Strikeforce "Triple Threat" Play-by-Play
Dec 8, 2006
Sherdog.com's Greg Savage reports from the HP Pavilion in San Jose,
Calif. with live play-by-play of Strikeforce "Triple Threat."
Additionally, you can check out alternate blow-by-blow coverage and discuss tonight's event in the MMA Forums. Stay tuned to Sherdog.com for up-to-the-minute coverage and analysis.
Discuss this event in the MMA Forums!
Live Results Here.
Raul Castillo vs. Andrew Montanez
Round 1
Castillo fends off the agressive Montanez and his takedown attempts in the openining minute before slamming him to the mat. Castillo takes his opponent's back and pounds out the referee stoppage victory at 2:10 of the first round.
David Barrios (Pictures) vs. Anthony Figueroa
Round 1
The fighters circle, trading shots with both men landing. The fighters clinch as Barrios shrugs off a takedown attempt. Figueroa then proceeded to deliver a knee to the groin of Barrios, crumpling him to the mat. Referee Herb Dean separated the fighters and gave Barrios five minutes to recover from the unintentional blow. After a brief respite, Barrios indicated he was okay to continue. After a quick exchange on the feet, the fighters exchanged guillotine attempts, first Barrios and then Figueroa, with neither fighter coming close to the submission. Round one goes to Figueroa 10-9 on the Sherdog.com scorecard.
Round 2
The second round begins with both competitors trading shots as they circled the cage. Barrios scores with a nice left hand only to have it countered by a Figueroa takedown. Barrios escaped back to his feet and the standup battle recommenced. Figueroa scored the cleaner shots and pushed the pace enough to notch a 10-9 score in the second round.
Round 3
Figueroa opened the third round moving agressivly forward throwing punches and knees. Barrios locked up a head and arm clinch and kneed to Figueroa's midsection. Figueroa spun out of the hold before too much damage could be done. As the fighters exchanged blows in the middle of the cage, Figueroa, once again, landed to the groin of Barrios. This time it was a left kick, square on his opponent's cup. After another injury time out, Barrios saw fit to continue and quickly found himself on his back on the mat. The final bell rang ending the flyweight affair. Sherdog.com scored the final frame 10-9 for Figueroa. The official scores were announced as 30-27 and 29-28 x 2.
Scott Graham (Pictures) vs. Drew Dimanlig
Round 1
Fighters clinch in the opening moments before exchanging knees. Dimanlig shoots but Graham sprawls and stands back up. Dimanlig launches another lazy shot and gets caught in a Thai clinch and kneed in the head. The fighters clinch once again and Graham lands a knee right on the cup of Dimanlig. Dimanlig is given a chance to recover and after a minute or two the fight restarted. Dimanlig once again tried to get the fight to the mat but Graham showed good balance as he avoided the takedown as the closing seconds of the first round ticked off. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Graham.
Round 2
The second round began much more to Dimanlig's liking as he tallied the double leg takedown to open the period. Graham sat up along the fence and limited the ability of Dimanlig to strike from half guard. As Graham stood up, Dimanlig jumped into a guillotine choke attempt. Graham caught him and carried him to the corner. Graham then slammed Dimanlig to the mat in a powerful slam. Dimanlig maintained his top position and that was how the frame ended. Sherdog.com scored the round 10-9 for Dimanlig.
Round 3
It's right back to the clinch in the third with Graham scoring well to the body with punches. Dimanlig drops for the trip takedown but Graham locks up a guillotine choke. Dimanlig fights his way out of the hold. Graham goes to work on another submission, a Kimura, only to be mounted by Dimanlig. Graham quickly swept Dimanlig and begins to pound away. Dimanlig sweeps back to the top in the closing 15 seconds but it was not enough to take the round on the Sherdog.com scorecard. After three rounds Sherdog scores the bout 29-28 for Graham. The official scores read 30-27 on all three cards for the winner by unanimous decision Scott Graham.
David Smith (Pictures) vs. Sean Bassett (Pictures)
Round 1
Bassett comes out pushing the pace white Smith seems content to counter. Basset walks right into an overhand right that drops him to the mat. Smith is slow to attack and Bassett gets back to his feet. Smith now finds himself on the recieving end of a flurry of Bassett punches as he is trapped against the cage. Smith fires back after circling away off the cage. Bassett drops for the takedown and gets it. The round ends with the fighters stalemated on the mat. Bassett survives the takedown to outpoint Smith through the rest of the round getting the razor thin 10-9 margin on the sherdog.com scorecard.
Round 2
Smith lands a two punch combination to lead off the second round. Smith lands a two punch combination to lead off the second round. Smith unloading now as Bassett tries to clinch to stop the flurry. Bassett's left cheek shows the wear of the right hands that have been landing in bunches. Bassett toughs out a takedown and tries to go to the body. Bassett does score with some ground and pound but it is not enough to earn him the round. Sherdog scores the second frame 10-9 for Smith.
Round 3
Bassett's left eye looks to be closing as the fighters answer the bell to start the third. Smith wobbles Bassett with a looping overhand right. Smith pushes him to the mat and proceeds to unload a massive barrage of punches to his downed opponent. Referee Josh Rosenthal evetually felt Bassett had taken enough punishment and stepped in to stop the bout at 1:36 of the third round.
Rex Richards (Pictures) vs. Kyle Levinton
Round 1
Richards pushes Levition back into the cage and picks him up and slams him to the mat. Richards moves through to the mounted position. Richards posting up, looking to strike. Richards goes for an armbar but misses. Levition gives up his back and Richards tries to sink his hooks. Levition turns back in and Richards retakes the mount. Richards quickly goes for an Americana that forces Levition to tap out at 2:02 of the first round.
Daniel Puder (Pictures) vs. Mike Cook
Round 1
Puder immediatly shoots and gets the takedown. Cook sweeps him and briefly has him mounted. Puder sweeps right back and settles into Cook's guard. Puder passes to half guard but Cook scores a sweep of his own right away. Puder, working from the bottom, searches for a submission, first an armbar and then a Kimura. Cook defends both well and punches down on Puder. Cook throwing chopping punches downward while Puder tries to defend. Puder muscles his way out and takes Cook's back, sinking his hooks as the bell sounds ending the round. Sherdog.com scores the close first round 10-9 for Cook.
Round 2
Puder, once again, searches for a takedown to open the second. Cook using his hips well to defend. Puder finally gets Cook to the mat. Puder working from half guard capitalizes as Cook tries to stand up. He takes Cook's back again, this time with plenty of time to work. Puder, with both hooks in, flattens out Cook and pounds away at his head. Puder, after softening him up, goes back to the choke and elicits the tapout, even thouigh referee John Shorle doesn't see it at first, for the win. The time of the submission is 2:31 of the second round.
Paul Buentello (Pictures) vs. Ruben Villareal (Pictures)
Round 1
Buentello stalking Villareal from the get go, throwing a nice right hand behind his jab to opening scoring. Buentello lands another flurry that stops Warpath in his tracks. Villareal walks into an uppercut before getting the clinch along the cage. Buentello punches his way out of the clinch, forcing Villareal backwards. Buentello lands another beautiful lead right. Spinning back kick from "The Head Hunter." This looks like a sparring session for Buentello. Villareal gets the clinch again on the fence but can't do anything with it and backs out. Buentello moves forward looking to throw a flying knee but Villareal retreats out of range. Buentello follows up with an overhand right that sends Warpath back into the cage. The round came to a close with both fighters clinched along the cage. Round one goes to Buentello 10-9.
Round 2
Villareal is much too slow for Buentello who is circling in and out of range. The fighters clinch along the cage but Buentello shrugs his foe off with ease. The crowd is getting restless, sensing that Buentello should have finished already. The crowd is showering the cage with boos. Villareal slows the pace down again as he backs Buentello into the cage again. Buentello pushes him off and unloads a combination of punches. Buentello tries a high kick and slips to his back. Villareal tries to move in but Buentello gets back to his feet before he can do anything. Buentello goes on to land a one, two that stuns Villareal. As Warpath backs up to the cage, Buentello closes in for the kill, landing anther flurry of punches to his incapcitated foe. Referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the action just as the towel came flying into the cage at 3:57 of the second round.
Eugene Jackson (Pictures) vs. Ronald Jhun (Pictures)
Round 1
Jackson rocks Jhun in the opening exchange, sending him flailing to the mat. Jackson secures the mount and starts the ground and pound. Jhun tries to buck his way out but Jackson takes his back as he tries to escape and it is only seconds later that he is forced to tapout to the rear naked choke. The end came at 2:01 of the first round. That give Jackson the Strikeforce middleweight title.
Duane Ludwig (Pictures) vs. Tony Fryklund (Pictures)
Round 1
Ludwig reatreating and throwing punches as Fryklund moves forward firing his own shots. Another big barrage between the two fighters with Ludwig getting the upper hand. Ludwig slips to the mat as Fryklund pushes his way out of the clinch. Ludwig gets right back up and after him though, landing a one, two followed by a body kick that staggered Fryklund. "Bang" then opens up the offense and unleashes a torrent of punches that keeps Fryklund moving backwards. A weary Fryklund is sent to the mat with a leg kick that swept his leg out from under him. He got back to his feet only to taste more leather from "Bang." Fryklund almost got the fight to the mat late in the round but Ludwig scrambbled well and stayed on his feet. He punished Fryklund with shots to the body as well as the head as the first round ends. 10-9 for "Bang" on the Sherdog card.
Round 2
The second round begins with Ludwig going back to the body. He lands a few decent strikes before Fryklund shoots. It looks like he will finally get the takedown but Ludwig somehow stays upright. Fryklund pays for not being able to take it to the mat as Ludwig pounds a high kick to the head of "The Freak" that wold have ended a lesser man's night. Somehow Fryklund remained on his feet only to eat another head kick. Visibly riddled, Fryklund clapped his hands after the second head kick but Ludwig kept up the offensive. Ludwig finally ended the affair with a big knee that crumpled Fryklund to the mat forcing Josh Rosenthal to put a halt to the bout at 3:37 of the second round.
Strikeforce announced Phil Baroni vs. Frank Shamrock for Spring 2007 at HP Pavilion
Bobby Southworth (Pictures) vs. Vernon White
Round 1
Southworth gets body lock takedown but can't do much with the position as White defends well. Southworth tries for White's back as he stands but White shakes him off. Southworth nearly locks up an armbar but White continues to defend like the veteran he is. The fighters are back on their feet withWhite bleeding from the nose. White scores with a nice kick to the body of Southworth. Sherdog.com scores the opening round 10-9 for Southworth.
Round 2
Southworth the aggressor once again early in the second as he scores another takedown. White again defends well. Southworth is forced to fight off a Kimura attempt as White latched onto his arm as he tried to stand up. Southworth escapes and the fighters start over in the center of the cage. White takes an inadvertant thumb in the eye as Southworth tries to create space for a punch. Referee Josh Rosenthal doesn't call time as seconds tick off the clock. finally the time keeper stops the clock. White is ready to continue. The fighters touch gloves before getting back after it. White throws a series of strikes, none connecting, finishing with a spinning back kick that Southworth slips before grabbing White's back in a body lock. White turned into Southworth but could not stop the body lock takedown. Southworth tries to attack from half guard. White does not allow him to separate and score from the top and the crowd shows its displeasure wth the pace of the fight by booing once again. Southworth earns round two on the Sherdog.com card 10-9.
Round 3
Southworth scores the first shot of the third frame nearly a minute in with a head kick that is partially blocked by White. Southworth closes the distance and gets yet another takedown. White makes his way back to his feet and turns into Southworth. Southworth backs out and looks to start over. White fires a lead left hand that backs Southworth up but he isn't putting his punches together. The crowd is really letting them have it now. Another lead left from the southpaw White but once again it is a single punch. With 50 second left in the round Southworth nets another takedown. The round ends with Southworth unable to improve his position and White in a defensive mode. Round three goes into the bank for Southworth 10-9. He is pitching a shutout on the Sherdog.com card.
Round 4
White charges forward to open the frame but a reatreating Southworth changes levels and scores another takedown. Working from half guard, Southworth is unable to land much of anything against the crafty White. White puts Southworth back into full guard and then tries his luck with the butterfly guard. Southworth seems content to control White and seems uninterested in striking. Referee Josh Rosenthal steps in and stands them back up. White finally throws more than one punch and conects wtih a solid right hook that followed behind his lead left. Southworth may have hurt White's left leg with a low kick, he is limping visibly. A good right hand rattles White's head backwards. A "You Suck, You Suck!" chant echos throughout the arena as the fourth round comes to a close. Round four goes to Southworth for his cage control.
Official attendance is 8701.
Round 5
The championship round begins with Southworth landing yet another takedown. White works his way back to his feet quite easily though. White tries for his first takedown, a single leg, that Southworth defends well. White turtles once again and Southworth tries to knee to the body. White quickly rolls for a kneebar but Southworth wiggles free. After more clinch work along the fence the referee separated them once again. The rounds come to a close soon after referee Rosenthal separated the fighters. The crowd gave a Bronx cheer after counting off the last few seconds of the clock. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Southworth. The official cards reads as 50-45, 50-46 and 49-46 for the winner and new Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Bobby Southworth. Southworth is showered with boos as he takes the mic after the decision is announced.
Elaina Maxwell (Pictures) vs. Gina Carano (Pictures)
Round 1
Maxwell using a side kick to try to keep Carano off of her in the early going. Carano thrwoing a lot of right hands. Maxwell in a southpaw stance, Carano orthodox. Carano backs Maxwell into the cage throwing big overhand punches. Maxwell ducks under and scores the takedown. Carano quickly sweeps her and finishes the round in the top position. Sherdog.com scores the opening two minute period 10-9 for Carano.
Round 2
Carano goes for a Thai clinch but ends up pulling guard. She rolls Maxwell right over, sweeping into the top postion. Some ground and pound is followed Carano backing out and kicking Maxwell's legs. Maxwell escapes back to her feet. The closing moments of the round see a missed spinning backfist by Maxwell answered with a superman punch from Carano that lands. Sherdog.com scores the second frame 10-9 for Carano.
Round 3
A big overhand right by Carano opens the third round. After the fight shifts to the mat, Carano tries her hand at some ground and pound. Maxwell answers with an armbar attempt and transitions into a triangle. Carano tries to escape but Maxwell rolls her over. Carano seems to be in a horrible position before squirming out the back door and mounting Maxwell. The final minute of the bout sees Carano pounding away from the mount. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Carano. The official cards are announced as 29-28 x 3 giving Gina Carano the unanimous decision victory.
Josh Thomson (Pictures) vs. Nam Phan (Pictures)
Round 1
Thomson comes out moving forward He gets the Thai clinch and scores with some nice knees. Phan gets a body lock and the two stay entangles for a good minute or so. Phan scores the first takedown of the fight, an outside trip. Thomson locks up a full guard. Thomson powers his way up off the mat and scores with a superman punch and some good knees to the body. Thomson gets a takedown of his own with Phan securing guard. Thomson looks much stronger than Phan. A fantastic scramble as Phan escaped and nearly secured Thomson's back before "The Punk" wiggled away. The round soon came to a close with Thomson garnering the 10-9 score on the Sherdog.com card.
Round 2
Phan moving forward early in the round, catches Thomson with a right hand only to walk right into a right hand from "The Punk" that dropped him. Thomson pounced, trying to end things but nearly got caught in a guillotine choke from the rallying Phan. Thomson escaped and soon after backed away up to his feet. Phan tried to get a single leg takedown and ended up nearly taking Thomsons back after he fell attempting a flying knee. Thomson got back to his feet again and began to pour it on Phan. Landing punches and knees to his smaller foe. Phan refused to back down and fires away at every opening Phan lands a pair of hooks. Thomson, unfazed, pushes him back into the cage. Sherdog.com scores the second stanza 10-9 for Josh Thomson.
Round 3
They are trading now in the center of the cage. Phan unloads a combination of punches finishing with a heavy shot to the body. Thomson answers with punches of his own. Thomson looks to be the more weary of the two fighters. Both guys have plenty of gas in the tank though. Thomson lands a series of knees, backing Phan up into the cage. Thomson put Phan to the mat with a spinning back kick to the midsection. He attacks, following up with a flying knee that Phan catches. Thomson transitions into a guillotine attempt. Thomson now has the mount and is firing away at Phan. 30 seconds left. Phan gets his guard back but Thomson wont be denied. He continues the barrage, standing up out of the guard and launching himself back at him like a missle. The round ends to a rousing chorus of cheers. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Thomson. Jimmy Lennon Jr. calls out the official scores as 30-27 on all three cards giving Josh Thomson the Strikeforce U.S. lightweight title.
Josh Thomson puts on a "Frank Glamrock is my bitch" shirt on after the fight.
Frank is now in the ring.
Shamrock tells the crowd, since its his birthday, he is going to give himself a birthday present. He shows a contract that he says has Phil Baroni's signature on it. He declares that he will knock Baroni out and that the fight will sell 18,000 seats like his first fight in Strikeforce.
Cung Le (Pictures) vs. Jason Von Flue (Pictures)
Round 1
Le throwing kicks early, to the head and to the body. Von Flue gets a body lock and pulls guard. Le picks him up and slams him to the mat. In the initial exchange, before Von Flue got the body lock, Le landed a short knee. It opened a big cut over Von Flue's left eye. As soon as Le backed out of Von Flue's guard, referee Dean called for the doctor. She immediately called the bout off giving Cung Le the TKO victory at just 43 seconds of the first round. The crowd is not pleased with the decision but the cut is pretty bad.
Stay tuned to Sherdog.com for exclusive post-fight video and event analysis.
Additionally, you can check out alternate blow-by-blow coverage and discuss tonight's event in the MMA Forums. Stay tuned to Sherdog.com for up-to-the-minute coverage and analysis.
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Raul Castillo vs. Andrew Montanez
Round 1
Castillo fends off the agressive Montanez and his takedown attempts in the openining minute before slamming him to the mat. Castillo takes his opponent's back and pounds out the referee stoppage victory at 2:10 of the first round.
David Barrios (Pictures) vs. Anthony Figueroa
Round 1
The fighters circle, trading shots with both men landing. The fighters clinch as Barrios shrugs off a takedown attempt. Figueroa then proceeded to deliver a knee to the groin of Barrios, crumpling him to the mat. Referee Herb Dean separated the fighters and gave Barrios five minutes to recover from the unintentional blow. After a brief respite, Barrios indicated he was okay to continue. After a quick exchange on the feet, the fighters exchanged guillotine attempts, first Barrios and then Figueroa, with neither fighter coming close to the submission. Round one goes to Figueroa 10-9 on the Sherdog.com scorecard.
Round 2
The second round begins with both competitors trading shots as they circled the cage. Barrios scores with a nice left hand only to have it countered by a Figueroa takedown. Barrios escaped back to his feet and the standup battle recommenced. Figueroa scored the cleaner shots and pushed the pace enough to notch a 10-9 score in the second round.
Round 3
Figueroa opened the third round moving agressivly forward throwing punches and knees. Barrios locked up a head and arm clinch and kneed to Figueroa's midsection. Figueroa spun out of the hold before too much damage could be done. As the fighters exchanged blows in the middle of the cage, Figueroa, once again, landed to the groin of Barrios. This time it was a left kick, square on his opponent's cup. After another injury time out, Barrios saw fit to continue and quickly found himself on his back on the mat. The final bell rang ending the flyweight affair. Sherdog.com scored the final frame 10-9 for Figueroa. The official scores were announced as 30-27 and 29-28 x 2.
Scott Graham (Pictures) vs. Drew Dimanlig
Round 1
Fighters clinch in the opening moments before exchanging knees. Dimanlig shoots but Graham sprawls and stands back up. Dimanlig launches another lazy shot and gets caught in a Thai clinch and kneed in the head. The fighters clinch once again and Graham lands a knee right on the cup of Dimanlig. Dimanlig is given a chance to recover and after a minute or two the fight restarted. Dimanlig once again tried to get the fight to the mat but Graham showed good balance as he avoided the takedown as the closing seconds of the first round ticked off. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Graham.
Round 2
The second round began much more to Dimanlig's liking as he tallied the double leg takedown to open the period. Graham sat up along the fence and limited the ability of Dimanlig to strike from half guard. As Graham stood up, Dimanlig jumped into a guillotine choke attempt. Graham caught him and carried him to the corner. Graham then slammed Dimanlig to the mat in a powerful slam. Dimanlig maintained his top position and that was how the frame ended. Sherdog.com scored the round 10-9 for Dimanlig.
Round 3
It's right back to the clinch in the third with Graham scoring well to the body with punches. Dimanlig drops for the trip takedown but Graham locks up a guillotine choke. Dimanlig fights his way out of the hold. Graham goes to work on another submission, a Kimura, only to be mounted by Dimanlig. Graham quickly swept Dimanlig and begins to pound away. Dimanlig sweeps back to the top in the closing 15 seconds but it was not enough to take the round on the Sherdog.com scorecard. After three rounds Sherdog scores the bout 29-28 for Graham. The official scores read 30-27 on all three cards for the winner by unanimous decision Scott Graham.
David Smith (Pictures) vs. Sean Bassett (Pictures)
Round 1
Bassett comes out pushing the pace white Smith seems content to counter. Basset walks right into an overhand right that drops him to the mat. Smith is slow to attack and Bassett gets back to his feet. Smith now finds himself on the recieving end of a flurry of Bassett punches as he is trapped against the cage. Smith fires back after circling away off the cage. Bassett drops for the takedown and gets it. The round ends with the fighters stalemated on the mat. Bassett survives the takedown to outpoint Smith through the rest of the round getting the razor thin 10-9 margin on the sherdog.com scorecard.
Round 2
Smith lands a two punch combination to lead off the second round. Smith lands a two punch combination to lead off the second round. Smith unloading now as Bassett tries to clinch to stop the flurry. Bassett's left cheek shows the wear of the right hands that have been landing in bunches. Bassett toughs out a takedown and tries to go to the body. Bassett does score with some ground and pound but it is not enough to earn him the round. Sherdog scores the second frame 10-9 for Smith.
Round 3
Bassett's left eye looks to be closing as the fighters answer the bell to start the third. Smith wobbles Bassett with a looping overhand right. Smith pushes him to the mat and proceeds to unload a massive barrage of punches to his downed opponent. Referee Josh Rosenthal evetually felt Bassett had taken enough punishment and stepped in to stop the bout at 1:36 of the third round.
Rex Richards (Pictures) vs. Kyle Levinton
Round 1
Richards pushes Levition back into the cage and picks him up and slams him to the mat. Richards moves through to the mounted position. Richards posting up, looking to strike. Richards goes for an armbar but misses. Levition gives up his back and Richards tries to sink his hooks. Levition turns back in and Richards retakes the mount. Richards quickly goes for an Americana that forces Levition to tap out at 2:02 of the first round.
Daniel Puder (Pictures) vs. Mike Cook
Round 1
Puder immediatly shoots and gets the takedown. Cook sweeps him and briefly has him mounted. Puder sweeps right back and settles into Cook's guard. Puder passes to half guard but Cook scores a sweep of his own right away. Puder, working from the bottom, searches for a submission, first an armbar and then a Kimura. Cook defends both well and punches down on Puder. Cook throwing chopping punches downward while Puder tries to defend. Puder muscles his way out and takes Cook's back, sinking his hooks as the bell sounds ending the round. Sherdog.com scores the close first round 10-9 for Cook.
Round 2
Puder, once again, searches for a takedown to open the second. Cook using his hips well to defend. Puder finally gets Cook to the mat. Puder working from half guard capitalizes as Cook tries to stand up. He takes Cook's back again, this time with plenty of time to work. Puder, with both hooks in, flattens out Cook and pounds away at his head. Puder, after softening him up, goes back to the choke and elicits the tapout, even thouigh referee John Shorle doesn't see it at first, for the win. The time of the submission is 2:31 of the second round.
Paul Buentello (Pictures) vs. Ruben Villareal (Pictures)
Round 1
Buentello stalking Villareal from the get go, throwing a nice right hand behind his jab to opening scoring. Buentello lands another flurry that stops Warpath in his tracks. Villareal walks into an uppercut before getting the clinch along the cage. Buentello punches his way out of the clinch, forcing Villareal backwards. Buentello lands another beautiful lead right. Spinning back kick from "The Head Hunter." This looks like a sparring session for Buentello. Villareal gets the clinch again on the fence but can't do anything with it and backs out. Buentello moves forward looking to throw a flying knee but Villareal retreats out of range. Buentello follows up with an overhand right that sends Warpath back into the cage. The round came to a close with both fighters clinched along the cage. Round one goes to Buentello 10-9.
Round 2
Villareal is much too slow for Buentello who is circling in and out of range. The fighters clinch along the cage but Buentello shrugs his foe off with ease. The crowd is getting restless, sensing that Buentello should have finished already. The crowd is showering the cage with boos. Villareal slows the pace down again as he backs Buentello into the cage again. Buentello pushes him off and unloads a combination of punches. Buentello tries a high kick and slips to his back. Villareal tries to move in but Buentello gets back to his feet before he can do anything. Buentello goes on to land a one, two that stuns Villareal. As Warpath backs up to the cage, Buentello closes in for the kill, landing anther flurry of punches to his incapcitated foe. Referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the action just as the towel came flying into the cage at 3:57 of the second round.
Eugene Jackson (Pictures) vs. Ronald Jhun (Pictures)
Round 1
Jackson rocks Jhun in the opening exchange, sending him flailing to the mat. Jackson secures the mount and starts the ground and pound. Jhun tries to buck his way out but Jackson takes his back as he tries to escape and it is only seconds later that he is forced to tapout to the rear naked choke. The end came at 2:01 of the first round. That give Jackson the Strikeforce middleweight title.
Duane Ludwig (Pictures) vs. Tony Fryklund (Pictures)
Round 1
Ludwig reatreating and throwing punches as Fryklund moves forward firing his own shots. Another big barrage between the two fighters with Ludwig getting the upper hand. Ludwig slips to the mat as Fryklund pushes his way out of the clinch. Ludwig gets right back up and after him though, landing a one, two followed by a body kick that staggered Fryklund. "Bang" then opens up the offense and unleashes a torrent of punches that keeps Fryklund moving backwards. A weary Fryklund is sent to the mat with a leg kick that swept his leg out from under him. He got back to his feet only to taste more leather from "Bang." Fryklund almost got the fight to the mat late in the round but Ludwig scrambbled well and stayed on his feet. He punished Fryklund with shots to the body as well as the head as the first round ends. 10-9 for "Bang" on the Sherdog card.
Round 2
The second round begins with Ludwig going back to the body. He lands a few decent strikes before Fryklund shoots. It looks like he will finally get the takedown but Ludwig somehow stays upright. Fryklund pays for not being able to take it to the mat as Ludwig pounds a high kick to the head of "The Freak" that wold have ended a lesser man's night. Somehow Fryklund remained on his feet only to eat another head kick. Visibly riddled, Fryklund clapped his hands after the second head kick but Ludwig kept up the offensive. Ludwig finally ended the affair with a big knee that crumpled Fryklund to the mat forcing Josh Rosenthal to put a halt to the bout at 3:37 of the second round.
Strikeforce announced Phil Baroni vs. Frank Shamrock for Spring 2007 at HP Pavilion
Bobby Southworth (Pictures) vs. Vernon White
Round 1
Southworth gets body lock takedown but can't do much with the position as White defends well. Southworth tries for White's back as he stands but White shakes him off. Southworth nearly locks up an armbar but White continues to defend like the veteran he is. The fighters are back on their feet withWhite bleeding from the nose. White scores with a nice kick to the body of Southworth. Sherdog.com scores the opening round 10-9 for Southworth.
Round 2
Southworth the aggressor once again early in the second as he scores another takedown. White again defends well. Southworth is forced to fight off a Kimura attempt as White latched onto his arm as he tried to stand up. Southworth escapes and the fighters start over in the center of the cage. White takes an inadvertant thumb in the eye as Southworth tries to create space for a punch. Referee Josh Rosenthal doesn't call time as seconds tick off the clock. finally the time keeper stops the clock. White is ready to continue. The fighters touch gloves before getting back after it. White throws a series of strikes, none connecting, finishing with a spinning back kick that Southworth slips before grabbing White's back in a body lock. White turned into Southworth but could not stop the body lock takedown. Southworth tries to attack from half guard. White does not allow him to separate and score from the top and the crowd shows its displeasure wth the pace of the fight by booing once again. Southworth earns round two on the Sherdog.com card 10-9.
Round 3
Southworth scores the first shot of the third frame nearly a minute in with a head kick that is partially blocked by White. Southworth closes the distance and gets yet another takedown. White makes his way back to his feet and turns into Southworth. Southworth backs out and looks to start over. White fires a lead left hand that backs Southworth up but he isn't putting his punches together. The crowd is really letting them have it now. Another lead left from the southpaw White but once again it is a single punch. With 50 second left in the round Southworth nets another takedown. The round ends with Southworth unable to improve his position and White in a defensive mode. Round three goes into the bank for Southworth 10-9. He is pitching a shutout on the Sherdog.com card.
Round 4
White charges forward to open the frame but a reatreating Southworth changes levels and scores another takedown. Working from half guard, Southworth is unable to land much of anything against the crafty White. White puts Southworth back into full guard and then tries his luck with the butterfly guard. Southworth seems content to control White and seems uninterested in striking. Referee Josh Rosenthal steps in and stands them back up. White finally throws more than one punch and conects wtih a solid right hook that followed behind his lead left. Southworth may have hurt White's left leg with a low kick, he is limping visibly. A good right hand rattles White's head backwards. A "You Suck, You Suck!" chant echos throughout the arena as the fourth round comes to a close. Round four goes to Southworth for his cage control.
Official attendance is 8701.
Round 5
The championship round begins with Southworth landing yet another takedown. White works his way back to his feet quite easily though. White tries for his first takedown, a single leg, that Southworth defends well. White turtles once again and Southworth tries to knee to the body. White quickly rolls for a kneebar but Southworth wiggles free. After more clinch work along the fence the referee separated them once again. The rounds come to a close soon after referee Rosenthal separated the fighters. The crowd gave a Bronx cheer after counting off the last few seconds of the clock. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Southworth. The official cards reads as 50-45, 50-46 and 49-46 for the winner and new Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Bobby Southworth. Southworth is showered with boos as he takes the mic after the decision is announced.
Elaina Maxwell (Pictures) vs. Gina Carano (Pictures)
Round 1
Maxwell using a side kick to try to keep Carano off of her in the early going. Carano thrwoing a lot of right hands. Maxwell in a southpaw stance, Carano orthodox. Carano backs Maxwell into the cage throwing big overhand punches. Maxwell ducks under and scores the takedown. Carano quickly sweeps her and finishes the round in the top position. Sherdog.com scores the opening two minute period 10-9 for Carano.
Round 2
Carano goes for a Thai clinch but ends up pulling guard. She rolls Maxwell right over, sweeping into the top postion. Some ground and pound is followed Carano backing out and kicking Maxwell's legs. Maxwell escapes back to her feet. The closing moments of the round see a missed spinning backfist by Maxwell answered with a superman punch from Carano that lands. Sherdog.com scores the second frame 10-9 for Carano.
Round 3
A big overhand right by Carano opens the third round. After the fight shifts to the mat, Carano tries her hand at some ground and pound. Maxwell answers with an armbar attempt and transitions into a triangle. Carano tries to escape but Maxwell rolls her over. Carano seems to be in a horrible position before squirming out the back door and mounting Maxwell. The final minute of the bout sees Carano pounding away from the mount. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Carano. The official cards are announced as 29-28 x 3 giving Gina Carano the unanimous decision victory.
Josh Thomson (Pictures) vs. Nam Phan (Pictures)
Round 1
Thomson comes out moving forward He gets the Thai clinch and scores with some nice knees. Phan gets a body lock and the two stay entangles for a good minute or so. Phan scores the first takedown of the fight, an outside trip. Thomson locks up a full guard. Thomson powers his way up off the mat and scores with a superman punch and some good knees to the body. Thomson gets a takedown of his own with Phan securing guard. Thomson looks much stronger than Phan. A fantastic scramble as Phan escaped and nearly secured Thomson's back before "The Punk" wiggled away. The round soon came to a close with Thomson garnering the 10-9 score on the Sherdog.com card.
Round 2
Phan moving forward early in the round, catches Thomson with a right hand only to walk right into a right hand from "The Punk" that dropped him. Thomson pounced, trying to end things but nearly got caught in a guillotine choke from the rallying Phan. Thomson escaped and soon after backed away up to his feet. Phan tried to get a single leg takedown and ended up nearly taking Thomsons back after he fell attempting a flying knee. Thomson got back to his feet again and began to pour it on Phan. Landing punches and knees to his smaller foe. Phan refused to back down and fires away at every opening Phan lands a pair of hooks. Thomson, unfazed, pushes him back into the cage. Sherdog.com scores the second stanza 10-9 for Josh Thomson.
Round 3
They are trading now in the center of the cage. Phan unloads a combination of punches finishing with a heavy shot to the body. Thomson answers with punches of his own. Thomson looks to be the more weary of the two fighters. Both guys have plenty of gas in the tank though. Thomson lands a series of knees, backing Phan up into the cage. Thomson put Phan to the mat with a spinning back kick to the midsection. He attacks, following up with a flying knee that Phan catches. Thomson transitions into a guillotine attempt. Thomson now has the mount and is firing away at Phan. 30 seconds left. Phan gets his guard back but Thomson wont be denied. He continues the barrage, standing up out of the guard and launching himself back at him like a missle. The round ends to a rousing chorus of cheers. Sherdog.com scores the round 10-9 for Thomson. Jimmy Lennon Jr. calls out the official scores as 30-27 on all three cards giving Josh Thomson the Strikeforce U.S. lightweight title.
Josh Thomson puts on a "Frank Glamrock is my bitch" shirt on after the fight.
Frank is now in the ring.
Shamrock tells the crowd, since its his birthday, he is going to give himself a birthday present. He shows a contract that he says has Phil Baroni's signature on it. He declares that he will knock Baroni out and that the fight will sell 18,000 seats like his first fight in Strikeforce.
Cung Le (Pictures) vs. Jason Von Flue (Pictures)
Round 1
Le throwing kicks early, to the head and to the body. Von Flue gets a body lock and pulls guard. Le picks him up and slams him to the mat. In the initial exchange, before Von Flue got the body lock, Le landed a short knee. It opened a big cut over Von Flue's left eye. As soon as Le backed out of Von Flue's guard, referee Dean called for the doctor. She immediately called the bout off giving Cung Le the TKO victory at just 43 seconds of the first round. The crowd is not pleased with the decision but the cut is pretty bad.
Stay tuned to Sherdog.com for exclusive post-fight video and event analysis.
