MMA
Recap of Strikeforce: Los Angeles, TUF Finale, Quick WEC 49 Results, Breakdown of Strikeforce/M1: Fedor vs Werdum and Upcoming Fights
By Kevin Wallace
Jun 23, 2010 - 1:38 PM

Recap of Strikeforce: Los Angeles

Renato "Babalu" Sobral defeated "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler by unanimous decision -   Pretty strange when you have a fight where the stipulations are that the winner gets a title shot at their normal fighting weight, then the winner decides that they don't want that shot and request another fight altogether.   Only in Strikeforce, everyone!  Babalu was able to stay away from Lawler's punches and, for the most part, win this fight standing after three rounds of action.   Babalu mixed his striking up well, landing body kicks and leg kicks that began reminding Lawler of his previous fight with Melvin Manhoef.   Lawler clearly won the first round as he was able to find his range rather quickly and get up immediately when Babalu got the fight to the ground.   The next two rounds were very close but Babalu was able to push the pace more and avoid the counter punches that Lawler was hoping to put Babalu away with.   The fight was in the hands of the judges after 15 minutes as all three decided on Babalu being victorious.   If Babalu had won, he was to take on King Mo for the light heavyweight title but instead Babalu made mention that Mo is a friend and he doesn't want to face him.   Instead, Babalu challenged Dan Henderson to a rematch from a fight they had over ten years ago that Henderson won.   As much as I'm sure they'd still like to see Babalu vs King Mo for the title, I think Henderson vs Babalu is a big fight that would pull in more cash then the title fight.   Not too mention it could legitimately headline a card.   There are rumors going around that Robbie Lawler's next opponent will be Jacare and that a tournament will be set up for Jake Shields' vacant middleweight championship, of course only if he leaves for the UFC.   With the win, Babalu has put himself in with the top two or three guys at light heavyweight in Strikeforce.

Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos defeated Marius Zaromski at 2:38 of the first round.   Great little battle here while it lasted with Cyborg looking real impressive, sticking to a terrific game plan.   Cyborg was able to stun Zaromski's early on with punches and Marius never really found his rhythm.   Every time Marius attempted a high kick, Cyborg would kick Zaromski's leg slowing him down quite a bit.   Cyborg was eventually able to zone in and rock Marius with a few more good punches after dropping him to the ground for the doctor to step in and stop the fight.   After the fight, Cyborg asked for a title shot.   I'd like to see him take on KJ Noons first with the winner getting the shot at Nick Diaz' title as this is only Cyborg's first fight at welterweight and another fight in that division, before a title shot would show just how good he actually is.   Not too mention that KJ vs Cyborg would be another WAR!

Tim Kennedy submitted Trevor Prangley at 3:35 of the first round to a rear naked choke .   Prangley was able to get Kennedy to the ground twice but unable to keep him there.   Kennedy eventually got Prangley to the ground and kept him there until he was able to lock in a rear naked choke and Prangley tapped out leaving Kennedy victorious.   A correction must be made here as last week I made mention that these men were light heavyweights while the truth is they're middleweights.   With this win, Kennedy may find himself against another notch up in competition in Jason "Mayhem" Miller or Matt Lindland.

KJ Noons defeated Conor Heun by split decision - No real periods of boringness in this one as it was probably the most entertaining fight on the card.   Heun came out as the hometown hero and if anyone was going to tell him he was the underdog, then he didn't deliver the message.   Heun came out strong and aggressive and was even able to push the pace in the early stages of the fight, clipping Noons a couple times with punches and taking him down and almost getting KJ's back.   With the second and third rounds, KJ began to land the more accurate punches and pick Heun's face apart.   Heun started looking wobbly and had cuts under both eyes, but continued to throw punches at will gassing quicker the Noons.   The fight went the entire 15 minutes and to the judges, who ruled it a split decision in favor of KJ Noons.   Both men have a future in the 155 or 170 division but Noons seems to be a lot slower then he was two years ago, before he took time off, and hopefully he regains his form.

In Other Fights

Jeremy Umphries submitted R.J. Clifford at 2:27 of the second round.

Hugo Sandoval defeated Marcus Kowal by tko due to punches at 0:43 of the second round

Results of TUF Finale

Matt "The Hammer" Hamill defeated "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine by unanimous decision in the fight of the night.   The fight started off fairly slow but near the end of the first round, things began to pick up.   Jardine found his range landing several leg kicks to Hamill which made Hamill's takedown attempts happen less often then expected.   Both men traded punches and Jardine became very bloody.   At one point, there was an eye poke from Jardine to Hamill and time was given for Matt to recover a little while the referee deducted a point from Jardine.   Hamill seemed comfortable standing and although it was close, due to his dirty boxing, he won this one on the feet as well.   The judges unanimously awarded the fight to Hamill but I think this one was a lot closer then the results state.   I think the point deduction was dumb and unneeded and had it not been taken, we may have ended up with a draw.   Both guys were awarded an extra $25 000 for fight of the night.   Jardine's career in the UFC is most likely done as this is his fourth loss in a row and with his age, I don’t think he'll ever be able to get back to where he once was.   After the fight, it was revealed that Hamill had suffered a staph infection, which was evident throughout the fight as he had a rash of some sorts on his lower back.   Props to Hamill for going through with the fight even with the injury.

"Crippler" Chris Leben defeated Aaron Simpson by tko at 4:17 of the second round - Simpson opened strong, hitting Leben a couple times with some good punches and even attempted a guillotine but eventually Simpson became gassed and sensing it, Leben closed in on Aaron and put a hurt on him with some good punches.   During the second round, Leben continued to push the pace and rocked Simpson repeatedly.   Eventually he punched Simpson who retreated to a side of the cage, having turned his back to avoid further punishment and eventually the referee stepped in to call a stop to this one.   I think the stoppage was a little early but too be honest, I don’t think it mattered as at this point it was only a matter of time before Leben was able to finish him and neither guy sustained any further damage then they needed too.   Chris Leben was awarded an additional $25 000 for knockout of the night.

Dennis Siver defeated Spencer "The King" Fisher by unanimous decision in a fight that was kept on the feet for the entire fifteen minutes.   Fisher hit Siver with an accidental headbut early on in the fight and Siver was cut around his left eye.   The doctor took a look at it and allowed the fight to continue.   From then on out, the fight

was very close with each taking turns landing punches.   I guess the decision was fair but I don’t know if either of these guys did really enough to get the victory.   This fight was not nearly as interesting as I had hoped and the crowd really wasn't into it.

Court McGee submitted Kris McCray to a rear naked choke at 3:41 of the second round in a pretty competitive, back and forth fight.   In the second round, Court was able to get McCray down and lock on a rear naked choke as McCray tapped out.   Court McGee was at one time a heroin addict and worked up the courage to get clean and pick up another habit to replace it, which became MMA.   It's a feel good story that hopefully motivates some people and Court truly deserves to have won the contract.   Court was awarded an additional $25 000 for submission of the night.

Rich Attonito vs Jamie Yager- Attonito by tko at 4:25 of the second round in a fight that Rich really looked impressive in.   Yager came out with some aggression early on but it wasn't long until he tired out and Rich turned the tide of the fight.   In the second round, Rich was able to stun Yager with several punches and continue to hammer down on him until the referee stepped in to call a stop to this one.   Good little stand up battle to start the televised show.

In Other Fights

Travis Browne vs James McSweeney- Browne by tko at 4:32 of the first round

John Gunderson vs Mark "Boots" Holst- Gunderson by unanimous decision

Seth Baczynski vs Brad Tavares-   Tavares by unanimous decision

Chris Camozzi vs James Hammortree- Camozzi by unanimous decision

Josh Bryant vs Kyle Noke-   Noke by tko at 3:12 of the second round

Preview of Strikeforce/M1:   Fedor vs Werdum

Fedor Emelianenko vs Fabricio Werdum -   This fight probably shouldn't even be happening and it's probably safe to say that only Werdum's family thinks he has a chance at winning.   Fedor is considered by many to be the best fighter in the world and considering the fact that he's fought 30 times and has no legitimate losses, it's hard to argue those claims.   Fedor's been boxing since he was eight years old and along with his superb striking, the guy has one of the best ground games of anyone at heavyweight.   If these guys fight ten times, I'm confident Fedor wins all ten fights however, Fabricio does have a chance, albeit a very small one but Fabricio's shown in the past that he is able to be knocked out and has even showed that his jaw may be questionable as well and Fedor will be aiming for it.   Werdum won his last fight with Bigfoot Silva but suffered a major beat down in the first round only to regain his his focus during the second and third rounds and score with takedowns and advancing his position.   Werdum has a great set up submissions but I don't think he'll get the chance to try any of them out on Fedor.   Werdum does show the ability to take a beating and recover but with someone as experienced as Fedor, once he sees you in trouble it's just a matter of time until Werdum finds himself sleeping in the octagon.

Prediction: Fedor by knockout

Cung Le vs Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith-   The first time that these two fought, Le picked Smith apart with kicks and punches for almost 15 minutes straight but Smith showed why no one can ever count him out.   As Lee began to gas, Smith picked up the pace with his offense and eventually dropped Le and followed it up with more punches until the referee stepped in to call it.   Yes Smith won the first fight but I don't see the results being the same this time.   Le seems to have re-dedicated himself to training as in their previous contest, he had taken over a year off due to filming movies and ring rust could have also been credited with the loss.   You can never count out Smith, but I think Le fights a smarter fight this time and saves some of his energy for the later rounds.   This should be a war and be very entertaining.

Prediction: Cung Le by unanimous decision

Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos vs Jan "Cuddles" Finney -   Finney is getting this fight due to the limited selection of women fighters in Cyborg's weight division and the fact that she's not easy to find willing opponents to face her.   Finney has a record of 8-7 and half of her fights have gone to a decision.   Having won her last four fights and losing to some of the best women’s fighters out there such as Erin Toughill, Miesha Tate, Julie Kedzie (3 times) and Shayna Baszler, Finney has no problem stepping into the cage with tough fighters but Cyborg will present a more aggressive approach then she is used to.   Cyborg has finished half of her fights in the first round and is always looking for the knockout which I see happening in this one.

Prediction: Cyborg by tko

Josh "The Punk" Thomson vs Patrick "Bamm Bamm" Healy -   The Punk is one of the brightest lightweigths not signed to the UFC and Healy is considered to be a warm up fight as with a win from Thompson, we will more then likely get a third fight between Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez.   Healy has stepped in the cage with some fantastic competitors such as Jake Ellenberger, Rory Markham, Jay Hieron, Chris Lytle, Derrick Noble, Brad Blackburn and Denis Kang.   Bam Bam even holds wins against the likes of Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy, Paul Daley, Carlos Condit, Michael "The Joker" Guymon and Ryan Ford (twice).   Healy has some good wrestling and likes to apply it in his fights but Thomson should be able to stuff any takedown attempts and outclass Healy when he's brought to the ground.   This should be a good little scrap here and I wouldn’t doubt it if both guys’ ground games cancel one another out and we get a standup slugfest.

Prediction: Thomson by submission

In Other Fights

Joe Warren vs Patricio "Pitbull" Friere: Prediction- Warren by decision

Bryan Baker vs Alexander Shlemenko: Prediction- Baker by decision

Quick Results from WEC 49

Jamie "The Worm" Varner and Kamal Shalorus went to a controversial draw

Josh Grispi submitted LC Davis to a guillotine choke at 2:33 of the first round

Chris Horodecki submitted Danny Downes at 1:09 of the third round

Mark "The Machine" Hominick defeated Yves Jabouin by tko at 3:21 of the second round

Eddie Wineland defeated Will Campuzano by tko at 4:44 of the second round

Wagnney Fabiano defeated Frank Gomez by unanimous decision

Will Kerr submitted Karen Darabedyan to an armbar at 1:20 of the first round

Eric Koch submitted Bendy Casimir to a triangle choke at 3:01 of the first round

Diego Nunes defeated Rafael Assuncao by split decision

Chris Cariaso defeated Rafael Rebello by unanimous decision

Renan Barao submitted Anthony Leone to an armbar at 2:29 of the third round

Upcoming Events

UFC 116 from MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada- July 3rd, 2010

UFC Heavyweight Title Fight- Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin

"The Crippler" Chris Leben vs Yoshiro "Sexyama" Akiyama

Stephan Bonnar vs Krzysztof "The Polish Experiment" Soszynski

Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino vs George Sotiropoulous

Chris "Lights Out" Lytle vs "The Immortal" Matt Brown

Goran Reljic vs Kendall "Da Spyda" Grove

Brendan Schaub vs Chris Tuchscherer

Karlos "The Terminator" Vemola vs Jon Madsen

Seth Petruzelli vs Ricardo Romero

Daniel Roberts vs Forrest "The Meat Clever" Petz

Dave Branch vs Gerald Harris

Dream 15 from Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan- July 10th, 2010

Shinya Aoki vs Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri

Joaquim "Mamute" Ferreira vs Rameau Thierry "The African Assassin" Sokoudjou

Katsunori Kikuno vs Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante

Tatsuya Mizuno vs Melvin Manhoef

UFC on Versus 2 from Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah- August 1st, 2010

Jon Jones vs Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko

Joe "Daddy" Stevenson vs Takanori Gomi

Jake Ellenberger vs John "Doomsday" Howard

Yushin Okami vs Mark Munoz

Matt Riddle vs Damarques Johnson

James Irvin vs Igor Pokrajac

Brian Stann vs Mike Massenzio

Rob Kimmons vs Steve "The Hooligan" Steinbeiss

Jacob "Christmas" Volkmann vs Paul Kelly

Darren Elkins vs Charles Oliveira

Thiago Tavares vs Williamy "Chiquerim" Freire

UFC 117 from Oracle Arena in Oakland, California- August 7th, 2010

UFC Middleweight Title Fight- Anderson "The Spider" Silva vs Chael Sonnen

"Big Country" Roy Nelson vs Junior Dos Santos

Jon Fitch vs Thiago "Pitbull" Alves

Ricardo Almeida vs Matt Hughes

Thiago Silva vs Tim Boetsch

Clay "The Carpenter" Guida vs Raphael Dos Anjos

"Killa B" Ben Saunders vs Dennis "Superman" Hallman

Rick Story vs Dustin Hazelett

Charlie "The Spaniard" Brenneman vs Johny Hendricks

Stefan Struve vs Christian Morecraft

WEC 50 from Las Vegas, Nevada- August 18th, 2010

Bantaweight Championship Fight- Dominic Cruz vs Joe Benavidez

Urijah "California Kid" Faber vs Takeya Mizugaki

Anthony Pettis vs Shane Roller

Bart "Bartimus" Palazewski vs Zachary Micklewright

Brad "One Punch" Picket vs Scott Jorgenson

Dave Jansen vs Ricardo Lamas

Cub Swanson vs Chad Mendes

UFC 118 from Boston, Mass.- August 28th, 2010

UFC Lightweight Title Fight- Frank "The Answer" Edgar vs BJ Penn

Kenny "Ken Flo"Florian vs Gray Maynard

James Toney vs "The Natural" Randy Couture

Nate "The Great" Marquardt vs Roussimar Palhares

Joe "J-Lau" Lauzon vs Terry Etim

Marcus Davis vs Nate Diaz

Alessio Sakara vs Jorge "El Conquistador" Rivera

Amilcar Alves vs Mike Pierce

Andre Winner vs Nick "The Carnie" Lentz

Greg Soto vs Nick Osipczak

Phil "New York Badass" Baroni vs John Salter

Rodney Wallace vs Stanislav Nedkov

Fight Night- September 15th, 2010

Gleison Tibau vs Jim Miller

Alan "The Talent" Belcher vs Demian Maia

Cole Miller vs Ross Pearson

UFC 119- From Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana- September 25th, 2010

Jeremy "Lil Heathen" Stevens vs Melvin Guillard

Joey "The Mexicutioner" Beltran vs Matt Mittrione