Strikeforce Saturday Night Fights
Bridgestone Arena
Saturday, April 17
Nashville, Tennessee
CBS
Strikeforce has an all-star card for the hardcore MMA fans with Dan Henderson/Jake Shields, Gegard Mousasi/King Mo Lawal, and Gilbert Melendez/Shinya Aoki. In my predictions I put out earlier this week I picked Henderson, Mousasi and Melendez. I honestly think all 3 fights could go either way so it will be interesting to see how they fall. Gus Johnson, Mauro Ranallo and Frank Shamrock are the announcers and Jimmy Lennon Jr is the ring announcer.
Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship: Gegard Mousasi (c) (28-2-1) vs. Mo Lawal (6-0)
Mousasi introduced himself to Strikeforce fans by decimating their champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral in just one minute. Fans of the DREAM promotion in Japan were not surprised at all as they had already seen Mousasi beat Denis Kang, Melvin Manhoef and Jacare Souza. Mousasi is on a 15 fight win streak and has not lost since 2006 (submitted by Akihiro Gono via arm bar in Pride). Mousasi’s strength is his standup and lightning quick hands but he also is decent on the ground and has a good bottom game (just ask Jacare about that!). King Mo Lawal is one of the most charismatic fighters in MMA and he’s a guy that I think could really help put Strikeforce on the map as he’s much more marketable than Mousasi and guys like Dan Henderson and Jake Shields. Mo has a decorated past in wrestling. Just check Wikipedia, he was a stud. Mo is still very young in the MMA game. He’s beat guys like Travis Wiuff, Mike Whitehead and Mark Kerr. So he’s faced some veterans but he’s been relatively untested and has certainly not faced anyone with the type of skill that Mousasi has. Mo has finished 5 of his 6 wins by TKO.
R1- Mo went for a take down and ate a bunch of punches but completed the take down. Mousasi has a very active guard and he's keeping this round even despite fighting from the bottom. Mo is landing some strikes from the top but isn't landing anything cleanly. Mousasi got to his feet with one minute left in the round. Mousasi stuffed a take down and landed some knees. Mo got a take down with under a minute left. King Mo looks a bit tired and Mousasi easily got to his feet. Really close round that could have gone either way probably went to Mo due to dominating the position of the fight for the majority of the round. Shamrock gave the round to Mo 10-9.
R2- Mo got a quick take down in the first twenty seconds of the round. Mousasi landing strikes from his back. Mo is really exposing his head trying to get better position on the ground and is taking shots. Mousasi looked really good fighting off of his back and it looked like Mo just let him up so he wouldn't take anymore of Mousasi's strikes. Mousasi hit a good left up against the cage and then Mo immediately took him down. Mousasi landed some more shots from the bottom and then got to his feet with a minute left in the round. Mo got another take down but he's just eating strikes. Mousasi went for a submission but couldn't get it. Mousasi had Mo on his knees for a minute and landed some shots and then took his back but didn't have enough time to hook in a submission. That round goes to Mousasi making it 19-19.
R3- Mo keeping his hands down in this round and Mousasi landing some strikes. King Mo swinging for the fences but not hitting and then getting a take down. Mo is controlling this round and is starting to land some strikes from the top position. Mo took this round and he's up 29-28 going into the Championship Rounds.
R4- Mo got a take down about thirty seconds into the round. John McCarthy stands them up at the mid-point way of the round as Mo wasn't doing much from the top. Mo went for a take down and ate some strikes but completed the take down. Not a lot of action in this round but I've got Mo taking it and taking a 39-37 advantage in the final round. I think Mousasi has to finish if he wants to keep his championship.
R5- Mo shot in and got a take down thirty seconds into the round. The fight is stopped for an illegal up kick by Mousasi with two minutes left in the round. Mo's left eye is swelling shut. John McCarthy took a point away from Mousasi for kicking to the head of a grounded fighter. Mousasi landed some good shots when they were put back in play. Mousasi got back to his feet with under two minutes left. Mousasi threw some strikes but Mo took Mousasi back down with one minute left in the round. They are stood back up with twenty-five seconds left. Mo landed a take down with seven seconds left in the round and this one is over. Mo didn't do much in this round besides the take downs. I've got the fight scored 48-46 for Mo with Mousasi losing one point due to an illegal blow.
Not a sexy performance by King Mo but he showed his dominant wrestling tonight and while his stamina wasn't top-notch it was enough to win the fight over a very good fighter in Gegard Mousasi.
Judges score cards: 49-45 on all judges score cards
Winner and new champion: King Mo Lawal by Decision (Unanimous)
Strikeforce Lightweight Championship: Gilbert Melendez (c) (17-2) vs. Shinya Aoki (23-4)
Shinya Aoki is the challenger in this fight and in my book he has to be considered the favorite. Aoki has developed over the last few years into someone I thought of as a boring fighter to someone who starting snapping opponents arms and not thinking twice about it. Aoki has always been a gifted jiu jitsu practitioner but now that he has the attitude to go with it he is going to be trouble for anybody he’s fighting. Aoki has won his last 3 fights since he tried moving up in weight and got destroyed by Hayato Sakari at DREAM 8. Over the last two years Aoki has beaten a who’s who of MMA lightweights in Eddie Alvarez, Gesias Calvalcante, Joachim Hansen, Vitor Ribeiro, Caol Uno and Mizuto Hirota. Aoki has finished 5 of his last 6 wins and 4 of those have been by submission. Aoki has a 60% submission rate in his wins. Gilbert Melendez started his career by winning 13 straight fights including wins over Clay Guida and Tasuya Kawajiri. Melendez then dropped 2 of his next 3 fights as he fell to Mitsuhiro Ishida and Josh Thomson. Melendez’s last two victories have been over the only two men who have defeated him. Now that’s impressive, not many MMA fighters can boast that they have came back and re-claimed victories against the only men who defeated them. Without inside knowledge of Melendez it looked like he just got unfocused for a while and after watching his last 3 fights it seems like he is re-focused and back on track.
R1- Long feeling out process and the crowd is growing restless. Aoki continues his heeldom from the New Years Eve show and gives Melendez and eye poke. Aoki grabbed an arm and latched onto it and brought the fight to the ground but Melendez was able to escape without any damage. Melendez stuff an Aoki take down and then jumped in Aoki's guard to try to deliver some damage. Melendez landed some good shots but Aoki got back to his feet. Aoki landed a knee but Melendez absorbed it and landed a couple of strikes. Melendez 10-9.
R2- Aoki shot in and Melendez stopped him and Aoki ended up on his back but that's a position that he's comfortable with. Melendez has busted up Aoki's lip. Aoki landed a good left hand to Melendez chin. Melendez got Aoki up against the cage and threw a barrage of strikes but didn't land anything substantial. Aoki went for a take down and was stuffed and then tried to pull guard. Aoki shot in again and Melendez stopped it with a fist and ended the round on top of Aoki. Melendez 20-18. Strikeforce is in danger of going way over tonight, especially since Dan Henderson loves to go to decisions.
R3- Aoki went for a take down early and really fought for it but Melendez spun out and then jumped into Aoki's guard. Aoki keeps going to his back in this round and is drawing the ire of the Nashville crowd. Melendez landing some good shots on the ground. Aoki landed a knee but Melendez answered with some strikes. Melendez 30-27. So far I've enjoyed both fights but if I was a fan casually interested in MMA I don't know if I would. I think Strikeforce should book more guys that like to stand and bang in addition to it's great arsenal of wrestlers. I think they need more variety on the show.
R4- Aoki went in again and Melendez fought off the take down and took top position but gave it up. Melendez landed a good right hand that stopped Aoki from coming in for a take down. Melendez landed a good knee to Aoki's chest when Aoki tried another take down. The ref was trying to stop the fight to stand up the fighters and Melendez landed 3 good shots to Aoki and thought the ref was stopping the fight in his favor. Aoki tried for a take down and Melendez took his guard and landed some good strikes. Melendez 40-36.
R5- Ranallo says Melendez has landed 102 strikes to Aoki's 15 at this point in the contest. Aoki goes in for a take down and complains of an eye poke. Aoki pulled guard and went for a rubber guard or triangle and Melendez mashed him up against the cage. Melendez landed some good Ground and Pound half way through the round. Aoki pulled guard again with a minute left in the round but Melendez got free and stood up. Melendez lands some good strikes and lands a flurry to end the round. Melendez soundly wins this decision 50-45. Melendez has looked very impressive since he lost the decision to Josh Thomson. I'm thinking Josh Thomson or possibly KJ Noons would be the next fighter for Melendez unless they bring in somebody else from Japan like a Kawajiri or JZ.
Judges score cards: 50-45 on all three score cards
Winner: Gilbert Melendez by Decision (Unanimous)
Former NFL Player Eddie George, Bobby Lashley, Cung Le, Nick Diaz, Scott Smith, Herschel Walker, and Brett Rogers are shown in attendance.
Highlights are shown of Jason "Mayhem" Miller versus Tim Stout, which happened early this evening, were shown. Mayhem was shown completing a take down and then landed some Ground and Pound and the ref stopped the fight as Stout turtled up. Ranallo says Jason Miller will fight Robbie Lawler on June 16th in Los Angeles.
Strikeforce Middleweight Championship: Jake Shields (c) (24-4-1) vs. Dan Henderson (25-7)
Former Pride champion Dan Henderson is the man that CBS and Strikeforce are marketing this night of fights around as he’s the most experienced and well known fighter fighting on this card. That being said, I really don’t see Dan as being very marketable. I like Dan Henderson as much as the next guy but his highest profile win in the last 2 years was against Michael Bisping (yes he beat Rich Franklin but that was a split decision and nobody remembers it). If Dan Henderson was that marketable the UFC would have kept him. That being said, Dan Henderson is still a very good fighter with his biggest strength being his wrestling as well as his punching power (at least that’s what Michael Bisping tells me). Jake Shields is a skilled jiu jitsu fighter who has an uncanny ability to control his opponents. He frustrated Mayhem Miller on his way to a decision victory at the last CBS show. Shields is on a 13 fight winning streak that includes Mayhem, Robbie Lawler, Paul Daley, Yushin Okami, Toby Imada and Carlos Condit but Dan Henderson is clearly the top fighter that Shields has faced.
They show some of the "simulated" fight between Henderson and Shields using the upcoming MMA game from EA. Definitely looks like a step down from the UFC Undisputed series.
R1- Henderson landed a big right hand 19 seconds into the fight and Shields went down hard. Henderson jumped on top and Sheilds grabbed Dan to survive and then grabbed on a leg lock but Hendo was able to slip out at the one minute mark of the fight. Hendo hit a right hand to the body that drove Shields back. Hendo definitely looks a lot bigger than Shields. Henderson landed some good strikes and Shields looked like he purposely fell to his back to invite Hendo to the ground and give himself an opportunity to recover. Hendo landed a good right hand and Shields is just trying to survive and we are only half way through the round. Shields shot in for a take down and looked like he got it but Hendo fought back and got the clinch back to their feet against the cage. Henderson looked really good and brought the striking that the first two fights did not. Hendo 10-8 in the first round and so far Shields is looking like he would be a better fit back at Welterweight.
R2- Shields shot in early and tried for a single leg and almost got caught in a Rear Naked but Shields ended up in Hendo's guard. Shields quickly passed Hendo's guard and took full mount. Shields lands some strikes from full mount. Shields landed some strikes and then tried an arm triangle but couldn't get it. Shields is landing some really good Ground and Pound. Shields landed some more Ground and Pound and then expertly grabbed onto the cage to hold position as Hendo bucked and the ref didn't even notice it. Borderline 10-8 round but I don't think Shields came close to finishing so I gave it 10-9 which makes it Hendo 19-18 so far. Great come back round by Shields in that round.
R3- Shields dove in for a single leg but Hendo sprawled and kept the fight standing. Sheilds went for another take down and got it with three minutes left in the round. Shields passed Hendo's guard and took side control with half the round remaining. Shields got full mount with a minute left in the round and briefly tried a guillotine but couldn't get it clamped in fully and released it. Shields landed some light Ground and Pound and then tried for an arm bar but couldn't get it before the bell rang. Shields took this round 10-9 and I've got the fight 28-28 right now.
Props to Gilbert Melendez who just finished his fight and is now cornering Jake Shields in this fight (along with Nick Diaz).
R4- Shields immediately went for a take down but Hendo scrambled out of it. Shields grabbed onto another single leg take down and Hendo locked Shields down temporarily before Shields completed the take down. Shields got full mount with one minute left in the round. Shields grinding out this fight even though the fans aren't too happy about it. Shields is up 38-37 on my score card.
R5- Shields got a take down with four minutes left in the round. Shields got full mount with three and a half minutes left in the fight. Shields landing some decent strikes from full mount. Shields went for an arm triangle but couldn't get in the right position to execute the submission. Shields tried for an arm bar in the last thirty seconds of the fight and then grabbed a knee bar but couldn't finish and the bell rung to finish the fight. Shields wins this 48-46 on my score card.
Judges score cards: 49-46, 49-45, 48-45
Winner: Jake Shields by Decision (Unanimous)
Decent night of fights but Strikeforce definitely didn't create any new stars or gain any new fans tonight with three five round decisions. They really needed some electricity tonight and Hendo provided that in the first round but couldn't out last Shields. Hopefully Strikeforce learns from this and we don't get 3 championship fights on one card featuring wrestlers on the same show.
Post-Fight Mayhem Miller shows that he's a jackass and interrupts Jake Shields interview and a brawl ensues. That was straight out of Elite XC. I was asking for some more excitement but that's a little ridiculous. I love me some Pro Wrestling (well I use to until Vince McMahon took over) but you have to have respect for your opponents and Mayhem Miller showed his ass again here.
Showing posts with label Jake Shields. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jake Shields. Show all posts
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Friday, November 13, 2009
Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers 11/7/09 Re-Cap
Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers
CBS Saturday Night Fights
Sears Centre
Chicago, Illinois
11/7/09
They start the show with a hard hype push for Fedor and put Brett Rogers over as the “most exciting heavyweight on the planet.” Gus Johnson is the lead announcer tonight and he is joined by Mauro Ranallo and Frank Shamrock. Jimmy Lennon Jr is the ring announcer. Also on this card is a fight for the vacant Middleweight title (vacated by Cung Le) between Jake Shields and Jason Miller, Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi will take on Sokoudjou and Antonio Silva will take on Fabricio Werdum.
Heavyweight Fight- Fabricio Werdum (12-4-1) vs. Antonio Silva (13-1)
Gus Johnson puts over Werdum as one of the top Heavyweight Jiu Jitsu fighters. Silva has a 4” reach and 21 lb weight advantage. Silva is on a 6 fight win streak and is the former Elite XC Heavyweight Champion. Werdum won his Strikeforce debut by submitting Mike Kyle back in August.
R1- Werdum came in for some offense but ate some punches from Silva and then went to the mat. Silva landed a wild right hand and Werdum is trying to just hold onto Silva’s leg and withstand the barrage and he does. Werdum went for a takedown but Silva threw him down instead. Werdum hit a big right hand but Silva clinched and came back with a couple of elbows. Werdum came back and landed some strikes. Silva got Werdum to the mat and landed some strikes at the end of the round. Good first round with Silva taking it 10-9.
R2- Werdum came in early in the round but Silva counter punched and knocked Werdum to the mat. Werdum baited Silva to the ground and eventually flipped him over and got on top of him but Silva got back up with little damage taken. Werdum got another take down with about a minute left in the round. This was a really close round that Werdum might have stolen.
R3- Werdum got a take down about a minute and a half into the round. Silva was able to get to the cage and get back to his feet. Silva landed a punch but Werdum responded with a knee. Werdum landed another knee in the clinch. Werdum grabbed Sliva and got another take down. Werdum finishes the round with some strikes. I’ve got Werdum taking this round. I could see a split decision by the judges. I’ve got Werdum 29-28.
Judges scores: 29-28 in favor of Werdum on all score cards
Winner: Fabricio Werdum by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Gegard Mousasi (26-2-1) vs. Sokoudjou (7-4)
Mousasi is the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion as he destroyed Babalu Sobral in his last fight to win the title. Mousasi has a 3” height advantage. Sokoudjou has Dan Henderson in his corner. Mousasi is on a 13 fight win streak.
R1- Mousasi throws a couple of high leg kicks early that deflect off Sokoudjou. Mousasi has really taken the center of the cage and is stalking Sokoudjou but neither fighter has found the range yet. Sokoudjou went for a couple take downs but was fought off. Mousasi landed some shots but Sokoudjou got a judo throw and took Mousasi down. Mousasi rolled him over with about a minute left in the fight but Sokoudjou fought back and flipped him back over with a judo move against the cage. Sokoudjou went for a guillotine and Mousasi got out of it but ate a knee. Sokoudjou landed another judo throw. Mousasi ended the round by getting a take down that might have won the round for him. Very close round that could have gone either way. Sokoudjou has traditionally faded after the first round so it will be interesting to see if he’s improved his conditioning.
R2- Mousasi came in quickly in this round and they clinched and Mousasi landed some minor strikes. Mousasi threw a bunch of punches against the cage but Sokoudjou fought through the barrage. Sokoudjou tried a judo throw but Mousasi reversed it and Sokoudjou actually got the take down. Sokoudjou then pretty much just laid on Mousasi resting. Mousasi grabbed an arm and was able to take Sokoudjou’s guard. Mousasi is landing some good strikes on the ground. The ref stops the fight. Sokoudjou again faded in the second round and Mousasi outlasted him. Mousasi was never in trouble in this fight and while he didn’t look as dominant as his last fight he still fought a good fight.
Winner: Gegard Mousasi by TKO (Strikes) R2 3:43
The show the “stars” in the crowd. The following people are shown: Andrei Arlovski, Robbie Lawler, Scott Smith, Matt Lindland, Shinya Aoki, Cung Le. Le will fight Scott Smith Dec 19th. They also say Lawler and Lindland will be on that show. Aoki will be coming to Strikforce soon and Arlovski is currently training with Greg Jackson
Middleweight Title Fight- Jake Shields (23-4-1) vs. Jason Miller (22-6-1)
Shields is the former Elite XC Welterweight Champion and is coming off of a quick victory of Robbie Lawler. Miller comes out with red hair with a black skunk stripe and comes out with some dancers. Miller has a big 5” reach advantage in this fight. Shields has won 12 consecutive fights.
R1- Shields got a quick take down in the first 10 seconds of the fight. Shields took Miller’s back and then moved to full mount. Miller did a good job of getting back to his feet without taking much damage. Shields quickly got another take down. Miller got back to his feet and slammed Shields to the ground with about a minute and a half left in the round. Shields got back to his feet but Miller suplexed him to the ground. Really close round as Shields dominated the first part and Miller the second part. Shields controlled more of the round and landed more strikes but Miller ended with a couple of slams. Shields 10-9 after one round.
R2- Shields got cut at the beginning of the round but didn’t take any damage. Miller got a take down but then Shields quickly got the advantage on the mat. Shields is able to get a full mount but Miller flipped out using the cage and Shields took Miller’s back again. Shields really controlled Miller for the first 4 minutes of this round and is now up 20-18 on my score card. On the re-play it looked like Shields got the cut from a headbutt.
R3- Miller got a quick take down in the first 10 seconds of the round but Shields quickly got back to his feet and then took Miller down. Shields has full mount and is landing some strikes. About half way through the round Miller was able to get back to his feet. Big John McCarthy stops the fight briefly so Miller’s corner can fix his gloves. Shields got a take down as soon as they were re-started. Miller was able to take Shields back at the end of the round and clamped in a Rear Naked Choke with about 8 seconds left but Shields held on and did not tap. Shields dominated the entire round but almost got choked out with 8 seconds left so it will be interesting to see how this round is scored.
R4- Shields quickly got a take down to start the round and rode Miller for the first half of the round. McCarthy stood them up and Shields again quickly got a take down. Shields easily took this round. I’ve got Shields up on score cards. Miller needs to get a 10-8 round or finish the fight if he wants to win.
R5- Shields got a take down about a minute into the fight. Shields really controlled this round from start to finish. I think Shields won this fight 50-45. Although I could see rounds 1 or 3 going to Miller.
Judges score cards: 48-47, 49-46, 49-46 all in favor of Shields
Winner and new champion: Jake Shields by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) vs. Brett Rogers (10-0)
Rogers has a lot of physical advantages in this fight as he has a 4.5” height, 7” reach and 32 lb weight advantage. Fedor is a Sambo/Judo fighter and Rogers is a Boxer/Muy Thai fighter. Fedor is introduced as the WAMMA Heavyweight Champion (the belt he won in Affliction) and gets a good reaction from the crowd.
R1- Fedor threw a couple of big bombs at the beginning but missed. It didn’t look like Rogers hit Fedor with anything but his glove may have clipped his nose as Fedor’s nose had blood on the tip. Rogers looks a lot more apprehensive then I’ve ever seen him. Fedor got Rogers down but Rogers quickly got up and they clinched against the cage. Thre is a lot of blood coming out of Fedor’s nose. The announcers say he got caught by a jab. Fedor hit a big left hand and then was able to get Rogers down on the mat. Fedor landed some good punches on the ground. Rogers pushed out of the bottom but as he did so Fedor grabbed a kimura but had to release it and Rogers ended up in Fedor’s guard. Rogers hit some good Ground and Pound. Fedor went for an arm bar and couldn’t get it but was able to get out of the guard. Fedor caught Rogers with a punch as Rogers was really slow to get up and Fedor took the half guard position on Rogers and went for an arm triangle. Still a lot of blood coming out of Fedor. Great first round. Fedor takes this round 10-9 but has been cut badly in a couple of places.
R2- Fedor chants start this round and then some USA chants are started. Fedor got Rogers up against the cage and threw some punches but Rogers was able to block them. The announcers say the doctor believes Fedor’s nose is broken. Fedor landed a highlight reel right hand and Rogers dropped like a ton of bricks. Fedor jumped on top and landed some punches and the ref stopped the fight but I don’t think he needed those extra punches as the big right knocked out Rogers. Really fun fight and a fantastic Main Event for Strikeforce on their CBS debut.
Winner: Fedor Emelianenko by TKO (Strikes) R2 1:48
CBS Saturday Night Fights
Sears Centre
Chicago, Illinois
11/7/09
They start the show with a hard hype push for Fedor and put Brett Rogers over as the “most exciting heavyweight on the planet.” Gus Johnson is the lead announcer tonight and he is joined by Mauro Ranallo and Frank Shamrock. Jimmy Lennon Jr is the ring announcer. Also on this card is a fight for the vacant Middleweight title (vacated by Cung Le) between Jake Shields and Jason Miller, Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi will take on Sokoudjou and Antonio Silva will take on Fabricio Werdum.
Heavyweight Fight- Fabricio Werdum (12-4-1) vs. Antonio Silva (13-1)
Gus Johnson puts over Werdum as one of the top Heavyweight Jiu Jitsu fighters. Silva has a 4” reach and 21 lb weight advantage. Silva is on a 6 fight win streak and is the former Elite XC Heavyweight Champion. Werdum won his Strikeforce debut by submitting Mike Kyle back in August.
R1- Werdum came in for some offense but ate some punches from Silva and then went to the mat. Silva landed a wild right hand and Werdum is trying to just hold onto Silva’s leg and withstand the barrage and he does. Werdum went for a takedown but Silva threw him down instead. Werdum hit a big right hand but Silva clinched and came back with a couple of elbows. Werdum came back and landed some strikes. Silva got Werdum to the mat and landed some strikes at the end of the round. Good first round with Silva taking it 10-9.
R2- Werdum came in early in the round but Silva counter punched and knocked Werdum to the mat. Werdum baited Silva to the ground and eventually flipped him over and got on top of him but Silva got back up with little damage taken. Werdum got another take down with about a minute left in the round. This was a really close round that Werdum might have stolen.
R3- Werdum got a take down about a minute and a half into the round. Silva was able to get to the cage and get back to his feet. Silva landed a punch but Werdum responded with a knee. Werdum landed another knee in the clinch. Werdum grabbed Sliva and got another take down. Werdum finishes the round with some strikes. I’ve got Werdum taking this round. I could see a split decision by the judges. I’ve got Werdum 29-28.
Judges scores: 29-28 in favor of Werdum on all score cards
Winner: Fabricio Werdum by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Gegard Mousasi (26-2-1) vs. Sokoudjou (7-4)
Mousasi is the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion as he destroyed Babalu Sobral in his last fight to win the title. Mousasi has a 3” height advantage. Sokoudjou has Dan Henderson in his corner. Mousasi is on a 13 fight win streak.
R1- Mousasi throws a couple of high leg kicks early that deflect off Sokoudjou. Mousasi has really taken the center of the cage and is stalking Sokoudjou but neither fighter has found the range yet. Sokoudjou went for a couple take downs but was fought off. Mousasi landed some shots but Sokoudjou got a judo throw and took Mousasi down. Mousasi rolled him over with about a minute left in the fight but Sokoudjou fought back and flipped him back over with a judo move against the cage. Sokoudjou went for a guillotine and Mousasi got out of it but ate a knee. Sokoudjou landed another judo throw. Mousasi ended the round by getting a take down that might have won the round for him. Very close round that could have gone either way. Sokoudjou has traditionally faded after the first round so it will be interesting to see if he’s improved his conditioning.
R2- Mousasi came in quickly in this round and they clinched and Mousasi landed some minor strikes. Mousasi threw a bunch of punches against the cage but Sokoudjou fought through the barrage. Sokoudjou tried a judo throw but Mousasi reversed it and Sokoudjou actually got the take down. Sokoudjou then pretty much just laid on Mousasi resting. Mousasi grabbed an arm and was able to take Sokoudjou’s guard. Mousasi is landing some good strikes on the ground. The ref stops the fight. Sokoudjou again faded in the second round and Mousasi outlasted him. Mousasi was never in trouble in this fight and while he didn’t look as dominant as his last fight he still fought a good fight.
Winner: Gegard Mousasi by TKO (Strikes) R2 3:43
The show the “stars” in the crowd. The following people are shown: Andrei Arlovski, Robbie Lawler, Scott Smith, Matt Lindland, Shinya Aoki, Cung Le. Le will fight Scott Smith Dec 19th. They also say Lawler and Lindland will be on that show. Aoki will be coming to Strikforce soon and Arlovski is currently training with Greg Jackson
Middleweight Title Fight- Jake Shields (23-4-1) vs. Jason Miller (22-6-1)
Shields is the former Elite XC Welterweight Champion and is coming off of a quick victory of Robbie Lawler. Miller comes out with red hair with a black skunk stripe and comes out with some dancers. Miller has a big 5” reach advantage in this fight. Shields has won 12 consecutive fights.
R1- Shields got a quick take down in the first 10 seconds of the fight. Shields took Miller’s back and then moved to full mount. Miller did a good job of getting back to his feet without taking much damage. Shields quickly got another take down. Miller got back to his feet and slammed Shields to the ground with about a minute and a half left in the round. Shields got back to his feet but Miller suplexed him to the ground. Really close round as Shields dominated the first part and Miller the second part. Shields controlled more of the round and landed more strikes but Miller ended with a couple of slams. Shields 10-9 after one round.
R2- Shields got cut at the beginning of the round but didn’t take any damage. Miller got a take down but then Shields quickly got the advantage on the mat. Shields is able to get a full mount but Miller flipped out using the cage and Shields took Miller’s back again. Shields really controlled Miller for the first 4 minutes of this round and is now up 20-18 on my score card. On the re-play it looked like Shields got the cut from a headbutt.
R3- Miller got a quick take down in the first 10 seconds of the round but Shields quickly got back to his feet and then took Miller down. Shields has full mount and is landing some strikes. About half way through the round Miller was able to get back to his feet. Big John McCarthy stops the fight briefly so Miller’s corner can fix his gloves. Shields got a take down as soon as they were re-started. Miller was able to take Shields back at the end of the round and clamped in a Rear Naked Choke with about 8 seconds left but Shields held on and did not tap. Shields dominated the entire round but almost got choked out with 8 seconds left so it will be interesting to see how this round is scored.
R4- Shields quickly got a take down to start the round and rode Miller for the first half of the round. McCarthy stood them up and Shields again quickly got a take down. Shields easily took this round. I’ve got Shields up on score cards. Miller needs to get a 10-8 round or finish the fight if he wants to win.
R5- Shields got a take down about a minute into the fight. Shields really controlled this round from start to finish. I think Shields won this fight 50-45. Although I could see rounds 1 or 3 going to Miller.
Judges score cards: 48-47, 49-46, 49-46 all in favor of Shields
Winner and new champion: Jake Shields by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) vs. Brett Rogers (10-0)
Rogers has a lot of physical advantages in this fight as he has a 4.5” height, 7” reach and 32 lb weight advantage. Fedor is a Sambo/Judo fighter and Rogers is a Boxer/Muy Thai fighter. Fedor is introduced as the WAMMA Heavyweight Champion (the belt he won in Affliction) and gets a good reaction from the crowd.
R1- Fedor threw a couple of big bombs at the beginning but missed. It didn’t look like Rogers hit Fedor with anything but his glove may have clipped his nose as Fedor’s nose had blood on the tip. Rogers looks a lot more apprehensive then I’ve ever seen him. Fedor got Rogers down but Rogers quickly got up and they clinched against the cage. Thre is a lot of blood coming out of Fedor’s nose. The announcers say he got caught by a jab. Fedor hit a big left hand and then was able to get Rogers down on the mat. Fedor landed some good punches on the ground. Rogers pushed out of the bottom but as he did so Fedor grabbed a kimura but had to release it and Rogers ended up in Fedor’s guard. Rogers hit some good Ground and Pound. Fedor went for an arm bar and couldn’t get it but was able to get out of the guard. Fedor caught Rogers with a punch as Rogers was really slow to get up and Fedor took the half guard position on Rogers and went for an arm triangle. Still a lot of blood coming out of Fedor. Great first round. Fedor takes this round 10-9 but has been cut badly in a couple of places.
R2- Fedor chants start this round and then some USA chants are started. Fedor got Rogers up against the cage and threw some punches but Rogers was able to block them. The announcers say the doctor believes Fedor’s nose is broken. Fedor landed a highlight reel right hand and Rogers dropped like a ton of bricks. Fedor jumped on top and landed some punches and the ref stopped the fight but I don’t think he needed those extra punches as the big right knocked out Rogers. Really fun fight and a fantastic Main Event for Strikeforce on their CBS debut.
Winner: Fedor Emelianenko by TKO (Strikes) R2 1:48
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Strikeforce on Showtime "Lawler vs. Shields" 6/6/09 Re-Cap
Strikeforce on Showtime “Lawler vs. Shields” 6/6/09
St. Louis, Missouri
This is the second installment of Strikeforce on Showtime (third if you count the Challengers Series show) and this looks to be a great line-up. On top we have a battle of former Elite XC champions as Robbie Lawler takes on Jake Shields. We have former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andre Arlovski taking on up and comer Brett Rogers. Slugger Scott Smith will take on Nick Diaz, who is coming off of a win over Frank Shamrock at the last Showtime show. Gus Johnson is the lead announcer and he is joined by Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Kevin Randleman (17-12) vs. Mike Whitehead (23-7)
To me this is the least interesting fight on the televised card. Whitehead has a 4” reach and 3” height advantage and is 10 years younger than Randleman (27 vs. 37). Randleman is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion.
R1- Randleman looks like he is ready to go before the bell rings. Whitehead missed a head kick and got taken down early but Randleman couldn’t get an advantage and they stood back up. Whitehead was able to get a double leg and took Randleman to the mat but Randleman flipped him off. Whitehead got another take down but Randleman again quickly got him off. Whitehead gets yet another take down but Randleman rests and gets up again. Randleman is already really tired and it’s just the first round. Not a good first round at all. Whitehead basically took Randleman down at will and Randleman basically didn’t take much damage. Whitehead gets this 10-9 for the takedowns but if he was fighting a better fighter I think he would be getting taken to the woodshed. They should have started with Baroni/Riggs or put Feijao’s match on PPV instead of the prelims.
R2- Whitehead got a take down and is controlling Whitehead but not doing any damage as the fans boo. Whitehead is just basically laying on Randleman for the first 3 minutes of this round. Randleman finally got out but he’s just exhausted and has been since 3 minutes into the fight. Whitehead is throwing really soft strikes. This is just a bad fight. Whitehead looks like he is pawing at a kitten with some of these strikes. Whitehead is winning 20-18. I would be really surprised if either guy fights for Strikeforce again. I know if they worked for UFC this would be their last fight for that company. This is just a bad fight. Why didn’t they start with Riggs/Baroni?
At least the ring girl is cute. That’s the highlight of this fight so far.
R3- Randleman landed a big overhand right to start the round. Whitehead hit another big punch and got in for some Ground and Pound but Whitehead survived but he’s wobbly. Whitehead gets a take down and he’s going to try and ride this round out by laying on Randleman. Whitehead goes for a kimura. Randleman gets back to his feet and we have 30 seconds left in the fight. Randleman takes this round but Whitehead will win the fight 29-28. Not a good fight. Not a good opener. Keep Whitehead on the under card from now on please.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 on all three score cards.
Winner: Mike Whitehead by Decision (Unanimous)
The scroll the crowd and we see Pat Miletich, Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson, Interim Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez, Tim Sylvia, Josh Barnett, and Fedor Emelianenko (gets a big reaction from the crowd). Mauro acknowledges the Affliction show in August but doesn’t say it by name (they do have an in ring advertisement for the brand).
Welterweight Fight- Phil Baroni (13-10) vs. Joe Riggs (29-10)
While neither one of these guys excites me I think this should be a good exciting fight between two veterans who should be hungry for a win and going for the knockout. Baroni is on a 3 fight win streak since moving down in weight. Josh Thomson is in Baroni’s corner. I can’t believe Joe Riggs is only 26 years old. Riggs is a former WEC Middleweight Champion. No touch of gloves when John McCarthy brought them together. Riggs is training with Arizona Combat Sports.
R1- They clinched early and Riggs got a take down. Riggs quickly went for a Rear Naked and it looked like he was going to get it but couldn’t lock it in and Baroni moved him back to full guard. Baroni struggled to get up and ended up in Riggs guard but McCarthy stood them back up. Riggs quickly went in and got a single leg take down but Baroni stuffed it and took the advantageous position as the bell rung. This was a really close round with Riggs winning the first half and Baroni the second half. I think Riggs edges this round out 10-9. Not exactly what I was expecting but it was competitive and a decent first round.
R2- They exchange some leather early in the round and then Riggs goes in for a Superman man punch and ended up with a take down but Baroni quickly reversed it and got a double leg of his own. They stood up and Riggs landed some punches in the corner. Riggs hit a punch and then a knee and Riggs is starting to open up with some strikes. Baroni got a take down but Riggs went for a triangle but couldn’t fully get it in and ended up releasing the submission. I’ve got Riggs taking this round as he landed the best strikes of the round and nearly finished the fight with a submission. Riggs is up 20-18 on my score card but both rounds have been close. Baroni actually out struck Riggs in the first round.
R3- They touched gloves to start the third and final round. Riggs landed some good strikes to open up the round and Baroni is in trouble early in the round but Riggs gave him time to recover. Riggs really controls this round as Baroni is taking a lot of shots and looks to be running out of gas but is somehow hanging on. Baroni made a run late in the round but Riggs took him down to ride out the fight. This was a good, competitive fight. I’ve got Riggs 30-27 and I’m confident that the judges will see it as a Unanimous decision (the first round was debatable but I can’t see giving Baroni rounds 2 or 3).
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all three score cards.
Winner: Joe Riggs by Decision (Unanimous)
Post-fight Joe Riggs says that he broke both of his hands and that he has a really bad flu. Riggs says he would like to fight Jake Shields.
Mauro announces the return of Gina Carano. She will take on Cris Cyborg on August 15th. We will also see Josh Thomson versus Gilbert Melendez for the Lightweight Title. Mauro had Josh and Gilbert with him at ringside. Gilbert says he will train harder and this time it will be a different story. Josh says he just got his walking boot off two weeks ago and has been training hard ever since. Josh says they will steal the show.
The next show will be the Strikeforce Challengers Show on Friday June 19th featuring Joe Villasenor. They also announce Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem for the August show.
Catchweight 180 lb Fight- Scott Smith (17-5) vs. Nick Diaz (19-7)
Smith is coming off of a comeback win against Benji Radach back at the April debut show on Showtime. On that same show Nick Diaz dominated Frank Shamrock. This should be a really fun fight. Diaz has a 4” reach advantage in this fight. They do not touch gloves when McCarthy brings them together before the start of the round.
R1- Diaz is using his reach early to his advantage as he’s keeping Smith at bay and making Smith come in and lunge when he throws punches. Diaz is landing lots of jabs. Diaz has Smith against the cage and is peppering him with jabs but Smith clinches him and ties him up until McCarthy breaks them up. Smith immediately sticks a good right hand but Diaz absorbs it. Smith got a take down but then released it and then hit a combo on his feet. Good fight so far, I’ve got Diaz up 20-19 but Smith started to really close the gap in the last part of the round and seemed to be finding his groove. Diaz threw 146 strikes in the first round!
R2- Diaz got in a good body shot that hurt Smith about a minute into the round and then Diaz started to pick him apart with jabs and strikes. Diaz looks like he’s bleeding from his eye. Diaz keeps hitting him right in the forehead with jabs. Diaz is just peppering Smith with a constant barrage of light punches. Smith missed a big head kick. Smith misses with a trio of big strikes and Diaz clinches him. Diaz completely controlled this round and had Smith down on the ground at the end of the round. Diaz threw 221 punches in that round and landed 125 of them. Borderline 10-8 round. I think the only thing keeping it from being 10-8 is Smith stayed on his feet for the whole round until the end and did actually get some offense in on Diaz. Diaz leading 20-18 going into the final round.
R3- They exchange some letter in the first 20 seconds of the round and then clinch. Smith misses another big kick and Diaz lands another good body shot that takes Smith to the ground. Diaz goes to take his back and Diaz locks in the Rear Naked and get the win.
Another great showing by Diaz. I don’t know what weight class Diaz is in but I’m thinking he needs a title shot here in Strikeforce. Either that or put him up against the winner of Lawler/Shields. Diaz landed 207 of 397 strikes in this fight to Smith’s 31 of 93.
Winner: Nick Diaz by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3 1:41
Post-Fight Diaz throws Scott Smith’s training partners under the bus and says Smith should come down the road and train with his team, “a real team.”
Heavyweight Fight- Andre Arlovski (15-6) vs. Brett Rogers (9-0)
Rogers beat Abongo Humphrey at the last Strikeforce show. Arlovski’s last fight was a loss to the #1 Heavyweight in the world Fedor Emelianenko. Arlovski had won 5 in a row going into that fight. They show Fedor and hype his PPV fight on August 1st against Josh Barnett and they show Barnett as well. The winner of this most likely gets Overeem in August. Rogers has a 18 lb advantage and a 4.5” reach advantage. Arlovski is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and this is his Strikeforce debut. For the third fight in a row neither fighter touches gloves as McCarthy pulls them together to go over the rules.
R1- “Rogers comes in and drops Arlovski quickly and this one is over almost immediately. Wow! Rogers just destroyed a Top 5 fighter in seconds. On the re-play Rogers threw some punches and missed but kept coming and landed 3 to 4 straight punches against the cage. He hit two really big punches consecutively. Big time win for Rogers. Bring on Overeem!
Post-fight Rogers said he wants a title shot. I think he might have a good point.
“I was hungry baby”- Brett Rogers
Winner: Brett Rogers by TKO (Strikes) R1 0:22
They hype the Affliction PPV as they show highlights of Fedor/Sylvia and Fedor/Arlovski and Fedor joins Mauro ringside and they do an interview through an interpreter. Next they highlight Josh Barnett and show highlights of the Barnett/Yvel fight. Barnett joins Mauro ringside.
Catchweight 182 lb Fight- Robbie Lawler (16-4) vs. Jake Shields (22-4-1)
Shield is a former Elite XC Welterweight Champion and Lawler is a former Elite XC Middleweight Champion. Both guys had the belts when Elite XC went out of business so they were never beaten for their belts.
R1- Shields went for a take down but Robbie fought it off and then they clinched around the ring. Shields grabbed a guillotine and tapped out Robbie Lawler. Great showing by Shields. Lawler looked like he just never really got started and Shields got an opening and took it.
Post-fight Shields says he wants Cung Le’s belt. Says for Cung to fight him or give it over to him.
Winner: Jake Shields by Submission (Guillotine) R1 2:02
The big winners tonight were Nick Diaz, Brett Rogers and Jake Shields. Showtime is doing a good job of matching up fighters and giving some of the lesser known guys a chance to get wins and potentially become stars in the future (Diaz against Shamrock, Shields against Lawler, Rogers against Arlovski). This show started slow as the worst fight of the night (Randleman/Whitehead) opened the show but the last three fights were all either very good fights or very good spectacles. Solid night of fights and Strikeforce now has some interesting fights coming up with Rogers/Overeem, Shields/Le, Carano/Cyborg, and Thomson/Melendez either signed or on the horizon and they have a guy in Nick Diaz that has just looked fantastic in his last two fights.
St. Louis, Missouri
This is the second installment of Strikeforce on Showtime (third if you count the Challengers Series show) and this looks to be a great line-up. On top we have a battle of former Elite XC champions as Robbie Lawler takes on Jake Shields. We have former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andre Arlovski taking on up and comer Brett Rogers. Slugger Scott Smith will take on Nick Diaz, who is coming off of a win over Frank Shamrock at the last Showtime show. Gus Johnson is the lead announcer and he is joined by Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Kevin Randleman (17-12) vs. Mike Whitehead (23-7)
To me this is the least interesting fight on the televised card. Whitehead has a 4” reach and 3” height advantage and is 10 years younger than Randleman (27 vs. 37). Randleman is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion.
R1- Randleman looks like he is ready to go before the bell rings. Whitehead missed a head kick and got taken down early but Randleman couldn’t get an advantage and they stood back up. Whitehead was able to get a double leg and took Randleman to the mat but Randleman flipped him off. Whitehead got another take down but Randleman again quickly got him off. Whitehead gets yet another take down but Randleman rests and gets up again. Randleman is already really tired and it’s just the first round. Not a good first round at all. Whitehead basically took Randleman down at will and Randleman basically didn’t take much damage. Whitehead gets this 10-9 for the takedowns but if he was fighting a better fighter I think he would be getting taken to the woodshed. They should have started with Baroni/Riggs or put Feijao’s match on PPV instead of the prelims.
R2- Whitehead got a take down and is controlling Whitehead but not doing any damage as the fans boo. Whitehead is just basically laying on Randleman for the first 3 minutes of this round. Randleman finally got out but he’s just exhausted and has been since 3 minutes into the fight. Whitehead is throwing really soft strikes. This is just a bad fight. Whitehead looks like he is pawing at a kitten with some of these strikes. Whitehead is winning 20-18. I would be really surprised if either guy fights for Strikeforce again. I know if they worked for UFC this would be their last fight for that company. This is just a bad fight. Why didn’t they start with Riggs/Baroni?
At least the ring girl is cute. That’s the highlight of this fight so far.
R3- Randleman landed a big overhand right to start the round. Whitehead hit another big punch and got in for some Ground and Pound but Whitehead survived but he’s wobbly. Whitehead gets a take down and he’s going to try and ride this round out by laying on Randleman. Whitehead goes for a kimura. Randleman gets back to his feet and we have 30 seconds left in the fight. Randleman takes this round but Whitehead will win the fight 29-28. Not a good fight. Not a good opener. Keep Whitehead on the under card from now on please.
Judges score cards say: 29-28 on all three score cards.
Winner: Mike Whitehead by Decision (Unanimous)
The scroll the crowd and we see Pat Miletich, Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson, Interim Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez, Tim Sylvia, Josh Barnett, and Fedor Emelianenko (gets a big reaction from the crowd). Mauro acknowledges the Affliction show in August but doesn’t say it by name (they do have an in ring advertisement for the brand).
Welterweight Fight- Phil Baroni (13-10) vs. Joe Riggs (29-10)
While neither one of these guys excites me I think this should be a good exciting fight between two veterans who should be hungry for a win and going for the knockout. Baroni is on a 3 fight win streak since moving down in weight. Josh Thomson is in Baroni’s corner. I can’t believe Joe Riggs is only 26 years old. Riggs is a former WEC Middleweight Champion. No touch of gloves when John McCarthy brought them together. Riggs is training with Arizona Combat Sports.
R1- They clinched early and Riggs got a take down. Riggs quickly went for a Rear Naked and it looked like he was going to get it but couldn’t lock it in and Baroni moved him back to full guard. Baroni struggled to get up and ended up in Riggs guard but McCarthy stood them back up. Riggs quickly went in and got a single leg take down but Baroni stuffed it and took the advantageous position as the bell rung. This was a really close round with Riggs winning the first half and Baroni the second half. I think Riggs edges this round out 10-9. Not exactly what I was expecting but it was competitive and a decent first round.
R2- They exchange some leather early in the round and then Riggs goes in for a Superman man punch and ended up with a take down but Baroni quickly reversed it and got a double leg of his own. They stood up and Riggs landed some punches in the corner. Riggs hit a punch and then a knee and Riggs is starting to open up with some strikes. Baroni got a take down but Riggs went for a triangle but couldn’t fully get it in and ended up releasing the submission. I’ve got Riggs taking this round as he landed the best strikes of the round and nearly finished the fight with a submission. Riggs is up 20-18 on my score card but both rounds have been close. Baroni actually out struck Riggs in the first round.
R3- They touched gloves to start the third and final round. Riggs landed some good strikes to open up the round and Baroni is in trouble early in the round but Riggs gave him time to recover. Riggs really controls this round as Baroni is taking a lot of shots and looks to be running out of gas but is somehow hanging on. Baroni made a run late in the round but Riggs took him down to ride out the fight. This was a good, competitive fight. I’ve got Riggs 30-27 and I’m confident that the judges will see it as a Unanimous decision (the first round was debatable but I can’t see giving Baroni rounds 2 or 3).
Judges score cards say: 30-27 on all three score cards.
Winner: Joe Riggs by Decision (Unanimous)
Post-fight Joe Riggs says that he broke both of his hands and that he has a really bad flu. Riggs says he would like to fight Jake Shields.
Mauro announces the return of Gina Carano. She will take on Cris Cyborg on August 15th. We will also see Josh Thomson versus Gilbert Melendez for the Lightweight Title. Mauro had Josh and Gilbert with him at ringside. Gilbert says he will train harder and this time it will be a different story. Josh says he just got his walking boot off two weeks ago and has been training hard ever since. Josh says they will steal the show.
The next show will be the Strikeforce Challengers Show on Friday June 19th featuring Joe Villasenor. They also announce Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem for the August show.
Catchweight 180 lb Fight- Scott Smith (17-5) vs. Nick Diaz (19-7)
Smith is coming off of a comeback win against Benji Radach back at the April debut show on Showtime. On that same show Nick Diaz dominated Frank Shamrock. This should be a really fun fight. Diaz has a 4” reach advantage in this fight. They do not touch gloves when McCarthy brings them together before the start of the round.
R1- Diaz is using his reach early to his advantage as he’s keeping Smith at bay and making Smith come in and lunge when he throws punches. Diaz is landing lots of jabs. Diaz has Smith against the cage and is peppering him with jabs but Smith clinches him and ties him up until McCarthy breaks them up. Smith immediately sticks a good right hand but Diaz absorbs it. Smith got a take down but then released it and then hit a combo on his feet. Good fight so far, I’ve got Diaz up 20-19 but Smith started to really close the gap in the last part of the round and seemed to be finding his groove. Diaz threw 146 strikes in the first round!
R2- Diaz got in a good body shot that hurt Smith about a minute into the round and then Diaz started to pick him apart with jabs and strikes. Diaz looks like he’s bleeding from his eye. Diaz keeps hitting him right in the forehead with jabs. Diaz is just peppering Smith with a constant barrage of light punches. Smith missed a big head kick. Smith misses with a trio of big strikes and Diaz clinches him. Diaz completely controlled this round and had Smith down on the ground at the end of the round. Diaz threw 221 punches in that round and landed 125 of them. Borderline 10-8 round. I think the only thing keeping it from being 10-8 is Smith stayed on his feet for the whole round until the end and did actually get some offense in on Diaz. Diaz leading 20-18 going into the final round.
R3- They exchange some letter in the first 20 seconds of the round and then clinch. Smith misses another big kick and Diaz lands another good body shot that takes Smith to the ground. Diaz goes to take his back and Diaz locks in the Rear Naked and get the win.
Another great showing by Diaz. I don’t know what weight class Diaz is in but I’m thinking he needs a title shot here in Strikeforce. Either that or put him up against the winner of Lawler/Shields. Diaz landed 207 of 397 strikes in this fight to Smith’s 31 of 93.
Winner: Nick Diaz by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3 1:41
Post-Fight Diaz throws Scott Smith’s training partners under the bus and says Smith should come down the road and train with his team, “a real team.”
Heavyweight Fight- Andre Arlovski (15-6) vs. Brett Rogers (9-0)
Rogers beat Abongo Humphrey at the last Strikeforce show. Arlovski’s last fight was a loss to the #1 Heavyweight in the world Fedor Emelianenko. Arlovski had won 5 in a row going into that fight. They show Fedor and hype his PPV fight on August 1st against Josh Barnett and they show Barnett as well. The winner of this most likely gets Overeem in August. Rogers has a 18 lb advantage and a 4.5” reach advantage. Arlovski is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and this is his Strikeforce debut. For the third fight in a row neither fighter touches gloves as McCarthy pulls them together to go over the rules.
R1- “Rogers comes in and drops Arlovski quickly and this one is over almost immediately. Wow! Rogers just destroyed a Top 5 fighter in seconds. On the re-play Rogers threw some punches and missed but kept coming and landed 3 to 4 straight punches against the cage. He hit two really big punches consecutively. Big time win for Rogers. Bring on Overeem!
Post-fight Rogers said he wants a title shot. I think he might have a good point.
“I was hungry baby”- Brett Rogers
Winner: Brett Rogers by TKO (Strikes) R1 0:22
They hype the Affliction PPV as they show highlights of Fedor/Sylvia and Fedor/Arlovski and Fedor joins Mauro ringside and they do an interview through an interpreter. Next they highlight Josh Barnett and show highlights of the Barnett/Yvel fight. Barnett joins Mauro ringside.
Catchweight 182 lb Fight- Robbie Lawler (16-4) vs. Jake Shields (22-4-1)
Shield is a former Elite XC Welterweight Champion and Lawler is a former Elite XC Middleweight Champion. Both guys had the belts when Elite XC went out of business so they were never beaten for their belts.
R1- Shields went for a take down but Robbie fought it off and then they clinched around the ring. Shields grabbed a guillotine and tapped out Robbie Lawler. Great showing by Shields. Lawler looked like he just never really got started and Shields got an opening and took it.
Post-fight Shields says he wants Cung Le’s belt. Says for Cung to fight him or give it over to him.
Winner: Jake Shields by Submission (Guillotine) R1 2:02
The big winners tonight were Nick Diaz, Brett Rogers and Jake Shields. Showtime is doing a good job of matching up fighters and giving some of the lesser known guys a chance to get wins and potentially become stars in the future (Diaz against Shamrock, Shields against Lawler, Rogers against Arlovski). This show started slow as the worst fight of the night (Randleman/Whitehead) opened the show but the last three fights were all either very good fights or very good spectacles. Solid night of fights and Strikeforce now has some interesting fights coming up with Rogers/Overeem, Shields/Le, Carano/Cyborg, and Thomson/Melendez either signed or on the horizon and they have a guy in Nick Diaz that has just looked fantastic in his last two fights.
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.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
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.
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.
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