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Bad boy: Paul 'Sextex' Daley is back in the spotlight. Pa
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Un-caged: another merger means more good news for MMA fans

Fight fans may be treated to inter-organisation title fights because of the latest deal.

THE RECENT NEWS that UFC’s parent company Zuffa had acquired one-time rival organisation Strikeforce has been met with strong approval from those in the MMA fraternity.

Fight fans are now faced with the mouth-watering prospect of witnessing inter-organisational “Super-Fights” with a bout between heavyweight champions Alistair Overeem and Cain Velasquez already touted.

The merger will give some lesser-known fighters the opportunity to perform on a mainstream stage and the first big event since the takeover was completed occurs this weekend with a title fight double-header taking place in San Diego on Saturday.

The battle of the bad boys

UFC fans will be familiar with the two fighters contesting the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship belt, Paul “Semtex” Daley and Nick Diaz. The last we seen of Daley in the UFC was this:

He was promptly sacked by Dana White in a press conference after that fight but has gone on to win four fights in a row and now has a shot at another former UFC trouble-maker Nick Diaz. Diaz was often outspoken in the UFC having very public spats with opponents such as Diego Sanchez and Joe Riggs, and had one of his Pride victories over-turned after he tested positive for marijuana.

After being briefly reinstated in the organisation Diaz went on to win two more fights before deciding to ply his trade on pastures new and proved that there is life after the UFC having won nine fights on the trot on his way to the welterweight belt.

This matchup has the potential to live up to all the “Fight of the Year” hype as both are explosive and vicious strikers. Despite being only 27 Diaz has the edge in experience and if he can avoid Daley’s heavy right hand, he could definitely finish the fight if he gets him to the ground. Alternatively he could look to test Daley’s stamina by taking the fight into the championship rounds.

In the other title fight of the evening Gilbert Melendez takes on Japanese superstar Tatsuya Kawajiri for the Strikeforce Lightweight Championship 5 years after the pair first faced off. Melendez will look to outwrestle Kawajiri just like he done first time out although another war could be on the cards as the title is on the line and both are cardio machines.

One fighter looking to profit from Strikeforce’s move into the mainstream is Gegard Mousasi. Generally regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, Mousasi is a name that is familiar within MMA circles, but lesser known to UFC fans.

The “Armenian Assassin” dispatched the likes of Denis Kang, Reanto Sobral and Sokoudjou on a ruthless 15 fight winning streak that saw him hold the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship until Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal eventually got the better of him in April last year.

He has added two first-round submission victories in Japan’s DREAM promotion to his record and returns to Strikeforce to face UFC veteran Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine. Mousasi is all too aware that this is a major chance to break into the big time and although Jardine has taken the fight at short notice, Mousasi isn’t counting his chickens.

Here are some of Mousasi’s best bits.

British and Irish fans of The Ultimate Fighter reality show got some welcome news this week as it was announced the show was to air on ESPN. The first episode premiered on Thursday night immediately followed by the second which means we are as up to date as our counterparts across the water.

Following on from last week’s story about Thiago Silva’s use of performance enhancing drugs, it has been announced that he was fined $33,750 and his license has been suspended retroactively from January 2011. Hopefully this will force any other fighters thinking of tainting the sport to think twice.

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