Strikeforce Challengers Series 9/25/09 Re-Cap

Strikeforce Challengers Series
Tulsa, Oklahoma
September 25, 2009

This is the third Strikeforce Challengers Series event on Showtime. Mauro Ranallo, Stephen Quadros and Pat Miletich are the announcers for tonight’s event. Jimmy Lennon Jr is the ring announcer.

Heavyweight Fight- Daniel Cormier (0-0) vs. Gary Frazier (0-0)

This is the MMA debut for both fighters. Cormier was an Olympic wrestler and Frazier has a background in football and track. Frazier is listed as a boxer/wrestler. Cormier is training under Bob Cook at the American Kickboxing Academy (Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, Cain Velasquez, Josh Thomson). Muhammed Lawal is in Cormier’s corner and is one of the reasons that Cormier got his start in MMA. Frazier has a 5.5” reach and 3” height advantage.

R1- Cormier took the center of the cage and Frazier seems to be content to back off and try to look for an opening but not really any action in the first minute of the fight. Cormier landed the first strikes of the fight and then stuffed a take down attempt. Frazier runs away from Cormier then tries to dive at him but Cormier jumps on top of him and hits him with some Ground and Pound as Frazier is turtled up. Cormier was able to switch position and took side control and landed some punches. Frazier gets back up and runs away from Cormier and then throws some strikes that back off Cormier. Good round for Cormier as he easily took this round. It was a borderline 10-8 round.

R2- Cormier tried for a single leg and Frazier avoided it by grabbing onto the cage on three separated instances. He should have had a point deducted because he clearly did it twice more after he was warned and was able to avoid a take down due to an illegal activity. Cormier landed some strikes about half way through the round. Frazier went for a knee but missed and slipped and Cormier jumped on top and landed some hammer fists. Cormier passed guard to the mount and landed some more Ground and Pound. Frazier gave up his back and Cormier landed some punches on his ears and the ref stepped in and stopped the fight.

Good debut by Cormier. Frazier was clearly out of his league in this fight.

Winner: Daniel Cormer by TKO (Strikes) R2 3:39

Catchweight Fight- Thomas Longacre (5-0) vs. Travis Calanoc (4-0)

Colanoc is from Tulsa and is listed as a boxer/jiu jitsu fighter. Longacre is from Tyler, Texas and is listed as a kickboxer. Longacre is the XFL (whatever that is) Featherweight Champion. Longacre has a 3.5” reach advantage in this fight. Longacre is listed at 148 lbs and Calanoc is listed at 146.5 so not sure if both guys missed weight for this fight or what.

R1- Longacre landed a combo in the first minute that knocked Calanoc back to the cage but couldn’t tell if it was a punch or a slip to avoid a punch. Longacre is throwing a lot of strikes and has taken the center of the cage. Longacre looked really good early but he went for a head kick and Calanoc blocked it and landed a knee and then a punch that hurt Longacre. Longacre was able to clinch so that he had some time to recover. Calanoc was able to trip Longacre and tried to pull guard with a guillotine but he slipped right off and Longacre sat down in his guard but he couldn’t hold the position. Really good first round with some twists and turns. Longacre looked really good early but Calanoc came closer to stopping the fight. This round could have gone either way.

R2- Longacre takes the center of the octagon like he did in the first half of last round. Fairly even round with Longacre being more aggressive and looking more confident. Longacre landed a really good combo at the four minute mark. Calanoc pulled guard and grabbed a guillotine but he couldn’t hold it and Longacre quickly got back to his feet. Longacre took this round.

R3- Longacre got a take down about a minute into the fight and quickly took side control but he gave up the position. Longacre is again winning the stand up battle in this round. Calanoc tries to pull guard with a guillotine choke but Longacre quickly slips out and ends in Calanoc’s guard. Calanoc went for an arm bar but Longacre avoided it and got back to his feet. Both guys throw in the last ten seconds trying to land the punch that ends the fight. Longacre is going to win this round and will win the fight. Good fight.

Judges score cards say: All three judges score the fight 30-27

Winner: Thomas Longacre by Decision (Unanimous)

Welterweight Fight- Tyron Woodley (3-0) vs. Zack Light (6-8)

Woodley is a two-time All-American wrestler from Missouri and Zack Light is also a college wrestler. Zack Light is also the wrestling coach at the Wolfslair (Michael Bisping, Rampage Jackson, Cheick Kongo, Paul Kelly) in the UK. All 3 of Woodley’s wins have come by submission and he trains with American Top Team (Denis Kang, JZ Calvancante, Jorge Santiago, Thiago Silva, Mike Brown, Luis Cane).

R1- Woodley has some quick strikes. Woodley got a slam on Light about one and a half minutes into the fight. Woodley was able to get mount and land some strikes and then clamped in an arm triangle. Woodley couldn’t finish Light and went back to full mount. Good round by Woodley, he looked solid.

R2- Light came in for a punch and Woodley caught him with a knee. Then Woodley landed a right hand that floored Light. Light quickly got up but Woodley got a fast take down. Woodley again went for the arm triangle but gave it up in favor of the full mount and some Ground and Pound. Woodley again went for the arm triangle. The fighters went back to their feet with two minutes left in the round and Woodley got another take down and mounted. Light pushed off the cage and Woodley clamped in an arm bar and Light tapped. Great counter by Woodley. Woodley looked really good, can’t wait to see him fight again.

Winner: Tyron Woodley by Submission (Arm Bar) R2 3:38

Heavyweight Fight- Ray Sefo (1-0) vs. Kevin Jordan (11-7)

Jordan played football at Memphis and is listed as a boxer/jiu jitsu fighter. Sefo is a 6-time World Champion Kickboxer. Sefo has the highest knockout ratio in K-1. Sefo has not fought in MMA since 2005. Jordan has a 3.5” height and 3” reach advantage. Sefo has been training at Xtreme Couture. Shawn Thompkins is in Sefo’s corner for the fight.

R1- Sefo lands a couple of kicks and Jordan goes for a take down but Sefo rolls over on top. Sefo tried to pass and he got reversed and Jordan took side control. Jordan went for a key lock but Sefo held on to his arm and avoid the submission. Jordan transitioned to full mount and lands some punches. Sefo is able to survive the round but Jordan definitely takes round one.

R2- Jordan went for a take down right off the bat and got stuffed. Jordan looked like he hurt his leg or his knee and didn’t get up. Sefo seized the opportunity and jumped down on Jordan and then Jordan pushed him off but couldn’t stand up and tapped out. Well that was a freak injury. Sefo was lucky to get out of here with a win. He definitely needs to work on his ground game if he wants to continue in MMA.

Winner: Ray Sefo by TKO (Knee Injury) R2 0:24

Middleweight Fight- Tim Kennedy (10-2) vs. Zak Cummings (10-0)

Kennedy is 1-0 in Strikeforce while Cummings is making his Strikeforce debut. Kennedy beat Nick Thompson in his last fight for Strikeforce. Zak Cummings is listed as a jiu jitsu fighter. Kennedy is listed as a kickboxer. Kennedy is a Green Beret trained in Special Forces.

R1- Kennedy went for a take down and landed it within the first 30 seconds of the fight. Cummings gave up his back and Kennedy landed some strikes and Cummings moved back to his back. Kennedy is landed some good strikes on Cummings. Kennedy is just all over Cummings. Kennedy took this round 10-8. Cummings has a good size mouse on his eye and looks like he has a cut right above his right eye.

R2- Kennedy went for a choke about two minutes into the round but couldn’t lock it in. Cummings went for a take down but Kennedy sprawled out and clamped on a north/south choke and Cummings tapped out. Great fight for Kennedy.

Winner: Tim Kennedy by Submission (North/South Choke) R2 2:43

Strikeforce Challengers Series 6/19/09 "Villasenor vs. Santos" Re-Cap

Strikeforce Challenger Series 6/19/09
Joe Villasenor vs. Evangelista Santos
Kent, Washington

This is the second installment of the Strikeforce Challengers Series. Mauro Ranallo is the lead announcer and he is joined by Stephen Quadros and Pat Miletich. The Challenger Series focuses on hungry prospects and veterans looking to make an impact.

Middleweight Fight- Luke Rockhold (4-1) vs. Cory Devela (9-2)

Rockhold fought on the Strikeforce “Destruction” show last November and defeated Nik Theotikos by first round submission. Devela fought Terry Martin in September for Strikeforce and lost by TKO in the third round. Rockhold has won all of his fights by submission. Rockhold is a wrestler and jiu jitsu fighter. Devela is the only fighter on this card from Washington.

R1- Devela came in right of the bat and landed a punch but took a punch and was floored. Rockhold followed him to the floor and nailed him with a bunch of punches. Devela bleed on the mat and then Rockhold locked him in with the Rear Naked Choke and Devela tapped out. Great showing by Rockhold. Rockhold has looked really good in both of the fights I’ve seen him in.

Winner: Luke Rockhold by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 0:30

Women’s Fight- 135 Pounds- Sarah Kaufman (9-0) vs. Shayna Baszler (11-5)

Baszler trains with Josh Barnett. Baszler comes to the ring with a guitar on her back. Baszler fought Christiane Cyborg on CBS for Elite XC in 2008 but lost by TKO in the second round. Kaufman beat Miesha Tate at the first Strikeforce Challengers show by Decision. This is being fought under 3 five minute rounds, which is a change from the usual 3 minute rounds that most women’s MMA fights are fought under. Mauro let’s us know that future women’s fights will be contested under 5 minute rounds.

R1- Baszler was able to get a trip early and took Kaufman’s guard. Kaufman got out of that position but Baszler got a brief choke before Kaufman could get out of the submission hold. The ref stood the fight up with a minute thirty left in the round. Baszler clinched her and the ref broke them up. Close round that probably goes to Baszler due to the take down and submission attempt.

R2- They clinched and Kaufman snuck in a good right hand as they broke the clinch. Kaufman hit a good combo. Kaufman is starting to pick Baszler apart on their feet now. Kaufman clearly took this round as she closed very strong and I’ve got the fight 19-19 going into the final stanza.

R3- Baszler went for a single leg take down but Kaufman stuffed it and ended up on top. Kaufman got a take down and landed some brief Ground and Pound but then let Baszler up to her feet. Kaufman is clearly winning the stand up game. Baszler went for a last minute knee bar but Kaufman stuffed it and will take this fight by decision.

Judges score cards say: 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 in favor of Kaufman. I had the fight 29-28 in favor of Kaufman.

Winner: Sarah Kaufman by Decision (Unanimous)

Josh Barnett joins Mauro Ranallo at ringside. He talks about the Baszler fight and the upcoming fight that he has against Fedor on August 1st for Affliction.

Catchweight Fight (160 pounds)- Jorge Gurgel (12-5) vs. Conor Heun (8-2)

Heun is a 30 year old wrestler who has 5 submissions out of his 8 wins. Heun has a brown belt in jiu jitsu under Eddie Bravo. Gurgel is a jiu jitsu fighter who prefers to stand on his feet and that’s the reason that he’s no longer in the UFC. Gurgel has 9 submissions in his 12 wins. Heun has a 4” reach advantage.

R1- Gurgel is hitting some leg kicks. When the fighters get close together they are both just swinging for the fences. Gurgel continues to hit leg kicks and is the more accurate striker so far. Heun started to come on at the end of the round and he landed some good strikes. This was a very close round. I’m not sure Heun did enough at the end of the round to get the nod.

R2- Heun is pushing forward at the beginning of this round and looking to get in close range to throw strikes. Gurgel hit a nice high head kick but Heun took it and didn’t go down. Gurgel caught Heun with some punches but doesn’t follow up. Gurgel hits a good right hand. Gurgel had a head kick blocked and then gets Gurgel on the cage and hits some strikes and draws blood from Gurgel. They are just swinging for the fences and the fans are eating it up. Gurgel landed some nice strikes to close the round. Great round. I’ve got Gurgel up 20-18 so far.

R3- Gurgle hit a body kick but Heun took Gurgel down and they scrambled back to their feet with 3 minutes left in the round. Gurgel got caught Heun and Heun jumped on top and then grabbed the rubber guard and then they stood back up with a minute and a half left. Really good fight. I’ve got Heun taking this round but Gurgel winning the fight 29-28.

Judges score cards show: 29-28, 30-27 in favor of Gurgel.

Winner: Jorge Gurgel by Decision (Unanimous)

They show a hype video for upcoming Gina Carano/Cyborg fight.

Middleweight Fight- Nick Thompson (38-10-1) vs. Tim Kennedy (9-2)

Kennedy is a kickboxer who is a Special Forces Army Ranger. Thompson fought Jake Shields for the Elite XC Welterweight Title on CBS last July but fell victim to a guillotine choke in the first round. Thompson is a boxer and a wrestler. In Thompson pre-fight interview he seems to think that Jake Shields has the Strikeforce Title. Thompson is the most experienced fighter on this show. Thompson has 21 submission victories in his career. Thompson beat Paul Daley in a recent fight.

R1- Kennedy shot in early but Thompson grabbed his arm and went for a kimura. Thompson finally released the attempts and Kennedy tried to take Thompson’s back and ended up getting half guard. Both guys are very active on the mat so far in the first round. Kennedy mounted but Thompson quickly pushed him back to half guard. This was a good first round that was the opposite of Gurgel/Heun as this fight was contested almost solely on the ground. Kennedy won the first round 10-9.

R2- Kennedy got a take down at the one minute mark of the round. Kennedy lands some strikes and Thompson tapped out to the strikes.

Post-fight Thompson gets in the refs face. Maybe about the strikes as it looked like Kennedy hit several shots to the back of Thompson’s head and the ref did nothing to stop them.

Winner: Tim Kennedy by Submission (Strikes) R2 2:37

Middleweight Fight- Joe Villasenor (26-6) vs. Evangelista Santos (16-12)

Santos is a Muay Thai and BJJ fighter. Cyborg is coming off of an elbow injury. Villasenor fought and defeated Phil Baroni on CBS in May of 2008 in only one minute winning by TKO. Villasenor is a boxer and jiu jitsu fighter. Villasenor trains with Greg Jackson’s camp. He has not fought since the Baroni fight. Cyborg has a 3” reach advantage in this fight.

R1- Villasenor is the aggressor early but is getting caught with some counter punches. Villasenor gets a take down about half way through the round. First round goes to Villasenor 10-9.

R2- They throw some good leather early into this round. Cyborg is hitting low kicks. They really mixed it up at the end of the round. Really close round. Villasenor is the one pushing the action but this one could have gone either way.

R3- Cyborg got a take down a minute into the third round. Villasenor got to his feet without taking any damage. Villasenor is pushing the action and has opened up a cut on Cyborg. I’ve got Villasenor taking this round and the fight.

Judges score cards say: 29-28 Villasenor, 29-28 Cyborg (?), and 29-28 Villasenor.

Winner: Joe Villasenor by Decision (Split)

This was a decent show but definitely one where you didn’t miss much if you missed it. Gurgel/Heun was a really fun fight and was FOTN. I hope Villasenor gets moved up to the main show because he’s a solid fighter and I’d like to see how he does against some of the top Middleweights that Strikeforce has. Luke Rockhold looked great and it looks like Sarah Kaufman is positioning herself for a possible fight with the winner of Carano/Cyborg.