The promotion announced the middleweight match-up earlier today through their Twitter account.

The 13-3 Kennedy has been on a quest to earn another crack at the belt currently worn by Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza since falling short on the judges’ scorecards in their August 2010 affair. The well-rounded 31-year old defeated Melvin Manhoef three months ago at “Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson” and has won five of his last six fights with the lone exception being the loss to Souza.

Lawler is also no stranger to the title scene with his last in-ring appearance involving a third round Read-Naked Choke loss to the aforementioned middleweight champion. Prior to the submission defeat the hard-hitting Midwesterner had stopped seven of his previous nine opponents with strikes including Manhoef, Matt Lindland, Joey Villasenor, Murilo Rua, and Frank Trigg. He holds an overall record of 18-7 with fifteen knockouts to his name.

The inclusion of Lawler vs. Kennedy adds to an already stacked “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson” lineup including the headliner, Coenen vs. Miesha Tate, and Paul Daley vs. Tarec Saffiedine.

PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Official terms of the deal were not stated in the company’s press release.

“Strikeforce has treated me good and I am happy to re-sign with them,” said the 18-6 knockout artist. “They have given me an opportunity to fight for the title and I’m looking forward to that and to fighting any and all of the top 185-pounders.”

Lawler is currently set to take on submission-specialist Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza on January 29 in San Jose for the company’s middleweight strap. The heavy-handed Midwesterner is coming off a highlight-reel knockout of Matt Lindland less than a minute into their match-up earlier this month. Fifteen of his eighteen career wins have come as the result of strikes.

PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

News of the expected pairing, as well as the title’s involvement at the show, was first reported by Tatame. Souza also announced the bout at a local event in Brazil over the weekend.

Lawler is coming off a fifty-second flattening of Matt Lindland two weeks ago in St. Louis at “Strikeforce – Henderson vs. Babalu II”. He is 7-1 in his last eight fights at 185 pounds with a catch-weight loss to Renato Sobral earlier this year also in the mix. “Ruthless” Robbie has rendered the majority of his opponents defenseless by way of strikes with fifteen TKOs in eighteen total victories, but has struggled against high-level grapplers on the ground making his match-up with Souza particularly intriguing due to the middleweight champion’s world-class skill on the mat.

While the 13-2 “Jacare” certainly showed improved stand-up in his title-winning performance against Tim Kennedy this past August at “Strikeforce – Houston”, there’s no question his bread is buttered in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as he owes ten of his thirteen MMA wins to the art of tapping opponents out. The decorated submission-grappler has won three consecutive fights after previously being knocked out by a perfectly timed upkick from Gegard Mousasi in September 2008 (with a cut-shortened “No Contest” to Jason Miller in his follow-up to the defeat).

Though the January 29 event has yet to be officially announced, a number of rumored participants have already been attached to the card including Miller, Kennedy, Nick Diaz, and Herschel Walker.

PHOTO CREDIT – ESTHER LIN / STRIKEFORCE

Occasionally the two realms collide, as was the case earlier this week when Strikeforce middleweight “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler visited the NFL’s resurgent St. Louis Rams training facility earlier this week and spoke casually with players, including wide receiver Danny Amendola and offensive lineman Adam Goldberg. Whether the hard-hitting, freshly bearded 185-pounder asked for, or gave, tips on how to best render your opponent seeing stars will be left up to speculation as no official comments were recorded. However, one thing is undoubtedly certain – a number of the Rams’ defensive players no doubt felt some sort of slight jealousy at Lawler’s ability to knock people out and not worry about a fine from the league’s commissioner.

The 17-6 former champion, who faces high-level wrestler Matt Lindland later tonight at “Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu II”, is 6-2 in his last eight fights with a submission loss to previous promotional title-holder Jake Shields and a close decision defeat to light heavyweight Renato Sobral this past June. All six of the victories came by way of knockout/TKO, as have fourteen of his seventeen total career wins.

In addition to his match-up with Lindland, the St. Louis event features a contendership-determining clash between the headlining light heavyweights (Dan Henderson/Sobral), as well as welterweights Paul Daley and Scott Smith undoubtedly going toe-to-toe until one of the two falls. 14-2 heavyweight Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva will also see action on the show when he faces Mike Kyle, the only man to have legitimately beaten newly crowned Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante.

“Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu II” will be broadcast on Showtime starting at 10:00 PM ET/PT (Tape Delayed in the West)

PHOTO CREDIT – ESTHER LIN / STRIKEFORCE

Lindland recently took time to speak during a recent conference call with media about the importance of his upcoming bout at “Strikeforce – Henderson vs. Babalu” against Robbie Lawler, as well as expressed why he feels his striking is underrated and the reason he’s continued to evolve in MMA even at age 40.

“You lose and then you have to figure out why it happened and how you are going to improve, and that’s what I’ve done,” said Lindland. “If you lose and stay the same then you are not a smart fighter and should not be in this sport. After a loss I feel like I come back stronger from working on the aspects that were a part of my loss. I don’t want to talk about the little things – just know I trained hard and changed those aspects…I just want to fight and compete against the best.”

Though the middleweight is coming off a third-round TKO win over Kevin Casey at a Strikeforce Challengers event this past May, Lindland was coming off back-to-back losses entering the bout. As far as his opponent this weekend, Lindland made it clear he wasn’t as concerned about the implications a win over Lawler might have on his future when compared to his desire to make the scrap an entertaining one.

“I think all fights have the same amount of pressure, especially when you are playing at this caliber and fighting either a top contender or a champion or a former champion. It’s not necessarily about who wins or loses, it’s about putting on a good performance and fighting,” explained the Team Quest original before offering a blunt prediction on the outcome.

“I have never seen Robbie in a fight that wasn’t exciting, so I don’t plan on this being any different. I am looking forward to going out there and performing and kicking the sh*t out of Robbie,” he continued.

Lindland also made it clear his plans for victory don’t necessarily include a submission when omitted from a question relating to knockouts, saying, “I am a little insulted because I have knocked some people out and the last guy I knocked out was Robbie’s teammate, Jeremy Horn, when I kicked him in the head and then punched him with a straight left.”

Still, his grappling isn’t a weapon he won’t unsheathe when the time comes.

“I do enjoy the ground game a lot and it is a technical aspect of the game, and I think subs happen better when you punish guys and I do like to impose my will and punish a guy and have him make a mistake. I like to hook guys and make sure that everyone sees that that guy is tapping out, and submitting not just to me but in front of the world. When I drop a guy it is more surprising, because I haven’t had as many knockouts as these other three guys that you are talking about. They go in there looking for the big punch and when I go in there and hit a guy or clip him and take him out it is a little more surprising because it’s not as frequent.”

When asked about why he felt he had the advantage over Lawler, and would ultimately emerge victorious, Lindland credited his experience but stated the result would all come down to the individual most-able to impose his will on the other.

“I think I am a little more experienced, wiser. I wouldn’t argue with people who say he is athletic, he’s got speed, he’s got power. I am going to have to use superior positioning, conditioning and just knowledge of the sport and put him in positions he is not comfortable with….If I had my way I would put Robbie on his back and pound a hole in his head and I’m sure Robbie would like to try to keep it on his feet and put me to sleep standing up. I think it’s really about who can impose their will.”

Lindland is 22-7 in his career with notable wins over some of MMA’s former elite like Horn, Carlos Newton, and Pat Miletich. He’s also beaten notable opponents like Joe Doerksen, Ivan Salaverry, Travis Lutter, and Phil Baroni.

In addition to his match-up with Lawler, “Strikeforce – Henderson vs. Babalu” features a contendership-determining clash between the headlining light heavyweights (Dan Henderson/Renato Sobral), as well as welterweights Paul Daley and Scott Smith undoubtedly going toe-to-toe until one of the two falls.

PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

“Ruthless” Robbie dropped a hard-fought decision to light heavyweight contender Renato “Babalu” Sobral in his most recent outing but has only been beaten a single time at 185-pounds in nearly four years (to Jake Shields). During that span he’s notched victories over a tough group including Joey Villasenor, Frank Trigg, Melvin Manhoef, and Murilo “Ninja” Rua. He holds an overall record of 17-6 with knockouts in fourteen of his wins.

A polar opposite in terms of approach and outright aggression, Lindland is 22-7 with the bulk of his in-ring success coming by way of submissions/decisions. However, “The Law” scored a TKO over Kevin Casey last May at Strikeforce Challengers 8 – the eighth win of his career coming in such a fashion – and is no stranger to ground-and-pounding his way to a “W” when necessary.

In addition to Lawler vs. Lindland, the December 4th event will also feature former PRIDE double-divisional champ Dan Henderson fighting the afore-mentioned Sobral in the main event, the return of football legend Herschel Walker to a MMA ring, and a scrap between Paul Daley and Scott Smith nearly guaranteed to end in one man’s separation from consciousness.

FiveOuncesofPain.com has recently been able to comfirm through sources close to the situation that a middleweight slugfest between Melvin Manhoef and Robbie Lawler is currently on the table, and is expected to take place on the “Strikeforce: Miami” card set for January 30 from the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida.

While nothing has been signed as of this writing, FiveOuncesofPain.com was able to confirm that the bout has been offered, and is expected to be signed by at least one of the fighters shortly.

Former ICON Sport and EliteXC middleweight champion, Robbie Lawler, will making his first return to action since a disappointing first round submission defeat at the hands of current Strikeforce 185 pound title holder, Jake Shields in June 6, 2009. Prior to the loss at the hands of Shields, Lawler had gone undefeated in his previous six bouts with big wins over the likes of Joey Villasenor, Frank Trigg, Murilo “Ninja” Rua and Scott Smith along the way.

Manhoef is fresh off of what could be considered the biggest win of his career, as the 5’8″ beast from Holland most recently flattened the highly regarded Kazuo Misaki during the year end “Dynamite!! 2009″ card. “No Mercy” has put together 23 wins by knockout out of his 24 victories, making him one of the most feared strikers in the sport.

Lawler was previously expected to take part in the “Strikeforce: Evolution” card that took place on December 19, but an opponent was not able to be secured in time for the event.

(UPDATE: FiveOuncesofPain.com has been able to further confirm through additional sources close to the proposed match-up that the bout is expected to take place at “Strikeforce: Miami”. Both fighters are said to be currently awaiting bout agreements to ink, but both have agreed to the match-up.)

FiveOuncesofPain.com

There were scores of mixed martial arts fans that began to salivate at the mouth at the prospect of a showdown against fellow knockout artist Robbie Lawler once Manhoef’s arrival to Strikeforce was formally announced over the last week. However, when Manhoef’s management was contacted by FiveOuncesofPain.com it was learned that “No Mercy” will most likely not be competing at the December 19 “Strikeforce: Evolution” card as many had hoped, due to Melvin’s commitment to the New Years Eve event in Japan.

While Manhoef vs. Lawler may not be taking place this year, there is a good possibility of the two heavy handed sluggers duking it out sometime in early 2010 as Manhoef’s people stated that he is definitely interested in facing off with the “Ruthless” one during his stint with Strikeforce.

Other bouts expected for “Dynamite!! 2009″ will be the finals of the DREAM Super Hulk Grand Prix where Ikuhisa Minowa will be facing Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, along with the highly anticipated MMA debut of decorated Judoka Satoshi Ishii as he faces off with fellow Judo Olympian Hidehiko Yoshida.

Apparently Radach hasn’t been cleared to begin training again according to his manager Ken Pavia, citing a recent surgery to Benji’s right hand as the reason for his time away from the gym.

The good news is that Lawler is still expected to compete during the event which has been scheduled for December 19 from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, according to his manager Monte Cox, with an announcement of his opponent for the card coming in the coming days according to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker.

The bout will be Lawler’s first return to action since the guillotine choke loss suffered at the hands of current Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields in June of this year. Prior to the bout with Shields the UFC veteran hadn’t seen defeat in his previous six fights, notching wins over the likes of Joey Villasenor, Frank Trigg and Scott Smith along the way.

The feature, which was authored by none other than FiveOuncesOfPain.com‘s very own Cory Brady, analyzes which knockout artists should be considered the best at what they do in the history of the sport, he also takes an in depth look at some of the most lethal submission artists of the past and present.

Robbie Lawler will be facing off with the Cesar Gracie trained Jake Shields on June 6 in his Strikeforce debut. Extreme Fighter Magazine finds that Lawler has amassed an 83% knockout ratio throughout the course of his career against some of the best competition the sport has thrown in his direction. Fifteen of his eighteen victories have ended by blunt force trauma.

EFM also highlights “The Pitbull” in their most recent issue. Andrei Arlovski has maintained a 73% knockout ratio with eleven of his fifteen victories ending violently bad for his opponent. The fearsome Belarusian will be facing off with fellow knockout artist Brett Rogers at Strikeforce on Saturday night.

To see which other pain inducers made Extreme Fighter Magazine’s list on “The Finishers” in both the knockout and submission categories, pick up the latest copy of the magazine. You can find it everywhere, Barnes and Noble, Borders, Target, Wal-Mart.

The issue currently on shelves features a cover story with none other than “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko along with insightful commentary such as “The Finishers” and interviews with some of the sports biggest stars like Chuck Liddell, Rich Franklin, Kenny Florian, Demian Maia, Gegard Mousasi, Greg Jackson and many more.

Extreme Fighter Magazine is authorized and sold in America’s leading supermarkets, drug stores, convenience stores, bookstores and mass merchandisers retailers nationwide, including Wal-Mart®, Target®, Borders®, Barnes & Noble®, CVS®, Kroger®, and many others

Headliners Robbie Lawler and Jake Shields spoke to media on Tuesday about competing at a catch-weight of 182 pounds as well as a few other topics related to their upcoming bout.

“It is nice not having to diet all the time so hopefully I’ll go in there feeling stronger,” said Shields, who usually tips the scales at 170 pounds. ”Dieting and sucking water – all of that can take it out of you. There are positives and disadvantages to it. It’s always nice being the bigger guy but it’s also nice to not have to diet or cut water out. So there are two ways of looking at it. I’ll just have to go out there and see how I feel on Saturday.”

Lawler was a little less enthusiastic about the prospect of dropping down further than he normally does for a fight.

“I’m going to make it,” said the concrete-handed former/forever EliteXC Middleweight Champion. ”I don’t want to make it but I’m going to make it. This whole time off I was thinking of getting a little leaner and cutting a little more weight than normal so I think I’ll be fine.”

Considered among the best in their respective divisions, the mutual appreciation of skills between the two certainly appeared to be in place. Both seemed to have a realistic assessment of his opponent’s abilities and neither man talked trash towards the other. 

“I think Robbie’s a great wrestler,” Shield stated in regards to his strategy for the bout. ”He’s always been surrounded by good college wrestlers. He’s certainly not going to be easy to take down. His ground game is his weakest aspect but I haven’t been able to see it lately because not a lot of guys have been able to get him down.”

The California based vegetarian also has a backup plan just in case his grappling is neutralized.

“Punch him in the face,” said Shields. ”That always helps. If he takes me down I just have to punch back.”

Though as different in lifestyle as in-ring style, Lawler had a similar assessment to Shields on how the two stacked up against each other.

“I definitely don’t want him on top of me,” admitted Lawler. ”He’s got a great top game and he looks to finish – looks to mount and looks to improve position – so being on the ground is definitely not a good place to be.”

Does that mean he’ll be looking for a first round knockout?

“However I can get a win,” answered the man who is as soft-spoken as he is hard-hitting.

Sources have revealed to FiveOuncesOfPain.com that while Lawler’s involvement with the April event was discussed, Strikeforce officials have decided to have Lawler headline its May event tentatively scheduled for Seattle against an unnamed opponent.

According to a source, Strikeforce decided not to move forward with adding Lawler to its April event because it wants both Lawler and Frank Shamrock to headline separate cards in an attempt to build to a possible matchup between the two fighters.

Five Ounces of Pain has also learned in recent days that while light heavyweight sensation Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante has committed to competing on the May show, a match against Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral has not been signed. While Feijao’s camp is believed to have consented to the fight, an agreement from Sobral’s side has not.

Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson and Gina Carano are two other fighters that had been rumored for the May event. However, their involvement with the show remains doubtful at this time. While Strikeforce acquired the contracts of both fighters during limited asset acquistion of ProElite, new deals must be secured in order to bring Ferguson and Carano into the fold. Thus far, negotiations with the management of each fighter has not produced a new deal that would clear the way for them to compete in May.

Several undercard fights have been finalized for the May event with the San Jose-based promotion utilizing several up-and-coming fighters it acquired from ProElite. One of those fighters, Hawaiian lightweight Mike Aina, 11-6-1, is set to face undefeated 9-0 Strikeforce lightweight prospect Billy Evangelista. Aina might be best known for his close split decision loss to Nick Diaz during EliteXC’s “Uprising” event in September of 2007.

The undercard will also see two former ProElite-contracted fighters go head-to-head in a classic wrestler vs. striker matchup with Lyle Beerbohm, 9-0, set to take on Torrance Taylor, 7-5. Despite his less than stellar record, the Ohio-based Taylor is one of the most dynamic strikers in all of MMA. With wins over former UFC veterans Jason Dent, Junior Assuncao, and Luke Caudillo, Taylor will prove to be a strong test for Beerbohm.

A draft tryout finalist for the now-defunct IFL, Taylor had been slated to compete on EliteXC’s October ShoXC event in Indiana. However, Taylor, just 20 at the time, was scratched from the card as regulations at the reservation casino where the event was held dictated he was too young to enter the grounds of the venue.

Also slated for the Seattle show is a featherweight fight between ShoXC veterans Bao Quach and J.C. Pennington. Quach, 15-9-1, most recently competed in January during Affliction’s “Day of Reckoning” event. The Team Oyama fighter saw his nine fight winning streak end at the hands of L.C. Davis due to a unanimous decision loss.

Quach had been in line for a shot at former EliteXC bantamweight champion Wilson Reis before ProElite suspended operations and sold off its key assets to Strikeforce. In recent weeks, Five Ounces of Pain has confirmed that Reis’ ProElite contract was one of over 50 contracts purchased by Strikeforce. The undefeated Sao Paulo native now has exclusive contracts with both Strikeforce and the Bellator Fighting Championships.

Despite the fact that Strikeforce holds the original exclusive on Reis, he is still expected to compete in Bellator’s upcoming featherweight Grand Prix that will commence in April and will be televised on ESPN Deportes. However, Strikeforce officials are believed to be very interested in having Reis compete under its promotional banner after Reis has finished Bellator’s inaugural 12-week season.

Another Bellator fighter that Strikeforce acquired through its deal with ProElite is Eddie Alvarez. Unlike Reis, Alvarez was not exclusive to ProElite, as his primary promotional rights are owned by Monte Cox’s Adrenaline MMA promotion. Alvarez’s presence in Bellator’s upcoming lightweight Grand Prix has also been reconfirmed but Strikeforce is also expected to try and secure Alvarez’s involvement on its shows upon the completion of Bellator’s first season.

However, upon having been contacted by FiveOuncesOfPain.com, Cox indicated that Strikeforce has adopted the position that the contracts obtained during yesterday’s acquisition of select ProElite assets are indeed transferable.

As it stands, Cox has no intention of mounting a legal challenge, indicating that Lawler is happy with the terms of his existing deal that was originally signed with EliteXC and that his client “is ready to get back into the cage.”

When asked if Lawler could be involved with Strikeforce’s next show on April 11 in San Jose, Calif., Cox didn’t rule out the possibility but said that nothing is imminent. That could change after a planned meeting with Strikeforce Founder and CEO Scott Coker later this weekend.

Cox was also asked by Five Ounces of Pain if a fight between Lawler and former Strikeforce middleweight champion Frank Shamrock was a possibility for the April 11 event. The long-time manager and promoter indicated that nothing has been discussed regarding such a bout but that he and Lawler would certainly welcome the matchup.

While speaking with EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw on Monday, Shaw was unwilling to rule out the possibility of a Lawler vs. Villasenor fight being added to the card at some point but expressed that he felt the report should be treated as a rumor at this stage.

We contacted Lawler’s manager, Monte Cox, for comment on Monday, but our request was not immediately returned.

A Lawler vs. Villasenor fight appears uncertain at this point but one fighter who appears to be a lock for the Nov. 8 show is Nick Diaz.

Shaw has stated in separate interviews that with Murilo “Ninja” Rua and Beni Radach officially being added to the promotion’s Oct. 4 CBS show in Ft. Lauderdale it means that any possibility of K.J. Noons defending his lightweight title vs. Diaz is out the window. However, EliteXC still has plans for Diaz and Shaw indicated that he’s expected to be a part of the promotion’s Nov. 8 show, which will be televised on SHOWTIME.

Sources have also informed FiveOuncesOfPain.com that EliteXC would like to add Eddie Alvarez to the show. The plan would be to feature Alvarez and Diaz in separate fights and build to a possible fight between the two, which could be for a vacated EliteXC lightweight title if Noons and his camp do not answer the call to face a fighter the promotion has deemed as a number one challenger.

“It sounds like it’s going to be in my hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico,” Villasenor said. “We’re just waiting on confirmation of who it’s going to be (against).”

“They keep on bringing up Ninja’s name,” Villasenor said. “They’re bringing up other names, but Ninja is the one that is sticking out right now.”

A rematch against Rua would allow Villasenor the opportunity to avenge his only loss in the EliteXC organizaiton. The last time these two fought was in June of last year with Rua coming out on top with a second round TKO. Most recently Villasenor defeated Phil Baroni via TKO in round one and Rua toppled Tony Bonello in devastating fashion on the same card in May.

A win for either fighter would set up a possible rematch with current EliteXC middleweight champion Robbie Lawler. Lawler defeated Rua in September of last year to win the EliteXC middleweight championship. Villasenor dropped a fight against Lawler at PRIDE 32 in Las Vegas in 2006. Both men have a score to settle with the current champion and this fight could be billed as a #1 contender matchup in EliteXC’s middleweight division.

Despite promoting shows on Aug. 15, Sept. 20, Sept. 26, and Oct. 4, it appears that EliteXC is in complete agreement that Lawler needs a break. EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw confirmed to FiveOuncesOfPain.com that Lawler will be on hiatus in order to allow his body time to recover from competing in back-to-back fights in such close proximity, as well as to allow the nasty gash sustained to the top of his scalp to heal.

Who he’ll face upon his return is anyone’s guess at this point. Former UFC light heavyweight champion and former Strikeforce middleweight title holder Frank Shamrock has expressed a keen interest in fighting Lawler in the coming months. While Shamrock has stated in the past that he’s only looking to fight big names, it appears as if Lawler could fit the profile of his ideal opponent after being featured in two bouts on primetime network TV.

Whether or not a Lawler vs. Shamrock encounter will occur before year’s end remains to be seen, as Shamrock not only owes two fights to EliteXC, but one more to Strikeforce as well. With Cung Le not expected to fight again until 2009, Shamrock may be called into action before Lawler is ready to return.

Lawler could also be looking at a rematch at one of two opponents. Both Joey Villasenor and Murilo “Ninja” Rua have won high-profile fights as of late. With several big shows coming up and a lack of star power in the middleweight division, it wouldn’t be surprising to see EliteXC try to match the two up again. Villasenor and Rua fought for the then-vacant EliteXC middleweight title during the Frank Shamrock vs. Phil Baroni show last June with Rua becoming the first-ever title holder at 185 lbs. following a second round TKO.

Both Villasenor and Rua have fought and lost to Lawler previously. Villasenor was knocked out by Lawler at 0:22 of round 1 during PRIDE 32 in 2006 while Rua dropped the middleweight title to Lawler when the two fought this past September.

One name to consider at 185 lbs. is the promotion’s welterweight champion, Jake Shields, who could be forced to move out a weight class out of necessity. Quite simply, after winning the vacant title following his first round submission over Nick Thompson this past Saturday, there is no obvious number one contender for Shields’ title.

IFL welterweight champion Jay Hieron would normally be an obvious candidate, but he could become property of the UFC if Zuffa is able to finalize an acquisition of some of the IFL’s select assets.

Paul Daley is a tremendous prospect but Shields is so advanced that EliteXC could find itself in a position where they are feeding a future star to a lion if they make the match so early in Daley’s career.

As we were the first to report, John Alessio recently signed a three-fight contract with EliteXC but the promotion might want to allow him to get a win or two under his belt before giving him a title shot.

A match between Shields and Phil Baroni would have strong box office potential, but after having just moved to welterweight following a career at middleweight, Baroni likely needs to get a win or two more under his belt as well.

Long-term, the best option for Shields might be to move up to 185 and push for a second title. It’s a possibility he not only refused to rule out during the post-fight press conference this past Saturday, but one that he indicated he would certainly welcome.

Robbie Lawler sealed the deal this time around.

Lawler looked to be the better fighter in the first outing and I had the fight scored in favor of him until the stoppage the first time, but he sealed the deal last knight with a knee right to Smith’s ribs that sent the challenger to the floor and eventually led to a stoppage. The first time around, it’s hard to tell who would have won. But last night it was clear that Lawler was not going to let things get out of hand, especially after he was cut. As we look toward the future, it’s hard to say who Lawler will fight next in the middlweight division. After Murilo Rua’s devastation of Tony Bonello back in May, I have to think that Rua may be in line to take another crack at Lawler and try to win back the EliteXC title that was once his.

Jake Shields is extremely underrated.

Nick Thompson is one of the best welterweights in the entire world and Jake Shields made him look like a punk last night. I mean, Shields finished Thompson with a one arm guillotine from the mount. One arm, people. His other arm was posted on the mat. That’s extremely impressive against a fighter the caliber of Nick Thompson. I have Shields ranked as the #3 welterweight in the world in my rankings that I submit to WAMMA every month and last night he validated that high of a spot in the rankings. He may very well be the best fighter on EliteXC’s entire roster. When you make great competition look like child’s play, you’re not working with a level playing field. Shields doesn’t get a whole lot of play because he’s not in the one organization that really matters, the UFC, but he is without a doubt one of the top three or five welterweights in the world. It’s time to start giving the man his credit.

Nick Diaz did what he was supposed to do.

Thomas Denny was a game opponent but he was just overmatched by Diaz’s overall game. It’s dangerous to put Diaz on his back because of his jiu jitsu game but it’s also dangerous to stand with him because of his reach and his boxing skills. Denny is sort of a tailor made opponent for Diaz and Diaz took advantage of it. If you’re a Diaz fan you had to be a little worried by the way the fight started out but once things settled down and Diaz got into his zone, the fight was all but over. Denny was so gassed at the end of the first round that you almost knew when he came out for the second that the fight was all but over. Diaz did what he was supposed to do: win in his hometown, establish himself on national television, and now I’m sure we’ll see him taking on K.J. Noons in the near future for the EliteXC lightweight title. That could very well happen in October at the next CBS show.

Let’s see Cris Cyborg take on Gina Carano.

You want to talk about fireworks? That’s a fight that will produce them. What Mrs. Cyborg did to Shayna Baszler last night was very impressive. Baszler is more known for her grappling than her standup but she was never able to get Cris to the ground and keep it there. And while they were standing, Cyborg dominated with the relentless Chute Boxe style that we’ve seen time and time again from fighters like Wanderlei Silva, Maurico Rua, and her husband, Cyborg Santos. Baszler is, by far, one of the best women fighters in the land but she was unable to do much against the overwhelming style of Cris Cyborg, especially when Cyborg stuffed most of her takedown attempts. I know Kelly Kobold is being talked about as Carano’s next opponent, but after last night’s showing, it’s evident that a fight with Cris Cyborg would not only be exciting, but would be another great test for EliteXC’s golden girl.

Overall, I enjoyed the show quite a bit and have to give it a B+ rating. I thought getting rid of the dancing girls was a huge plus, the pacing of the show was much better than last time, and the fights were exciting and fast paced. A solid effort from CBS and EliteXC, but the real question will be how much of America actually watched it.

Heavyweight contenders Brandon Vera and Fabricio Werdum are slated to square off at UFC 85 on Saturday, June 7 at the O2 Arena in London, The Fight Network has learned. No agreements have been signed, but the bout has been presented to both men, according to a source within one of their camps.

So much for Werdum getting that title shot that Dana White was talking about. I really like this matchmaking though, as both guys are good muay thai and BJJ practitioners so it should be fairly interesting. For Vera it’s a chance to redeem himself after his poor showing against Tim Sylvia at UFC 77.

The real question is who fights Nogueira for the interim title now? Is the UFC really still holding out hope that Randy Couture is going to come back and fight Nogueira? Let’s hope not. You have to think that if Cheick Kongo wins against Heath Herring at UFC 82 then he may very well be the next person in line for the title. Boy, does the UFC need heavyweight talent or what? Yikes. Kongo vs. Nogeuira for the title is not a very appetizing thought.

With his come-from-behind victory over Gabriel Gonzaga at Saturday’s UFC 80 event, Fabricio Werdum — who owns a mere 1-1 record in the UFC — has been granted a heavyweight title shot. He’ll take on the winner of an interim title fight between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Tim Sylvia that headlines next month’s UFC 81 event.

UFC’s Dana White confirmed Werdum’s upcoming shot at the belt during UFC 80, according to our partners at Yahoo! Sports.

Really? Already? It’s likely that the UFC is giving Fabricio Werdum a title shot because there’s no one else to really give a title shot to. One would think that the logical choice would be the winner of the Herring/Kongo fight at UFC 82, but that fight isn’t until March. The heavyweight title will be decided in February and Werdum will be available to fight before either Herring or Kongo. It’s hard to believe that the winner of that fight wouldn’t be the number one contender and would likely get a shot at the winner of Sylvia/Nogueira vs. Werdum.