After being able to say they’ve never had an event cancelled, ZUFFA has now had two in the span of a single month. Late tonight Strikeforce released a statement that Saturday’s Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Healy in Sacramento, California had been cancelled due to an injury suffered to lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez.
Coming off a crazy paced, jam-packed few months of MMA action; things have slowed down heading into September. The unfortunate cancellation of UFC 151 has put six weeks between UFC events and with Bellator’s new season not beginning until the end of the month, things seem too quiet.
The latest MMA rankings are suffering from the cancellation of UFC 151 and show very little change from last month. In fact there is only one change among the top five MMA rankings this month and that goes to UFC lightweight Frankie Edgar, who lost his rematch to the champion Ben Henderson at UFC 150.
While laying down money well into the future isn’t always smart, sometimes you can put your finger on the MMA pulse by checking title fight odds as they appear. With a quick sports book review, we can see how fast the line moves upon opening, and how different promos and gossip affect the price of the bet, with an eye towards the best value on either side of that line. Below are our major title bouts coming up in the near future, the current line, and my own comparison betting odds to let you know if and when those lines move into striking distance.
Tonight’s Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy event will be the third major event in the span of a single week. With the UFC playing host for the first two events, Strikeforce gets their turn in the spotlight from inside the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon.
Saturday’s Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy closes out what has already been a great week of Mixed Martial Arts. It all started with the UFC Fan Expo and UFC 148 in Las Vegas last weekend, moved to San Jose, California for Wednesday’s UFC on FUEL TV 4 and concludes in Portland, Oregon tomorrow.
On the heels of a great night of fights earlier this month in San Jose, Strikeforce returns to action July 14th in Portland, Oregon. Joining them at the Rose Garden Arena will be two title fights and two intriguing bouts on the main card as well as a local favorite headlining the preliminary card.
The biggest name left on the Strikeforce roster, Gilbert Melendez will defend his lightweight championship on May 19th but who will stand across from him is anyone’s guess. The event is supposed to take place HP Pavilion in San Jose, California and will also feature the Heavyweight Grand Prix Finale between Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier.
