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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief Strikeforce brings us their second main show on Showtime tonight with a card headlined by former EliteXC Champions Robbie Lawler and Jake Shields. We've got five intriguing fights scheduled for the main card tonight, so stick with us here at MMATorch.com as the show begins at the top of the hour for this live round by round report!
-The opening breakdown video was again really good. They set up a bit of reasoning for these fights and tonight and had some really nice camera shots to give their shows a different feel. i like it.
-Gus Johnson welcomes us to the show and Frank Shamrock joins him as his broadcast partner tonight. Shamrock breaks down the catchweight fights for the main event. Mauro Ranallo is then brought in to cap off the broadcast team and talk about Arlovski vs. Rogers.
FIGHT ONE: KEVIN RANDLEMAN VS. MIKE WHITEHEAD (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
ROUND ONE: Randleman's got a ton of energy bursting out of the seams for this one, it should be fun. Big John McCarthy is the ref. Whitehead lands a good body kick and a couple of leg kicks to start. More kicks from Whitehead. He goes for a head kick, misses and Randleman gets him to the ground and takes his back. Whitehead climbs his way up the cage and backs Randleman off. He throws another right kick and follows with an inside left kick. He comes in with a punch and they clinch. Whitehead takes Randleman down and tries to get top position. Randleman pushes him off and gets back to the feet. Another leg kick from Whitehead. He throws a punch and shoots in. Whitehead picks Randleman up and drops him but Randleman counters it and they scramble to the feet again. A left from Randleman clips Whitehead and opens a small cut over his eye. Whitehead again gets a takedown and this time gets into half guard. Whitehead tried to move to the mount and Randleman beautifully countered back to the feet. Whitehead starts throwing some kick and punch combos. Randleman's hands are by his side now. Whitehead connects on a nice uppercut and then clinches Randleman on the cage. Whitehead takes Randleman down again. Randleman holds the half guard pretty well here and Whitehead has to just throw some body shots as the round closes.
-Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Whitehead. Whitehead is being very active and is getting the takedowns at ease but Randleman's doing a very good job on the ground of avoiding damage and transitioning back to the feet. Randleman's losing energy fast here though.
ROUND TWO: Whitehead lands a right hand early that hurts Randleman. Whitehead goes for a high kick but Randleman holds it off. Whitehead again gets Randleman down. He's back into the half guard once again. Whitehead is using his forearm to choke Randleman to attempt a pass. He moves to side control. Whitehead is using that forearm choke as he tries to keep his position. The crowd starts booing for supposed inactivity even though Whitehead is being methodical here. Whitehead gets into the full mount and Randleman tries to buck him off. Whitehead was unable to keep him down and Randleman pops back up to his feet. Randleman lands an uppercut back on the feet. Whitehead lands a slow combination. Both guys look a bit gassed and they are throwing really slow punches and Randleman looks very out of it. Whitehead misses an overhand right. He gets in and connects on a jab. The round comes to an end.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Whitehead. Complete control for Whitehead but he again didn't do a whole lot with it and Randleman again got himself out of a bad position with some good tranition movement.
ROUND THREE: Randleman lands a wild overhand right that throws Whitehead back. Whitehead comes back with a quick combo. Whitehead gets a nice right hand in. He lands another combination with a big right. Whitehead throws a kick and Randleman catches it and drops him with a huge right hand. He could not finish him on the ground, however and Whitehead gets back to his feet. Whitehead lands a shot and then they clinch. Randleman gets Whitehead up against the cage. Whitehead backed away and they separate. Whitehead lands another couple of shots. Randleman lands a jab. Whitehead gets another takedown. Whitehead goes for a kimura from the half guard. Randleman tries to get his arm out and Whitehead loses the wrist. Randleman again gets back to his feet. Whitehead lands a big right hand right on the button and Randleman stays standing. Randleman missed a big right hand and Whitehead connected. The round ends with Randleman landing the jab.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Randleman. Whitehead almost snuck that one out at the end but Randleman had the big shot that did the most damage and he pressed the action in that round. It was too little, too late, however.
WINNER: Whitehead via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
POST FIGHT The CompuStrike numbers showed that Whitehead landed 63/111 shots and was 6/6 on takedowns. Whitehead landed more shots than Randleman threw in that fight.
STAR RATING: (**+) The third round brought that fight up a bit in excitement, but Randleman couldn't finish the fight there. That was his chance after losing the first two rounds. It was all Whitehead up until that point and then again once Whitehead regained his bearings.
-They showed multiple fighters cageside, most notably Josh Barnett and Fedor Emelianenko, fighting on August 1st.
FIGHT TWO: PHIL BARONI VS. JOE RIGGS (WELTERWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Riggs gives Baroni more credit and respect in the prefight interview than in interviews prior to the fight. Baroni said he's a contender.
ROUND ONE: Baroni comes out right away and stalks down Riggs. Riggs throws a high kick that gets shrugged off. They get in close and Riggs gets Baroni down. He moves around quickly to the back and almost locks in the choke. Baroni holds off and rolled over to a butterfly guard. Riggs throws a couple of shots. Baroni gives up his back again and eats a couple of shots. He rolls back and Riggs gets into his half guard again. Baronit gets over to the cage and gets himself back to his feet. Riggs takes his leg and gets him down again. Baroni again got himself back up. Riggs again goes for a single leg and Baroni scrambled and got on top of Riggs in his guard. He throws a number of shots to the body. He lands a couple of shots as he postures up. Baroni throws a number of shots lightly and McCarthy stands them up. Riggs comes in with a punch and a shot for a single leg. Baroni holds him off and throws some punches. Baroni gets out and takes Riggs' back and throws some shots as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Riggs. The takedowns and control by Riggs won the round, but Baroni deserves a lot of credit for getting himself back to his feet and getting some nice body shots in himself.
ROUND TWO: Riggs throws a body kick to start off. Baroni comes in but Riggs lands a nice knee. They trade shots and then trade leg kicks. Riggs missed a spinning back fist. Riggs lands a good inside leg kick. He comes in with a punch and then he gets a takedown. Baroni again works his way up the cage and then he takes Riggs down. Baroni again works the body shot in the guard. Riggs works up the cage and they trade shots. Riggs gets in a couple of big straight punches. Riggs throws a couple of kicks. Riggs lands a punch as Baroni shoots in. Riggs stuffs it. He lands a good shot and goes for a knee that is partially blocked. Baroni is rocked here. Riggs goes for a single leg that gets stuffed and then Baroni goes for one of his own that gets stuffed. Baroni again goes for a leg and manages to get Riggs to his back and into his guard. Riggs explodes his legs for the triangle but Baroni breaks out of it. Baroni starts throwing some shots as Riggs tries to get himself back up the cage again.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Riggs. Riggs did some damage in that round and had a nice submission attempt. Baroni's just staying alive right now.
ROUND THREE: Riggs throws a couple of kicks ot start this round as well. They clinch up and Riggs lands a big knee. Baroni backs off to the cage and eats another knee. Riggs backs off and lands another body kick. Baroni's hurting here. Riggs throws a straight shot and a flying knee. He lands a few kicks and punches on the cage again. Riggs again with a left hand. He lands it yet again. Baroni is stuck with his back on the cage here. Baroni throws a body punch of his own. Inside leg kick lands by Riggs. Big body kick from Riggs lands. Baroni continues to back up to gain space. He comes forward and misses a shot. Riggs chases him around the cage and unleashes a bunch of shots. He lands another knee and a few punches as he keeps Baroni's back on the cage. Baroni comes forward but doesn't land any shots. Riggs lands a really nice counter right. Riggs lands another big knee and some more punches and he's just beating Baroni up right now. Baroni's got a great chin though. Baroni lands a big right and Riggs points to his chin before landing a combo of his own again. Riggs lands another good leg kick. Baroni avoids a shot and lands a body shot. They start trading and unloading and Riggs finishes the round with a takedown.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Riggs. He picked Baroni apart in that round but it was a hell of a gutsy effort from Baroni to take that punishment and keep coming in. Great fight.
WINNER: Riggs via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
POST FIGHT: Riggs landed 66% of his shots in that one. Riggs said he broke both of his hands in that fight. Riggs said he's got a wife and a baby so he's got to work hard. Riggs said he's got the flu right now and it was hard, he again gives Phil more respect. He says he wants to fight Jake Shields. He said he doesn't want to disrespect him anymore and said he's a great fighter but it's a fight he wants.
STAR RATING: (***) That was a really fun fight. Some very good grappling in the early rounds coupled with Riggs picking Baroni apart a bit in the third made for a very good back and forth fight.
-Mauro Ranallo announces the return of Gina Carano as she'll face Cyborg Santos on August 15th. He then brings in Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson who will also face off on August 15th in a rematch for the Strikeforce Lightweight Title. Melendez says he needs to put on a better performance than last time. He said Thomson was the better fighter that night. Thomson says the injuries haven't affected him mentally, but he jokes that financially it has. He said he faced Melendez coming off of an injury the last time and maybe it'll happen again.
FIGHT THREE: NICK DIAZ VS. SCOTT SMITH (CATCHWEIGHT 180 lbs)
PREFIGHT: Smith says he fights because he has fun doing it. Diaz says he doesn't know what he would have done if hadn't started fighting. Smith says he needs to impose his will on Diaz, and if the fight reaches the judges Diaz will win.
They've brought back the creepy muscled skeleton videos to illustrate their "keys to the fight" for each fighter.
ROUND ONE: Diaz comes after Smith who swings wildly but doesn't land. Diaz lands a couple of shots and then goads smith to come after him. They clinch at the cage for a second. Smith lands a shot but Diaz gets a couple in. Diaz is getting in and out with some quick flurries. Smith misses a couple of power shots and Diaz starts teeing off on smith. He's just getting in and out nicely with big shots. He hurts Smith with a right and starts getting in a bunch of shots in succession. Smith grabs him for a clinch but just holds there. Smith lands a big right hand as they separated. Smith overshot a punch and ate a big right hand from Diaz. They clinch at the cage again. Diaz throws some knees to the legs. He starts throwing some shots. Smith lands another big right hand. Diaz has been bloodied up here. Diaz gives up his back and grabs for a kimura against the cage. Smith picks him up and drops hiim however, and then he lets him up. They trade shots again. Diaz lands some good punches. Smith gets in a great inside leg kick that throws Diaz off balance. They clinch again. Smith lands a couple shots again. Diaz gets a takedown as the round ends. Awesome start.
Penick's Scorecard: That one was extremely tough to score, but it was a great back and forth to kick this one off. Diaz did more in terms of landing punches and even though Smith hurt him the round goes to Diaz 10-9. Diaz threw 146 strikes in the first round.
ROUND TWO: Diaz comes right after Smith and lands a few jabs and a bunch of other shots. He throws so many shots in there it's hard to avoid most of them. Smith tries to clinch again but Diaz gets him off. Smith takes Diaz's back again and lands a big shot against the cage. Diaz starts using Smith's head as a punching bag and rocked Smith with a body shot. Smith is hurting really bad right now as Diaz keeps throwing and landing shot after shot against the cage. Smith's head is bouncing back and forth. He tries to throw a few right hands. He lands a good short right elbow. Big combo with body and head shots from Diaz. This is relentless action from Diaz. Smith is just a target here it's ridiculous. Smith backs him off with a right and barely missed a headkick. Diaz is landing an ungodly amount of punches right now. They clinch again and Smith moves Diaz to the cage. Diaz lands a ton of body shots after they're separated. Diaz lands a big high kick. He throws a couple more. Smith throws an inside leg kick. Diaz lands a bunch more punches to the face and body. Smith with an inside leg kick. Smith barely missed a Superman punch. Diaz again lands a body/head combo and then gets it to the cage in a clinch. Diaz keeps throwing combos and Smith is hurt badly as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Diaz. 221 punches thrown by Diaz in that round. Half of them probably connected. That's the story of this fight, it's nonstop by Diaz and Smith is using every last inch of heart he has to stay alive.
ROUND THREE: Diaz comes right at Smith and lands a bunch of shots. Smith starts unloading with everything he's got in return. They clinch and slow it down on the cage. McCarthy separates them again. Diaz again stalks Smith down with shots and they just trade shots. Diaz drops Smith with a shot to the liver and takes his back. Diaz gets the hooks in and gets Smith rolled over and locks the choke in for the win.
WINNER: Diaz via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:41 of the third round.
POST FIGHT: Diaz threw 397 punches and landed 52% of them. Unbelievable. Diaz tells people not to believe everything they see on tv, it's all part of the show. Diaz says Smith's friends are not good people to have. He badmouths Smith's training partners and says Smith should come train with his team.
STAR RATING: (***+) That was an awesome performance from Diaz, picking Smith apart every step of the way, taking the shots Smith landed and just continuing to do what he was doing. It was just a crazy showing of Diaz's unorthodox striking ability. That was just another extremely fun fight for this show, and exactly what Strikeforce was expecting with this bout when they put it together.
FIGHT FOUR: BRETT ROGERS VS. ANDREI ARLOVSKI (HEAVYWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Rogers says "don't mess with me, don't mess with my family, and now don't mess with my money and we won't have a problem." Arlovski gives Rogers credit for being a tough guy and a good striker. Rogers says he's going to knock him out.
ROUND ONE: Arlovski throws an inside leg kick. Rogers comes in quick with a flurry and drops Arlovski and it's all done. I'm speechless. Wow. Brett Rogers is no joke, not at all. The replay showed his quick hands landing three successive shots against the cage that knocked Arlovski out.
WINNER: Rogers via ko at :22 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Rogers said that's what happened when you work hard. He said he wasn't feeling respected, and he thanked Arlovski for giving him a chance. He said he was hungry there. He said he didn't think Arlovski was hungry for it. He said he wants to keep on giving a good show. Rogers said he's ready for anybody. Rogers said he wants the Strikeforce title. I guarantee he's booked against Overeem for August 15th. It would be a crime to give that slot to anyone else.
STAR RATING: (****) The shocking quickness of the ko and the coming out party for Brett Rogers makes this one a can't miss knockout. Unbelievable. I'll never underestimate what Brett Rogers can do again. Wow.
-They highlight Fedor Emelianenko and bring him in for an interview. Through Fedor's translator he says he's happy to perform in the U.S. and he looks forward to fighting here for a very long time. He said he thought Andrei chose the wrong tactic against Rogers. Fedor's strategy against Barnett is to "train real hard I guess."
-Barnett's then highlighted and brought in. He says you need to come in with a great gameplan into every fight. Barnett said he wasn't completely surprised by the previous fight's result. He said the loss shouldn't diminish Arlovski as a great fighter, though.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: JAKE SHIELDS VS. ROBBIE LAWLER (CATCHWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Shields says there's no point fighting if you're not out there testing. Lawler gives Shields credit as a really tough opponent, but doesn't think he's fought anyone with his power. Lawler says Champions are guys that go out there harder than before and continue to learn.
ROUND ONE: Shields comes right out at Lawler and throws a couple of shots. Robbie walks Shields down and Shields tried to take him down. Lawler got himself back up and got SHields on the cage. He threw a couple of shots against the cage. Shields tried to go after a takedown again and Lawler lands a couple of shots. Shields lands a nice body kcik. He throws another kick to the body. Lawler walks him down again. Shields keeps throwing jabs and body kicks as Lawler keeps stalking him down. Shields locks in a guillotine on the cage immediately drops down to the ground. He's got it in tight. Lawler stands up and tries to slam him down but just kind of falls and he taps out as he goes to the ground. Unbelievably impressive out of Shields. Guess he didn't need a takedown to get that submission.
WINNER: Shields via submission (guillotine choke) at 2:02 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: Shields thanked Lawler, saying he was one of his favorite fighters. He said it was setting up for a war and he just caught him. It was his night. Shields said he felt the strength difference from moving up, and once he got his neck he wasn't letting go. He said we haven't seen his best days, and he's ready for whatever they throw at him. He said in regards to Cung Le that he's got to give up that belt or fight him. Lawler said he grabbed an underhook too deep to defend a takedown and got caught. He said he'll go back to the drawing board.
STAR RATING: (***) Another damned impressive finish tonight. Shields is unbelievable with his submission skill, and the speed with which he locked that guillotine in and dropped to the ground to lock it in was spectacular. It's a damned shame he's not fighting in the UFC right now, as a fight with him and GSP would be amazing.
-The announcers talk up Gracie Jiu Jitsu and how Shields victory was a feature for that with the smaller guy getting the larger guy in a compromising position and finishing him off. They also talk up Brett Rogers' knockout of Andrei Arlovski, and say they very well could see him against Alistair Overeem in August. They're definitely playing the "let's kill some time" game to get to the end of the broadcast now. Here's where UFC has a big edge when they show prelim fights in these lulls so they're not trying to just stretch out time to get to the end of the night. That said, I like the recap of the night's fights that they finished with here.
Well that's the show for tonight. Thanks for sticking with us here for the live coverage, make sure to stay tuned for tomorrow night's WEC 41 event, where we'll have round by round coverage once again. And stick here for more news, fallout and analysis on everything from this weekend and all that's still to come, right here on MMATorch.com.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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