Strikeforce on Showtime 4/11/09
San Jose, California
This is the debut show for Strikeforce on Showtime as they are taking Elite XC’s spot. The Main Event is Frank Shamrock and Nick Diaz. Gus Johnson is the lead announcer (Yes!). Gus is joined by Mauro Ranallo (former Pride and Elite XC announcer). Mauro gives us a history lesson and tells us that Strikeforce began in 2006 (Scott Coker the owner has been in MMA for 15 years). The Main Event of the first Strikeforce show (which was held in the same building as tonight’s show) was Frank Shamrock destroying Cesar Gracie in just 21 seconds. Gracie is Nick Diaz’s mentor. Nice touch of history given to the Main Event. Gina Carano, Tito Ortiz, Andrei Arlovski, Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem, Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Babalu Sobral, former Elite XC Welterweight Champion Jake Shields, former Elite XC Middleweight Champ Robbie Lawler, Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cung Le are all in attendance tonight. They mention that Shields will fight Lawler on June 6th, they also tease Overeem for a possible fight on June 6th. Gus Johnson introduces the third member of the broadcast team, Pat Miletich. Really strong opening from Strikeforce.
Heavyweight Title Fight- Brett Rogers (9-0) vs. Abongo Humphrey (5-0)
I’ve been impressed with Rogers the first two times that I’ve seen him. Rogers has a large 5’ height, 8.5’ reach and 23 pound advantage in this fight. Humphrey is a Jiu Jitsu and Kickboxing fighter while Rogers is a freestyle fighter. Humphrey has won all 5 of his fights by KO. He is BET’s Iron Ring Heavyweight Champion. Rogers has 8 wins by KO and 1 by submission. I don’t think we will be seeing a decision in this fight.
R1- Good first round as both fighters were very active. Rogers started to take over at the half way point of the round and landed some good strikes towards the end of the round. Herb Dean took a point away from Rogers for grabbing Humphrey’s hair after he had given him two warnings. With the point deduction I’ve got the first round at 9-9 (Rogers getting the 10 but losing a point on referee deduction).
Mickey Rourke is at the show and Kevin Randleman is also shown in the same picture.
R2- Rogers got Humphrey on the cage and just nailed him with a bunch of shots. Humphrey finally hit the canvas after he’d been bloodied and this one was over. Rogers really started to take over at the end of the first round and just destroyed him with some big shots early in round two. Great showing for Rogers, I’m eager to see him step up in competition soon and see how he does.
Winner: Brett Rogers by KO R2 1:38
Woman’s 150lb Fight- Cris Cyborg (6-1) vs. Hitomi Akano (14-5)
This should be an interesting fight as Cyborg came in around 7 pounds overweight for the fight and it was much publicized on the web. Cyborg has a 3.5” height, 6.5” weight and 6” reach advantage. Cyborg is a Muay Thai and BJJ fighter and Akano is a grappler and judo fighter. Akano has won 11 of her 15 fights by submission.
R1- Very active first round with Cyborg really taking the fight to Akano and knocking her down several times in the round. 10-9 round for Cyborg.
R2- Another big round for Cyborg. Akano went for a flying arm bar and Cyborg drove her to the ground and laid in some good punches on her. Cyborg is up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Cyborg really lays into Akano at the beginning of the round and the ref steps in to call the fight. Cyborg’s size advantage was really just too much for Akano.
They heavily pimp Cyborg vs. Gina Carano throughout this fight.
Winner: Cris Cyborg by TKO (Strikes) R3 0:35
They preview the next Strikeforce show on June 6th on Showtime. Robbie Lawler will take on Jake Shields. Babalu Sobral will defend the Light Heavyweight Belt against Rafael Feijao.
Middleweight Fight- Scott Smith (16-5) vs. Benji Radach (19-4)
Scott Smith is coming off a fight against Terry Martin in November for Strikeforce in which he finished Martin in less than 30 seconds. Radach was last seen defeating Ninja Rua in a October in a good fight. This should be a stand-up war.
R1- Both guys landed shots for the first part of the round. Smith landed some good shots and chased Benji around the cage but Benji fought back and hit a punch that hurt Smith. Benji then jumped to the offensive and landed some good offense. Benji went for a take down at the end of the round and got it and landed a couple of shots. I’ve got Radach up 10-9 after a good first round.
R2- Radach landed some good shots in the middle of the round and then grabbed a guillotine but Smith slipped out. Smith is busted open. Radach is up 20-18 after two rounds.
R3- Smith’s got a bloody face but he battles and gets some shots in on Benji. Benji shoots and Smith grabs a guillotine but Benji dumps him to the mat. Smith continues to push forward and lands a nice jab and bloodies Benji. Two minutes left in the fight and Smith needed a knockout and Smith landed a big right hand and got the Knockout punch and then jumped on top with a punch and the ref stopped the fight. Great comeback win for Smith. Good fight.
Winner: Scott Smith by KO R3 3:24
Strikeforce Interim Lightweight Fight- Gilbert Melendez (14-2) vs. Rodrigo Damm (8-2)
Damm is taking this fight on short notice due to Josh Thomson sustaining an injury and having to drop out. Since Thomson is unavailable to defend his Lightweight title this fight is for the interim title. This is a 5-round fight due to it being for the interim title. Melendez is a former Strikeforce Lightweight champion having lost the title to Josh Thomson last year.
R1- Melendez caught a Damm kick early and took him down and really controlled Damm all round long. Melendez 10-9.
R2- Melendez hit a big right hand about two minutes into the round and this one is over. Melendez just dominated an inferior opponent who took the fight on short notice in this fight. Good fight from Melendez as he really needed a win after losing to Thomson and Ishida.
Winner and new Interim Lightweight Champion: Gilbert Melendez by KO R2 2:02
Cung Le is interviewed ringside about his new movie “Fighting.”
180 lb Catchweight Fight- Frank Shamrock (23-9-2) vs. Nick Diaz (18-7)
This should be a good fight based on all the trash talking and the history surrounding the fight. I think both guys will want to stand up and trade. Diaz is generally a pretty good jab guy but he also tends to be a slow starter and Shamrock has a lot more power than most of the guys Diaz faces since Diaz is moving up in weight for this fight. Diaz is coming off of wins against Thomas Denny, Mushin Corbbrey and Katsuya Inoue but Shamrock is definitely a step up in caliber than those guys. Shamrock is coming off a loss in his last fight against Cung Le in which Shamrock sustained a broken arm. Diaz has a 3’ height and 2’ reach advantage.
R1- Diaz caught a kick and got a take down in the first minute. Diaz easily passed guard but Shamrock slipped out before Diaz did any damage. Shamrock slipped and Diaz jumped on top and mounted Shamrock and got in a lot of punches but Shamrock was able to block a lot of them. First round goes to Diaz. It was pretty even with Diaz getting two take downs. Diaz did not take advantage of the first take down but did get some damage in on the second one. Diaz up 10-9 after one round.
R2- Diaz is talking trash all through out this fight and is doing a good job using his reach advantage to keep Shamrock at bay. Diaz is landing some good jabs in this round and he’s just picking Shamrock apart and Shamrock is down in the corner and Diaz lays in some good Ground and Pound until John McCarthy stops the fight. Diaz showed some good sportsmanship in helping up Shamrock after the fight.
Really good showing by Diaz. Diaz looked really motivated in this fight and looked better than he has in his last 3 fights. I think this fight shows what Diaz can do when he’s motivated. Diaz landed 129 punches in this fight (78 standing arm strikes, 44 ground strikes and 7 standing leg strikes).
Winner: Nick Diaz by TKO (Strikes) R2 3:57
Strong show from Strikeforce on the debut on Showtime. All 5 fights were entertaining tonight. I look forward to seeing more live Strikeforce shows in the future.
Showing posts with label Benji Radach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Benji Radach. Show all posts
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Elite XC Saturday Night Fights 10/4/08 Re-Cap
Elite XC Saturday Night Fights 10/4/08
They start off the show announcing that Ken Shamrock has sustained a cut and had to get stitches right above his eye and he will not be able to fight Kimbo Slice tonight. Seth Pettruzelli of UFC and TUF fame will take his place. Gus Johnson interviews Shamrock and then they speak ringside to the doctor that made the decision to not allow him to fight.
Card for tonight is:
-Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson vs. Seth Petruzelli
-Jake Shields vs. Paul Daley
-Andrei Arlovski vs. Roy Nelson
-Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobald
-Benji Radach vs. Murilo "Ninja" Rua
Looks like a pretty decent card as we’ve got some pretty decent fighters like Shields, Arlovski and Rua to watch tonight. They talk about the Elite XC/Affliction relationship, which is the reason for the Arlovski/Nelson fight and they also talk about Fedor. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos is on the under card and rumor has it that we will get highlights of that fight on tonight’s show time permitting. Edson Berto is also on the under card. I wish they would have done a pre-CBS Showtime card so I could see his fight. He doesn’t have the best record but he’s real fun to watch.
The announcers tonight, as usual, are Gus Johnson, Mauro Ranallo and Frank Shamrock. Gus is great. Jimmy Lennon Jr is the ring announcer. They are running the show in Florida so Kimbo should draw in a good crowd tonight.
Middleweight Fight- Ninja Rua (16-8-1) vs. Benji Radach (18-4)
Radach has 14 knockouts in his 18 wins. Rua was the Middleweight Champ for Elite XC before dropping the belt to Robbie Lawler.
R1- Radach lands some shots early and then gets Ninja down on his knees and looked like he had a chance to put him away. Ninja gets back to his feet and pushes forward and shoves Benji down. Radach lands a big punch and follows with another lesser punch. Radach is a free swinger and he’s taking it to Ninja early. Ninja landed a shot but then came in unprotected and Benji knocked him back against the cage. Ninja is hurt. Benji is hitting him up against the cage. Both guys went down at the same time, I think Benji hit Ninja with a punch but then slipped. Benji tries to take Ninja’s back but Ninja instead gets the advantage and lands a couple of shots and then they go back to their feet and they are clinched. Ninja is getting some of his bearings back but is face is beaten up pretty good. Ninja with a knee and follows with a punch. Benji takes Ninja down but Ninja grabs an arm but then releases it. Ninja is active on the bottom as Benji is in his guard, but it’s a loose guard. Ninja goes for a heel hook. Benji spins out and regains a dominant position. Ninja grabs a guillotine but Benji again gets out. Ninja grabs a heel hook but Benji fights out. Ninja now has Benji up against the cage. Ninja ends the round in a dominant position. Really good first round and a great way for Elite XC to come out swinging on this show. Radach takes the first round 10-9 but Ninja regained his barring and made the fight close towards the end of the round as he had a bunch of submission attempts.
R2- Ninja comes out as the aggressor in this round and hits a couple of knees. Ninja walking down Benji and in control but comes in and eats a big straight right hand that rocks him but he remains on his feet. Ninja clinches against the cage but Benji denies the take down. Benji caught Ninja with a punch as he was coming in and Ninja slipped going for a knee and Benji immediately hit Ninja right square in the face several times and the fight is stopped.
Great fight for Benji. Ninja showed a pretty good chin as he took a bunch of strong shots but he just had really poor defense tonight and Benji picked his shots well and gets a really good victory for him and puts him in line for a shot at Middleweight Champ Robbie Lawler.
Winner: Benji Radach by TKO R2 2:31
Karyn Bryant interviews Gina Carano. They discuss her issues making weight for the fight.
Woman’s 140lb Fight- Gina Carano (6-0) vs. Kelly Kobald (16-2-1)
They show Cyborg watching at ringside and say that she won her fight earlier and they put her over. These will be 3 minute rounds.
R1- Carano lands a good shot right at the beginning. Kobald goes for a take down, the announcers say that Kobold doesn’t want to stand up with Carano. They battle against the cage for a while with Kobold trying to get the take down. Carano gets out and lands some shots. Kobold swinging wildly in defense. Carano landing better punches and landing knees. Kobold goes for another take down and they clinch against the cage. Shamrock notes that Kobold’s nose is busted open and they unclinch and you can see it now. They both swing at each other to close the round. Carano takes this round 10-9.
R2- Carano hits a good punch early and clinches Kobald but Kobald holds on. Kobald goes for another take down. Kobald lands a good punch but Carano answers. Kobald goes for another take down but is denied again. Carano is hitting some shots now and is starting to pick Kobald apart. Kobald finally gets a take down at the end of the round and lands a couple of shots. This was a much closer round but I’m not sure that I would give it to Kobald as I had Carano winning it pretty well up until the take down with 10 seconds left. I’ve got Carano 20-18.
R3- Kobald comes right across the ring at Carano trying for another take down. Gina still defending the take down after a full minute gone in the round. Ref separates them and Carano starts getting some nice strikes in on Kobald. Kobald clinches again going for a take down. Gina with a knee and another in defense. One minute left in the fight. Gina has Kobald in a Rear Naked from the side and gets a take down but can’t get the submission. They are back to their feet as Carano lost the move when they went to the ground. Carano with some strikes and a front kick. Kobald is exhausted at this point and Carano is just picking her apart. Carano takes this round and will win by decision. I’ve got it 30-27, but I could see a 29-28. They show Cyborg ringside again and are hyping a fight between her and Carano. Carano landed 62 strikes to Kobold’s 28 during the fight.
Judges scores are: 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27.
Winner: Gina Carano by Decision (Unanimous)
Gus is in the ring and interviews Gina. Gus brings up Cyborg and asks if she’s is Gina’s next opponent. Gina says that she will fight whoever they put in front of her and puts Cyborg over.
Heavyweight Fight- Andrei Arlovski (13-5) vs. Roy Nelson (13-2)
This fight is brought to us by Affliction. Nelson is on a 5 fight win streak and he has finished all of those fights. Nelson has one of the worst physiques that you will see on an MMA fighter. Andrei has a 4 inch height advantage and “Big Country” Nelson has a 22 lb weight advantage. Nelson is a former IFL Heavyweight Champion. Andrei is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. Arlovski gets a good reaction from the crowd. Tito Ortiz is shown ringside and they say that it is rumored that he could be a part of Elite XC in the future. Mauro says that he is having back surgery and will be back in action next year. Mauro says that he bets Frank would like to see Tito as a part of Elite XC and Frank answers that it “would give me something to do with my fists.”
R1- Arlovski starts off with some low kicks and Nelson clinches. Andrei takes him down but Nelson rolls over and is on top of Andrei. Nelson passes quickly into side control. Nelson going for an arm submission but gives it up. Nelson moves to the north/south position but Andrei bucks out of it. Nelson gets back into half guard and then moves to side control again and has an arm. The ref brings them back to their feet. Big Country clinches against the cage again. Arlovski lands a good knee. The ref separates them again. Arlovski gets some shots in on Nelson. Nelson clinches again. The first round goes to Nelson as he controlled the round early on the ground. As the round went on it seemed like Nelson grew tired and it allowed Arlovski to stand and get some good strikes in. Nelson 10-9 after one round.
At the end of the round Karyn Bryant interviews Tito Ortiz ringside. Tito says he’s still a Free Agent but says he’s about a week away from signing a deal. Tito says that he would be interested in a fight with Frank Shamrock.
R2- Nelson hits a shot early and it wobbles Arlovski but instead of following up he clinches Arlovski against the cage. Arlovski hits a knee on Nelson. Arlovski hits a left hand and then a right and then a kick. Great combination by Andrei. Andrei has a clinch and lands some knees and punches. Andrei with a leg kick and then some jabs and then just destroys Nelson with a big left hand and this one is over. Nelson got tired and Andrei just owned this round.
Winner: Andrei Arlovski by KO R2
Welterweight Title Fight- Jake Shields © (21-4-1) vs. Paul Daley (18-6-2)
Shields has a 3” height advantage but Daley has a 2.5” reach advantage. Daley is the Cage Rage Welterweight Champion. Shields has won 10 straight fights.
R1- Shields pushes early. Daley hits a nice strike as Shields attempts a take down. Daley sprawls out of it nicely. Shields goes for a take down and gets it with about three and a half minutes left. Shields passes guard and gets full mount. Shields landing some strikes. Shields continuing with some Ground and Pound and it seems to be growing in velocity and he starts to hit some elbows. Shields moves back to side control and gets full mount again and lands some Ground and Pound strikes. Shields is just controlling Daley right now. Shields goes for an arm bar but can’t get it so he regains full mount and goes for it again but Daley flips him over and is now in Shields guard and Daley hits a couple of nice shots. Round one goes to Shields 10-9, Daley needs to keep the fight standing up if he wants to win.
Karyn is backstage with Kimbo Slice. Kimbo’s answers are real short and he looks like he’s ready to get down to business.
R2- Daley pushes Shields early and Shields goes for a take down but Daley sprawls. Shields goes for another take down and goes for a heel hook but Daley gets out of it. Shields take down is stuffed again. Shields finally gets a take down and is immediately in full mount. Shields is getting in some light Ground and Pound. Shields with elbows and Daley smiles at him but can’t get out from under Shields. Shields moves to side control and then back to mount and goes for an arm bar and Daley has to tap out.
This was a tough fight for Shields as Daley was clearly better on stand up. Shields definitely showed some weaknesses tonight but still won the fight.
Winner and still champion: Jake Shields by Submission (Arm Bar) R2 3:47
Gus interviews Jake in the ring after the fight. Shields says that he’s up for whatever Elite XC has for him and suggests moving up in weight to take on Robbie Lawler.
They show highlights of the Cyborg/Takahashi fight after the break. Cyborg won by Unanimous Decision. Gina is shown ringside. They hype up a Cyborg/Carano fight but don’t announce it as official.
Heavyweight Fight- Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson (3-0) vs. Seth Petruzelli (10-4)
Kimbo is backstage getting hyped up. Bas Rutten is by his side. The announcers put over Kimbo for taking this fight tonight after Shamrock could not go. Kimbo has the physical advantage in this fight. He’s 2 inches taller, 29 pounds heavier and has a 4 inch reach advantage. Hulk Hogan is shown at ringside with a large breasted blonde woman.
R1- Kimbo just got destroyed in about 20 seconds by Seth! Wow. That was an amazing performance by Seth. I think Elite XC just folded before our very own eyes here on National Television. Man, I can just see Dana White smiling at this.
Seth hit a quick jab and possibly a front kick and Kimbo was down on his knees and Seth just kept pounding him until the ref stepped in.
Gus interviews Seth and Kimbo post match. Seth is very gracious in victory. Kimbo doesn’t shy away and still gets on the mic but then kind of walks away before Gus can ask him what is next for him.
Winner: Seth Petruzelli by TKO (strikes) R1 0:14
Good night of fights and a shocking Main Event. Great TV, but it’s got to be the worst thing to happen for Elite XC from a business perspective because Kimbo was their meal ticket into the mainstream.
They start off the show announcing that Ken Shamrock has sustained a cut and had to get stitches right above his eye and he will not be able to fight Kimbo Slice tonight. Seth Pettruzelli of UFC and TUF fame will take his place. Gus Johnson interviews Shamrock and then they speak ringside to the doctor that made the decision to not allow him to fight.
Card for tonight is:
-Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson vs. Seth Petruzelli
-Jake Shields vs. Paul Daley
-Andrei Arlovski vs. Roy Nelson
-Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobald
-Benji Radach vs. Murilo "Ninja" Rua
Looks like a pretty decent card as we’ve got some pretty decent fighters like Shields, Arlovski and Rua to watch tonight. They talk about the Elite XC/Affliction relationship, which is the reason for the Arlovski/Nelson fight and they also talk about Fedor. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos is on the under card and rumor has it that we will get highlights of that fight on tonight’s show time permitting. Edson Berto is also on the under card. I wish they would have done a pre-CBS Showtime card so I could see his fight. He doesn’t have the best record but he’s real fun to watch.
The announcers tonight, as usual, are Gus Johnson, Mauro Ranallo and Frank Shamrock. Gus is great. Jimmy Lennon Jr is the ring announcer. They are running the show in Florida so Kimbo should draw in a good crowd tonight.
Middleweight Fight- Ninja Rua (16-8-1) vs. Benji Radach (18-4)
Radach has 14 knockouts in his 18 wins. Rua was the Middleweight Champ for Elite XC before dropping the belt to Robbie Lawler.
R1- Radach lands some shots early and then gets Ninja down on his knees and looked like he had a chance to put him away. Ninja gets back to his feet and pushes forward and shoves Benji down. Radach lands a big punch and follows with another lesser punch. Radach is a free swinger and he’s taking it to Ninja early. Ninja landed a shot but then came in unprotected and Benji knocked him back against the cage. Ninja is hurt. Benji is hitting him up against the cage. Both guys went down at the same time, I think Benji hit Ninja with a punch but then slipped. Benji tries to take Ninja’s back but Ninja instead gets the advantage and lands a couple of shots and then they go back to their feet and they are clinched. Ninja is getting some of his bearings back but is face is beaten up pretty good. Ninja with a knee and follows with a punch. Benji takes Ninja down but Ninja grabs an arm but then releases it. Ninja is active on the bottom as Benji is in his guard, but it’s a loose guard. Ninja goes for a heel hook. Benji spins out and regains a dominant position. Ninja grabs a guillotine but Benji again gets out. Ninja grabs a heel hook but Benji fights out. Ninja now has Benji up against the cage. Ninja ends the round in a dominant position. Really good first round and a great way for Elite XC to come out swinging on this show. Radach takes the first round 10-9 but Ninja regained his barring and made the fight close towards the end of the round as he had a bunch of submission attempts.
R2- Ninja comes out as the aggressor in this round and hits a couple of knees. Ninja walking down Benji and in control but comes in and eats a big straight right hand that rocks him but he remains on his feet. Ninja clinches against the cage but Benji denies the take down. Benji caught Ninja with a punch as he was coming in and Ninja slipped going for a knee and Benji immediately hit Ninja right square in the face several times and the fight is stopped.
Great fight for Benji. Ninja showed a pretty good chin as he took a bunch of strong shots but he just had really poor defense tonight and Benji picked his shots well and gets a really good victory for him and puts him in line for a shot at Middleweight Champ Robbie Lawler.
Winner: Benji Radach by TKO R2 2:31
Karyn Bryant interviews Gina Carano. They discuss her issues making weight for the fight.
Woman’s 140lb Fight- Gina Carano (6-0) vs. Kelly Kobald (16-2-1)
They show Cyborg watching at ringside and say that she won her fight earlier and they put her over. These will be 3 minute rounds.
R1- Carano lands a good shot right at the beginning. Kobald goes for a take down, the announcers say that Kobold doesn’t want to stand up with Carano. They battle against the cage for a while with Kobold trying to get the take down. Carano gets out and lands some shots. Kobold swinging wildly in defense. Carano landing better punches and landing knees. Kobold goes for another take down and they clinch against the cage. Shamrock notes that Kobold’s nose is busted open and they unclinch and you can see it now. They both swing at each other to close the round. Carano takes this round 10-9.
R2- Carano hits a good punch early and clinches Kobald but Kobald holds on. Kobald goes for another take down. Kobald lands a good punch but Carano answers. Kobald goes for another take down but is denied again. Carano is hitting some shots now and is starting to pick Kobald apart. Kobald finally gets a take down at the end of the round and lands a couple of shots. This was a much closer round but I’m not sure that I would give it to Kobald as I had Carano winning it pretty well up until the take down with 10 seconds left. I’ve got Carano 20-18.
R3- Kobald comes right across the ring at Carano trying for another take down. Gina still defending the take down after a full minute gone in the round. Ref separates them and Carano starts getting some nice strikes in on Kobald. Kobald clinches again going for a take down. Gina with a knee and another in defense. One minute left in the fight. Gina has Kobald in a Rear Naked from the side and gets a take down but can’t get the submission. They are back to their feet as Carano lost the move when they went to the ground. Carano with some strikes and a front kick. Kobald is exhausted at this point and Carano is just picking her apart. Carano takes this round and will win by decision. I’ve got it 30-27, but I could see a 29-28. They show Cyborg ringside again and are hyping a fight between her and Carano. Carano landed 62 strikes to Kobold’s 28 during the fight.
Judges scores are: 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27.
Winner: Gina Carano by Decision (Unanimous)
Gus is in the ring and interviews Gina. Gus brings up Cyborg and asks if she’s is Gina’s next opponent. Gina says that she will fight whoever they put in front of her and puts Cyborg over.
Heavyweight Fight- Andrei Arlovski (13-5) vs. Roy Nelson (13-2)
This fight is brought to us by Affliction. Nelson is on a 5 fight win streak and he has finished all of those fights. Nelson has one of the worst physiques that you will see on an MMA fighter. Andrei has a 4 inch height advantage and “Big Country” Nelson has a 22 lb weight advantage. Nelson is a former IFL Heavyweight Champion. Andrei is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. Arlovski gets a good reaction from the crowd. Tito Ortiz is shown ringside and they say that it is rumored that he could be a part of Elite XC in the future. Mauro says that he is having back surgery and will be back in action next year. Mauro says that he bets Frank would like to see Tito as a part of Elite XC and Frank answers that it “would give me something to do with my fists.”
R1- Arlovski starts off with some low kicks and Nelson clinches. Andrei takes him down but Nelson rolls over and is on top of Andrei. Nelson passes quickly into side control. Nelson going for an arm submission but gives it up. Nelson moves to the north/south position but Andrei bucks out of it. Nelson gets back into half guard and then moves to side control again and has an arm. The ref brings them back to their feet. Big Country clinches against the cage again. Arlovski lands a good knee. The ref separates them again. Arlovski gets some shots in on Nelson. Nelson clinches again. The first round goes to Nelson as he controlled the round early on the ground. As the round went on it seemed like Nelson grew tired and it allowed Arlovski to stand and get some good strikes in. Nelson 10-9 after one round.
At the end of the round Karyn Bryant interviews Tito Ortiz ringside. Tito says he’s still a Free Agent but says he’s about a week away from signing a deal. Tito says that he would be interested in a fight with Frank Shamrock.
R2- Nelson hits a shot early and it wobbles Arlovski but instead of following up he clinches Arlovski against the cage. Arlovski hits a knee on Nelson. Arlovski hits a left hand and then a right and then a kick. Great combination by Andrei. Andrei has a clinch and lands some knees and punches. Andrei with a leg kick and then some jabs and then just destroys Nelson with a big left hand and this one is over. Nelson got tired and Andrei just owned this round.
Winner: Andrei Arlovski by KO R2
Welterweight Title Fight- Jake Shields © (21-4-1) vs. Paul Daley (18-6-2)
Shields has a 3” height advantage but Daley has a 2.5” reach advantage. Daley is the Cage Rage Welterweight Champion. Shields has won 10 straight fights.
R1- Shields pushes early. Daley hits a nice strike as Shields attempts a take down. Daley sprawls out of it nicely. Shields goes for a take down and gets it with about three and a half minutes left. Shields passes guard and gets full mount. Shields landing some strikes. Shields continuing with some Ground and Pound and it seems to be growing in velocity and he starts to hit some elbows. Shields moves back to side control and gets full mount again and lands some Ground and Pound strikes. Shields is just controlling Daley right now. Shields goes for an arm bar but can’t get it so he regains full mount and goes for it again but Daley flips him over and is now in Shields guard and Daley hits a couple of nice shots. Round one goes to Shields 10-9, Daley needs to keep the fight standing up if he wants to win.
Karyn is backstage with Kimbo Slice. Kimbo’s answers are real short and he looks like he’s ready to get down to business.
R2- Daley pushes Shields early and Shields goes for a take down but Daley sprawls. Shields goes for another take down and goes for a heel hook but Daley gets out of it. Shields take down is stuffed again. Shields finally gets a take down and is immediately in full mount. Shields is getting in some light Ground and Pound. Shields with elbows and Daley smiles at him but can’t get out from under Shields. Shields moves to side control and then back to mount and goes for an arm bar and Daley has to tap out.
This was a tough fight for Shields as Daley was clearly better on stand up. Shields definitely showed some weaknesses tonight but still won the fight.
Winner and still champion: Jake Shields by Submission (Arm Bar) R2 3:47
Gus interviews Jake in the ring after the fight. Shields says that he’s up for whatever Elite XC has for him and suggests moving up in weight to take on Robbie Lawler.
They show highlights of the Cyborg/Takahashi fight after the break. Cyborg won by Unanimous Decision. Gina is shown ringside. They hype up a Cyborg/Carano fight but don’t announce it as official.
Heavyweight Fight- Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson (3-0) vs. Seth Petruzelli (10-4)
Kimbo is backstage getting hyped up. Bas Rutten is by his side. The announcers put over Kimbo for taking this fight tonight after Shamrock could not go. Kimbo has the physical advantage in this fight. He’s 2 inches taller, 29 pounds heavier and has a 4 inch reach advantage. Hulk Hogan is shown at ringside with a large breasted blonde woman.
R1- Kimbo just got destroyed in about 20 seconds by Seth! Wow. That was an amazing performance by Seth. I think Elite XC just folded before our very own eyes here on National Television. Man, I can just see Dana White smiling at this.
Seth hit a quick jab and possibly a front kick and Kimbo was down on his knees and Seth just kept pounding him until the ref stepped in.
Gus interviews Seth and Kimbo post match. Seth is very gracious in victory. Kimbo doesn’t shy away and still gets on the mic but then kind of walks away before Gus can ask him what is next for him.
Winner: Seth Petruzelli by TKO (strikes) R1 0:14
Good night of fights and a shocking Main Event. Great TV, but it’s got to be the worst thing to happen for Elite XC from a business perspective because Kimbo was their meal ticket into the mainstream.
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