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UFC/Strikeforce Postmortem: Judge Dread, Knockouts
By: Jake Rossen
Leonard Garcia file photo: Sherdog.com
Among Mike Goldberg’s usual duties -- sponsor plugs, broadcast generalship, tanning -- is reciting the standard “Rules of the Octagon” narration over a graphic, which states points will be awarded “based on striking, grappling, aggression, and Octagon control.” At 10 seconds in length, this will never be mistaken for an instructional video, but it’s become very obvious that Nevada judges in attendance Saturday haven’t even bothered with that much.
After handling Leonard Garcia for three rounds, pushing Garcia backward, landing while Garcia whiffed in open-mouthed “offense” and even taking a round with a conceivable 10-8 work effort, two judges ignored Nam Phan and scored the bout 29-28 Garcia. (The third saw it 30-27 Phan, cementing his status as human with two functioning corneas.) It stands next to New Coke, “The Phantom Menace” and the Hula burger as one of the worst decisions of all time.
In typically boorish bureaucratic fashion, these judges will never be asked to explain their scorecard, will never be asked to provide evidence of their competency, and will probably not be reprimanded in any meaningfully way -- all expected outcomes of virtually every other botched job on the planet.
Nothing can suffocate the enthusiasm of fans more quickly than something purported to be “As Real as it Gets” burdened by the inexplicable presence of officials who use a fictitious set of standards to oversee fights. Athletic commissions are assumed to be competent; as we saw with Chael Sonnen’s hearing Thursday, some members can’t even tell the difference between a mixed martial artist and a boxer. At this point, it’s becoming impossible to tell the difference between a fight judge and a brick. Read more -
Lindland Talks Return, Lawler on SRN
By: Sherdog.com Staff
Matt Lindland checked in with Lutfi Sariahmed and Jack Encarnacao to discuss his bout with Robbie Lawler on Saturday's Showtime-televised Strikeforce “Henderson vs. Babalu” card.
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Listen to the full show here. -
Poll: Is Matt Lindland Done?
By: Mike Fridley
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Strikeforce Post-Mortem: Women’s Rights, Lefts, Mousasi, More
By: Jake Rossen
Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos celebrates her victory. Photo by Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com.
It could be argued that Strikeforce’s most valuable asset isn’t Fedor Emelianenko, hyper-competent CEO Scott Coker, or the tremendous access allowed by CBS/Showtime; it’s their lockdown on female mixed competition, which has outdistanced early catcalls, derision, and fan immaturity to become one of the most entertaining and dynamic divisions in the sport.
For the holdouts, Saturday’s “Strikeforce: Carano vs. ‘Cyborg’” put the defense on permanent rest. 145 lb. contenders Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos spent some of the most torturous five minutes in recent memory slugging, shooting, and swelling; it was Santos who wanted it more, muscling Carano in the clinch, landing the bigger power shots, and finally beating a grounded Carano like it was personal with only one second left in the round. (An MIA Carano unable to be interviewed due to medical intervention backstage should suffocate any idea that it was a premature stoppage.) Read more
