Strikeforce 4/11/09 Re-Cap

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.

Elite XC CBS "Saturday Night Fights" 7/26/08

Elite XC Saturday Night Fights on CBS 7/26/08

Tonight we’ve got the Middleweight Title re-match from the first CBS show as Robbie Lawler defends against Scott Smith. Nick Diaz will be in action against Thomas Denny. Jake Shields will also be fighting.

Gus Johnson, Mauro Ranallo and Frank Shamrock will do the announcing. Gus puts over that their first show was the most watched MMA telecast in the history of the sport. Gus definitely brings a high level of professionalism and legitimacy to the broadcast. Who do you want for your announcer- Gus Johnson or Jay Glazer? It should be interesting if Lawler wins and Shamrock interviews him as that is a rumored potential match-up later this year.

Woman’s Bantamweight Fight- Shayna Baszler (11-4) vs. Christiane Cyborg (4-0)

Gina Carano is at ringside for the fight and gets a good reaction when she is shown. Baszler has won 4 fights in a row. Cyborg is the wife of the former Pride Fighter by the same last name. They are fighting at 140 lbs. This is Cyborg’s US debut. Three of her four wins are by KO. All of Baszler’s wins have been by submission. Baszler trains with Josh Barnett. These rounds are only 3 minutes.

R1- Cyborg is very active early with some strikes but Shayna gets a take down and goes for a knee bar and instead takes a toe hold. Cyborg gets out and is on top of Shayna and landing some strikes. Shayna goes for another leg submission. Close first round. Cyborg landing more punches and Baszler attempting three submissions. Really close fight.

A commercial for Pineapple Express is shown. It looks awesome.

R2- They come out fighting with both women throwing and attacking. Cyborg lands some nice punches and seems to be taking over this fight. She lands a nasty knee. Cyborg is just picking Shayna apart. Shayna goes to the floor and Cyborg walks away like the fight is over and then leaps up on the cage and is celebrating. What a huge mistake. Cyborg gives Mazzagatti a look of disbelief. Cyborg comes back and lands some nice shots. Cyborg is just lighting Shayna up against the cage. Cyborg finally gets a KO. Cyborg looked awesome. I’m not sure she has much between the ears but she can fight. Very exciting second round. Cyborg landed 48 punches in the two rounds.

Winner: Chrisiane Cyborg by TKO (strikes) R2 2:48

Karyn Bryant interviews Gina Carano at ringside. Carano says she wants to fight Cyborg. Carano will be fighting on the next CBS show on October 4th.

Welterweight Title Fight- Jake Shields (20-4-1) vs. Nick Thompson (26-9-1)

This fight is for the vacant Elite XC Welterweight Championship. Nick Thompson is a law school graduate and will be taking the BAR exam in 2 days. Mauro puts over the Thompson has given Eddie Alvarez his only loss. Thompson is on a 12 fight win streak, Shields is on a 9 fight win streak. Shields is the hometown fighter in this fight. Thompson is announced as the Bodog Welterweight Title holder.

R1- Shields take the fight down quickly and gets full mount almost immediately. Nick slips out by Shields grabs a guillotine and finishes the fight quickly in impressive fashion. Great showing by Jake Shields.

Winner and new champion: Jake Shields by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1

Karyn Bryant is at ringside with Kimbo Slice. Kimbo will be on the October show at Ft Lauderdale.

Lightweight Fight- Nick Diaz (17-7) vs. Thomas Denny (26-16)

This is definitely a showcase fight for Nick Diaz as Elite XC is just killing time before his showdown/re-match with KJ Noons. Thomas Denny looks like the MMA version of Jeff Hardy. Diaz is the hometown fighter in this fight. Diaz has a 4” reach advantage and a 4” height advantage.

R1- Denny comes out early and tries to take it to Diaz, who usually likes to start methodically from what I’ve seen. Denny got a take down but no damage. Denny goes for a take down but Diaz has his Denny’s arm. Diaz is going for the arm bar but losses it. Both guys are landing some pretty good shots. Denny is getting in a surprising amount of offense. Diaz starting to get more shots. Diaz is starting to find the range with the jab and Denny is trying to keep Diaz close by clinching him. Diaz hit a good stiff left that knocked Denny backwards and then he goes down and Diaz lands a couple of shots as he gets back to his feet. Diaz is landing more shots and Denny is clinching to try and hold on until round two. Denny almost looks out on his feet but he’s staying on his feet. Fans are on their feet. Really exciting close to the round. Diaz 10-9. Diaz landed 75 punches in the first round.

R2- Diaz landing some nice punches early in the round and Denny is wobbly. Diaz starting to play to the crowd and then peppers Denny. Denny just trying to cover up but this looks like the end for him. Denny finally goes down and Diaz hits a couple of well placed punches and the ref puts an end to this one. Good fight and a fantastic introduction of Nick Diaz to the casual viewers. They just made a very methodical fighter (not that this is a bad thing) seem like one of the most exciting fighters going today. Diaz landed 93 strikes in this fight, 91 punches in 5 minutes and 30 seconds.

Winner: Nick Diaz by TKO (strikes) R2 0:30

Anderson Silva is in the crowd (he cornered Feijao on the Showtime portion of the card earlier) and Gus Johnson and Mauro Rannallo both put him over as the P4P best fighter in the world.

Middleweight Title Fight- Robbie Lawler © (15-4) vs. Scott Smith (15-4)

Lawler has a 4” reach advantage. Lawler was winning the striking game in the last fight but it was pretty even when it was stopped. Both fighters are 15-4 with 1 no contest.

R1- Smith getting some leg kicks early. Lawler blocks a big high kick. They are starting to throw some punches now about 2 minutes into the fight. Lawler hits a roundhouse to the body and then blocks another roundhouse to his head from Smith. Lawler finding the range as he hits three punches in a row and Smith bounces off the fence a little wobbled. Lawler with a left kick and then a right hand and then another left kick and another right. Lawler misses a big leg kick and Smith comes back and pushes forward and hits a nice punch. Smith landing some strikes. Close round. If I had to pick I would go Lawler 10-9. Smith started to come back toward the end of the round to even it up towards the end.

R2- Lawler hits a body kick and then they clinch and Smith gets some nice shots in on Lawler. Lawler now backs Smith up against the cage and hits him with 2 or 3 really hard punches. Lawler is busted open. Lawler hitting Smith with body shots in a clinch. Lawler with some nice dirty boxing shots. Robbie Lawler is cut bad, Mauro comments that they had some plasma land near them. Lawler getting some knees and Smith gets buckled and is down to his knees. Smith gets back up but eats another knee and falls to the ground and Herb Dean stops the fight. Smith really got hurt by the knees to the body.

Good fight but not as exciting as the first one.

Winner: Robbie Lawler by TKO (strikes) R2 2:35

While this show didn’t have the star power of Kimbo Slice and Gina Carano (other than in the audience) I thought that this show featured better fights and was a better effort than the first CBS show. No doubt this will not do as well in the ratings but it was a good night of fights.