Strikeforce Miami Roundup

Lashley Makes Quick Work Of Wes Sims

Lashley took Wes Sims to the ground in the opening seconds of the fight then grinding him like a giant Columbian coffee bean until the ref was forced to end the fight out of sheer boredom. Wes didn’t mount any kind of offense, and didn’t even attempt to defend against Lashley allowing the rising star to improve to 5-0 SU in his young MMA career.

I’m not going to waste any more time talking about Wes Sims, a proverbial waste of time. Instead Bobby Lashley is starting to generate hype amongst the MMA betting community, but not in a good way. Against an unathletic and uninspired Sims, Lashley should have used this fight as a proving ground for his standup game, however limited it may be. Lashley didn’t even entertain the idea and time is literally running out for the 33-year old to prove himself in the ring as a good, all round fighter.

Fight fans grow tired of wrestling, especially at the heavyweight level and eventually they want to see someone of Lashley’s stature break an orbital bone like Brock Lesnar did against Heath Herring. Lashley’s either too scared or too uncomfortable with his standup to show it off, and that’ll prevent Dana White from even noticing him.

Sadly, the ranks of Strikeforce aren’t that deep and the only heavyweight worth noting as Lashley’s next opponent is probably Brett Rogers who last fought Fedor Emelianenko in November 2009. I’m sure there are some other, inexperienced heavyweights that could bolster Lashley’s win-loss record but at his age he doesn’t have time to waste. Either this is a career or its not, so I expect Lashley to play it smart and go right after the big guns.

Right now, Lashley is one of Strikeforce’s biggest draws as he calls on his fame from his days as a WWE Heavyweight Champion. A strong showing against Rodgers will punch a ticket straight to Fedor Emelianenko hell for Lashley, but that’s the only way we’ll see what Lashley is capable of while he’s in Strikeforce.

Nate Diaz Seizes Vacant Welterweight Title

In the main event of Strikeforce: Miami, Nate Diaz posted a first-round knockout over Marius Zaromskis to capture Strikeforce’s first welterweight title. The 26 year old veteran is now 21-7-1 SU after his TKO defeat of Zarmoskis and will now defend the belt against a heated rival in Jay Hieron who bested Joe Riggs by unanimous decision at Saturday night’s event. Of course until that match is inked on paper, there are other challengers that could try to strip Diaz of his championship. Strikeforce has to keep putting up big fights to gain popularity, so expect Diaz and Hieron to knuckle up as soon as the paper work is ready.

Hershel Walker Wins MMA Debut

At 47 years old, Walker looked like Apollo Creed sans mustache. Ripped, ready and revitalized by a new career, Walker obliterated Greg Nagy as a heavy favorite in the BetUS sportsbook. Walker used a wide range of takedowns, striking, wrestling and a domineering ground and pound through three rounds to bloody his competition and prove to everyone that he still has some killer instinct left in his veins.