Strikeforce: Evolution
HP Pavilion
San Jose, California
12/20/09
The feature attraction tonight is the return of undefeated former Middleweight Champion Cung Le to take on slugger Scott Smith. Mauro Ranallo is the lead announcer and he’s joined on the show by Frank Shamrock and Stephan Quadros. Jimmy Lennon, Jr is the ring announcer. We will also Matt Lindland, Ronaldo Jacare Souza and Mo Lawal on tonight’s show. Also tonight is the Lightweight title re-match between champion Josh Thomson and the man he beat for the title Gilbert Melendez.
Jake Shields, Robbie Lawler, Cris Cyborg, KJ Noons, Herschel Walker, Bobby Lashley, and Dan Henderson are all in attendance ringside for the show tonight.
Heavyweight Fight- Mo Lawal (5-0) vs. Mike Whitehead (24-7)
Lawal is a Light Heavyweight so it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the weight differential in this fight. Whitehead weighs in at 261 pounds versus only 218 for Lawal. Lawal has a 4” reach advantage. Whitehead has won 15 of his last 16 fights including a real snoozer against Kevin Randleman by in June.
R1- King Mo landed some decent shots early as Whitehead looked to clinch. Mo continues to land some good jabs and Whitehead is bleeding from near his eye. Mo hit a big time 1-2 combo flooring Whitehead and then jumping on top and finishing him off. Very impressive showing by King Mo.
Winner: Mo Lawal by KO R1 3:08
Middleweight Fight- Matt Lindland (21-6) vs. Jacare Souza (10-2)
Souza is a jiu jitsu fighter and Lindland is a wrestler. 9 of Jacare’s 10 wins have come from submission. Lindland is an Olympic Silver Medalist wrestler and Jacare is a two-time BJJ World Champion.
R1- Jacare lands some strikes early and avoids a take down. Jacare landed a good shot to the body but then got taken down by Lindland. Jacare got in position for an arm bar. Lindland was able to escape but Jacare took an advantageous position. Jacare was able to take side control and clamp in an arm triangle and he tapped Lindland.
Winner: Jacare Souza By Submission (Arm Triangle) R1 4:18
Two great debuts by King Mo and Jacare in the first two fights for Strikeforce.
Strikeforce Lightweight Title Fight- Josh Thomson © (16-2) vs. Gilbert Melendez (16-2)
This is a re-match from the 6/27/08 Strikeforce show where Thomson beat Melendez for the title via decision (50-45 on all score cards). Since that time Thomson has been battling injuries and Melendez defeated Rodrigo Damm for the Interim title. This is Thomson’s first title defense since winning the title. Thomson has won 8 straight fights.
R1- They exchanged some shots in the first minute. Thomson grabbed a Melendez kick and took him off his feet but they quickly got back to their feet and exchanged some leather with Thomson getting the better of the shots. Melendez went for a take down but could not get it but he did land a couple of strikes. Melendez landed some good shots in an exchange late in the round. Really good first round that was virtually even. I’ve got Thomson up 10-9 by just a hair.
R2- Melendez landed a good right hand to start off the round that floored Thomson. Thomson quickly got back to his feet and they exchanged leather before Melendez hit Thomson with a low blow. Melendez caught a Thomson kick but couldn’t take him off his feet. Very even round with the exception of the opening knock down. Thomson landed a couple of shots that looked like they stunned Melendez a bit. Both guys stood toe to toe and threw wild punches and Thomson went down but he grabbed onto Melendez to give himself time to recover and the round ends with Melendez on top. This round went to Melendez so we’ve got a 19-19 fight after two rounds.
R3- Melendez is the aggressor in the first half of the round. Thomson went for a take down but could not get Melendez off his feet. Melendez took this round and I’ve got him up 29-28 on my score card.
R4- Thomson got an early take down but could not keep Melendez on the ground. Melendez caught a Thomson kick and briefly got him on the ground but he couldn’t hold him down. Both guys landed some decent shots in the last minute of the round. Melendez landed an eye poke with 12 seconds left in the round. This was the closest round of any and could have gone either way.
R5- Thomson landed some good shots and then both guys went toe to toe. Thomson is really coming out swinging for the fences thinking that he probably needs to finish this fight to keep his championship. Thomson looked like he punched himself out and then Melendez landed a good punch that floored him and Melendez jumped into Thomson’s guard. Thomson got back to his feet with two minutes left in the fight. Melendez rushed in and Thomson took him down to the mat with one minute left in the fight but Melendez fought back to his feet. Both guys stood toe to toe and slugged it out to end the fight. Really strong fight, possible Fight of the Year Candidate. I’ve got Melendez taking this fight via decision.
Judges score cards show: 49-47, 49-46, 49-46 in favor of Melendez
Winner and new champion: Gilbert Melendez by Decision (Unanimous)
Dan Henderson and Bobby Lashley are interviewed cage side. Henderson says that he’s going to be fighting at Middleweight to start.
Friday January 22nd will be the next Strikeforce Challengers event
Saturday January 30th will be the next Strikeforce event featuring Nick Diaz, Cris Cyborg, Robbie Lawler, Bobby Lashley and Herschel Walker.
In April 2010 Strikeforce/M-1 Global Saturday Night Fights will return featuring Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson
Middleweight Fight- Cung Le (6-0) vs. Scott Smith (16-6)
R1- Cung Le hit a wicked spinning back kick one minute into the fight that dropped Scott Smith. Cung then jumped on top and landed some shots until Smith got back to his feet at the half way point of the round. Le landed another spinning back kick as Smith was leaning back and it knocked him down but didn’t have near the impact of the last one and Smith quickly got back to his feet. Let hit a good round house kick to the face. Le hit another back kick that knocked Smith to the cage but not off his feet. Borderline 10-8 round in favor of Le. Let out struck Smith 45 to 4 in the first round so I’d say that 10-8 is a good score for round one.
R2- Le knocked Smith down with another spinning back kick. Le jumped on top but Smith wrapped him up until the ref stood them back up half way through the round. Lots of clinching in the second half of the round. Le is up 20-17 after two rounds but Le looks like his cardio is fading.
R3- Le landed good back to back spinning back kicks but Smith did not leave his feet. Le landed some good punches and then a spinning back fist. Le slammed Smith to the ground but could not hold him down. Smith landed some shots and clipped Le with a left hand that knocked Le to the mat. Le got back up and Smith landed a big right that folded Le’s legs. Smith jumped on top and the ref stopped the fight. Le dominated this fight until mid-way through the last round and Smith landed about 10 punches and won this fight. Amazing.
Winner: Scott Smith by TKO (Strikes) R3 3:25
Showing posts with label Cung Le. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cung Le. Show all posts
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Strikeforce on NBC 11/30 Show Re-Cap
Strikeforce on NBC 11/30 Show Re-Cap
This weeks show features a compilation of the 10 best knockouts of the season.
10. Cung Le vs Mike Altman- This was Cung Le’s MMA debut. Le hit a spinning back kick to knock Altman up against the cage and then popped him in the chin with a right hook for the KO. Cung Le did a back flip after the win.
9. Frank Shamrock vs Cesar Gracie- This was just 21 seconds into the fight and Frank nailed him with a right and then hit some Ground and Pound and the ref stopped it as Gracie’s corner threw in the white towel.
8. Luke Stewart vs Bryson Kamaka- Stewart hit a couple of knees. One to the chest and one to the forehead and this one was over. This one only lasted 19 seconds.
7. Joe Riggs vs. Eugene Jackson- Riggs hit some Ground and Pound on Jackson and then postured up and nailed Jackson with several punches from the half guard position and Jacksons lights went out.
6. Kazuo Misaki vs. Joe Riggs- Riggs got a shot that floored Misaki and Misaki answered and knocked Riggs down and then got a Ground and Pound victory. Not really a good “knockout.”
5. Duane Ludwig vs. Tony Fryklund- Ludwig just nailed Fryklund with some Ground and Pound and then when they stood up he delivered a tough left hand that knocked him out.
4. Terry Martin vs. Cory Devela- Devela was winning this fight but walked in to a Martin left that floored him and then Martin hit him with a right on the ground to finish him off.
3. Paul Buentello vs. Tank Abbott- Buentello hit him with a big right hand and Tank fell over like a tree being chopped.
2. Paul Buentello vs. Carter Williams- Buentello hit several uppercuts coming out to start a round and this one was over.
1. Cung Le vs. Brian Warren- Le hit several punches and Warren stumbled and then Le knocked him out with a good right hand. The funny thing is that this was about 30 seconds after Warren mocking Cung Le.
This weeks show features a compilation of the 10 best knockouts of the season.
10. Cung Le vs Mike Altman- This was Cung Le’s MMA debut. Le hit a spinning back kick to knock Altman up against the cage and then popped him in the chin with a right hook for the KO. Cung Le did a back flip after the win.
9. Frank Shamrock vs Cesar Gracie- This was just 21 seconds into the fight and Frank nailed him with a right and then hit some Ground and Pound and the ref stopped it as Gracie’s corner threw in the white towel.
8. Luke Stewart vs Bryson Kamaka- Stewart hit a couple of knees. One to the chest and one to the forehead and this one was over. This one only lasted 19 seconds.
7. Joe Riggs vs. Eugene Jackson- Riggs hit some Ground and Pound on Jackson and then postured up and nailed Jackson with several punches from the half guard position and Jacksons lights went out.
6. Kazuo Misaki vs. Joe Riggs- Riggs got a shot that floored Misaki and Misaki answered and knocked Riggs down and then got a Ground and Pound victory. Not really a good “knockout.”
5. Duane Ludwig vs. Tony Fryklund- Ludwig just nailed Fryklund with some Ground and Pound and then when they stood up he delivered a tough left hand that knocked him out.
4. Terry Martin vs. Cory Devela- Devela was winning this fight but walked in to a Martin left that floored him and then Martin hit him with a right on the ground to finish him off.
3. Paul Buentello vs. Tank Abbott- Buentello hit him with a big right hand and Tank fell over like a tree being chopped.
2. Paul Buentello vs. Carter Williams- Buentello hit several uppercuts coming out to start a round and this one was over.
1. Cung Le vs. Brian Warren- Le hit several punches and Warren stumbled and then Le knocked him out with a good right hand. The funny thing is that this was about 30 seconds after Warren mocking Cung Le.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Strikeforce on NBC 5/18 Re-Cap
Strikeforce on NBC 5/18 Re-Cap
Last week we saw Gilbert Melendez victorious. This week it’s Cung Le, Luke Stewart and Daniel Puder.
Cung Le (0-0) vs. Mike Altman (101)
R1- This is apparently Cung Le’s debut in MMA. Le hits a nice kick to start and another. Definitely popping the crowd with some “ohhhs and ahhhs”. Le keeps him at bay by throwing kicks. Le hits a nice back kick to the stomach. Le just misses with a couple of spinning back kicks. Three minutes in and Le hits another nice kick. Le hits a couple of punches and then hits a spinning back kick and just nails Altman with a punch right to the chin to end the fight. Great finish by Cung Le and he looked real good in his debut. This is the third fight I’ve seen of Cung Le and he’s looked good in all of his fights and he is a very exciting fighter. I would love to see him in there with more experienced and competitive fighters as his career continues.
Winner: Cung Le by KO R1 3:51
Luke Stewart (3-0) vs. Sam Liera (4-1)
Stewart has a ton of tattoos. They do a small video package of him. He owns a tattoo shop and likes to tap people out.
R1- They clinch and go to the ground. Liera is on top and in slight control of the fight. Stewart reverses and is in full mount. Stewart is throwing punches down and Liera trying to defend. Stewart continuing to punch and throwing some hammer punches. Stewart is continuing to punch and Liera is not fighting back but just covering up and the ref steps in as Liera just couldn’t get out of Stewart’s full mount.
Winner: Luke Stewart by TKO (punches) R1
Daniel Puder (1-0) vs. Jesse Fujarczyk (2-0)
They talk about the Daniel Puder/Kurt Angle incident from WWE.
R1- Jesse hits a punch to start off the fight and Puder takes him down to the ground and has him against the cage. Puder isn’t doing too much and the crowd is growing restless so the ref stands them up. Puder hits a kick and then they clinch. They throw some punches and Puder gets the best of it and Puder continues to pound away and then gets his back and puts him away with a quick Rear Naked Choke for the tap. They show 2 fans in the crowd with “I Hurt Kurt” t-shirts on.
Winner: Daniel Puder by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 1:54
This was a pretty good show as it featured 3 fights with 3 young and new fighters. The only thing I didn’t like was that you knew who was going to win the fights due to the three guys being featured at the top of the show. I would prefer a more UFC style (UFC Wired or UFC Unleashed) where they introduce all the fighters and you don’t know who is going to win unless you’ve already read or heard the results elsewhere.
Last week we saw Gilbert Melendez victorious. This week it’s Cung Le, Luke Stewart and Daniel Puder.
Cung Le (0-0) vs. Mike Altman (101)
R1- This is apparently Cung Le’s debut in MMA. Le hits a nice kick to start and another. Definitely popping the crowd with some “ohhhs and ahhhs”. Le keeps him at bay by throwing kicks. Le hits a nice back kick to the stomach. Le just misses with a couple of spinning back kicks. Three minutes in and Le hits another nice kick. Le hits a couple of punches and then hits a spinning back kick and just nails Altman with a punch right to the chin to end the fight. Great finish by Cung Le and he looked real good in his debut. This is the third fight I’ve seen of Cung Le and he’s looked good in all of his fights and he is a very exciting fighter. I would love to see him in there with more experienced and competitive fighters as his career continues.
Winner: Cung Le by KO R1 3:51
Luke Stewart (3-0) vs. Sam Liera (4-1)
Stewart has a ton of tattoos. They do a small video package of him. He owns a tattoo shop and likes to tap people out.
R1- They clinch and go to the ground. Liera is on top and in slight control of the fight. Stewart reverses and is in full mount. Stewart is throwing punches down and Liera trying to defend. Stewart continuing to punch and throwing some hammer punches. Stewart is continuing to punch and Liera is not fighting back but just covering up and the ref steps in as Liera just couldn’t get out of Stewart’s full mount.
Winner: Luke Stewart by TKO (punches) R1
Daniel Puder (1-0) vs. Jesse Fujarczyk (2-0)
They talk about the Daniel Puder/Kurt Angle incident from WWE.
R1- Jesse hits a punch to start off the fight and Puder takes him down to the ground and has him against the cage. Puder isn’t doing too much and the crowd is growing restless so the ref stands them up. Puder hits a kick and then they clinch. They throw some punches and Puder gets the best of it and Puder continues to pound away and then gets his back and puts him away with a quick Rear Naked Choke for the tap. They show 2 fans in the crowd with “I Hurt Kurt” t-shirts on.
Winner: Daniel Puder by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 1:54
This was a pretty good show as it featured 3 fights with 3 young and new fighters. The only thing I didn’t like was that you knew who was going to win the fights due to the three guys being featured at the top of the show. I would prefer a more UFC style (UFC Wired or UFC Unleashed) where they introduce all the fighters and you don’t know who is going to win unless you’ve already read or heard the results elsewhere.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Strikeforce on NBC debut show re-cap
Strikeforce on NBC debut show
Start off with guys talking and highlight shown. Gilbert Melendez, Cung Le and Frank Shamrock are among those shown but are not identified by name.
Lon McEachern welcomes us to the show. Says they will kick off with Cung Le. They show Le talking and have his trainer talking about him.
Cung Le vs. Brian Warren- 6/9/06
Lon McEachern and Ken Shamrock are the announcers. Warren charges at Le but gets a swift kick for his troubles. This is Le’s second MMA fight. Le takes Warren down with a slam and now has side control and moves into half guard and then into full guard. Le stands up with him and slams him again. Le is trying to get some punches in but not much is happening on the ground and the ref stands them up. Le with a spinning heel kick and then a roundhouse kick and then a knee. Warren responds with a knee but doesn’t have much effect. Le with some punches. Le with a spinning heel kick. Warren trying to come back and misses a big swing. Le with some short elbows and they tie up. Looks like Le has a small cut on his face. Warren swinging trying to land a wild knockout blow. Le with some shots to the head and Warren is knocked loopy and Le wins with a combo of several punches. Good finishing power and Le looked impressive here as he wins by KO in his second fight.
Winner: Cung Le by KO R1 4:19
Tony Fryklund vs. Duane Ludwig- 12/8/06
Long feeling out process here as there is not much action so far. Fryklund tries to get a clinch but Ludwig gets a couple of knees in the process. They trade combos that miss for the most part but then Ludwig lands some more knees but Ludwig ends up down but Fryklund lets him get up. Pretty even fight so far. Ludwig with a good combo and now going to town with punches and kicks and knees. Ludwig dominating now with kicks and punches and Ludwig floors him with a sweep kick but Fryklund is quickly back to his feet. Ludwig continues to deliver punishment to Fryklund. Fryklund grabs him and finally takes him down but Ludwig shows good take down defense. They are now up against the cage with Fryklund in control but Ludwig pushes him off. Ludwig clearly won the first round as he is just the superior fighter in terms of striking. Fryklunk failed to take Ludwig down in the first round and is going to have to take the fight to the ground in order to win.
R2- Fryklund trying to jab to keep Ludwig at bay but Ludwig hits a good punch. Fryklund trying to be more pro-active in this round and trying to keep moving forward. Misses a Superman punch and is now going for a take down but he’s denied. Ludwig with a combo. Ludwig lands a good knee. Ludwig lands a great kick and is now going to town on Fryklund and jumps on top. Ludwig is landing blows on top. Several punches. They stand back up and Ludwig with a knee and then knocks him out with a punch and the ref calls for the bell.
Impressive showing for Ludwig as he dominated this fight and finished it in Round 2. Ludwig also showed impressive take down defense in the win.
Winner: Duane “Bang” Ludwig by TKO (knee) R2 3:37
They come back from commercial and show highlights of the fight and show the announcing of the winner in the ring.
That’s it for the debut show. Really good production values. I thought Shamrock was real good on Play-By-Play and McEachern wasn’t bad. They showed a good fight to highlight Cung Le as he won impressively and the Ludwig fight was good as well as both fights were mostly stand-up and had a lot of action. Good debut show and good use of 30 minutes. Definitely looking forward to seeing this show in the future.
Go to nbcsports.com (click on MMA) to view tonight’s show and go to strikeforceusa.net for info on Strikeforce and the fighters on tonight’s show.
Start off with guys talking and highlight shown. Gilbert Melendez, Cung Le and Frank Shamrock are among those shown but are not identified by name.
Lon McEachern welcomes us to the show. Says they will kick off with Cung Le. They show Le talking and have his trainer talking about him.
Cung Le vs. Brian Warren- 6/9/06
Lon McEachern and Ken Shamrock are the announcers. Warren charges at Le but gets a swift kick for his troubles. This is Le’s second MMA fight. Le takes Warren down with a slam and now has side control and moves into half guard and then into full guard. Le stands up with him and slams him again. Le is trying to get some punches in but not much is happening on the ground and the ref stands them up. Le with a spinning heel kick and then a roundhouse kick and then a knee. Warren responds with a knee but doesn’t have much effect. Le with some punches. Le with a spinning heel kick. Warren trying to come back and misses a big swing. Le with some short elbows and they tie up. Looks like Le has a small cut on his face. Warren swinging trying to land a wild knockout blow. Le with some shots to the head and Warren is knocked loopy and Le wins with a combo of several punches. Good finishing power and Le looked impressive here as he wins by KO in his second fight.
Winner: Cung Le by KO R1 4:19
Tony Fryklund vs. Duane Ludwig- 12/8/06
Long feeling out process here as there is not much action so far. Fryklund tries to get a clinch but Ludwig gets a couple of knees in the process. They trade combos that miss for the most part but then Ludwig lands some more knees but Ludwig ends up down but Fryklund lets him get up. Pretty even fight so far. Ludwig with a good combo and now going to town with punches and kicks and knees. Ludwig dominating now with kicks and punches and Ludwig floors him with a sweep kick but Fryklund is quickly back to his feet. Ludwig continues to deliver punishment to Fryklund. Fryklund grabs him and finally takes him down but Ludwig shows good take down defense. They are now up against the cage with Fryklund in control but Ludwig pushes him off. Ludwig clearly won the first round as he is just the superior fighter in terms of striking. Fryklunk failed to take Ludwig down in the first round and is going to have to take the fight to the ground in order to win.
R2- Fryklund trying to jab to keep Ludwig at bay but Ludwig hits a good punch. Fryklund trying to be more pro-active in this round and trying to keep moving forward. Misses a Superman punch and is now going for a take down but he’s denied. Ludwig with a combo. Ludwig lands a good knee. Ludwig lands a great kick and is now going to town on Fryklund and jumps on top. Ludwig is landing blows on top. Several punches. They stand back up and Ludwig with a knee and then knocks him out with a punch and the ref calls for the bell.
Impressive showing for Ludwig as he dominated this fight and finished it in Round 2. Ludwig also showed impressive take down defense in the win.
Winner: Duane “Bang” Ludwig by TKO (knee) R2 3:37
They come back from commercial and show highlights of the fight and show the announcing of the winner in the ring.
That’s it for the debut show. Really good production values. I thought Shamrock was real good on Play-By-Play and McEachern wasn’t bad. They showed a good fight to highlight Cung Le as he won impressively and the Ludwig fight was good as well as both fights were mostly stand-up and had a lot of action. Good debut show and good use of 30 minutes. Definitely looking forward to seeing this show in the future.
Go to nbcsports.com (click on MMA) to view tonight’s show and go to strikeforceusa.net for info on Strikeforce and the fighters on tonight’s show.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Strikeforce/EliteXC "Shamrock vs. Cung Le" Thoughts
Strikeforce/EliteXC "Shamrock vs. Cung Le"
Saturday, March 29, 2008
HP Pavillion at San Jose, CA
Showing on: Showtime on 9pm ET/PT
185 lbs: Joey Villasenor (185) vs. Ryan Jensen (186)
Villasenor controlled this match. It started out slow and then opened up when Villasenor landed some punches. Jenson looked like he got woke up and briefly became the aggressor but then Villasenor baited him with two jabs and then just blasted him for a knockout.
265 lbs: Mike Kyle (225) vs. Wayne Cole (209)
Both these guys looked to be in really good shape. When they stood up at the beginning of the fight Cole looked a little uncomfortable in his stance but quickly took down Kyle and almost immediately tapped him out in what had to be 30 seconds into the fight. Cole looked really good in his quick victory.
155 lbs: Gilbert Melendez (154.5) vs. Gabe Lemley (153)
This was for Melendez’s Strikeforce lightweight title and Melendez just dominated and controlled this fight until the ref finally called for the bell in the middle of the second round as Lemley just wasn’t defending himself anymore. Melendez looked impressive.
172 lbs: Drew Fickett (171) vs. Jae Suk Lim (170)
This was real quick. Fickett took Suk Lim down, Lim used some good takedown defense but Fickett rolled over on top. Suk Lim then got out of the guard and stood up but Fickett quickly grabbed a tight guillotine on him and then Suk Lim went down and tapped out. Fickett is another guy who looked really good in victory tonight. Everybody who has one tonight has been impressive in one way or another.
185 lbs: Frank Shamrock (185) vs. Cung Le (183)
These are the first two guys that get the superstar treatment from the crowd. Shamrock seemed to get as many boos as he did cheers but this quickly turned to cheers when he came out in a San Jose Sharks hoodie. This is for the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship. Crowd seems to have woken up for this match. Crowd turns on Le during intros and then turns to mostly cheers. Crowd seems to be split tonight as Shamrock gets pretty much the same treatment. Either way the guys are getting a reaction and that’s a good thing.
Round 1: Good early feeling out process as Le goes for a back kick but Shamrock grabs him around the waist. Le gets out and Shamrock plays to the crowd as they are really into this. Both guys going for kicks and then throwing hard punches. Le gets a right hook in. They are feeling each other out mid way into the round. Lee has some good quick kicks. Le goes for a spinning back kick and misses and Shamrock gets an opening and is all over him as Le’s momentum takes him down and Shamrock gets in a couple of good shots but they are back to their feet. Shamrock bullys him into the cage with a shot or two but Le is quickly out. Shamrock is visably smiling. Shamrock gets in a couple of shots on the cage at the end of the round. Really good close opening fight. Le really seemed to have the advantage for the first half of the round but Shamrock really controlled the cage, had a takedown and got some good offense in at the end of the round. I would barely give this round to Shamrock 30-29 but could see it going either way.
Round 2: Le connected with a kick to the side of Shamrock’s face. Shamrock is welted and his mouthpiece flew out but he didn’t seem to look any worse for the wear as Le gave him the opportunity to put his mouthpiece back in. Le takes down Shamrock but lets him back up as Frank was calling for Le to come to the ground. Things are slowing down here in the second round as there is not as much action as the first. Le seems to be controlling the offense again in the first half of this round (like in the first). Quadros notes that this round has taken almost like a sparring match. Le then unloads with a solid right hand that staggers Shamrock but he quickly shrugs it off. Le definitely takes this round.
Round 3: Le gets a good roundhouse kick tha glances off of Shamrock’s head early but Shamrock shrugs it off no-selling it. Le hits a nice punch combo. Le still looks pretty sharp and hits another close call on a nice kick that is partially blocked by Shamrock. Le hits a spinning back fist that pops the crowd. Le grabs Shamrock’s leg on a leg and knocks his leg out from under him. Le is definitely seizing control of this fight as the crowd chants for Le. Shamrock seems to be moving in closer and trying to get better shots in on Le and finally pops him with one. Shamrock hits a couple of shots and is really throwing punches at Le and hitting some of them. Shamrock has Le on the fence and is measuring. Shamrock barely misses with a hard knee. Le comes back with a spinning back fist. Shamrock is really looking for the knockout. Let gets in a lot of shots right at the end of the round and the crowd is really into this as the round ends. Le dominated the early part of this round, Shamrock hit a really great flurry but then Le ended on top. I’m saying 2-1 right now for Le but could realisitically see it be 3-0 in favor of Le.
The fight is called after the third round and Le is awarded the victory. Shamrock is unable to answer the bell for Round 4. Great fight, really weird finish. They are saying that Shamrock has an arm injury and that’s why he can’t finish the fight. Probably from Le’s continued kicks. Great fight, Le is the new champ. Would love to see a re-match and/or see Le fight his next opponent. Le wins by TKO.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
HP Pavillion at San Jose, CA
Showing on: Showtime on 9pm ET/PT
185 lbs: Joey Villasenor (185) vs. Ryan Jensen (186)
Villasenor controlled this match. It started out slow and then opened up when Villasenor landed some punches. Jenson looked like he got woke up and briefly became the aggressor but then Villasenor baited him with two jabs and then just blasted him for a knockout.
265 lbs: Mike Kyle (225) vs. Wayne Cole (209)
Both these guys looked to be in really good shape. When they stood up at the beginning of the fight Cole looked a little uncomfortable in his stance but quickly took down Kyle and almost immediately tapped him out in what had to be 30 seconds into the fight. Cole looked really good in his quick victory.
155 lbs: Gilbert Melendez (154.5) vs. Gabe Lemley (153)
This was for Melendez’s Strikeforce lightweight title and Melendez just dominated and controlled this fight until the ref finally called for the bell in the middle of the second round as Lemley just wasn’t defending himself anymore. Melendez looked impressive.
172 lbs: Drew Fickett (171) vs. Jae Suk Lim (170)
This was real quick. Fickett took Suk Lim down, Lim used some good takedown defense but Fickett rolled over on top. Suk Lim then got out of the guard and stood up but Fickett quickly grabbed a tight guillotine on him and then Suk Lim went down and tapped out. Fickett is another guy who looked really good in victory tonight. Everybody who has one tonight has been impressive in one way or another.
185 lbs: Frank Shamrock (185) vs. Cung Le (183)
These are the first two guys that get the superstar treatment from the crowd. Shamrock seemed to get as many boos as he did cheers but this quickly turned to cheers when he came out in a San Jose Sharks hoodie. This is for the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship. Crowd seems to have woken up for this match. Crowd turns on Le during intros and then turns to mostly cheers. Crowd seems to be split tonight as Shamrock gets pretty much the same treatment. Either way the guys are getting a reaction and that’s a good thing.
Round 1: Good early feeling out process as Le goes for a back kick but Shamrock grabs him around the waist. Le gets out and Shamrock plays to the crowd as they are really into this. Both guys going for kicks and then throwing hard punches. Le gets a right hook in. They are feeling each other out mid way into the round. Lee has some good quick kicks. Le goes for a spinning back kick and misses and Shamrock gets an opening and is all over him as Le’s momentum takes him down and Shamrock gets in a couple of good shots but they are back to their feet. Shamrock bullys him into the cage with a shot or two but Le is quickly out. Shamrock is visably smiling. Shamrock gets in a couple of shots on the cage at the end of the round. Really good close opening fight. Le really seemed to have the advantage for the first half of the round but Shamrock really controlled the cage, had a takedown and got some good offense in at the end of the round. I would barely give this round to Shamrock 30-29 but could see it going either way.
Round 2: Le connected with a kick to the side of Shamrock’s face. Shamrock is welted and his mouthpiece flew out but he didn’t seem to look any worse for the wear as Le gave him the opportunity to put his mouthpiece back in. Le takes down Shamrock but lets him back up as Frank was calling for Le to come to the ground. Things are slowing down here in the second round as there is not as much action as the first. Le seems to be controlling the offense again in the first half of this round (like in the first). Quadros notes that this round has taken almost like a sparring match. Le then unloads with a solid right hand that staggers Shamrock but he quickly shrugs it off. Le definitely takes this round.
Round 3: Le gets a good roundhouse kick tha glances off of Shamrock’s head early but Shamrock shrugs it off no-selling it. Le hits a nice punch combo. Le still looks pretty sharp and hits another close call on a nice kick that is partially blocked by Shamrock. Le hits a spinning back fist that pops the crowd. Le grabs Shamrock’s leg on a leg and knocks his leg out from under him. Le is definitely seizing control of this fight as the crowd chants for Le. Shamrock seems to be moving in closer and trying to get better shots in on Le and finally pops him with one. Shamrock hits a couple of shots and is really throwing punches at Le and hitting some of them. Shamrock has Le on the fence and is measuring. Shamrock barely misses with a hard knee. Le comes back with a spinning back fist. Shamrock is really looking for the knockout. Let gets in a lot of shots right at the end of the round and the crowd is really into this as the round ends. Le dominated the early part of this round, Shamrock hit a really great flurry but then Le ended on top. I’m saying 2-1 right now for Le but could realisitically see it be 3-0 in favor of Le.
The fight is called after the third round and Le is awarded the victory. Shamrock is unable to answer the bell for Round 4. Great fight, really weird finish. They are saying that Shamrock has an arm injury and that’s why he can’t finish the fight. Probably from Le’s continued kicks. Great fight, Le is the new champ. Would love to see a re-match and/or see Le fight his next opponent. Le wins by TKO.
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