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LAS VEGAS -- MMA Fighting caught up with Ryan Bader to talk about his UFC 126 fight against Jon Jones, why so many people are betting against him going into this fight, the Jones buzz going into Saturday night and much more.Willie Shoemaker Elgin Baylor Billie Jean King Walter Johnson Stan Musial
Strikeforce flew through their event in San Jose on Saturday. In fact, none of the professional bouts on the card required the use of judges. They all ended in submission or knockout. Who stood out?
No. 1 star -- Nick Diaz: While Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos was tenderizing Diaz's legs with whipping kicks, Diaz somehow fought both aggressively and patiently. He battered Cyborg with bunches of strikes in a back-and-forth first round, and then waited until Cyborg got tired and made a mistake in the second round. Cyborg's takedown was his undoing, allowing Diaz to show off the BJJ skills he attained in earning a black belt from Cesar Gracie.
No. 2 star -- Ronald "Jacare" Souza: Speaking of amazing grapplers, Jacare withstood an early onslaught of strikes from Robbie Lawler to come back and lock up a textbook rear naked choke on Lawler. He is undefeated since his first fight with Strikeforce in late in 2009.
No. 3 star -- Germaine de Randamie: In her third MMA bout, de Randamie showed off the Muay Thai expertise that earned her a 48-0 record in that discipline. Watch here to see her outlast Stephanie Webber's grappling, then knock her out with a knee. She still has much to learn about MMA, but it will be fun to watch her grow into a mixed martial artist.
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Trevor Prangley is not a young man, so at this point in his fight career he's looking for challenges. It doesn't matter if it comes at light heavyweight or his more natural weight class, middleweight. That's why he didn't hesitate in taking a fight against former heavyweight Roger Gracie at 205. Prangley, 38, will meet Gracie on Saturday at Strikeforce in San Jose (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET/PT).
The South African downplayed a huge edge in MMA. He has 30 pro MMA fights to Gracie's three. Prangley told Strikeforce.com:
"I think it will play a little bit of a part. But the guy has been on the world stage in jiu-jitsu so many times that I don’t think it will be as big of an advantage as people might think. He’s competed at a high level in jiu-jitsu and submission wrestling all over the world, and it’s the same concept, really. But Roger’s never really been hit, and I’m going to put it on him."
Prangley isn't the most technical boxer, but he's a hard puncher. His striking wore down Keith Jardine at Shark Fights 13.
Prangley, a former Division I wrestler, knows he probably needs to keep the fight standing. His submission defense is solid, but Gracie, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, is off the charts. Prangley:
"A guy like him is so good, that I can train basic stuff, but if he gets me in a bad position, its going to be a matter of fighting hard and never stopping my movement. There are no secrets that I’m going to pick up in the last few weeks before that fight that’s going to help me avoid getting submitted I just intend to not give him the opportunity to get a submission. That’s what I’m focusing on. Not the submission defense itself, but stopping him from getting into position to get an opportunity to submit me."
Prangley is banking on the fact that he's catching Gracie early in his career before he turns into a complete fighter. He also knows time is short and without a win here, future fights with the big promotions are going to be harder to come by.
"I’m going to win this fight, and I have to win it because it’s a 'do or die' situation for me. Roger’s really early in his career, so a loss for him won’t be that devastating, but for me it’s devastating. And so I’m not going to allow it to happen. So the fans can expect a win from me."
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