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Welcome to our live coverage of the Strikeforce show in Sunrise, FL at the BankAtlantic Center.
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John Kelly finished Sabah Homasi in the second round with a choke
Hayder Hasan vs. Ryan Keenan
Hassan, who looks like a tank, like another Thiago Alves physically, connected with some
punches and Keenan went down. Hassan threw some punches on the ground and now wants
Keenan back up. . Hassan throwing wildly looking for a finish but didn’t connect with anything
solid. Hassan 10-9
Hassan knocked him down with a left to the jaw and it’s over.
Marcos DaMatta vs. Pablo Alfonso
DaMatta is the first guy the crowd seems to really know. He’s an ATT 140-pounder. DaMatta
got a takedown but is immediately caught in a guillotine. DaMatta out but then Alfonso got him
in an armbar and it was over for something of an upset by submitting an experienced BJJ guy.
Craig Oxley vs. David Gomez
Both these guys came in 0-2. Scores were 30-27 for Gomez across the board, some booing of the
decision but not much..
John Clarke vs. Joe Ray
Ray with a knee to the chin and punches on the ground and the ref stopped it. Both men were
making their pro debuts.
Joe Riggs vs. Jay Hieron
Slow first round. Hireron was more active but crowd was quiet and not much into it. All
standing and not a lot of action. 10-9 Hieron
Hieron got a takedown and throwing a lot of punches to the ribs. He continues to work the body
while in Riggs’ guard. He’s now working the other side of the body and a few to the head but
mostly the body. Crowd getting restless and starting to boo. He’s continuing to pound the body
and will easily win the round. He had some good shots to the head with 30 seconds left Riggs
up with 13 seconds left in the round. Round is all Hieron. 20-18
Riggs hurt Hireron with a punch. Riggs took him right down. Looks like Hieron’s left eye is
bleeding. Now Riggs is cut from a blow on the ground. I couldn’t tell what it was but there’s
blood all over Riggs’s fade and body. Riggs is having trouble seeing. Bad swelling near Riggs’
left eye as well. Hieron knocked Riggs down with a left. Now on top throwing body punches.
Riggs trying to get a Kimura from the bottom. He’s knows if he doesn’t he’s losing. Riggs
bleeding from the nose as well by this point. Blood all over Riggs’ body. Ref stood them up.
It’s over, easy 30-27 for Hieron.
Crowd has been pretty dead most of the night. Lower level pretty full, nobody up top. Show was
set up for 8,000 and it’s pretty close to that.
They are announcing stars in attendance. Cain Velasquez - little reaction. GSP - big reaction.
Gegard Mousasi some reaction. Gilbert Melendez - very little reaction. Scott Smith - slightly
more than Gilbert, but both almost nothing. Josh Thomson - crickets. King Mo - a little more
than crickets. Brett Rogers - less than Thomson. Cung Le - not much but more than the last few.
Dan Henderson - big reaction. Really scary the lack of reaction at a Strikeforce show to the
Strikeforce stars.
Undercard was lackluster and crowd has been almost completely dead all night.
A few times on the undercard they played a tape telling people that they don’t need to pay $50 to
see fights when they can see them on Strikeforce. I wonder what that’s supposed to be about.
Hieron’s eye is a mess and Riggs did suffer a broken nose.
Bobby Lashley vs. Wes Sims
Sims not looking in shape, but at least hasn’t lost any of his height. I think 52 year old Brutus
Beefcake is the better cosmetically conditioned Brutus Beefcake today. Sims is posing like he’s
Hogan and nobody is reacting. Bobby Lashley predicts a fast finish. He’d better.
People reacted to Sims like he’s an opening match heel. Lashley got a reaction, but not as big as
you’d think. Sims doing more posing to no reaction. Sims wants a test of strength mocking
Lashley. Nobody got it. Lashley got the double leg takedodwn. And he’s punching Sims in the
face over and over again. Lashley trying to pass guard but didn’t accomplish that. Lashley
throwing more punches to the head. More punches to the head. Sims is in trouble. Sims turned
his back. Lashley kept pounding on him and the ref stopped it. It was a good stoppage but Sims
is up complaing to the ref about the stoppage of course.
Lashley thanked Sims for taking the fight on short notice.
Robbie Lawler vs. Melvin Manhoef
Manhoef is dancing to the ring. If this was any other crowd they’d be into him. But they have no
idea who he is. Manhoef is smaller than when he fights in Japan.
Manhoef with a kick to the body. Lawler threw a kick to the body. Slower start then expected.
Crowd actually almost ready to boo when Manhoef threw a wicked kick to the body. Low kick
by Manhoef. Manhoef threw a few punches and a body kick. Another low kickby Manhoef.
Manhoef with punches and kicks. He’s killing his legs and just taking hin apart. Lawler is in a
lot of trouble. Manhoef with more punches. Lawler’s right leg is shot. Another kick to the right
leg. And another. Lawler then knocked him cold with a right out of nowhere. Freaking Scott
Smith finish. Tremendous. It was a right to the jaw out of nowhere which stagged him and as he
was falling, a left knocked him cold.
Crowd now going crazy. That finish turned the show around. Everyone has been
“I kept my hands up, his hands seem to drop when he goes to finish guys. He was kicking the
crap out of my leg.” Quadros asked him about JakeShields and Lawler couldn’t have done a
worse follow-up saying he’ll take this win and wants to rest up.
God do they hate Rex Ryan. He’s got Matt Serra in Montreal heat. These fans don’t know any
fighters, but they know football coaches. He got twice the reaction of GSP or Dan Henderson.
Herschel Walker vs. Greg Nagy (pronounced Nuj)
Walker physically looks amazing. Walker got a nice ovation, now overwhelming. Walker looks
fit to be tied. Walker’s stand up is rigid. His low kicks are working. He’s dancing like he’s
Rufus Jones. Hey, Herschel was a huge Dusty Rhodes fan in the day. Walker took him down
from a front headlock position. . He got his back. . Now is punching fom the top in mount.
Nagy defendig well at this poin. Nagy tried an ankle lock but Walker escpaed. Walker has him
pinned on the ground but not doing damage right now. Some punches to the head, but not hard.
Nagy will survive the round. Easily Walker 10-9. They just showed GSP and the place went
nuts.
Low kick by Walker. Nice takedown by Walker. Walker has his back and has Nagy flattened.
Now he’s on top in full mount. He is showing that he’s a beginner when it comes to finisheing
skills. Nagy got to his feet. The crowd is screaming knee and he threw the knee. Walker got
him back down. Walker has his back again. Walker has him flatened out but seems to have no
idea how to finish hiim. He’s throwing some punches to the side of the head. Walker got mount
and beat him up with punches but no finishing power.
Nagy out with punches and Walker has him pinned against the cage and took him down again.
Crowd is now booing. Nagy tried an armbar but Walker escaped. Crowd booing now. He has a
full mount but doesn’t have the punching power to finish. He’s throwing a lot of punches and
Nagy isn’t getting out of the position, but the punches aren’t that hard. Now Walker is pounding
the body. It was stopped and Walker is the winner. Really shouldn’t have been stopped. Total
flat stoppage. The crowd is mostly giving Walker polite applause. Not a good fight but it was
amazing his conditioning at his age.
“The experience was exciting. Let me thank my opponent because it’s tough to fight an old
man,” Walker said..
“This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
Said it would be up the fighters at AKA and Javier Mendez is he should continue.
Cris Cyborg vs. Marloes Coenen for the women’s world lightweight title
Nobody knows Coenen at all. About 20% of the crowd popped for Cyborg. The rest don’t seem
to know her.
Coenen looks in great condition. Cyborg’s reaction much less than Lashley or Walker. The
physical difference isn’t as pronounced as it was six weeks ago. Coenen got her into the cage
and Cybog turned her. Coeneen turned Cyborg against the cage. Cyborg isn’t outmuscling her at
this point. Cyborg turned her back. Coenen threw a punch off the clinch. Cyborg hit a good
punch and they are in a clinch. Cyborg got the takedown. Cyborg scored with a few punches.
Cyborg with some more punches. Up kick by Coenen. Coenen back standing. Trading punches
and Cyborg unloading. Coenen back but Cyborg landing more. Coenen clinched and pulled
Cyborg into the cage. Coenen stomping on her foot. Coenen threw a punch off the break
butCyborg getting the better of the stand up. Nice spin kick by Cyborg at the end of the round.
10-9 Cyborg.
Cyborg threw her down and is now kicking the legs with Coenen on her back. Cyborg on top
punching. Cyborg went for a power bomb but Coenen blocked it. Cyborg went to the ground
with her. Coenen got back up. Cyborg with a combo. Good left by Cyborg. Another combo by
Cyborg. Coenen tried a takedown but couldn’t get it. Coenen seemed to pull guard. She was
thinking triangle but didn’t come close. More punches from the top by Cyborg and then she
jumped back to her feet. Cyborg’s round easily 20-18
Cyborg seems in better condition. Coenen went for a takedown, didn’t get it but does have
Cyborg against the cage. Cyborg now throwing punches against the cage and took Coenen back
down. Body punches by Cyborg. Cyborg hammering down punches. Coenen did an up kick to
the knee that Cyborg was staggered by. Coenen threw her best punch and Cyborg reacted but
she’s still attacking. Coenen went for the takedown, but Cyborg is on top unloading. It may end
here. Finally it was stopped by ref George Ortiz with Cyborg as the winner retaining the title. It
was pretty much a one-sided match, with Cyborg being too physically strong.. It was the least
exciting Cyborg fight, or for that matter, major promotion women’s fight in the past few years.
Nick Diaz vs. Marius Zaromskis for the Strikeforce welterweight title
Big staredown. Trading punches right away. Diaz already has Zaromskis hurt. More trading
and a knee by Zaromskis. Diaz thinking takedown. Diaz with lots of knees to the right thigh.
Must be like two dozen of them. Zaraomskis doing nothing to block them. He’s just standing
there taking the knees. Diaz got him down but Zaromskis back up. Now trading against. Diaz’s
reach plaitng a big part here but Zaromskis knocked him down with a punch and he’s got his
back. Diaz back up. Low kick by Zaromskis. Trading punches and now Diaz getting better of it.
Diaz chant. First time crowd has come to life during a match except for the KO by Lawler. Diaz
hurting Zaromskis with punches. Diaz going to the head and body. Diaz has him hurt bad, firing
away to the head and body as the round is coming to a close. Diaz put him down and it’s over.
Good performance by Diaz.
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