Strikeforce Live Play-by-Play

Sherdog.com’s Greg Savage reports from the HP Pavilion in San Jose with live play-by-play of Strikeforce: Frank Shamrock vs. Nick Diaz. Also on the card, Scott Smith will clash with Benji Radach.

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Jeremy Tavares vs. Shingo Kohara
Round 1
Tavares comes out aggressive but Kohara stymies him with his grappling skills. Kohara throws armbar after armbar attempt at Tavares in the opening three-minute round of the bout. Tavares defended all of them and attained top position, from which he pounded away until the end of the round.

Round 2
Kohara ends the bout with a knee to the head as Tavares attempted to shoot for a takedown. Tavares is prone on the mat and being attended to. The end came at :04 of round two as referee Josh Rosenthal jumped in to save the downed fighter. Tavares is now back up and moving under his own power.

Zak Bucia vs. James Terry
Round 1
Bucia lands a nice high kick that is partially deflected. Terry answers with a takedown to side-control. Bucia gets to half-guard and then full guard but Terry passes back to side. Bucia shits his hips for an armbar attempt gut Terry skillfully avoids the submission and strikes down on Bucia. The round comes to a close with Terry throwing while standing in Bucia's guard. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for James Terry.

Round 2
Terry shoots in for a nice double-leg and sinks Bucia to the mat. Bucia, witha tight guard is searching for a submission but Terry makes it to his feet looking to strike. Bucia pulls him back into his guard and locks up an armbar but Terry slams his way out. Terry moves back to side-control and tries to pin Bucia's arm in a crucifix position. Bucia senses trouble and escapes the danger by getting back to his guard. Referee "Big" John McCarthy stands the fighters back up due to a lack of action on the ground but Terry takes Bucia back to the mat just before the bell sounds ending the round. Sherdog.com tallies round two for Terry 10-9.

Round 3
Terry counters a combination by Bucia with a straight right hand that snaps his head back. Terry continues the assault with body and leg kicks putting Bucia completely on the defensive. Terry takes the fight back to the mat and finishes from the round from the top. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for James Terry.

The official scores are read, or attempted to be read by the ring announcer (Stu Ganz) who is having all kinds of difficulty. At first he stammered to 30-27 scores for Zac Bucia before being directed by Bucia to the Commissioners at ringside who were trying to get his attention. He then correctly read the scores as 30-27 on all three cards for the winner, James Terry.

Raul Castillo vs. Brandon Michaels
Round 1
Castillo fakes a right hand and changes levels for a nice double-leg takedown. Casitillo frees himself from Michaels' half-guard and gets to side before jumping to mount. Michaels immediately gives up his back and Castillo sinks the fight ending rear-naked choke. Herb Dean steps in to separate them at 1:45 of round one giving Castillo the win.

Eric Lawson vs. Waylon Kennell
Round 1
Lawson closes the distance and clinches Kennell along the cage where they dirty box. Lawson lands a nice uppercut but Kennell refuses to back down. Kennell rushes forward but Lawson puts him on his back with a body-lock. Kennell scrambles back to his feet only to be knocked to the canvas with a pair of right uppercuts. Lawson follows him to the mat looking to finish but gets tangled in Kennell's guard. Kennell get up again and backes Lawson up against the cage with a flurry of strikes. Lawson looks completely gassed but shows he is still game as he puts Kennell back on the mat. Kennell uses a failed armbar attempt to get top position and then mount. From there he locks up another armbar, this one pretty deep. Lawson keeps his elbow at a safe angle and sweeps to mount where he finishes the fight with ground and pound after the 10-second warning. Referee McCarthy halts the action at 4:54 of round one giving Lawson the victory by TKO.

Luke Rockhold vs. Buck Meredith
Round 1
Rockhold opens with a high kick that Meredith easily avoids. Rockhold then lands a nice body kick. Rockhold lands a body-lock takedown and ends up with Meredith's back. Looking for a rear-naked choke, Rockhold gets to high and almost allows Meredith to escape out the back door. He resets his position but Meredith turns back into him Wanting no part of being mounted, Meredith gives his back once again and this time Rockhold does not miss his chance. He works his way to his back before sinking a modified rear-naked choke, with one arm in, to elicit the tapout from Meredith. Referee Josh Rosenthal acknowledges the submission at 4:07 of the first round giving Rockhold the victory.

Renato "Babalu" Sobral just walked up on Tito Ortiz and got in his face at cageside. No punches were thrown.

Brett Rogers vs. Ron Humphrey
Round 1
Humphrey storms forward with an off-balance triple jab. Humphrey throws two spinning back kicks that fall short. Humphrey stays aggressive as he shrugs off a takedown attempt and fires a powerful left-legged head kick that is blocked. Humphrey bends over and attempts a single leg without dropping levels. Rogers defends it easily and roughs up his opponent with uppercuts from short range. The fighters clinch and exchange dirty boxing against the fencing. Rogers slips and the crowd reacts. Rogers stands up and belts Humphrey with a right hand. Rogers grabs the dreadlocks of Humphrey from the Thai clinch. Referee Herb Dean warns him for the infraction. Rogers again grabs his hair and Dean issues a warning that a point will be taken for another infraction. The action is back on and Rogers goes back to the Thai plum, throwing knees to the high chest. Rogers again holds onto the dreadlocks of Humphrey. Dean halts the action and takes a point. Dean restarts the fighters and Rogers roughs Humphrey up from tight quarters with short punches and uppercuts.

Jordan Breen scores the round 9-9
TJ De Santis scores the round 9-9
Mike Fridley scores the round 9-9

Round 2
Rogers presses forward and pushes Humphrey against the fence. Rogers lands a knee as Humphrey backs off. Rogers jabs his opponent back to the cage and unloads with a knee to the midsection. Rogers only lets go of the plum to blast away with uppercuts before returning to the clinch. The knees are landing at will, both to the chin and body before Humphrey goes down to avoid more punishment. Dean steps in to save the downed fighter at 1:38 of round two.

Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos vs. Hitomi Akano
Round 1
Cyborg rushes out and tees off with punching flurries. Akano hangs tough and ends up getting thrown hard to the mat. Akano attempts and armbar and Cyborg has none of it. Cyborg stands and the Japanese fighter follows. Santos again just throws Akano to the mat with seemingly little effort. Akano shows good footwork as she avoids the power of her opponent. Akano tries to pull guard, but her range isn’t correct. Cyborg unloads with her hands again before the three-minute round expires.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cyborg
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Cyborg
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Cyborg

Round 2
Cyborg walks right into her opponent throwing bombs. Akano ducks under and attempts a double-leg takedown that fails. Akano, a southpaw, throws a left-hand lead that connects. Cyborg shows anger and rushes forward with a one-two combo. Akano pulls guard and closes her legs around the Brazilian. From a closed guard, Akano ties up Santos the best that she can, but Cyborg breaks free and fires punches downward. Cyborg passes to side-control against the fencing and tees off with right hands until the horn sounds.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cyborg
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Cyborg
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Cyborg

Round 3
Akano flops and referee Josh Rosenthal stands her up. Cyborg connects clean with a kick to the body and a right hand that rocks Akano’s world. Cyborg pounces with more punches and a knee until Rosenthal pulls her off. Cyborg wildly celebrates her impressive win with a dash to the cage. The official time is 0:35 of the final frame.

Benji Radach vs. Scott Smith
Round 1
The fighters touch gloves and the action is on. Radach starts with a right-hand lead and a jab that connect. Radach continues to jab and catches a body-kick attempt from Smith. An inside low kick scores for Smith as the action slows. Radach abandons his jab to throw a right hand. Smith avoids the blow and follows up with a right to the chin that shakes Radach’s frame. A right hand from Smith knocks Radach to the floor on all fours. Radach stands and unloads with a right hand that sends Smith retreating to the canvas. Radach patiently sets up another right hand that lands flush before lifting Smith into the air and depositing him to the canvas. From the top position in guard, Radach gets busy with punches to the head and body.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Radach
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Radach
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Radach

Round 2
Smith rushes in and scores with a right hand to the jaw. Radach ties up his opponent, but finds himself with his back to the cage. Smith tries an inside sweep from the clinch, but he can’t get Radach to the mat. Smith gives up the position and returns to the center of the cage. Radach grazes a left hook to the mouth and connects with a knee to the body. A left hand rocks Smith. A right follows that knocks Smith down. Smith stands and is caught in a standing guillotine. Smith recovers and trips Radach to the floor. Radach attempts to transition directly to the mount with the choke, but he loses hold of his opponent’s neck in the process. Smith tries a single that ends up in a stalemate. Referee Herb Dean stands the fighters and Smith is a bloody mess as a cut near the left eye is dripping life liquid. Radach jabs from the pocket while Smith survives the round.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Radach
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-8 Radach
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-8 Radach

Round 3
Radach stays behind his trusty jab to kickoff the final stage. Smith, bleeding from both eyes, gets busy with a flurry and a kick to the body. Radach ducks under and lobs Smith on his head with a beautifully-executed wrestling throw. Smith rallies with a right hand and Radach is hurt. Radach retreats and then stops Smith in his tracks with a straight right. Radach is now bleeding from a laceration on the right temple. In spectacular fashion, Smith steps forward in the pocket and knocks Radach out with a counter right hand. Amazing come-from-behind win for Scott Smith at 3:24 of round three.

It was announced in the arena that the official attendance is 15,211.

Gilbert Melendez vs. Rodrigo Damm
Round 1
Melendez catches a kick from Damm and trips him to the canvas. From the top in guard, Melendez strikes downward with shoulder punches and left hands to the ribs. Damm, with his head buried in the fencing, closes his guard and starts to work on the right arm of Melendez. Right hands rain down from Melendez, as Damm slides backward against the cage and gets a butterfly guard. The offensive position doesn’t deter Melendez; he postures up and blasts Damm with right hooks and hammerfists. Melendez moves to half guard. Left hands land and Melendez gets busy with rights at the bell.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Melendez
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Melendez
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Melendez

Round 2
Melendez drops levels for a single and Damm impressively sprawls away. Melendez is sporting a swollen right eye after the scramble. Damm is looking tired on his feet as he lowers his hands. Melendez moves in and sets up a right cross with a jab. The cross clips the chin and puts Damm down. Three follow-up rights from Melendez put Damm to sleep at 2:02 of the second stanza as referee Josh Rosenthal shows mercy on the hurt fighter.

Frank Shamrock vs. Nick Diaz
Round 1
Shamrock attacks the right leg of Diaz with two low kicks. Shamrock misses clean on a head kick attempt. Diaz jabs the head and gets an easy single-leg takedown. Diaz moves to half guard and then side control. The pace slows as Diaz attempts a kimura on the left arm of Shamrock. Frank pulls his arm free and stands. Diaz jabs lazily while Shamrock throws right hand leads one after the other. Shamrock mixes in a straight to the body while Diaz moves forward jabbing. Diaz kicks the right leg of Diaz and ducks under a left hand. Diaz catches a Shamrock body kick and trips him to the floor. Diaz engages, hopping into side control. Diaz quickly mounts Shamrock. Diaz goes to a high mounts and tees off. Shamrock escapes to end the round.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Diaz
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Diaz
Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Diaz

Round 2
Diaz taunts Shamrock in the center of the cage, talking trash. Diaz puts his head down and lands a left hook. Shamrock is reaching from the outside with his right hand. His timing is off and he’s falling short on nearly every punch. Diaz steps forward and lands a right hook. Shamrock uses lateral footwork while Diaz chases him throwing constant leather. Diaz has completely taken over this fight. Shamrock looks gassed and battered. With Shamrock’s back to the fence, Diaz stuns his opponent with a left straight to the chin. Diaz drops Shamrock with a right hook to the body. Shamrock covers and takes a pounding from both hands (mostly rights) until referee “Big” John McCarthy pulls Diaz off. Complete domination by Nick Diaz.