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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Strikeforce went out with a big upset on Saturday night, as Tarec Saffiedine defeated Nate Marquardt to become the final Strikeforce Welterweight Champion. However, the bout was a strange, mostly dull affair, sending the final show out with a whimper.
Saffiedine came out in the south paw stance, and never allowed Marquardt to get comfortable. He utilized some kicks to Marquardt's lead leg effectively, and though the first three rounds featured very little action, those kicks accumulated to allow Saffiedine to take over in the championship rounds.
He decimated Marquardt's leg in the fourth round, hitting him over and over as the leg bruised and swelled. It was the most action-packed frame of the fight, and Marquardt just didn't have an answer for the attack. It continued in the final frame at a lesser pace, but the damage was done, and Saffiedine controlled to win the final round, and the fight.
The upset throws the plans for both into the UFC into upheaval, and may have Marquardt's return in jeopardy. For Saffiedine, the upset will give him a chance to make a statement in the UFC, but as the fight wasn't the most entertaining, he may not come in as high up the ladder as Marquardt would have.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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