What we already know is that Robbie Lawler’s original opponent Benji Radach pulled out, and then later his replacement, Trevor Prangley, did likewise.

Now Strikeforce CEO has told ESPN Radio the full extent of their troubles in finding a suitable opponent for the fighter.

Some of the other names he lists as having been approached at late notice to fight included recently released UFC fighter Denis Kang, and Senguku Middleweight champion Jorge Santiago. Either would have been a good replacement, but Kang didn’t feel he could be ready until January, and Santiago was still serving the tail-end of a medical suspension, leaving him unavailable.

Coker also states that it is unlikely that Lawler will fight on the January 30th Strikeforce: Miami card instead due to his wife being due to give birth around that time.

Watch the full interview below:

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On Saturday night Strikeforce Evolution pulled in 341,000 viewers on the premium cable station Showtime, while at the same time over on Versus WEC 45 claimed a very similar 330,000 viewers.

Perhaps it was inevitable since the two shows aired simultaneously, forcing viewers who had access to both events to choose one or the other. If the shows had aired one night after the other the ratings for both may have showed a marked improvement.

To better understand the numbers, here are the ratings from the past five events for each promotion:

Strikeforce On Showtime:

Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz 365,000 viewers
Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields 275,00 viewers
Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg 576,000
Strikeforce: Evolution 341,000 viewers

WEC on Versus:

WEC 41: Brown Vs Faber 2: 1,300,000
WEC 42: Torres Vs Bowles: 670,000
WEC 43: Cerrone Vs Henderson: 419,000
WEC 44: Brown Vs Aldo: 411,000
WEC 45: Cerrone Vs Ratcliff: 330,000

There is a significant drop in ratings for the most recent WEC card, though considering the main event was not a title fight, and Ratcliff is not yet an established star, it was perhaps to be expected that ratings would suffer.

For Strikeforce the ratings are roughly within their generally expected range. At the same time it must be a disappointment that after having their biggest event ever (Fedor Vs Rogers), which was widely publicized and watched by some 4 million viewers on CBS in November, that there was no pick up in the Showtime ratings for their next event.

The past data also highlights the importance of star power for the promotions. For Strikeforce Gina Carano is a major draw, and they will be keeping their fingers crossed that she will return to fight in 2010.

For the WEC Urijah Faber also has that rare ability to draw a crowd, and a potential showdown between current champion / rising star Jose Aldo and him could be big business for the company next year.

Finding and developing more stars like these will undoubtedly be a major priority for both promotions in the next decade.

With both events now over, let’s take a look at the answers.

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Strikeforce: Evolution

1. How rusty will Cung Le be after almost two years out starring in movies?

As we had predicted before the fight, there’s no doubt that Le started to tire in the final round.  That’s always a worry when your facing someone like Scott Smith who remains a threat until the bitter end.

In the end though I feel it was Le’s strategy in the final round that let him down more than anything else.  Instead of keeping Smith at range with his kicks, he began to indulge in some close range toe-to-toe exchanges where he was always at risk of coming off second best.

Up until that point though I felt that Le had put in a good performance.  Though he certainly has a number of weaknesses, there’s no doubt that he’s an entertaining fighter.

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2. Has Gilbert Melendez improved enough in the past year to reverse the outcome of his first first bout with Josh Thomson?

Based on his recent performances I believed he had, which was why I chose him in my pre-fight predictions on this site.  It was still impressive to see the contrast between his performance in the previous fight and this one though, particularly with regards to his striking.

Though his skills have improved, I believe a change in strategy – being patient and waiting for Thomson to come after him, rather than pressing forward and falling victim to the counter-strike – had a significant part to play in his victory.

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3. Does a 39 year old Matt Lindland still have what it takes to compete at the highest level?

I certainly don’t expect to see him in a title fight any time soon, but that doesn’t mean his career is necessarily over.  If you look at the competition he’s faced recently – his last three losses have come to Fedor, Vitor Belfort and Jacare.

I think his days of getting matched-up with top of the food chain fighters like those are likely to be over, but there’s room for him in the Strikeforce 185lb roster going into 2010.  He desperately needs a solid win in his next fight though.

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4. How much of an impact will the 40lbs weight difference between King Mo and Mike Whitehead have on the fight?

None whatsoever.  Perhaps if the fight had dragged on into the later rounds we might have seen Whitehead fatigue, but it never went that far.

218lbs is very light for a heavyweight though, and though he has proved that he can be a threat in either weight class, I hope that he retreats back down to light heavyweight, for the time being at least.

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WEC 45

1. How long will Donald Cerrone stand with Ed Ratcliff before he takes this fight to the floor?

He certainly took a while to do so, choosing to remain standing even after having had two points deducted, and being at risk of losing a judges decision.  Taking risks is part of his make-up though, and it’s one of the reasons he often takes home a ‘Fight Of The Night’ bonus.

Though he left it late into the third round, he did of course get the fight to the floor eventually, and as expected managed to win by submission.  The result leaves him in a good position to challenge for the lightweight title in 2010.

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2. Can Chris Horodecki start on another winning run like the one that made him a star in the IFL?

His winning streak in the IFL seemed like a distant memory in this fight.  He struggled to overcome the reach disadvantage in the early exchanges, and then fell victim to a highlight reel head-kick as he inexplicably turned his back on his opponent.

The 22 year old learned a basic lesson the hard way, and now will have to raise his game if he wants to make an impact in the WEC.

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3. Can Rani Yahya get this fight to the ground and claim his 4th submission of the night award in a row?

Well he certainly got the fight to the ground.  The unfortunate thing was it started due to him getting rocked, and ended with him being beaten on from inside his guard.  The fight was over before he had a chance to regain his senses.

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4. Can Takeya Mizugaki claim a convincing win that would earn him a title shot?

After losing by decision, leaving his WEC record at 1-2, it may be a while before Mizugaki will now be able to make a convincing claim for a title shot.

It’s not all bad news though.  He still fought well a times, and showed great heart to keep in the fight after a tough first round, and come on strong in the third.  For putting on another exciting fight he and Scott Jorgensen were awarded an extra ‘Fight Of The Night’ bonus.

In the main event of the evening Cung Le showed some of the flashy, eye-catching kicks that are usually only seen in the kind of movies that he has spent much of the last two years starring in.

For two and a half rounds everything was going to plan as he knocked his opponent to the ground several times, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned from Scott Smith’s past fights, it’s that he’s only ever one punch away from reversing his fortunes.

Le threw caution to the wind by looking to exchange leather with the heavy handed striker at close range, and paid the price when Smith faked a right hook and then slammed home a left, spelling the beginning of the end for his opponent.

Le was gracious in defeat but the result is undoubtedly a major disappointment, and it will be interesting to see how his first loss affects both his fighting career and his future as an actor.

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The real jewel of the evening’s fights, including the WEC 45 card which aired at the same time, however was the bout that on paper had promised to be the weekends best – the rematch between Josh Thomson and Gilbert Melendez.

As we had predicted in the pre-fight preview, Melendez had learned from his mistakes in the first fight, and looked much improved this time around.  Instead of chasing down his opponent and falling victim to Thomson’s counter-striking, on this occasion he did the opposite, and it proved to be a winning strategy.

Hats off to Josh Thomson, who has been out for some considerable time due to injury, but didn’t show any signs of tiring or ring rust in this five round thriller that becomes a late contender for fight of the year.

The fight was punctuated on numerous occasions by both fighters slugging it out, blow for blow. Though both men landed, it was Melendez who was causing the most damage, and twice in the bout he felled his opponent, who showed his toughness by fighting on regardless.

Melendez went on to claim a unanimous decision and the lightweight title.  The good news is that with the fighters now 1-1, it’s inevitable that we’ll be enjoying a third showdown between the two in the future.

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Jacare marked his debut in Strikeforce with a dominant win over Matt Lindland.  His class showed throughout the four minutes and 18 seconds it took him to claim victory as he forced Lindland to defend numerous submission attempts, before finally catching him in a arm triangle choke that forced him to tap out.

The calm and clinical performance confirms Jacare as a major force in the middleweight division, and the prospect of him fighting either Jake Shields or Dan Henderson is certainly an exciting prospect.

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Also making a big impression in his first appearance in Strikeforce was Muhammed Lowal.  With the same confident swagger that marked his entrance to the cage, ‘King Mo’  toyed with Mike Whitehead in the early standing exchanges with his hands held low.

Suddenly erupting with a one-two combination, Lowal managed to drop his significantly heavier opponent.  Continuing to demonstrate the power in his hands Lowal then let fly with a series of punches from the top which succeeded in KO’ing Whitehead.

After making short work of a veteran opponent who had won 15 of his past 16 bouts, Lowal has lived up to the hype, and Strikeforce may well have a genuine star on their hands.  The question now is how long it will now be before he is put in against the best the promotion has to offer.

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Overall this was an excellent way for Strikeforce to round off a successful year.  While one of the fighters that helped to get them where they are today – Cung Le – was defeated for the first time, big wins for new stars like Jacare and King Mo have indicated that the future is looking bright for the promotion.

Scott Smith defeats Cung Le by KO in Rd 3

Gilbert Melendez defeats Josh Thomson by unanimous decision

Ronaldo Souza defeats Matt Lindland by submission (arm triangle choke) in Rd 1

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal defeats Mike Whitehead by KO in Rd1

Preliminary Card:

Antwain Britt defeats Scott Lighty by TKO (doctors Stoppage) in Rd1

Justin Wilcox defeats Daisuke Nakamura by unanimous decision

Alex Crispim defeats A.J. Fonseca by unanimous decision

*Bobby Stack vs. David “Tarzan” Douglas (Bout cancelled)

1.  How rusty will Cung Le be after almost two years out starring in movies?

Having heard Le describe the hectic schedule he’s kept in recent times as he tries to juggle the various movie he’s been involved with, it does rather lead to the question of what impact that will have on his fighting abilities.  Is he 100% ready both physicially and mentally for this bout?

2. Has Gilbert Melendez improved enough in the past year to reverse the outcome of his first first bout with Josh Thomson?

In their last encounter Josh Thomson seemed to have Melendez number, and claimed a convincing unanimous decision victory.  Melendez took the defeat personally and has looked an improved fighter in his recent performances,  but will it be enough?

3.  Does a 39 year old Matt Lindland still have what it takes to compete at the highest level?

When a fighter reaches his late 30’s there’s always going to be questions over how long he can continue to fight, and Matt Lindland is no exception – particularly after the brutal knockout he received in his last fight.

A win over a younger, talented fighter like Jacare would help get his career back on track, and help to silence some of the doubters.

4.  How much of an impact will the 40lbs weight difference between King Mo and Mike Whitehead have on the fight?

Originally scheduled as a light heavyweight fight, this one changed to heavyweight and Mike Whitehead took full advantage, weighing in at 261lbs.  King Mo on the other hand registered just 218lbs.

I suspect it will hinder rather than help Whitehead, particularly in the later rounds, but it’ll be interesting to see how Mo Lawal deals with the size difference.

WEC 45:

1.  How long will Donald Cerrone stand with Ed Ratcliff before he takes this fight to the floor?

Despite having a clear advantage if this fight goes to the ground, past performances would lead us to believe that Cerrone will more than likely keep this fight on the feet for at least a portion of the bout.

With Ed Ratcliff’s unorthodox, and often unexpected karate strikes always a danger, the longer Cerrone stands, the more chance there is of him being caught.

2.  Can Chris Horodecki start on another winning run like the one that made him a star in the IFL?

A string of seven consecutive wins in the IFL helped Chris Horodecki make a name for himself, but having spent much of the last year and a half on the sidelines he will have to put on one of the performances of his career against Anthony Njokuani to make his mark in the WEC.

3.  Can Rani Yahya get this fight to the ground and claim his 4th submission of the night award in a row?

With limited stand-up ability, Rani Yahya has to get this fight to the ground if he wants to win.  If he does he may well win his fourth sub win in a row in the WEC.  If he doesn’t it may be a long night for him, and an end to his three fight win streak.

4. Can Takeya Mizugaki claim a convincing win that would earn him a title shot?

Though Mizugaki is happy to entertain the idea of a rematch with Miguel Torres, who he took a decision in one of the fights of the year, he says he would rather get a title shot instead.

A convincing win over Scott Jorgensen would certainly help his case, but that is easier said than done.

Final Question:

Which card will bring us the best fights on the night?

In the head to head between two of mixed martial arts finest promotions who will come out on top in terms of sheer entertainment?

It still remains to be seen whether it is the most entertaining though. Let’s take a closer look at the main card.

Cung Le Vs Scott Smith

Cung Le returns to Strikeforce only months after vacating his middleweight title due to a long spell out working on movies. Now, with a brief break in his busy filming schedule, he returns to face the heavy handed Scott Smith.

Neither man is going to be in a hurry to take this fight to the ground. Le (6-0) has a tremendous arsenal of kicks which he’ll be more than happy to demonstrate on Smith (16-6 1nc) who in turn will be add to his tally of 13 knockout victories in 23 professional fights.

One of the main questions in this fight is whether Le is mentally and physically ready for this fight having spent close to two years out of the cage working on movies. The other question is whether Smith can find an opening to counter Le’s leg kicks in order to land a knockout blow to his chin.

Prediction:

An interesting fact about the fight is that Smith has only went the distance once in his career, and Le has never heard the final bell. I think that may chance though. I expect Le’s cardio to be tested after a long spell out, and Smith will be tough to finish, but in the end Le will do enough to have his hand raised at the end.

I’m going for Cung Le by decision.

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Josh Thomson Vs Gilbert Melendez

This is a rematch that’s been anticipated for quite some time – particularly by Gilbert Melendez who is desperate to avenge the convincing defeat he suffered on their first meeting.

Since then he has bounced back strongly with two convincing victories, while Thomson has spent much of the past year on the treatment table with a recurring ankle injury amongst other ailments.

The two main questions here are whether Melendez has improved enough in his stand-up in particular to prevent a repeat of the last fight, and whether Thomson will suffer from a lack of time in the cage in the past year.

Prediction:

It’s a gamble, but I’m going with Melendez here. His stand-up has visibly improved, and I think he can use that to better set-up his takedowns if and when necessary. I think he’s coming into this bout as the hungrier fighter, and having learned from his past mistakes I see him having more success this time round.

I’m sticking my neck out and going for Gilbert Melendez by decision.

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Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza VS Matt Lindland

In this intriguing match-up we get to see a decorated veteran wrestler,Matt Lindland, battling it out with a formidable submission expert, Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza.

Lindland (21-6), now 39 years old, has competed less frequently in recent years, fighting just four times in just under three years. He last fought in the early months of this year when he suffered a particularly brutal knockout at the hands of Vitor Belfort that saw him lying unconscious for what felt like an eternity.

Jacare on the other hand fought four times in 2008 alone, and has compiled a record of 10-2. He also has one no contest on his resume which came about in his last fight at Dream 9 earlier this year when Jason Miller delivered an illegal soccer kick to the Brazilian while he was on the ground.

An interesting fact about this fight is that the two have competed against one another before at the prestigious ADCC grappling tournament in 2003. On that occasion Jacare came out on top, and I believe he may well do so again here.

Prediction:

I expect Jacare to take this fight to the mat pretty quickly where his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will have the edge over Lindland’s wrestling. Lindland is a veteran and won’t be easily submitted, but he has been in the past, and Jacare is one of the very best in this regard.

I predict Jacare to claim a submission victory over Lindland in the 3rd round.

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Muhammed ‘King Mo’ Lawal VS Mike Whitehead

Considering he has a record of just 5-0, Mo Lawal has done well to already make a name for himself in the sport, and he’s now set to make his Strikeforce debut against the experienced Mike Whitehead (24-7).

Lawal is perhaps one of the best wrestlers currently competing in mixed martial arts, and quick wins over veterans Travis Wiuff and Mark Kerr (both at heavyweight) have shown that he has successfully made the transition to mixed martial arts.

Meanwhile Whitehead, who has a background in wrestling himself, is coming of a decision victory over Kevin Randlemann which leaves him with only one loss – to Renato Sobral – in his last 16 fights.

This is certainly not an automatic win for Lawal, who Strikeforce will no doubt have high hopes for. Whitehead is decent in a number of areas, with serviceable striking, solid wrestling, and he also poses a threat with submissions.

I believe Lowal is a class above in his wrestling in particular though, and is ever improving in the other aspects of his game. If he can get this fight down and secure top position then Whitehead will be in real trouble.

Prediction:

I don’t think Whitehead will be able to keep Lawal from taking him down. From their, if he remains alert to potential submission attempts, then he should eventually be able to grind down Whitehead with strikes from the top.

I’m going for Mo Lawal by TKO (ground and pound) in Round 3.

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Robbie Lawler Vs Trevor Prangley

This fight has been canceled due to an injury to Trevor Prangley. Robbie Lawler has now been taken off the card entirely due to difficulties finding a suitable replacement at short notice. Lawler is now expected to fight on the January 30th card instead.

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Double End Bag:

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Pads:

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Frank Shamrock, who will provide color commentary during the event, was also on hand to provide further insight and information about the event and the fighters.

Watch the footage below, courtesy of mmako.org

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Frank Shamrock:

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Cung Le / Josh Thomson

Ahead of the bout both fighters have talked to Fight Magazine about the fight and their thoughts on match up against some of the UFC’s top lightweights.

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Josh Thomson

Gilbert Melendez: