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Thomas Gerbasi, UFC – The prized prospect. Current light heavyweight contender Brandon Vera has been one before – 4-0 as a pro and a rookie with plenty of expectations placed on his shoulders even before he stepped into the UFC’s Octagon for the first time. It’s a situation few can fathom, simply because few have been in those shoes.

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“Strikeforce: Miami” is in the books, and the action-packed evening was the source of many discussion topics.

Are Bobby Lashley and Herschel Walker legitimate mixed martial artists?
What’s next for the biggest star in women’s mixed martial arts? Is
Strikeforce emerging as a legitimate contender for the UFC’s crown?

This week’s edition of The Sunday Junkie, MMAjunkie.com’s weekly
reader-feedback feature, touched on all of these topics and more, but
the winning entry, from Andrew “vice” Walter, argued that new welterweight
champion Nick Diaz is rapidly establishing himself as one of the sport’s most complete fighters.

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“Strikeforce: Miami” is in the books, and the action-packed evening was the source of many discussion topics.

Are Bobby Lashley and Herschel Walker legitimate mixed martial artists?
What’s next for the biggest star in women’s mixed martial arts? Is
Strikeforce emerging as a legitimate contender for the UFC’s crown?

This week’s edition of The Sunday Junkie, MMAjunkie.com’s weekly
reader-feedback feature, touched on all of these topics and more, but
the winning entry, from Andrew “vice” Walter, argued that new welterweight
champion Nick Diaz is rapidly establishing himself as one of the sport’s most complete fighters.

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On the heels of Saturday’s star-studded “Strikeforce: Miami” event at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida, CEO Scott Coker is already in the lab working on title fights that he believes will top last night’s spectacular show.

An exhausted Coker sat down with MMAFighting.com and told the website he already has opponents lined-up for Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez, as well as newly crowned welterweight champion Nick Diaz and 145-pound queen Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos.

Melendez put on the best performance of his pro career at “Strikeforce: Evolution” when he dominated then-champ Josh Thomson to unify the 155-pound title. El Niño will get thrown right back into the fire as Coker intends to pit his ace against Dream lightweight king, Shinya Aoki.

“Aoki and Melendez is going to happen before summertime,” Coker told the website.

It hasn’t even been 24 hours since Diaz became Strikeforce’s first welterweight title holder, but Coker is already making calls to his friends in the Orient to request the services of the talented Hayoto Sakurai.

Most are surprised by this decision as it was believed Jay Hieron earned a shot at the strap after he dismantled Joe Riggs on Saturday night’s card. However that was the last fight on Hieron’s current Strikeforce deal, so that brings up questions regarding the Xtreme Couture-trained fighter’s future.

As far as the baddest female on the planet, Coker states that the talented Erin Toughill will get next dibs at Cyborg. Toughill holds an impressive 10-2-1 professional record and comes equipped with a solid ground game, however it’s CYBORG.

There isn’t a woman alive that is on her level, but it appears Toughill will get the next shot at determining how far ahead Cyborg is from the field.

Coker professes the fireworks will start flying this Spring when they make their second venture into primetime programming. Their CBS show in April is expected to feature the company’s most prized possession, Fedor Emelianenko, as well as the middleweight title bout between champ Jake Shields and newly-signed Dan Henderson.

Look out, is Strikeforce starting to make a legit dent???

Help 5thRound.com spread the word

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Following their respective wins at Saturday’s “Strikeforce: Miami” event, newly crowned welterweight champion Nick Diaz and top contender Jay Hieron would seem logical opponents for an upcoming card.

However, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker isn’t sure Hieron deserves the title shot, and Diaz said he’d rather fight big-name fighters – not “undercard fighters” such as Hieron.

And perhaps the biggest stumbling block of all? Hieron, who signed with Strikeforce in 2009 primarily because he was promised a title shot, has fulfilled the terms of the contract and now needs a new deal if he’s to stay with the promotion.

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SUNRISE, Fla. – Early Sunday morning on AirTran Airways flight 68 from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Atlanta, Robbie Lawler and friend/training partner Matt Hughes slowly made their way down the aisle before takeoff.

Just hours removed from a stunning come-from-behind knockout victory over Melvin Manhoef at Saturday’s “Strikeforce: Miami” event, Lawler was still feeling the effects of the fight as he slowly limped to the back of the plane.

Lawler took serious punishment and was battered nearly from head to toe by his opponent’s offensive onslaught, but the former EliteXC middleweight champ said his miraculous come-from-behind win resulted from his ability to stick to a game plan.

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Strikeforce middleweight Tim Kennedy is the latest addition to the “EA Sports MMA” videogame roster.

Kennedy previously announced his involvement in the project, as MMAjunkie.com previously reported, though EA Sports officials made it officially only overnight.

The game, available on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms, is expected to be released in late summer 2010.

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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.

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SUNRISE, Fla. – With another dominating victory and her first title defense under her belt, Strikeforce women’s lightweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos can now look to her next challenge.

As Scott Coker told MMAjunkie.com following Saturday’s “Strikeforce: Miami” event, Erin Toughill could be next to challenge for the title.

Santos set up the likely bout after defeating a game but overpowered Marloes Coenen in the co-main event of the Jan. 30 event, which took place at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla.

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SUNRISE, Fla. – Herschel Walker’s victory in his pro mixed-martial-arts debut wasn’t flawless, and his lack of experience sometimes showed at Saturday’s “Strikeforce: Miami” event.

But despite just a few months of real MMA training, the 47-year-old former NFL great picked up a dominating third-round TKO win and proved yet again why he’s one of the sports world’s most versatile athletes.

However, even with the success – which included what Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker told MMAjunkie.com was a “six-figure payday” that the fighter donated to charity – the fight executive isn’t sure if Walker will make a second trip to the cage.

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