Strikeforce has officially announced added fights to the March 5th event which include a well-anticipated championship matchup.

Current number one contender, Miesha Tate, will receive her shot against current Strikeforce Women’s Lightweight Champion Marloes Coenen. This fight has been confirmed according to various MMA news outlets.

Tate became the number one contender when she defeated Hitomi Akano and Maiju Kujala during the women’s tournament at Strikeforce Challengers 10 last August. Seven of her 11 wins have come by stoppage, while she has only been stopped once, early in her career.

At The MMA Zone we get several questions a week about online betting within MMA. So, if you are interested in it we wanted to share some basic information about it. So, let us know if you like this post below in the comments and we can go deeper in this subject.

MMA fans can now get the best of both worlds.  When it comes to enjoying their favorite MMA fights but also having a wide range of online casinos and sportsbooks that now offer the chance to bet on MMA fights. Being able to place a wager on your favorite fighter adds a little extra excitement to watching MMA events and it can be an easy way to make some extra money as well, especially if you do your homework first.

The weekend was filled with action for mixed martial arts fans. A number of former UFC veterans were in the cage either trying to fight their way back to the big stage or just enjoying the sport that they love. Here is a rundown of some of that action.

The Titan Fighting Champions 16 card in Kansas City had a number of former UFC fighters back in action with mixed results.

This weekend is shaping up to be a big event for the Strikeforce promotion. With two title fights and the next cage appearance by a prominent Gracie fighter, this show has the potential to provide a lot of action for MMA fans.

Strikeforce Welterweight Championship
Nick Diaz versus Evangelista Santos

While his record may not show it, Santos is a very viable threat to Diaz. The current champion has to be certain to weather the opening storm for which Santos has become well known. The challenger often storms out of the game and tries to impose his will on his opponent; even when he was outmuscled while fighting as a middleweight. Diaz himself has also been known for pushing the pace of the fight; using his potent boxing skills to keep challengers guessing while on the feet. While his striking is more technically sound than Santos, he will still have to avoid the wild bombs that will be coming his way.

Many people are asking if there is any validity behind the Sean Sherk training mask so we thought we would shed some light on this question.  We have seen the questions like, “is this a gimmick or can it be used for real MMA Training” or “will this really increase my lung capacity or increase my oxygen intake?”.  So, we did some investigating and here is what we found.

However, we are not here to debate if high altitude training works.  We feel that does not nee to be proven as it has been used by many elite athletes for many years and they wouldn’t go without it.  So, the assumption we are starting out with is that High Altitude training does work.  But, does this mask actually simulate elevation training?

News across the mixed martial arts community happens on a daily basis. Here are a few of the most recent news bites that have hit the wires.

Thiago Out

Brazilian welterweight Paulo Thiago has been forced to pull out from his fight with Johny Hendricks. The two were set to face off at UFC on Versus 3 on March 3. An elbow injury is the reported cause of Thiago having to miss the bout.

Thiago’s manager Wallid Ismail has reported that the fighter will have to undergo elbow surgery to remove bone fragments from the joint. The exact date of the surgery was not announced, although it is expected to be sometime by the end of the week.

This Monday brings about another swing of news bites from the past weekend of mixed martial arts action.

Pulver Gets a Win

Former UFC Lightweight Champion, Jens Pulver, finally brought an end to an epic losing streak. Pulver brought to end a six-fight losing streak with his victory over Mike Lindquist during an XFO event in Illinois.

Pulver had not won since his first round submission against Cub Swanson in 2007. Pulver had been on an extreme case of bad luck in his career. He has only won two fights since 2006. However, the former champion refused to give up even when so many people called for him to retire.

UFC Fight for the Troops 2 wasn’t just about the athletes in the cage. This event was about a cause that is bigger than the UFC. This annual event was created to benefit the brave soldiers of the US military who risk their lives on a daily basis for our freedoms. During the event, money is raised to help with the treatment of injured soldiers. Surely, this year will be another successful year for the benefit.

After all the dust has settled, a few fighters made steps to place their names higher up the lists of UFC various weight classes. With so many stars under their banner, here are a few choice fights that could provide intriguing matchups.

Melvin Guillard pulled off what many may consider a huge upset at UFC Fight for the Troops 2 at Fort Hood, Texas. He stopped lightweight contender Evan Dunham during the first round of their fight.

The 27-year old Guillard used his blistering speed to stifle Dunham while the two were on their feet. To begin the fight a short right hook caught Dunham who immediately changed his game plan to taking Guillard to the mat. While he was successful in doing so, he couldn’t keep Guillard there. Once back on their feet, the MMA vet pushed the pace and rocked his opponent numerous times.

A left-right combination, followed by a sharp knee had Dunham seriously hurt and in danger. Two more knees, one of which should have been deemed illegal, and a few blows to the head forced the stoppage of the bout at 2:38 seconds into the first round. Guillard proceeded to stake his claim in the 155 pound weight division.

Cole Miller's next fight may be decided already, but how will he do against Matt Wiman.

Outside of the main events of UFC Fight for the Troops 2, the most important match on the card is in the featherweight division.  Mark “The Machine” Hominick will battle George Roop and should Hominick prevail, he will get a title shot at UFC 129 against Jose Aldo.