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Strikeforce Challengers 14

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Kudos to Strikeforce, for continually featuring fights and cards that pique the interest of even some of the most hardcore UFC fans. On Strikeforce’s Challengers card undefeated Lyle ‘Fancy Pants’ Beerbohm (15-0) is taking on Pat ‘Bam Bam’ Healy (25-17). With 6 (T)KOs, 7 submissions and only 2 losses you’d have to think Fancy Pants will win not only the war of the monikers but the war in the cage as well. But don’t count out Bam Bam, a man under 30 years old with 42 fights to his credit (notice I didn’t say under his belt?), who just might have a few tricks up his sleeve. But it is worth noting ‘Bam Bam was on the business end of a choke in his last fight, against Josh ‘The Punk’ Thomas.

Ryan Couture won his first fight and must be under a lot of pressure being the son of a legend, but if we take a minute to remember who that legend is, the kind of easy-going person he is, it’s not difficult to imagine Randy being nothing but an asset for his son, who fights Lee Higgins, who is 2-0 with two rear naked chokes in the first round. So we know what Ryan will be working on defending prior to this tussle.

Bryan Travers takes on Carlo “Neo’ Pratter in another matchup. Travers lost recently to Bam Bam in a unanimous decision at Strikeforce Challengers 8. I’m not sure what kind of a moniker Bryan could come up with. Traverse means ‘go through’, so that link to his name is dead to him. How about Bryan ‘No Nickname’ Travers?

Erik “Bad” Apple (I’m mazed his parents didn’t name him Adam) squares off against Ryan ‘Ain’t Lyin’ Larson (OK, I made up that last moniker). Bad is 10-2 with 3 (T)Kos, and 6 subs, while Larson is 5-2. Only one of Larson’s fights has gone the distance so I expect this fight to end early.

David ‘Tarzan’ Douglas and Nick ‘The Ghost’ Gonzalez go at it. Tarzan is 5-2 while The Ghost is 16-8. Both of Douglas’ losses came via rear naked choke, so look for Gonzalez to use his experience to exploit that, but three of his own losses came that way, so something may give.

One thing came clear looking at this card: the monikers are getting more creative, if not better. There was a time when nicknames like ‘The Polar Bear’ and “The Predator” gave way to lame ones like ‘Kos’ or “KenFlo’. But more on the importance of fighters giving thought to their marketing in a future article.

Strikeforce Challengers 14

Past Strikeforce Challengers Predictions, Picks & Fight Previews