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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief We are minutes away from the first Strikeforce on Showtime offering, and the big story coming into tonight outside of the main event is Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, who came in seven pounds overweight in the weigh-ins and was only able to clear off another two pounds. She has been allowed to fight and the her opponent has agreed to go ahead with it, so we'll be in for an interesting women's bout tonight. Stick with us throughout the night for round by round coverage!
-We start with a stylized video package of the press conference for Strikeforce on Showtime and then go to the opening video.
-Outside shot of the HP Pavilion and then a split screen shot of Shamrock and Diaz in the back. Gus Johnson on play by play tonight, gotta like that. He introduces Mauro Ranallo with him on commentary, gotta like that one...(not as much). He runs down the backstory of Shamrock defeating Cesar Gracie, Diaz's mentor, to set up this fight. They show Gina Carano, Tito Ortiz, Andrei Arlovski, Alistair Overeem, Robbie Lawler, Jake Shields, Cung Le and more in the crowd for the event. Pat Miletich then comes in to join the commentary crew.
-I like what they did with the fighter intros by just showing them in a quick training video with their name.
-Nice video showing newcomers what is not allowed in the sport.
FIGHT ONE: BRETT ROGERS VS. ABONGO HUMPHREY (HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Rogers has a massive height and reach advantage in this fight, not even mentioning the weight disparity. Humphrey comes in with a couple of jabs quick and baks away. Humphrey tries to then fend off a stalking Rogers with swinging kicks. Rogers pushes in and gets a bit overzealous and gets his back on the cage and Humphrey throws a high kick. Humphrey is taking the fight to him now. Rogers comes out with a couple of good shots and clinches, landing a knee. Humphrey tries for a takedown but takes Rogers across the cage and eats a few shots. Rogers gets in a couple of shots and they clinch again. Big knee with a few punches after by Rogers. Rogers slips and Humphrey tries to grab a choke but Rogers recovers and pushes him on the cage. Rogers grabbed a nice Thai clinch and rocked Humphrey with a knee. He followed with a couple of big shots that hurt him. Rogers got in another knee and got a warning for grabbing Humphrey's dreadlocks. They come in again and Rogers gets warned again. Rogers again comes in with a couple of punches. He gets another knee. Again Rogers catches the hair as he's pressing in and Dean takes a point from Rogers. This is bullshit. He's got dreadlocks flying all over the place and Rogers is having a hard time not catching the hair. They restart and Rogers pressed Humphrey against the cage. Rogers lands a bunch of shots while dirty boxing in the clinch.
Penick's Scorecard: 9-9. The round was for Rogers but the point deduction makes it even. It's tough for Rogers because of the hair but he can't pull it. He's putting on the punishment right now though.
ROUND TWO: Humphrey lazily spun through a kick and Rogers charged in and got him on the cage. As Humphrey tried to back out Rogers nailed him with a knee. He lays on a bunch of punishment on Humphrey and drives him to the other side of the cage. He continues to rain blow after blow after knee after blow on to Humphrey. Humphrey is somehow still on his feet but he's not fighting back. Rogers keeps throwing bombs and knees and Humphrey finally goes down and that's the fight.
WINNER: Rogers via ko at 1:38 of the second round.
POST FIGHT: Rogers said the dreadlocks served as a distraction a bit because the hair kept getting caught in his fingers.
STAR RATING: (**+) That was an exciting beating deliverd by Brett Rogers. The hairpulling b.s. prolonged the first round and allowed Rogers to continue his devastating attack. The CompuStrike showed Rogers landed 73/113 strikes, that's a lot of blows through seven minutes by a heavyweight. Rogers looked very impressive again, though it wasn't a major opponent. He needs a step up in competition.
-They again showed Gina Carano at ringside and talked about her becoming a pop culture celebrity.
FIGHT TWO: CRISTIANE "CYBORG" SANTOS VS. HITOMI AKANO
PRE FIGHT: We get a full on intro for Akano, filled with lights and pyro. It's not as bad as EliteXC's entrances. The prefight videos are very well done, intermixing slow-mo highlights and interviews in the training facility. Much better than the black backdrop sit down interviews. Miletich calls out Cyborg's missed weight as "ridiculous."
ROUND ONE: Akano throws a kick right off the bat but Cyborg comes in with a ton of shots. Cyborg continues to throw shots as Akano covers up. Cyborg takes her back standing and throws her down. So much more power from Cyborg. Akano tried to go for an armbar but Cyborg got down into her guard. Cyborg postures up and lands a bunch of shots. She stands back and lets Akano up. Cyborg again lands a bunch of shots after catching a kick. She throws Akano down again. Cyborg lets Akano back up. Cyborg just stalks her down and lands a bunch of shots against the cage as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Cyborg. Cyborg looks so much larger than Akano in there it's almost unfair. Akano's taking the punishment and is still moving, but it's almost a matter of time until this one is over right now.
ROUND TWO: Cyborg stalks down Akano right away and lands a few shots. Akano drops down but Cyborg lets her back up. Cyborg again stalks Akano down and lands kicks and punches intermittently as Akano tries to get away. Santos again lands a bunch of shots. Akano goes for a jumping arm bar but gets dropped onto her back. Cyborg gets her up against the cage and lands a bunch of shots in the ground and pound. Akano tries to throw her legs up to catch something, but Santos avoids it and lays on more punishment as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Cyborg. Not as much damage done that round, but it was much of the same. Very close call on the arm bar attempt, it would have been sweet.
ROUND THREE: Akano tried to drop down and grab a leg for a knee bar but Cyborg let her back up. Cyborg then went back after her, an this time she unleashed an assault that dropped Akano for good. Gus Johnson rightly calls it a "hollow" victory due to the missed weight.
WINNER: Cyborg via ko at :35 of the third round.
POST FIGHT: Cyborg said it's the first and the last time the weight issue will happen. She asks everyone for forgiveness as it will never happen again. She said she wants to be the best female fighter in the world, and if Gina Carano is in her way she'll go through her.
STAR RATING: (**) That was a one-sided beating, and there wasn't much else to see. Cyborg was just much bigger and much more powerful than Akano and it just got brutal. Akano had no chance against that power. The Carano fight needs to be next for Cyborg. That's the only woman who may serve a remote challenge for her.
-We get an awesome video package previewing the next event on June 6th with Robbie Lawler facing Jake Shields in the main event.
FIGHT THREE: BENJI RADACH VS. SCOTT SMITH (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Smith presses Radach early but Radach responds with a nice jab. Radach again lands a jab and then lands an overhand right. Radach again landed a big shot. Radach is very active with the jab right now. Smith presses forward and lands a body kick. Radach lands another right hand. Smith presses again and eats a right hand. Smith throws a leg kick after they slow it down a bit. Radach with a nice left hand. Radach lands another overhand right. Smith pushes forward and gets Radach on the run. He almost drops him with a shot. They again slow it down for a bit. Smith then lands a nice left. Radach puts together a couple of nice shots but Smith drops him with a nice shot and hurts him. Radach recovers and comes back and lands a right hand that drops Smith. Smith recovers and eats a couple of shots on the cage. They slow it down again. Radach shoots in and takes Smith down at the cage. Radach postures up and throws a bunch of shots but Smith holds on to the buzzer.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Radach. Both fighters did a lot of damage to the other but Radach landed a lot more, had a takedown and did more overall.
ROUND TWO: Radach shoots in early and pushes Smith up against the cage. They clinch on the fence and Radach threw a knee. Smith put Radach's back on the cage and had the underhooks. Radach with another nice inside knee. Smith finally pushes off and they separate. Radach lands a couple of jabs as they get back to standing. Smith tries to throw a couple shots but Radach avoids it and lands another jab. Radach comes in with a nice left hand. Radach comes in with a nice right. Radach rocks Smith with a big right hand. He drops another one on him and Smith grabs a leg to recover. He gets up and almost gets dropped with a couple more shots. He grabs a leg again. Radach locked in a guillotine and tried to get it down to the ground but Smith rolls through it and grabs a leg to rest up. Smith is regaining himself as he grabs the single leg. Herb Dean separated them as Smith wasn't moving. Radach lands another left hand. Smith is in bad shape here. Smith gets in a left hand. Radach lands another combination. Radach with another left jab.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Radach. How Smith survived that round is mind boggling. He looked almost completely out twice and recovered. He's showing great heart right now.
ROUND THREE: Radach lands a right early. Smith keeps coming forward. Radach pushes forward and lands a combination. Smith keeps pressing forward. They both traded and Radach shot in. Smith tried to slap on a guillotine but Radach lifted him and slammed him. Radach had Smith sprawled and threw some kidney shots and knees but delayed it enough for Dean to stand them up. Smith pressed forward again and they traded shots. Big right hand from Smith rocks Radach. Smith lands another couple of shots and keeps pressing forward. Smith with a left jab again. Radach with a nice jab. Smith drops Radach with a right hand and lands one more to finish it. Holy shit that was a hell of a fight.
WINNER: Smith via tko at 3:24 of the third round.
POST FIGHT: Smith said there were about three times where he thought he was out. He had his kids with him and said he could not let them down. He said he needed to step in more as he knew he was getting picked apart. He said he learned from Robbie Lawler that he liked being in wars. He thanked the fans and his sponsors. He said he got hurt in the fight and he thanked his coaches who got him through the fight.
STAR RATING: (****-) The come from behind victory, again, for Smith elevated this already exciting fight. That third round was unbelievable after he survived the second round. He's now got two of the greatest "come back from the brink of defeat" victories this sport has seen. That was a war in the first two rounds and they took it to a different level in the third and Smith pulled out an awesome tko victory. Crazy fight, and just what Strikeforce needed on the undercard of this first show on Showtime.
FIGHT FOUR: RODRIGO DAMM VS. GILBERT MELENDEZ (INTERIM STRIKEFORCE LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE BOUT)
PRE FIGHT: Miletich runs down the keys to the fight complete with wierd computer generated "muscles on skeletons" video to go along with it. Damm says he's trained for a long time for this chance and he's sure they'll put on a good fight. Melendez talked about how he started wrestling and he stumbled on Jake Shields there and that's what got him into MMA.
ROUND ONE: Melendez pressed in early. He got in a couple of shots before Damm tried a kick. Melendez caught it and dropped Damm to the ground. Damm is working for an omoplata from his back but Melendez is holding him off and landing shots. He keeps throwing shots here and there and generally controlling Damm with his superior wrestling. Damm is diligently working for something but eating a ton of shots to the face and body. Melendez postures up and drops a couple of bombs to end the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Melendez. He did a lot of damage and controlled the fight but Damm kept busy on the ground and was looking to attempt a submission. He was getting beat up in that round though.
ROUND TWO: Melendez's eye looks off like he got caught in the eye. He presses and chases Damm down but he sprawls nicely. Melendez comes back after him again and almost gets him down but Damm gets it back standing again. Melendez chases Damm down throwing shots and connecting with small shots. Melendez then drops Damm with a massive right hand. He follows up with another couple of shots for good measure and there's your new Interim Strikeforce Lightweight Champion. He will continue to await that rematch with Josh Thomson.
WINNER: Melendez via ko at of the 2:02 second round.
POST FIGHT: Melendez plays up to the crowd and thanks them for coming out. He said he can't believe his life. He said he got caught with a thumb or something in the eye and apologized for a "boring" first minute after recovering. He said Thomson is the real Champ, he was beat fair and square but he wants another shot to prove he's better than that.
STAR RATING: (**+) Big time domination from Melendez with a big knockout for the win. He dominated that fight from the outset and landed a great combination that dropped Damm.
-We got a scene of Cung Le in the movie "Fighting," getting slammed down onto the ground. He said he's proud to be involved in all of his areas from mixed martial arts to the movies. He compares each one having their own excitement. He talked about beating Frank last year with highlights from the fight. He says he'd be willing to give Frank another shot. He said he can't call the main event, and he says he's surprised Frank is back in there. Cung gave Scott Smith his props and he's looking to see who's going to get a win tonight and hasn't really thought about who his next opponent will be.
-They ran down the upcoming Showtime events including the debut of ShoMMA: Strikeforce Challengers and the event on June 6th.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: FRANK SHAMROCK VS. NICK DIAZ (CATCHWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Johnson, Rinarro and Miletich run down the main event. Miletich says Shamrock talks smack to play mindgames, while Diaz does it because he's mad at you. Miletich again runs through the keys to victory with the wierd computer generated muscle/skeletons. Frank says he's a martial artist, it's what he does. Diaz says he's like Frank Shamrock with better boxing and better jiu jitsu. Frank says this could make Diaz a star, Diaz says, "can I let you in on a little secret, I'm already famous." Great trash talk coming into this fight, I love it. We've got Big John McCarthy reffing this one tonight.
ROUND ONE: Diaz throws a leg kick early as Shamrock presses. The feel each other out early and both trade shots. Diaz catches a kick and takes Shamrock down. Shamrock tries to get back up but Diaz keeps him down. Frank tries to throw some shots from the bottom but Diaz works into his half guard and passes to side control. Diaz tries to move around Frank as he tried to grab a keylock but Shamrock reversed out of it. Shamrock got back to his feet and threw a nice inside kick. They trade tapping shots. Shamrock gets a right hand in. Shamrock gets in a coupe of body shots. Frank with a nice right to the body. Diaz walks down Frank and gets in a nice right hand. Short right from Frank lands on Diaz. Shamrock ducks under a high kick. Diaz throws a few rights. Frank got a leg caught again an Diaz got right on him and into side control. Diaz moves into the mount with :25 left. Diaz postures up and throws a bunch of shots but nothing's really getting through. Shamrock rolled out as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Diaz. Pretty even on the stand up but Diaz was getting it done nicely on the ground. The pass to the mount at the end of the round was really good. He didn't have enough time to finish it off there though. Shamrock is completely holding his own here though.
ROUND TWO: Diaz tried to press with a lef kick early. He landed a nice right hand. Diaz was visibly goading Shamrock to come at him. he even stuck his head out. Shamrock tried to come in and ate a big flurry from Diaz. The crowd busts out with a big "Diaz" chant. Diaz lands a nice right jab. Diaz lands another nice flurry as Shamrock comes in. Diaz pushed Shamrock down and landed a couple of nice body shots. Diaz keeps pushing forward and landing shots. Shamrock connects with a right hand. Diaz continues to press Shamrock down and land shots. Shamrock is attempting to get shots in but he's taking shots everytime he comes in. Diaz presses Shamrock down and lands more lefts and rights. Shamrock tries to toss in a shot here and there. Diaz connects with a straight right hand on the cage and keeps throwing combinations. Diaz taunted Shamrock and went back to throwing shots. Diaz is picking him apart right now. Diaz keeps throwing shots and he drops Shamrock with a body shot and starts pounding him out on the ground. Diaz continued to toss shots down on Frank until Big John had to step in. Awesome second round from Diaz. He immediately helped Shamrock up and pointed to him mouthing that Shamrock was a legend. Nice sign of respect after weeks and months of trash talk.
WINNER: Diaz via tko at 3:57 of the second round.
POST FIGHT: Diaz threw a ridiculous 297 punches, landing on 129 of them according to CompuStrike. Diaz said he had to get that one back for Cesar Gracie. He pimped out his new gym that he opened up. He gave a shout out to Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez and his other trainers. Diaz said he met Cesar Gracie by going to a Shamrock fight. He said it's hard to hate Frank, but he had to do what he had to do to win that fight. Shamrock came in and shook his hand and they had a nice show of respect. Shamrock gave Diaz all the credit and said he always comes to entertain and fight. He said "Nick kicked my ass tonight." He said that body shot was the end for him. Shamrock said he's going to keep coming back and he pimps out his gym and says he'll be back. He said you'll see him on tv and you'll see him fighting again. He says there's always another day.
STAR RATING: (***) The crowd gave it a big fight feel and Diaz had a wonderful performance in pounding out Shamrock on the cage. In what amounts to a semi-meaningless fight Diaz came up big and provided a very good main event for this first Strikeforce on Showtime event.
-Well that was a successful show for Strikeforce. Lots of good fighting on the card and some great decisive finishes. There was nothing embarrassing or bad on the show, as we dealt with on the EliteXC cards. I liked the presentation a lot and didn't mind the lights and pyro entrances. Really this has to be considered a major success for Strikeforce and going forward I hope we can look forward to more cards like this. This was a really enjoyable two and a half hours tonight and if you caught it you should not be disappointed. Rogers, Smith, Radach, Melendez, Cyborg and Diaz all looked great. Great stuff. Thank you once again for sticking with us for live coverage on MMATorch.com, stay tuned for fallout from this show as well as previews, audio and more leading to next weekend's UFC 97 event!
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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