Strikeforce Challengers Series 3/26 Re-Cap

Strikeforce Challengers Series
Savemart Center
Fresno, California
March 26, 2010
Showtime

Strikeforce Challengers features up and coming prospects looking to move up the ladder. The Main Event features Lavar Johnson who was shot at a Family Reunion last July in what Mauro called a senseless tragedy (one of Lavar's relatives was killed) and was in critical condition and will be making his return tonight. Mauro Ranallo, Stephen Quadros and Pat Militech are the announcers for the show. Danny Miller is the ring announcer.The fight to watch on the card is Luke Stewart versus Andre Galvao.

Catchweight Fight (160 lbs)- Justin Wilcox (8-3) vs. Shamar Bailey (13-1)

Bailey is a wrestler with 4 knockouts and 3 submissions to his credit and he has won his last 4 fights. Wilcox is also a wrestler but is listed as a freestyle fighter. Wilcox is on a 3 fight win streak and is training with the American Kickboxing Academy and is a former wrestling teammate of Josh Koscheck. Bailey has a 2" height and 6.5" reach advantage.

R1- Wilcox rocked Bailey early with a kick that connected to Bailey's face. Wilcox connected with a couple of punches and Bailey retreated knocking over the ref. Looks like Bailey has a cut on his forehead and the blood is in his eye. Wilcox hits another head kick but Bailey absorbs it. Bailey keeps wiping blood out of his eye and the ref stops the fight to check on the cut. Wilcox was dominating the fight standing but went for a take down and got stuffed. Bailey went for a take down but Wilcox sprawled out of it. Strong round for Wilcox. I scored it 10-9. Wilcox landed a lot of shots and cut Bailey but never knocked him down despite landing some good clean shots. Good opening round for the first fight of the night.

R2- Wilcox landed a barrage of strikes in the first thirty seconds and Bailey is having trouble with his other eye now. Wilcox hit a good kick and then nailed Bailey with a low blow. Wilcox hit another high kick to the head and then a good overhand right. Wilcox hit Bailey with an open hand to the face and poked him in the eye but the ref didn't stop the fight like he should have and allowed Wilcox an unfair advantage and Wilcox took him down to the mat. Wilcox would have won the round with or without the poor refereeing. Wilcox 20-18.

R3- Wilcox continues his dominance and lands some good strikes early in this round. Both guys are trading strikes in the middle of the round and Wilcox got a take down with about two minutes left in the fight. Wilcox mounted and stayed busy with punches but Bailey did a good job defending by wrapping him up. Wilcox went for an arm bar at the end of the round but couldn't land it. Really good performance by Wilcox as he took this fight 30-27 in my book. Bailey showed a lot of heart but just didn't have the offense to hang with Wilcox. Good opening fight.

Judges score cards: 30-26, 30-27, 30-27

Winner: Justin Wilcox by Decision (Unanimous)

Women's Welterweight Fight (135 lbs)- Miesha Tate (8-2) vs. Zoila Frausto (5-0)

R1- Tate went for an early take down and had to work for it but completed it. Tate was able to land some strikes and then took Zoila's back but Zoila got to her feet and flipped her off. Tate got another take down with 45 seconds left in the round. Tate 10-9.

R2- Zoila landed a couple of strikes at the beginning of the round much to the delight of the round but got take down. Tate is using her shoulder to choke Zoila in side control. Tate went for an arm triangle and couldn't get it so she mounted and landed some strikes. Zoila tried to push her off but got caught in an arm bar and Zoila fought it hard but had to tap out. Really good showing for Miesha Tate.

Winner: Miesha Tate by Submission (Arm Bar) R2 4:09

Mauro Ranallo hypes up the Saturday April 17th Strikeforce show as he interviews King Mo Lawal ringside. Mo says he been training with guys like Rashad Evans, Mark Munoz, Babalu, Mayhem Miller and Fabricio Werdum. King Mo promises a flashy entrance and is looking for a knockout. Jake Shields also joins Mauro and they discuss his defense against Dan Henderson.
The show features three world title fights:
Lightweight Title Fight- Gilbert Melendez (c) vs. Shinya Aoki
Light Heavyweight Title Fight- Gegard Mousasi (c) vs. King Mo Lawal
Middleweight Title Fight- Jake Shields (c) vs. Dan Henderson

Welterweight Fight- Luke Stewart (6-2) vs. Andre Galvao (3-1)

Galvao is a BJJ fighter who has won all of his fights by submission. He trains with guys like Anderson Silva and Jacare Souza. Stewart is also a BJJ fighter who has 3 wins by submission and 3 by knockout. Stewart has a 2" height and 4.5" reach advantage.

R1- Stewart landed a nice punch early but got taken down very quickly after that. Galvao went for a leg lock but Stewart did a good job neutralizing it and transitioned back to his feet. Stewart threw some strikes and then got a take down but Galvao bounced right back up. Galvao landed a couple of knees at the end of the round. Really close round that could have easily gone either way.

R2- Stewart went for a knee but fell down and Galvao jumped on top but Stewart flipped him over and they quickly went back to their feet. Galvao got a take down with a minute left in the round. Galvao landed some strikes but got flipped over when he went for an arm triangle. Another close round that was probably taken by Stewart due to his work when they were standing during the first part of the fight. Quadros has Stewart up 20-18 after two rounds.

R3- Galvao swept Stewart and took him down inside the first minute of the final round. Stewart flipped Galvao over with three minutes left in the round but couldn't do anything before Galvao escaped. Galvao landed a good knee and then took Stewart down but Stewart again flipped him over. Neither guy came close to finishing this fight. Stewart will most likely take the decision. The first and third rounds were close with Stewart taking the second round.

Judges score cards: 30-27 Stewart, 30-27 Galvao, 29-28 Galvao. Wow, how can you have a 30-27 in favor of one guy and a 30-27 in favor of the other guy?

Winner: Andre Galvao by Decision (Split)

Light Heavyweight Fight- George Bush III (5-1) vs. Abongo Humphrey (5-1)

Both of these guys have previously fought at Heavyweight. Bush is a freestyle fighter and is not a former president of the United States. Bush has 3 knockouts and 1 submission in his 5 wins. Bush also played baseball at the Ohio State University. Mark Coleman is in Bush's corner for the fight tonight. Bush is coming off of a loss to Ricco Rodriguez. This is Humphrey's first fight at Light Heavyweight. He is also a freestyle fighter. All 5 of Abongo's wins have come by way of knockout. Abongo's only loss is to Brett Rogers. Bush has a 4.5" reach advantage.

R1- Abongo landed a head kick early but Bush absorbed it and took him down. Abongo grabbed a guillotine up against the cage and Bush tapped out. Surprising finish and good showing for Abongo.

Winner: Abongo Humphrey by Submission (Guillotine) R1 1:44

Heavyweight Fight- Lavar Johnson (13-3) vs. Lolohea Mahe (6-0-1)

This is the Strikeforce debut of Mahe. Mahe came in 2 pounds over the 265 lb Heavyweight limit but Johnson agreed to the fight. Mahe has won all of his fights by way of knockout. Johnson is from Fresno and gets a good reaction during his introduction. Johnson has a 2" reach and 1.5" height advantage. Mahe has a 26 pound weight advantage. Johnson has 11 wins by knockout and 2 by submission.

R1- Johnson is sticking the left jab early. Mahe landed a good overhand right. Mahe went for a take downa nd Johnson locked in a guillotine but couldn't finish with it. Mahe finished the take down with two minutes left in the round. Johnson got back to his feet but got taken down again near the end of the round. Mahe probably stole this round with the two take downs and by clearly controlling the last two minutes of the round.

R2- Johnson missed a high head kick and Mahe landed a good kick to the side. Johnson landed a couple of knees. With four minutes left in the round Mahe looks exhausted. Johnson landed a good right hand. Mahe is just spent and Johnson is landing some strikes. Johnson is not in great shape himself and Mahe is able to stay in the fight. Johnson grabs another guillotine against the cage but Mahe gets out of it. Johnson lands some good strikes and has bloodied up Mahe's nose. Mahe covers up on the fence and eats some strikes and Johnson lands an over hand right that brings Mahe to his knees and then lands a couple more strikes before the ref steps in. Both guys really gassed in this round but Johnson had more left in the tank and was able to finish Mahe.

Winner: Lavar Johnson by TKO (Strikes) R2 3:29