the San Jose-based promotion in 2010. And despite still having 11 months to go, it's gonna take a monstrous effort to top this one.

The much ballyhooed fight card featured what was billed as an exciting and explosive main event between Nick Diaz and Marius Zaromskis -- and the battle for welterweight gold certainly didn't disappoint.

From the staredown to the referee's stoppage late in the first round, nothing but fireworks were on display. Despite being rocked and sent to the mat midway through the opening frame, Diaz controlled most of the action using his reach and accuracy.

While the fight never went to the ground where Diaz held a clear advantage, he proved to be too much for the Lithuanian fighter on the feet as well after earning a first round TKO victory.

In the co-main event, Strikeforce asked Women's Champion Chris "Cyborg" Santos to put her 145-pound title on the line against Marlos Coenen. Though many people gave Coenen very little chance of pulling off the upset, the challenger was more than up to the task early in the fight with her aggression and technical striking.

Unfortunately Cyborg's strength and unlimited cardio proved to be the deciding factor once again. Her explosive and powerful strikes often found a home and in the end, the referee (and Coenen) had seen enough, calling a stop to the fight in the third round.

In his much anticipated MMA debut, Herschel Walker showed everyone why he was once, and maybe still is, one of the best athletes in the world. Despite lacking a polished stand up or ground game, Walker used his strength and athleticism to overwhelm opponent Greg Nagy on way to a third round TKO victory.

Walker controlled the action from the get go, and though he let a few submission opportunities slip away, he had enough wherewithal to remain in a dominant position throughout the fight.

It will be interesting to see where Walker's MMA career goes from here.

In what has to be considered the front runner for KO of the year, Robbie Lawler stunned Melvin Manhoef -- and everyone watching -- with a come-from-behind knockout victory in round one.

After the two brawlers finished feeling each other out in the early moments, hands and legs started flying, mostly from Manhoef. The punishing kicks of "Marvelous" had Lawler limping midway through the first round.

It looked as though at any second Manhoef would land that final shot to put Robbie away. Instead, a memorable night for Lawler was to be had. 

After Manhoef landed an inside leg kick and followed it with a left hook, Lawler ducked, came up swinging, and landed a huge right hand that instantly sent the Dutchman to the mat unconscious.

A shocking turn of events.

The night's opening match served as yet another stepping stone for Bobby Lashley in his young MMA career. Wes Sims, a late replacement for the pro wrestler, showed up like he was just offered the fight a week ago (which he was). Though an in-shape Sims probably wouldn't have stood a better chance, the fight was a complete mismatch as Lashley ground and pounded his way to an early TKO victory in round one.

Lashley will surely need a step up in competition for his next fight in order to be considered a legitimate heavyweight threat.

It was a great night of fights full of knockouts, comebacks, and dominating performances. Two belts were either won or defended as Nick Diaz and Cris Santos walked away victorious in the two main events.

What fighter showed you the most tonight? Will Lawler's knockout of Manhoef go down as one of the best ever? Is Cyborg unbeatable, by women at least? Let's hear it Maniacs.

Well, Herschel Walker can finally cross off winning a professional mixed martial arts fight from his bucket list.

The former Heisman trophy-winning running back, turned world-class sprinter, turned Olympic Bobsleder, has now successfully completed his transformation into becoming a legitimate MMA fighter.

In his MMA debut under the Strikeforce banner, Walker used his superior strength and athleticism to overwhelm opponent Greg Nagy earning a third round TKO victory.

However, it wasn't all footwork and hand speed that got the job done.

Walker actually displayed some decent wrestling while mixing in some effective ground and pound on his way to his first victory inside the cage. Though he did let numerous submission opportunities pass, he escaped a couple precarious situations of his own.

Coming into the match up with Nagy, many observers pointed to Walker's athletic prowess as the one clear advantage that either fighter held over their opponent. Despite this being Walker's first professional MMA contest, experience was not something Nagy could rely on, as coming into the fight his record stood at a modest 1-1.

Of course now, all the pre-fight hype and talk as to whether or not this endeavor would prove to be successful for Herschel, will turn into whether or not he can do it again.

Walker's long-term intentions in the sport are not yet clear, but if tonight's outcome was to play any role in his decision process on the matter, you can bet we'll be seeing more of this ultimate Renaissance man in the future. 

(Photo courtesy of Sportsnavi)

King of the Cage made its Japanese debut on Saturday, January 30, as it delivered "King of the Cage - Toryumon" from Okinawa Convention Center in Naha, Okinawa.

A fight card featured several notable Japanese veterans, and in the implicit "Japan vs. America" showdown that characterized the card, Japanese squad accomplished a near-clean sweep.

In the main event, the afro-sporting Shooto veteran, Mamoru Yamaguchi breezed by the undefeated prospect, Frank Baca, earning a second-round submission victory. The triumphant Yamaguchi was awarded the previously vacant KOTC junior flyweight championship.

Krazy Bee fighter, Kotetsu Boku bested former KOTC lightweight champion, Tony Hervey with unanimous decision. Hervey's doldrums continues as he now finds himself in the midst of a three-fight losing streak. After dropping a hard-fought five-round decision against the former Pride lightweight kingpin, Takanori Gomi last October at Vale Tudo Japan 2009, Hervey faltered in his KOTC title defense in December.

Pride and K-1 Hero's veteran, Shungo Oyama returned to KOTC for the first time in nearly nine years and triumphed over Mike Wimmer in 67 seconds with heel hook.

In the lone female clash of the night, Roxanne Modafferi rebounded from her first-round submission loss to Marloes Coenen. Coincidentally, had she won against Coenen, she would have been in Miami to challenge Cris Cyborg for the Strikeforce women's 145-pound title on Saturday night. Modafferi earned a second-round submission win via rear naked choke over Molly Helsel.

In one of the few fights in which an American fighter prevailed over Japanese opponent, the consensus 2009 Submission of the Year winner, Toby Imada defeated Pancrase and MARS veteran, Daisuke Hanazawa with a second-round TKO.

Full results:

Kotetsu Boku def. Tony Hervey by Unanimous Decision
Toby Imada def. Daisuke Hanazawa by TKO Round 2 0:29
Roxanne Modafferi def Molly Helsel by rear-naked choke Round 2 3:18
Tatsuya Sou def Shigeki Matsuda by TKO Round 2 3:48
Shungo Oyama Def. Mike Wimmer by Heel hook Round 1 1:07
Koji Kanechika def Jerry Vrbanovic by Decision 3-0
Jerry Nelson Def. Shinsho Anzai by decision 2-1
Shinya Kumazawa def. Steve Hecht by Armbar Round 1 1:14
Tsuyoshi Tamaki def. Bryon Schnell by rear-naked choke Round 3 2:28

Martins Denis, UFC - More than one year has passed since Ronys Torres, a native of Manacapuru city in Amazonas, Brazil, signed his name on the dotted line of a UFC contract. The expectations for the debut of this competitor with the 18-1 résumé (eight subs, eight TKOs / KOs and only two decisions) were high, because after being chosen as the best Brazilian fighter in 2008, Torres was going to show those outside Brazil what had made him so celebrated in his home country.

Check out all the others after the jump.

Fans who don't have Showtime as part of their cable or satellite packages can still catch all the action from Strikeforce: "Miami" via live Internet stream tonight (Jan. 30, 2010) from the

For $24.95 per user, Strikeforce: "All Access" will stream simultaneously with the live Showtime telecast beginning at 10 p.m. ET and be available on a global basis as opposes to previous "All Access" events that were restricted to Stateside streams.

To order Miami "All Access" click here (http://strikeforce.sho.com) now.

From Strikeforce:

With Strikeforce: All Access, fans can be their own director and toggle among five live cameras with full pause and rewind capabilities including Showtime Sports exclusive CageCam®—a small, high quality camera worn by the referee which takes viewers inside the cage during the fights. Audio tracks will include the Showtime telecast fight call by host and play-by-play announcer Mauro Ranallo, and color commentators Frank Shamrock and Stephen Quadros, as well as the corresponding audio to the selected camera. Showtime is again working with BitGravity, Inc. and Episodic, Inc. to enable this unique multi-media experience. All Access fans also will receive a live Twitter feed from the event and can join behind-the scenes staff in tweeting about "Strikeforce" and "Showtime Sports" during the evening. Through a Facebook® Connect application, fans will be able to make predictions, comment on the live fights, discuss outcomes and more directly on the All Access page.

Strikeforce: "Miami" features a main event between Nick Diaz and DREAM Welterweight Champion Marius Zaromskis for the promotion's vacant 170-pound world title. Female powerhouse Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos will put her 145-pound title on the line against Marloes Coenen in the co-featured fight of the night.

In addition, feared K-1 striker "Marvelous" Melvin Manhoef will make his Strikeforce debut opposite the power-punching "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler. And joining them on the main card is Herschel Walker vs. Greg Nagy and Bobby Lashley vs. Wes Sims.

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of "Miami," beginning with the SHOWTIME telecast at 10 p.m. ET on Jan. 30. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action as it starts to flow around 7:30 p.m. ET.

It's going to be a great night of fights. And don't forget to hit us up for all the pre, during and post-fight coverage you can handle!

On the heels of the latest UFC counter-programming efforts, Countdown to UFC 109: "Relentless" will debut tonight at 12:30 a.m. ET on Spike TV to promote the upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) event scheduled for the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, Feb. 6.

"Countdown to 109" will beginning immediately following the 10 p.m. ET broadcast of UFC 107: "Penn vs. Sanchez," set to air opposite the Strikeforce: "Miami" card on Showtime.

The network special will provide a glimpse into the preparation and training camps of the fighters set to headline the show, featuring former UFC heavyweight champions Randy "The Natural" Couture and Mark "The Hammer" Coleman.

Remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight night (Saturday, Feb. 6), which is slated to air at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view from Las Vegas. The latest quick updates of the live action will begin to flow earlier than that around 8 p.m. ET with the preliminary bouts.

To get up to speed on the "Relentless" event be sure to check out the complete UFC 109 archive by clicking here.

Remember that today (Jan. 30, 2010) Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will once again give mixed martial arts fans options while one of its competitors, Strikeforce, promotes a live show.

UFC 107: "Penn vs. Sanchez," which was one of the more successful pay-per-view (PPV) events of 2009 for the promotion, will re-air TONIGHT on Spike TV at 10 p.m. ET.

Of course, Strikeforce: "Miami" is scheduled to also go down this evening from the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., on SHOWTIME at the same time.

UFC 107 featured a sensational performance from lightweight division champion BJ "The Prodigy" Penn as he successfully defended his title against number one division contender Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez in dominating fashion.

Former two-time heavyweight champion Frank Mir began his quest for a third title when he submitted Cheick Kongo in the co-featured fight of the night.

Strikeforce: "Miami," on the other hand, has a dynamite main event planned between Nick Diaz and Marius Zaromskis to determine the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos is slated to defend her 145-pound crown for the first time ever against Marloes Coenen.

What are your plans ... have a preference?

Remember that if you don't have SHOWTIME and can't watch Strikeforce live tonight, MMAmania.com will deliver live results throughout the evening right here.