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Welterweight Wonderland Part 1:
New faces look to strengthen a fast-developing STRIKEFORCE
welterweight division By James Hirth
Similar to the heavyweight division’s
recent influx of talent, the new arrivals at 170 pounds look to make
the STRIKEFORCE welterweight class one of the promotion’s deepest
divisions.
TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN
 Nick
Diaz (22-7, 1 NC, 3-0 in STRIKEFORCE)
Winner of 8 of his last 10 (1 loss, 1 NC) and all but 1 of those 8
wins via TKO or submission, the STRIKEFORCE Welterweight Champion
has staked his claim in the 170 pound division. He now seeks revenge
for his only loss in the last 4 years.
Karl James Noons, the man he’ll face next month at STRIKEFORCE: Diaz
vs. Noons II, was just the second man to ever stop Diaz. Jeremy “The
Scorpion” Jackson was the first, dropping Diaz with strikes back in
2002. Nick would take revenge not once but twice in back-to-back
stoppages (1 by TKO, 1 by armbar) in 2003 as the duo met 3 times in
just a year’s time.
In his 9-year pro MMA career Diaz has dealt out a lot of punishment
including stoppages of Gleison Tibau, Drew Fickett and former Elite
XC Middleweight Champion Robbie Lawler. With beat downs of MMA
legend Frank Shamrock and DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix Champion
Marius Zaromskis as well as submission wins over Scott Smith and
Hayato Sakurai (outside the promotion), Diaz continues to collect
solid victories and hold court in the STRIKEFORCE welterweight
division.
NEW BLOOD
Paul Daley (25-9-2, 0-0 in STRIKEFORCE)
The brash Brit finally lands where most MMA pundits thought he
would. With back-to-back wins since his release from the UFC, Daley
lands in STRIKEFORCE lost nary a step in the rankings and he’ll be
on the next flight to a title shot.
Having seven years experience in the cage, having fought from
Australia to Japan and from the UK to the US, there’s no flinch in “Semtex”.
His impressive list of victims includes Duane Ludwig, Xavier
Foupa-Pakam, recent STRIKEFORCE acquisition Jorge Masvidal and
former STRIKEFORCE Middleweight Champion Jake Shields.
Regularly ranked in the welterweight top-ten, Daley has been clear
on his intentions to face only the best the sport has to offer.
He’ll have to wait to see who wins the rematch at STRIKEFORCE: Diaz
vs. Noons II but all signs point to him getting whoever walks out of
the cage with the gold.
CH-CH-CHANGES
Evangelista Santos (18-13, 1-1 in STRIKEFORCE)
The other “Cyborg” Santos has a new lease on his fighting life,
reborn in the STRIKEFORCE welterweight division. After years of
fighting Vale Tudo and taking on Chute Boxe legends Jose “Pele”
Landi-jons and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Santos expanded his fighting
territory to include Japan and the UK in addition to taking fights
in Brazil.
Prior to his stint in STRIKEFORCE, Santos is best remembered for his
two-round war with STRIKEFORCE veteran Melvin Manhoef in England’s
Cage Rage. Having dropped from light heavyweight (205 pounds) to
middleweight (185 pounds) and again from middleweight to
welterweight (170 pounds), Santos appears more comfortable and
faster in a weight class he has not fought in for more than 10
years. Riding a two-fight win streak after losing a close decision
to Joey Villasenor, Santos stopped DREAM superstar Marius Zaromskis
with strikes in the opening round of their fight last June at
STRIKEFORCE: Los Angeles.
There is also talk that Santos has been pegged to face Paul Daley in
the Brit’s STRIKEFORCE debut later this year.
Welterweight Wonderland Part 2 will feature more top 170-pound
talent including KJ Noons and Andre Galvao as well as delving into
the second-tier fighters who hope to fight their way to the top of
the division. |
