Smith Feeling Spry for Daley, Wants ‘Cyborg’ Next

Scott Smith: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com

Though Scott Smith is quick to list the benefits of his recent decision to drop from 185 to 170 pounds, the noticeably thinner brawler admits there has been one significant drawback to the idea.

“Thanksgiving kind of sucked this year.”

Smith is scheduled to make his welterweight debut this Saturday against British bomber Paul Daley on Strikeforce’s card at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. A former WEC light heavyweight champion, Smith says that his weight cut has gone according to plan thus far.

“I feel really good. I’m about 177 pounds right now. The worst part of my training has always been my diet, and I’ve had to focus on that to make 170,” explained Smith at Friday's pre-fight press conference. “I’m quicker than I’ve ever been, and I’m just as strong. Speed is power.”

Though coming off a loss to former Strikeforce middleweight king Cung Le, Smith is still widely regarded as a formidable 185-pounder. When asked why he chose to shed the extra pounds, the muay Thai specialist gave a frank reply.

“It's been real easy to make 185. I’ve been making weight with a bad diet and coming in soft,” he said. “I wanted to clean up my diet and come down to [welterweight]. I think I’m going to be real big and strong fighting at 170.”

In order to make the drop to welterweight, Smith has revamped what he puts in his body, even going so far as to outsource his meal preparation to comply with his new diet. His meals are now cooked and pre-packed for consumption, ensuring that Smith need only worry about training.

Heading into his fight on Saturday, sports books have made Smith approximately a 3-1 underdog, a role which he says he doesn't mind playing. In Daley, Smith faces a strong, heavy-handed welterweight who owns 18 of his 25 professional wins by knockout.

“Paul is definitely one of the more dangerous strikers I’ve faced,” said Smith. “I think that Benji Radach and Robbie Lawler might have been more powerful, but Paul is really technical.”

Though Smith has fought the second half of his career almost exclusively at middleweight, the 31-year-old comeback artist made an exception last year, cutting down to face Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz at a catch-weight of 180 pounds.

“The fight against Diaz, I weighed in at 179, and that was one of the easiest cuts I’ve had. I’ve had tougher times making 185 than that. So as long as I focus and commit myself, I know I can [make 170].”

If the California resident can overcome Daley on Saturday, he will insert himself into a select group of fighters who might contend for Diaz’s strap. When pressed on whom he would like to face next, “Hands of Steel” did not mince words, immediately naming Evangelista Santos.

“I'd really like to fight ‘Cyborg,’ said Smith. “I think it would be a great fight for the fans.”

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Okami Wants Silva Rematch; Marquardt Not Looking Ahead

It has been nearly five years since Yushin Okami (Pictured) fought Anderson Silva, but at a pre-fight press conference for UFC 122 on Thursday, it became clear that the current UFC middleweight champion is still on the Japanese fighter’s mind.

Okami -- who meets Nate Marquardt in the main event on Saturday at the Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany, with a 185-pound title shot on the line -- was surprisingly direct when asked whether he prefers a rematch with Silva for the belt or a matchup with Vitor Belfort, who first challenges “The Spider” at UFC 126 in February.

“I’d like to fight against Mr. Anderson Silva,” Okami said.

In a January 2006 welterweight bout for the now-defunct Hawaiian promotion Rumble on the Rock, Silva was disqualified in the opening round for delivering an illegal upkick to the face of Okami, who was on both knees in Silva’s guard. It is an outcome with which Silva has since voiced his displeasure and one which has clearly left Okami with a bitter taste.

“Technically speaking, I won the fight, but I feel I lost that fight,” Okami said. “I admit that he’s a great fighter. That’s the only reason why I’d like to fight against him.”

Since his meeting with Silva, Okami has gone 11-3, including a 9-2 run in the UFC. Most recently, Okami took a split decision from powerhouse wrestler Mark Munoz in August.

While Okami’s answer was clear, his opponent declined to state a preference, or to look past his current task.

“Honestly, I don’t care,” Marquardt said. “I have a very tough opponent in front of me, and that’s what I’m focused on.”

Marquardt has also met Silva in the past, challenging for the UFC middleweight belt in July 2007, when he dropped a one-sided bout via first-round technical knockout. However, the Greg Jackson product claims it was his February decision loss to Chael Sonnen which changed his perspective on being a top contender.

“[It’s] not necessarily that I value it more, but when I lost to Chael, I kinda realized that I had lost a little bit of my desire, my fire to train,” said Marquardt. “My dream is to be the champion, and I think that reignited my fire. I got that now, and that’s how I can know that I’m gonna go out and fight my best.”

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With Wrestling Mastered, Askren Wants to Punch Better

Ben Askren (top) vs. Lyman Good: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com

Ben Askren delivered a dominant wrestling performance Thursday en route to winning the Bellator welterweight title. Now he wants to develop a striking game that would help him finish opponents like former champ Lyman Good, who battled him for the full 25 minutes.

“I’ve only been punching stuff for about a year. Literally,” said Askren, who wrestled in the 2008 Olympics. “I didn’t start boxing or hitting anything until September of 2009. I heard [Good’s] corner taunting me with, ‘He punches like a girl.’ Maybe I do now, but I ain’t always going to punch like a girl. There’s a lot of places that I can get better. I can punch harder. I can finish better on top.”

Askren repeatedly passed into mount, but he couldn’t put Good away. He tried an arm-triangle choke in the first that Good used to reverse position. Through the later rounds Askren chose to pepper his opponent from mount rather than risk losing position.

“It may not be the most exciting strategy, but it’s a solid strategy,” Askren said. “I was landing blows and staying busy.”

At one point in the fourth round, though, referee Kevin Mulhall stepped in while Askren had mount and restarted the fight on the feet. Askren said he’d never seen a fighter stood up from mount.

“If you’re active, they’re not supposed to stand you up, especially in such a dominant position,” Askren said. “I didn’t really understand that, but you can’t take a second to dwell on that. … I got back up and said, ‘OK, gotta take him down again.’ Didn’t really dwell on it at all.”

The takedowns were there for Askren all night long. Even if Good stopped the initial drive, he couldn’t prevent the follow-ups. Still, Good fought to the end and nearly stole the fight. With less than two minutes remaining, he drilled Askren with an upkick and squeezed a triangle choke on the stunned fighter. Askren eventually escaped.

“The upkick didn’t really hurt at all, but the triangle was close,” Askren acknowledged. “It was fairly tight, but I just kept fighting. I knew I wasn’t going to tap. That just wasn’t going to happen.”

The kick looked like it hurt. By the end of the fight, Askren’s face was bruised and swollen. He might not have finished his opponent, but the 26-year-old relative newcomer to MMA had earned 25 minutes’ worth of valuable experience.

“I’m pretty happy with my performance,” Askren said. “I knew one time in my career I’d have to go the full five rounds and show people what kind of heart I had. I’m just glad people got to see that I got heart. Didn’t I tell them I won’t stop?”

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