England took a clean sweep. Photo courtesy of M-1.
M-1 on Sunday wrapped up day two of its MMA weekend double header, which saw 30 fights unfold over the course of two days in Hilversum, Holland.
Team England led the charge with a 5-0 sweep over Team Spain, which clinched a berth into the M-1 team semifinals.
Now with the regular season complete, three teams join England in the final four as Russia Legion, USA West and USA East will vie for the M-1 team championship, which will be held on Sept. 26 in Russia.
M-1 Final Four Matchups:
Russia Legion vs. Team England
Team USA West vs. Team USA East
Sunday, August 16 2:52 am PT: SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Fabricio Werdum and Brett Rogers have emerged as the frontrunners to face Fedor Emelianenko at a Strikeforce event sometime in November.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said both fighters were under consideration to meet the world’s No. 1 heavyweight, during the post-fight press conference for the promotion’s “Carano vs. Cyborg” event, which drew 13,524 spectators and an estimated gate of $750,000.
The bout, which would mark the first of three fights the Russian has signed on for and his debut foray into a cage, still awaits a date and venue, said Coker. However, Coker did say the event would not be held in the promotion’s homebase of San Jose.
Sunday, August 16 2:30 am PT: Randy Couture has been there before. The iconic pugilist has seen his share of titles slip away.
The former UFC champ had a chance to talk to Gina Carano -- a woman who has spoken of him as a mentor -- after her tough TKO loss to Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos in the first major female title match to be contested in North America.
“She’s doing fine,” said Couture, who visited with Carano in her locker room after the fight. “I think her pride is a little more damaged than anything else. It’s a first loss for her so, you know, there’s some adversity there.”
Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos celebrates her victory. Photo by Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com.
It could be argued that Strikeforce’s most valuable asset isn’t Fedor Emelianenko, hyper-competent CEO Scott Coker, or the tremendous access allowed by CBS/Showtime; it’s their lockdown on female mixed competition, which has outdistanced early catcalls, derision, and fan immaturity to become one of the most entertaining and dynamic divisions in the sport.
For the holdouts, Saturday’s “Strikeforce: Carano vs. ‘Cyborg’” put the defense on permanent rest. 145 lb. contenders Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos spent some of the most torturous five minutes in recent memory slugging, shooting, and swelling; it was Santos who wanted it more, muscling Carano in the clinch, landing the bigger power shots, and finally beating a grounded Carano like it was personal with only one second left in the round. (An MIA Carano unable to be interviewed due to medical intervention backstage should suffocate any idea that it was a premature stoppage.)
