Monday Morning Head Kicks: February 7th to 13th

Banner image provided by Anton Tabuena

Monday Morning Head Kicks back around, welcoming you to another work week.

MMA had the big stories here this week, with the start of Strikeforce's Heavyweight Grand Prix offering a few surprises. It looks like the career of the greatest heavyweight we have seen in MMA may be over, as well as that of his most unfortunate Belarusian contemporary. A major light-heavyweight prospect took a hit on Saturday night as well. There were mixed results for fighters with top level striking backgrounds, as Ray Sefo tumbled and Shane del Rosario took a step in the right direction. Elsewhere in MMA, we learned a bit about what Pancrase has in store for the second edition of their 2011 Impressive Tour.

February is shaping up to be a relatively quiet month for kickboxing, as we've had just a little bit of action around Europe and in Japan that is worth noting. Henri van Opstal will be making a career out of fighting the Grigorians in 2011, and he began with Harut on Saturday in the Netherlands. Meanwhile, former It's Showtime 77kg. champion Dmitry Shakuta was in action in Russia. News surrounding it has been somewhat quiet, but there also a Krush-EX event hosted in Japan on Saturday. The event featured a number of former K-1 Koshien fighters in addition to Krush veterans.

Muay Thai had a pretty good week though, with two major tournaments in Thailand underway. The field of competitors in the Thai Fight 2011 qualifier has been shaken up, and one of the favorites is now out because of contractual issues. The Fuktien Group Tournament started, and it should provide fight fans with a valuable chance to watch some of the finest domestic talent in Thailand in the next few months. France saw some bouts over the weekend, as Buakaw met Thai Fight 2010 runner-up Youssef Boughanem. American Muay Thai hosted its biggest card of the year to date, with appearances from Kevin Ross, Michael Mananquil and Malaipet, among others.

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva: The opening to the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix was interesting to say the least. We saw a highly touted prospect fighting above his actual weight class get dropped as Chad Griggs took out Gian Villante. We found out that I was entirely wrong about Ray Sefo and his ground game is actually worse than the "nightmarish, awfully bad" that I believed folks were figuring it for. Shane Del Rosario is serviceable on the ground though. We also learned that Gina Carano will be back, although not much else was said there.

Plus Andrei Arlovski got knocked out again. I'll be brief: the biggest problem is the positioning. We saw him up against the cage again, getting caught. It's bad that he doesn't seem to be taking shots well, but first off those are shots from rather powerful fighters and secondly he just shouldn't be letting himself get hit like that in the first place. Then again, Arlovski opened his career with a knockout loss and the trend has been there throughout. Whether he retires or not, this is a truly sad case. We all know where Arlovski's talents lie, and in those specific areas he has been one of the finest fighters MMA can offer. Unfortunately, his liabilities are ever-present and are of the sort that they can cost him a bout at a moment's notice.

You know what's next - the Fedor loss. You can read my thoughts about that whole situation here.

Battle in the Desert Results: Being as the event happened outside Las Vegas, perhaps we should call this a push for American Muay Thai? Michael Mananquil was able to defeat Thai transplant Malaipet in the main event, securing some championship gold along the way. That's a nice accomplishment, even if it sounds like Malaipet wasn't training at all until very shortly before the bout.

Oh, and Kevin Ross lost. MuayThaiAuthority had him billed as the top North American fighter for 2010, so that's kind of rough. Granted, his bout with Sittisak was evidently a great battle. I'm hoping we'll get some video soon.

Coke Chunhawat, Remy Bonnel, and Chaz Mulkey also won on the night. You can check out round-by-round coverage from the gentlemen over at Muay Thai Authority.

Giorgio Petrosyan vs. Sudsakorn Sor. Klinmee Fight Video: Yeah, it happened two weeks ago and you already know what happened, but it's on the most accessible place on the internet now - go enjoy it if you missed it. Video here.

Thai Fight 2011: Thailand Qualifier Update: It turns out that the fighters involved in the tournament were not supposed to take outside bouts, which Sudsakorn of course did when he faced Giorgio Petrosyan at Thai Boxe Mania 2011. Thepsuthin also took a bout that weekend in Germany. Now they're both out.

The third round of the group stage began Saturday with Prakaisaeng meeting Thanongdet in Group B. Taking a decision victory, Prakaisaeng secured second place in Group B, behind Denchonlek. Fight video is here.

Speaking of Denchonlek, the young upstart will face the veteran Diesellek, who has been brought in as one of two replacements for the fighters removed from the tournament. Diesellek has fought a number of top opponents, and lost a bout against Kem for the WMC 154lb. title back in 2009.

Antuan Siangboxing will be the other replacement for the third round, as his bout against Nopparat which we mentioned last week will be a part of this tournament. The bouts featuring Diesellek and Antuan will not effect the standings, as both Denchonlek and Nopparat have been awarded the points for their final bouts already. Meanwhile, Kem and Kongjak will continue as scheduled, facing off in Group A.

Of course nothing has been determined yet, but the further this whole thing progresses, the more inclined I am to think that we might be getting a real interesting final bout between Kem and Denchonlek.

Obligatory JMMA Rumor of the Week: Nightmare of Battle takes a look at the rumor going around that we may be seeing a new upstart promotion in Japan some time in the next few months.

So, is Strikeforce Going to Japan?: Mike Chiapetta from MMAFighting took a look at where things were early in the week. I believe it was Mauro Ranallo who dropped the fact that we might see the tournament head to Japan a couple times last night. Personally? I'll respond with a cautious yes.

Pancrase Impresive Tour 2 Bouts: We reported earlier in the week that Pancrase announced the bouts for Impressive Tour 2. Hitomi Akano will be featured, there are some other bouts that could be intriguing for fans of Japanese MMA. Have a look.

La Nuit des Titans: Youssef Boughanem has had chronic trouble with his right shoulder throughout his career. In the first round of his bout with Buakaw, the shoulder gave out again - and that's how the main event finished. If for some reason you actually want to be let down, watch it here. I have heard that Karim Ghajji did walk away from the night's four-man tournament victorious, however.

Fuktien Group Tournament Underway: More potentially awesome Muay Thai via Isuzu and Omnoi Stadium, as the Fuktien Group Tournament saw its first bout on Saturday, a week later than originally scheduled. The 144lb. tournament is to feature the following fighters: Samranchai 96 Peenang, Ikuysang KT Gym, Tuantong Pumpanmuang, Saksurint Kafaesai. Buckjoe Kiatchuthai, Sittichai Sitsongpeenong, Petchsanguan Sitniwat, and Longern Tungsongthaksin.

Saksurint defeated Buckjoe by decision in the opening bout. Fight video is here.

Harut Grigorian Beats Henri van Opstal: Grigorian evidently completely outclassed van Opstal at War of the Ring. I'm yet to come across video, but I'll be sure to share if/when I do.

WMC I-1 66kg. Tournament: It seems there may be another I-1 tournament being hosted in Hong Kong in late April, contested at 66kg. Reports indicated that the tournament will feature the aforementioned American standout Kevin Ross, the I-1 2010 68kg. Grand Slam winner Antuan Siangboxing, I-1 2010 runner-up Ratchakolm Chalermchon, Kurt Finalyson - who topped Ledo Amendoim in Hong Kong back in 2008, top British fighter Tim Thomas, Peru's Frank Vilchez, Danish Rhassan Muhareb, and Slovakian Peter Baran.

Nathan Corbett to Fight in Australia: Corbett will be fighting in his homeland at the WKN Domination 6 event on April 16th. No word on who his opponent will be as of yet, but it's always good to hear some news on one of the top heavyweights in the world. Corbett had a solid 2010, with wins over the likes of Thor Hoopman, Pavel Zhuravlev, and Chakuriki fighter Frank Munoz. Check out Corbett's bout against Munoz here.

Remy Bonjasky Cannot Skate: Okay, so Remy's career is probably over. It's sad, but we may as well face it. Maybe we'll get a farewell fight, at the least? Either way, he evidently sucks at skating/dancing/whatever, because he was quickly eliminated from that Dancing Stars on Ice show he was doing.

MMA Results

Strikeforce: Emelianenko vs. Silva - Saturday, February 12th, in East Rutherford, New Jersey

• Antonio Silva TKO-2 Fedor Emelianenko: Doctor stoppage in between the second and third rounds
• Sergei Kharitonov KO-1 Andrei Arlovski
• Shane del Rosario SUB-1 Lavar Johnson
• Chad Griggs TKO-1 Gian Villante
• Valentijn Overeem SUB-1 Ray Sefo
  
• Other results: John Cholish SUB-2 Marc Stevens, Igor Gracie SUB-2 John Salgado, Sam Oropeza SUB-1 Don Carlos-Clauss, Josh LaBerge TKO-1 Anthony Leone, Jason McLean SD Kevin Roddy
  

Kickboxing Results

War of the Ring - Saturday, February 12th, in Amsterdam, Netherlands

• Harut Grigorian DEC Henri van Opstal

Tatneft Arena European Cup 2011 1/8 Final - Saturday, February 12th, in Kazan, Russia

• Dmitry Shakuta TKO-1 Arem Mirovcen: Bout ended via shoulder injury
• Alexander Olejnik DEC Errol Konig: Olejnik advances to 80kg. semifinals along with Shakuta
• Other results: 70kg. - Yurij Bessmertiv DEC Anthony Kane, Amin Choykoyt DEC Arsen Unaschkotov, +80kg. - Lubos Rauser KO-4 Yurij Dubko, Dmitry Bezus TKO Umberto Evora (bout ended by leg injury)

Krush-EX 2011 - Saturday, February 12th, in Tokyo, Japan

• TaCa KO-3 Hideaki Yamasaki
• Kota Kubo KO-3 Keizo Fujiwara
• Go Kato DEC Yuichiro Ito

Muay Thai Results

La Nuit des Titans 6 - Saturday, February 12th, in Tours, France

• Buakaw Por. Pramuk TKO-1 Youssef Boughanem: Bout ended via shoulder injury
• Other results: Karim Ghajji wins 72kg. four-man tournament, Damien Alamos DEC Yodsiam Por. Pramuk
  

Isuzu Thai Fight 2011: 67kg. Thailand Qualifier & Fuktien Group Tournament - Saturday, February 12th, in Bangkok, Thailand

• Prakaisaeng Sit Or. DEC Thanongdet Chengsimiewgym: Prakaisaeng secures second place in Group B of Thai Fight qualifier
• Saksurint Kafaesai DEC Buckjoe Kiatchuthai: Opening bout of the 144lb. Fuktien Group tournament