Strikeforce Challengers Series 3/26 Re-Cap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Justin Wilcox by Decision (Unanimous)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winner: Andre Galvao by Decision (Split)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Strikeforce on NBC 12/28 Show Re-Cap

Strikeforce 12/28 Show Re-Cap

This one had been sitting on TV for a while.

Welterweight Fight- Brandon Thatch (3-0) vs. Brandon Magana (5-1) Playboy Mansion II- 9/20/08

This fight has 3 3-minute rounds.

R1- Magana controlled with a takedown and keep the fight on the ground but didn't do much damage.

R2- Magana got another take down and controlled the round. Thatch landed more strikes in the round but Magana got another take down at the end of the round.

R3- Magana with another take down, got a full mount and took Thatch's back but didn't get anything from either position. Magana ended the fight with another take down.

This was an example of Magana winning the fight due to being a superior wrestler. Very reminiscent of some of Josh Koscheck's fights from the Ultimate Fighter 1 show before Koscheck advanced his game.

Winner: Brandon Magana by Decision (Split)

Luke Stewart (5-1) vs. Jesse Juarez (6-4)- Playboy Mansion II- 9/20/08

This is a standard 3 5-minute round fight.

R1- Pretty even round to start with. Stewart started to control the fight once he got it to the ground and ended up submitting Juarez at the end of the first round.

Winner: Luke Stewart by Submission (Arm Bar) R1 4:55

Strikeforce on NBC 11/30 Show Re-Cap

Strikeforce on NBC 11/30 Show Re-Cap

This weeks show features a compilation of the 10 best knockouts of the season.

10. Cung Le vs Mike Altman- This was Cung Le’s MMA debut. Le hit a spinning back kick to knock Altman up against the cage and then popped him in the chin with a right hook for the KO. Cung Le did a back flip after the win.

9. Frank Shamrock vs Cesar Gracie- This was just 21 seconds into the fight and Frank nailed him with a right and then hit some Ground and Pound and the ref stopped it as Gracie’s corner threw in the white towel.

8. Luke Stewart vs Bryson Kamaka- Stewart hit a couple of knees. One to the chest and one to the forehead and this one was over. This one only lasted 19 seconds.

7. Joe Riggs vs. Eugene Jackson- Riggs hit some Ground and Pound on Jackson and then postured up and nailed Jackson with several punches from the half guard position and Jacksons lights went out.

6. Kazuo Misaki vs. Joe Riggs- Riggs got a shot that floored Misaki and Misaki answered and knocked Riggs down and then got a Ground and Pound victory. Not really a good “knockout.”

5. Duane Ludwig vs. Tony Fryklund- Ludwig just nailed Fryklund with some Ground and Pound and then when they stood up he delivered a tough left hand that knocked him out.

4. Terry Martin vs. Cory Devela- Devela was winning this fight but walked in to a Martin left that floored him and then Martin hit him with a right on the ground to finish him off.

3. Paul Buentello vs. Tank Abbott- Buentello hit him with a big right hand and Tank fell over like a tree being chopped.

2. Paul Buentello vs. Carter Williams- Buentello hit several uppercuts coming out to start a round and this one was over.

1. Cung Le vs. Brian Warren- Le hit several punches and Warren stumbled and then Le knocked him out with a good right hand. The funny thing is that this was about 30 seconds after Warren mocking Cung Le.

Strikeforce "Destruction" 11/21/08 Re-Cap

Strikeforce "Destruction" Re-Cap

This show is from San Jose. The main fights will be a Strikeforce Light Heavyweight fight where Bobby Southworth defends against Renato "Babalu" Sobral and then Scott Smith fights Terry Martin in the Main Event. Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten are the announcers as usual. Jimmy Lennon Jr is the ring announcer.

Middleweight Fight- Nik Theotikos (5-1) vs. Luke Rockhold (2-1)

5 of Nik's first 6 fights have ended in the first round. He is 2-0 in Strikeforce fights. Luke comes out to a Metallica song. He's from San Jose. Luke has never been past the first round in a fight. Looks like this one will be a quick one.

R1- Nik quickly grabs Luke in a guillotine and seems to have it in really tight. Luke gets out and is in Nik's guard. Rockholt gets in a lot of strikes while in Nik's guard. Rockholt takes Nik's guard and wins via Rear Naked Choke. Good win by Luke as he had to escape an early submission and then dominated after that point.

Winner: Luke Rockhold by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1

Gina Carano is interviewed after the fight.

Welterweight Fight- Joe Riggs (28-10) vs. Luke Stewart (6-1)

Riggs is 10-10 since losing to Matt Hughes. Riggs is a 3-1 favorite in this fight. Big John McCarthy is the ref for this fight (he had previously retired but has now returned).

R1- Stewart gets a quick take down but they quickly stood back up. Stewart is controlling the pace of the fight and got Riggs back on the mat at the three minute mark of the round. Not a lot of damage done in the first round but it goes to Stewart as he controlled the fight. Stewart landed 10 strikes in round one to Riggs one strike and Stewart got 2 take downs to zero of Riggs. Stewart has a bunch of hotties in the crowd cheering for him.

R2- Riggs takes Stewart's guard early in the round and is laying in some punches. Riggs is landing some good shots now and Stewart dives at Riggs legs to try and hold on but McCarthy stops the fight.

Winner: Joe Riggs by TKO (strikes) R2 2:05

Woman's Fight- Kim Couture (0-1) vs. Lina Kvokov (0-1)

This is Couture's second professional fight. Both of these women are 0-1 so basically the only reason this fight is on the show tonight is due to Kim's last name. Randy and Gina Carano are both in Kim's corner for the fight.

R1- They come out throwing punches. Kvokov with horrible defense. Kim is pulling her hair and punching her and Kvokov is basically just in this fight to be a punching bag. They have a split screen on Randy for the first minute of the fight. The ref stops the fight a couple of minutes into it. Kvokov just didn't look like she belonged in the ring or wanted to be there.

"The first thing you should do is keep your eye on your opponent. That way you can see the punches coming."- Bas Rutten

Winner: Kim Couture by TKO (strikes) R1 1:44

Josh Thomson was originally going to fight but he injured his toe. So Duane Ludwig is stepping in to take his place.

Lightweight Fight- Duane Ludwig (17-8) vs. Yves Edwards (34-14-1)

Edwards was last seen getting demolished at the hands of KJ Noons. Ludwig defeated Sammy Morgan in his last fight. Josh Thomson joins Bas and Kenny to help announce the fight. Mike Brown (WEC Featherweight Champ) is in the corner of Edwards for the fight.

R1- Yves gets a quick take down. Yves looks like he's bleeding even though he hasn't been hit with a punch yet. Not a lot of action but Yves basically stays on top of Ludwig for the entire first round. Yves 10-9 in round one.

R2- Edwards got a take down but Ludwig got right up. Yves got another take down about one and a half minutes into the round. Ludwig gets back to his feet and slams Edwards to the mat but Edwards gets back up and takes Ludwig down again.

R3- Ludwig fought off Yves and got a take down about a minute and a half into the round. I've got it 20-18 Yves so Ludwig needs to finish. Not a very exciting fight, kind of disappointing. I've got Yves 29-28 for the decision win.

The judges score cards say: 29-28 in favor of Duane Ludwig for all judges. surprising. Duane did out strike Yves. I'm just very surprised that it was "unanimous".

Winner: Duane Ludwig by Decision (Unanimous)

Light Heavyweight Title Fight- Bobby Southworth (c) (9-5) vs. Renato "Babalu" Sobral (30-7)

Southworth's strategy in every fight I've ever seen him in is to simply grab his opponent and lean on them for 5 rounds. Babalu has won 13 of his last 15 fights.

R1- Southworth gets a quick take down and lays on Babalu. Babalu gets up and they clinch against the cage. Three and a half minutes gone in the fight and little to no action so far. Babalu hits an elbow and Southworth's nose is busted open. McCarthy pauses the fight to take a look at the cut. The announcers are surprised that the fight is continuing. Southworth pushes Babalu to the ground and jumps on top as the bell rings to end the fight.I think you have to give this round to Babalu due to damage inflicted on Southworth.

During the intermission they stop the fight due to the cut (it was actually over his eye) and give Babalu the TKO victory.

Winner and new champion: Babalu Sobral TKO (cut) R1 5:00

Middleweight Fight- Terry Martin (18-5) vs. Scott Smith (13-5)

Cung Le joins Bas and Kenny to call the fight.

R1- Scott Smith hit a big shot early in the round and Terry Martin got KO'd. Quick work by Scott Smith. That was a big time KO. Smith hit him on the temple as he leaned in and Martin just fell where he was standing.

Winner: Scott Smith by KO R1 0:24

Strikeforce on NBC 5/18 Re-Cap

Strikeforce on NBC 5/18 Re-Cap

Last week we saw Gilbert Melendez victorious. This week it’s Cung Le, Luke Stewart and Daniel Puder.

Cung Le (0-0) vs. Mike Altman (101)

R1- This is apparently Cung Le’s debut in MMA. Le hits a nice kick to start and another. Definitely popping the crowd with some “ohhhs and ahhhs”. Le keeps him at bay by throwing kicks. Le hits a nice back kick to the stomach. Le just misses with a couple of spinning back kicks. Three minutes in and Le hits another nice kick. Le hits a couple of punches and then hits a spinning back kick and just nails Altman with a punch right to the chin to end the fight. Great finish by Cung Le and he looked real good in his debut. This is the third fight I’ve seen of Cung Le and he’s looked good in all of his fights and he is a very exciting fighter. I would love to see him in there with more experienced and competitive fighters as his career continues.

Winner: Cung Le by KO R1 3:51

Luke Stewart (3-0) vs. Sam Liera (4-1)

Stewart has a ton of tattoos. They do a small video package of him. He owns a tattoo shop and likes to tap people out.

R1- They clinch and go to the ground. Liera is on top and in slight control of the fight. Stewart reverses and is in full mount. Stewart is throwing punches down and Liera trying to defend. Stewart continuing to punch and throwing some hammer punches. Stewart is continuing to punch and Liera is not fighting back but just covering up and the ref steps in as Liera just couldn’t get out of Stewart’s full mount.

Winner: Luke Stewart by TKO (punches) R1

Daniel Puder (1-0) vs. Jesse Fujarczyk (2-0)

They talk about the Daniel Puder/Kurt Angle incident from WWE.

R1- Jesse hits a punch to start off the fight and Puder takes him down to the ground and has him against the cage. Puder isn’t doing too much and the crowd is growing restless so the ref stands them up. Puder hits a kick and then they clinch. They throw some punches and Puder gets the best of it and Puder continues to pound away and then gets his back and puts him away with a quick Rear Naked Choke for the tap. They show 2 fans in the crowd with “I Hurt Kurt” t-shirts on.

Winner: Daniel Puder by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 1:54

This was a pretty good show as it featured 3 fights with 3 young and new fighters. The only thing I didn’t like was that you knew who was going to win the fights due to the three guys being featured at the top of the show. I would prefer a more UFC style (UFC Wired or UFC Unleashed) where they introduce all the fighters and you don’t know who is going to win unless you’ve already read or heard the results elsewhere.