Guest Writer: Salvatore DeRosalia
STRIKEFORCE
Televised Fights:
MAIN CARD (BEGINNING AT
7:30PM):
Gina
“Conviction” Carano (7-0) vs. Cris “Cyborg” (7-1) – 145lb Female Championship
Bout
Gina and Cyborg both look
calm as they make their walk to the cage. The crowd is certainly on Gina’s
side as it roars when she enters the cage. This is quite possibly the
most important in STRIKEFORCE history. Fighters are you ready? Fans are
you ready? “Let’s go!”
Round one starts with
Cyborg staking Gina and she takes eventually takes her down after a short
flurry. Somehow Gina ends up on top but Cyborg is goes for a heel hook.
Gina escapes and Cyborg takes her back and initiates ground and pound.
Gina gets out and gets up but only to more vicious blows from Cyborg.
Gina and Cyborg go down to the ground again and Gina ends up in full mount.
She delivers her own vicious ground and pound. Gina and Cyborg stand up
and trade heavy punches in the middle of the ring. Both fighters are
tired. Gina lands a SUPERWOMAN punch to the face of Cyborg. Both
girls are trading blows as Cyborg takes Gina down again. Cyborg seems to
be hurting Gina more then she is being hurt. They clinch in the middle of
the cage. Cyborg falls on Gina and lands in half guard. Cyborg
attempts an Americana twice but Gina rolls out of it. Cyborg initiates
ground and pound. Gina curls up against the cage and covers her face. The
Ref yells at Gina to fight back or he will stop the match. The Ref warns
her again. Cyborg continues to deliver horrific blows to Gina’s face as
Josh Rosenthal steps in and stops the fight as the horn sounds to end the
round. There is confusion in the ring for a moment but the fight is over.
Gina is still on the mat as Cyborg runs around the ring elated with her accomplishment.
Gina fought hard but the strength of Cyborg was just too much and she is now
the STRIKEFORCE WOMANS 145LB CHAMPION.
Renato
"Babalu" Sobral (35-8) vs. Gegard Mousasi (25-2-1) - Light
Heavyweight Championship Bout
First things first, Referee
BIG JOHN MCCARTHY is huge.
Bell rings and Babalu
meanders to the center of the cage. Babalu catches Mousasi kick and
clinches. Mousasi establishes side control. Babalu tries to get up but
Mousasi destroys Babalu with straight hard punches to the head. Babalu’s
body goes stiff. Mousasi wins fight by KO at1:00 in the first round and
is now the STRIKEFORCE Light Heavyweight Champion
Gilbert
“El Nino” Melendez (15-2) vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida (18-5-1) – Lightweight Interim
Championship Bout
El Nino takes the center of
the cage and spends the first 3 minutes of round 1 picking apart Ishida’s face
with jabs, hooks and crosses. Ishida shoots for and get a double leg
takedown, almost secures a rear naked choke but Gilbert turns it around into
his own takedown which is where the round comes to an end.
Gilbert used his reach in
round 2. Gilbert sprawls on a shot attempt from Ishida and then uses the
clinch to administer some dirty boxing and knees. Gilbert lets his hands
fly with bunches of punches to Ishida’s face. Ishida starts bleeding from
the top of his head. Ishida takes heavy knees to the torso with a 1:30 left in
round 2. Round 2 ends with another takedown from Melendez, Ishida seems gassed.
Round 3 opens with Melendez taking the center of the cage again. The two fighters’ trade punches. Both fighters are hanging their hands low which is opening them up for punches. Gilbert takes Ishida down with 3 minutes left and jumps on top of him with a flurry of punches, and knees to the body. Melendez mounts Ishida’s back delivering furious blows to side of head. Fight is stopped by Herb Dean because Ishida is not intelligently defending himself. Gilbert wins fight by TKO at 3:56 in round 3. Melendez avenges his first loss to Ishida in convincing fashion and remains the STRIKEFORCE Lightweight Interim Champion! And now I'm off to his after party.. I MIGHT post pictures tomorrow. Might.
Mike "Mak" Kyle
(12-6-1) vs. Fabricio "Vai Cavalo" Werdum (11-4-1)
Both fighters come out to
center of the ring and waste no time throwing kicks and punches. Werdum
shoots for single leg and ends up in Kyle’s guard. Kyle almost secures
arm bar from the bottom on Werdum, the Jiu Jitsu specialist, but Werdum fights
out of it gets side control. Werdum wraps the neck of Kyle with a
guillotine choke. Kyle tries hard to fight out of it but the fight ends a
few seconds later by tapout.
Preliminary Bouts:
Alex Trevino Defeated Isiah
Hill via Submission (Side Choke) at 3:56 in the 1st round
James Terry Defeated Zak
Bucia via TKO at 1:23 in the 1st round
Justin Wilcox Defeated
David Douglas via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:16 in the 3rd round
Jay Hieron Defeated Jesse Taylor via
Unanimous Decision (30-27 on all three scorecards)
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