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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief Strikeforce brings their second "Challengers" event to Showtime live tonight. Stick here throughout the night for a round by round report on all the fights. The show begins at the top of the hour.
-I like that they have a distinct difference in the openings for the "Challengers" events and their major Showtime shows. Five fights are scheduled for the card tonight.
-Mauro Ranallo and Stephen Quadros open the show and discuss the main eventers tonight being given a chance to get into the Middleweight Title picture with Robbie Lawler getting upset by Jake Shields.
-They go to video interviews of Villasenor and Santos with quick quips about tonight's main event. Santos was in full Unabomber gear with a hoodie and sunglasses.
-Pat Miletich is brought in as the third member of the broadcast team and he discusses Tim Kennedy and his fight with Nick Thompson, focusing on Kennedy's military background. He predicts a win for Kennedy. Jimmy Lennon, Jr., then begins the show.
FIGHT ONE: CORY DEVELA VS. LUKE ROCKHOLD (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Rockhold said he's always been a thrill seeker, and there's no rush like in MMA in his pre fight video. Ok, this is the one thing I really, really don't like about the Strikeforce presentation here for Showtime, the timing of these shows is not very good. I hate the "video package-introduce fighter-video package-introduce fighter-reintroduce both fighters in the cage" method they use. /rant. Devela says he was wrestling in college and fell into MMA because of a buddy and fell in love with the sport.
ROUND ONE: Devela comes in and they immediately start throwing punches. Rock hold drops Devela almost immediately and starts throwing a ridiculous amount of uncontested shots. This should have been stopped already. Rockhold finally takes Devela's back and locks in a rear naked choke after cutting him open and Devela taps.
WINNER: Rockhold via submission (rear naked choke) at :30 of round 1.
POST FIGHT: Rockhold said it was what he was talking about earlier with his counter punching and that's what he was able to do. He said "the ref let me hit him so many times and he was just kind of sitting there" so he locked it in. He said he'll leave the next fight up to Strikeforce. He apologized to Devela and he knows he's a tough guy. Quadros is a rough interviewer in there.
STAR RATING: (*+) That was a quick finish for Rockhold but a scary and unnecessary beating for Devela. That fight should have been stopped when it was immediately clear Devela wasn't defending a single punch, that was absolutely abysmal officiating.
-They air a preview for the Agbeko vs. Darchinyan boxing match on Showtime.
FIGHT TWO: SARAH KAUFMANN VS. SHAYNA BASZLER (WOMEN'S 135 LB)
PRE FIGHT: Baszler says she predicts a TKO by handcuffing Kaufmann to the cage and driving through her with her guitar. She says training with Josh Barnett is fun and lets her feel like a rockstar. Kaufmann thinks the fight will be fun. She says the five minute rounds makes a big difference in the fight and says you need better training and better everything with that extra two minutes.
ROUND ONE: Kaufmann lands a few shots in the center of the cage. She comes in again and Baszler lands a couple of good shots. Kaufmann goes for another shot and Baszler wraps her up, and eventually secures a takedown. Baszler tries to posture up and Kaufmann tried to get out of it and Baszler gets to north south position and tries to lock in a modified choke. Kaufmann rolls through and gets on top of Baszler. Kaufmann throws some short left hands from Baszler's half guard. Baszler gets back into full guard. Baszler pulls rubber guard and throws a couple of shots. The ref then stands them up, that made no sense with Baszler working the rubber guard there. Kaufmann lands a few shots on the feet and Baszler clinches and tries to throw Kaufmann at the cage but Kaufmann holds her off. Kaufmann starts throwing knees. Baszler again pushes for a throw of some sort as Kaufmann throws knees and a couple of shots. They are separated again with the round almost over. Kaufmann lands a couple of shots and they trade to finish the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Baszler, it was pretty even on the feet and Baszler got the early takedown and worked actively from the bottom. Close round though.
ROUND TWO: Kaufmann lands a kick early. She comes in for a couple of punches and eats a couple counter shots from Baszler. Baszler clinched and again went for a trip. Kaufmann almost tripped her up but she steadied herself on the cage. They separate and Kaufmann lands a big right hand that slightly rocks Baszler. She gets in with another big right. Baszler throws a few punches that land. Kaufmann comes forward with another big right on the cage. She backs Baszler down and comes in and out with a couple of good shots and then a flurry. She gets Baszler to the cage and lands a few more while backing away from the punches thrown by Baszler. Kaufmann comes in with another sequence of punches against the cage. Kaufmann throws some more rapid fire punches but Baszler counters with a couple that land. Kaufmann throws a leg kick. Baszler mouth is open and she's breathing heavily a bit. Kaufmann keeps picking Baszler apart with flurries and another leg kick. Kaufmann continues to stalk Baszler against the cage and keeps landing some good shots. Baszler's hanging in there, though and Kaufmann's not going for the kill. Kaufmann lands a couple more jabs and then a big flurry to finish the round. They've already fought longer than any other women's fight as they go to the third and final round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kaufmann. She picked Baszler apart in that round and avoided most of what Baszler threw. She needs to stay on her to finish this fight because she's in control now.
ROUND THREE: Kaufmann stalks Baszler down again and lands a right and Baszler shoots in for a single leg. Kaufmann holds her off and gets on top of her in Baszler's half guard and throws a few shots. Baszler then pulls into her full guard. She transitions and Kaufmann gets out and stands back up. Kaufmann again comes in with a quick flurry. She lands a couple of punches against the cage and again Baszler tries to pull off a throw but Kaufmann takes her down. She almost gets mount but then stands back up. She gets in a quick two jabs followed by a right. Kaufmann again stalks Baszler down and lands her shots. She swings wildly but misses a few as Baszler listlessly attempts to throw elbows over the top. Kaufmann lands some more shots against the cage. Kaufmann again comes in with a bunch of right hands against the cage. She backs out and comes in again, unloading with a ton of shots before Baszler clinched. Kaufmann holds off a takedown attempt again and then Baszler drops for a leg lock. Kaufmann holds it off and lands a punch as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kaufmann. She flustered Baszler throughout that round and unleashed a great flurry with just over a minute left. Baszler deserves a ton of credit for sticking in there after taking a lot of shots.
WINNER: Kaufmann via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
POST FIGHT: Kaufmann gives Shayna credit for being extremely tough. She thanks her coaches and teammates and sponsors. She said it was a unique position she was in with the choke in the first round and she had to figure out how to get out of it.
STAR RATING: (***-) This was a really good fight. Kaufmann was able to employ her better striking and negate the ground game of Baszler in what will historically go down as the first women's fight to go a full 15 minutes, in the first women's fight to get five minute rounds. I'm a bit surprised that two of the judges gave Kaufmann the first round but she put in another good one to stay undefeated. Good fight, though.
-Josh Barnett came in to talk to Mauro Ranallo. He discussed Baszler's performance before talking about his bout with Fedor. He says he needs to beat the crap out of Fedor until he can't take it anymore to win the fight. He says if he gets a chance to piledrive his head through the mat he will. Barnett cut a promo on Fedor saying train hard, "I know we're friends but I'd kill my own mom in there right now. Sorry mom, I know she's here."
FIGHT THREE: JORGE GURGEL VS. CONOR HUEN (CATCHWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Huen says he believes the universe has a plan for everyone and that's why he's here. He says he dances his dance until the music stops. Seems like an interesting guy, to say the least. Huen was missing his mouthpiece, I believe, and had to run back to the locker room after getting out to the cage. Gurgel says every time he walks to the cage he's got the biggest smile on his face because it's the payoff. Gurgel says he's not going to leave his family and friends disappointed here. He said he expects fireworks.
ROUND ONE: Gurgel lands a leg kick and Huen counters with a right. They feel each other out here a bit and come in trading shots. Gurgel comes in again with a big right hand. Leg kick from Gurgel lands nicely. Huen grabs a collar tie and they both trade wild body shots. He grabs it again and they swing tons of shots with Gurgel getting the better of the exchange. Gurgel lands a really nice overhand right as they trade shots again. He lands another leg kick. Huen tries to shake his leg out and then Gurgel comes back with another leg kick. Gurgel lands a big right and then another one that sends Huen across the cage. Gurgel with another leg kick and a counter right. Inside leg kick again from Gurgel. Leg kicks are really taking Huen out of this a bit. Another inside leg kick as Huen lands a punch to the body. Another leg kick and then they exchange punches. Inside leg kick again from Gurgel. Hard outside leg kick to the same lead leg he's been working on. Huen almost trips Gurgel with a leg kick of his own and lands a right. He comes in and lands another right hand. They trade shots again and Gurgel lands a big right. They exchange wildly again. Huen chases Gurgel down and he lands a big right hand. Gurgel gets in a couple shots of his own. Huen lands a kick to the body as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Gurgel. He got the better of the exchanges in a wildly entertaining first round. Those leg kicks look damn painful.
ROUND TWO: Big straight right from Gurgel early. He steps in with a big two punch combo. Huen grabs the collar tie again and they wildly throw punches at each other. Gurgel with a leg kick again. Huen lands a big straight jab that snaps Gurgel's head back. Gurgel steps in wtih a punch and eats two on the way out. Gurgel throws a high kick that gets slightly blocked but still connects decently. Huen comes in and lands a left but Gurgel hurts him with a three punch combo. Gurgel lands a big inside leg kick followed by a huge right hand. Gurgel comes in again with a flurry. Body shot from Gurgel lands nicely. Huen lands a leg kick of his own. Gurgel lands another big right and then goes for the head kick but almost slips. Huen rushes in and lands a flurry on Gurgel. They are both bleeding and trade shots again. Huen steps in and eats a big shot. He lands a couple of his own. Gurgel with another flurry. This is a torrid pace right now with these flurries. They trade shots again in the center. Gurgel lands a ton of shots and starts swinging wildly again as Huen stays alive and lands a couple of shots to break out. Huen goes for a body punch but eats a big right hand. Gurgel hurts him with another shot and comes at him with another big flurry. He throws another high kick that connects and this craziness is going to see a third round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Gurgel. More of the same from the first round turned up to 11. This is a torrid slug fest between two guys very skilled on the ground. So basically, it's a Jorge Gurgel fight.
ROUND THREE: They again go right back to what they were doing and trade shots. Huen presses in with a left. Gurgel landed another leg kick and then a superman punch. Big kick from Gurgel gets countered by Huen. Huen lands a left and Gurgel responds with a shot. Huen again comes in and Gurgel lands a big flurry. Gurgel with a big head kick is blocked. Huen lands a good right. Huen went for a spinning high kick. Gurgel throws a body kick and gets dropped when Huen catches it. Gurgel goes for a leg lock and uses it to get to his feet. Gurgel lands another flurry on the feet and catches a kick from Huen. He lands another few shots. Huen catches another kick. THe ref calls for "action" for whatever reason. Huen catches another kick and gets Gurgel down. Gurgel sweeps him and gets into his half guard. Huen tries to grab the rubber guard. And the ref calls for "action" again. Gurgel gets to side control and they scramble back to the feet. They trade shots standing again. Huen comes forward with a good body kick and a couple of punches. This ref is ridiculous, calling for action again. That's all this fight's been. Huen lands a counter right after a big kick from Gurgel. Gurgel backs out nicely and lands a few shots. Gurgel plays to the crowd with time running out. Huen throws a spinning back kick to the air and the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Huen. He got more shots in that round and got Gurgel to the ground twice by catching kicks but it was too little too late. Still a thrilling brawl though.
WINNER: Gurgel via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
POST FIGHT: Gurgel said he's never seen a guy with a chin like that except for himself and gave Huen a ton of credit for being a respectful competitor throughout the process. Gurgel said he promised everyone he'd use his jiu jitsu but this was the opponent for him to not do that. Gurgel thanks his team and everyone that's gotten him here. Huen said his leg was fine. He said there's "this thing called the universe, and if you put positive energy out there it will come back to you." He tells the fans to follow your goal with all your heart and there would be no losers. He said he wouldn't give up that last fifteen minutes for anything as it was the most fun he's had. Gurgel stepped back in and asked the fans if that's what they came to see to big cheers. Quadros is seriously not good with these interviews.
STAR RATING: (****-) There wasn't anything on the line, but these two had an absolute blast of a fight here. They negated each other on the ground when they did get there but it was a great brawling fight. The officiating has been awful tonight though, and this guy was almost going to stand them up when they were on the ground for about :20 seconds both of them actively working. I can see giving Gurgel that third round but Huen gave a good showing throughout. Awesome, awesome brawl.
-We get a hype video for the Cyborg vs. Carano fight on August 15th. That one's going to be awesome.
FIGHT FOUR: TIM KENNEDY VS. NICK THOMPSON (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Kennedy talks about his inability to fight in recent years due to being in the special forces in the Army. He says he has no problem stepping into the cage after cutting weight and throwing a guy around. Thompson talks up his day job as a lawyer in Minnesota. He said his goal is to face Jake Shields for the Title and Kennedy's in his way. Thompson says he's scared to death up until he gets hit in the cage.
ROUND ONE: Kennedy lands the first shot with an overhand right. Kennedy lands a good leg kick. He comes back with a body kick and then shoots in for a single leg. Thompson grabs Kennedy's arm for an arm lock as Thompson tries to pull Thompson's head and he gets his arm in a better position. He gets out and gets Thompson's back and Thompson tries to buck him off. Thompson's defending really well and then he scrambles and gets around to half guard. We have the "action" ref again in this one. Kennedy rolls around and tries to get the hooks in and Thompson pops out on top. Kennedy rolls again and gets Thompsson's back. He lands a big right hand as he tries to get the hooks in. Thompson is brilliantly defending everything right now. Thompson got to his feet and tried to hold onto an arm lock as Kennedy took him down again. Kennedy gets into side control and beautifully moves to the mount. Thompson scrambles and gets half guard back. This is a great grappling bout thus far. Kennedy moves to side control and tries again to get mount and finally takes his back with Thompson bucking him off again. He again scrambles to half guard. He throws a couple of elbows and then postures up with a couple of shots. He moves to side control and Thompson pulls half guard again and that's how they end the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kennedy. All kinds of awesome for the opposite reason from Gurgel-Huen. That was a technical grappling showcase with Kennedy moving fluidly but Thompson defending extremely well.
ROUND TWO: Kennedy lands a leg kick and then a body kick early. Thompson throws a left and Kennedy counters with a good right that lands nicely. Kennedy shoots in and gets a takedown against the cage. Thompson grabs an arm and tries to go for a submission but Kennedy powers out and into the half guard. Kennedy moves to side control again. Kennedy lands an elbow to the body. Thompson pops out and grabs a single leg of Kennedy. Kennedy lands a couple of shots and puts Thompson on his back. Kennedy lands about three shots to the back of Thompson's head and he taps out from the strikes. He gets up and goes right at the ref I think complaining about the shot to the back of the head. Again some lovely ref work on this card.
WINNER: Kennedy via submission (strikes) at 2:37 of the second round.
POST FIGHT: Kennedy said he's back and he could fight every month. He said he's as fair of a fighter as they come and wasn't intentionally trying to hit him there. Obviously, he was just swinging. Kennedy said he gets crap from guys because he doesn't go from his submission. He thanks every one in the stands that have served in the military.
STAR RATING: (***-) That was a great grapple fest in the first round and a good second round from Kennedy, even though he should have been halted, or at the very least warned, about the shots to the back of the head, because two of those landed in grazing fashion before a big one landed right to the back of the head and the ref didn't even react. But he has no problem yelling "action" at fighters when that's all that's going on. Terrible. Good performance from Kennedy, though, despite the finish, as he dominated the grappling game.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: JOE VILLASENOR VS. EVANGELISTA "CYBORG" SANTOS (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Villasenor, in Unabomber gear, says you have to perform out there really well or you're going to be in trouble. He talks about his wife pushing him and motivating him and he's nothing less than 100% for this fight. Villasenor talks about his nickname being given to him because he reminded his trainer of "Smokin" Joe Frazier and it just stuck. He says he's not about money and fame, he's just a blue collar athlete and loves to compete.
ROUND ONE: Santos is a mean looking mofo. Villasenor presses early with a couple of jabs. Cyborg lands a good outside leg kick and Villasenor misses a big overhand right in response. Villasenor pressed but missed his shot and Santos countered with a good right. Cyborg lands a body kick and Villasenor counters with a right. Villasenor presses and Santos lands a good counter punch. Cyborg does it again as Villasenor presses. Villasenor throws an inside leg kick that lands. Smokin Joe presses again with a couple of jabs. Cyborg lands another leg kick. Villasenor connects on a good left hand. He misses a right and Santos clinches. Villasenor backs off the fence and lands a knee before Santos pushes him back up on the fence. Villasenor backs of the cage and trips Cyborg and takes him down into side control. Santos pulled guard and Villasenor tried to throw a shot. Villasenor passed to half guard. The ref yells out an "action" warning twice as Villasenor was working to pass. Villasenor postures up and passes to side control with a punch. Villasenor throws a knee to the body and a couple of punches. They get back to their feet and Villasenor lands a couple of knees to the head. Cyborg throws another nice leg kick. Villasenor lands a good left hand to the jaw. Villasenor misses a big right as the round closes.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Villasenor. The takedown and ground control along with some good shots landed on the feet won him the round.
ROUND TWO: Villasenor circles and comes in with a straight left. He then throws a good left kick to the body. Cyborg throws a high kick but it's blocked. Villasenor gets in with the straight left again. Villasenor lands a body kick and blocks the counter shots. Villasenor lands a jab. Villasenor lands a big counter right and follows with a flurry as they trade shots. Cyborg goes for a takedown but Villasenor sprawls nicely. Cyborg lands a kick to the body. He lands another leg kick as well. Big leg kick again from Cyborg. Cyborg with another leg kick and goes for a spinning back kick. Villasenor's leg is hurting and Santos is attacking it. Villasenor gets in with a flurry against the cage and then a nother almost immediately after to the body. Cyborg again lands the leg kick. Villasenor stalks Cyborg down still and lands a shot. Santos lands another leg kick. Villasenor lands a body kick but it gets caught and he has to block a right. Cyborg tried to grab a clinch and Villasenor landed a right. Cyborg gets in a good straight left. He backs out and lands another solid leg kick. Spinning back kick lands to the body from Santos. Villasenor comes in and Santos lands a few shots in succession. Villasenor presses and Santos lands a ton of good counter shots, avoiding those thrown by Villasenor. They end the round trading shots on the cage.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Cyborg. He landed the leg kicks nicely throughout and had a couple of big flurries late to steal that one. This one's coming to this final round.
ROUND THREE: Santos lands a leg kick right off the bat and misses that spinning back kick. He presses now and lands another leg kick. Villasenor pops in with a left and a body kick. Villasenor goes for a takedown but Santos holds it off by grabbing the shorts and takes Villasenor down himself. He lands a few shots from the guard and Joe works his way out and to the feet. They trade punches in the center and Villasenor starts stalking him down. Villasenor lands a big right and a couple of good lefts as he keeps walking Santos down. Santos is bleeding from the left eyebrow now. Villasenor keeps pressing and they sloppily trade again. They are both tired here. Villasenore keeps pressing and landing jabs. Cyborg lands a couple of punches. Big body shot lands from Villasenor. He walks him down again, landing a big right but eating the counter right. Big right hand from Villasenor again. Santos throws a light jab but Villasenor backs a away and keeps stalking him down. Villasenor lands a big overhand right and Santos tries to throw toe to toe with him, eating more shots than he's landing. Villasenor misses a big right. Santos throws a couple more leg kicks. Villasenor lands a right again. They finish the fight trading shots. Good fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Villasenor. This could have gone either way but Villasenor pressed the action, opened up the cut and landed more of his shots to a tired Santos. Neither looked like a world beater but it was a good fight.
WINNER: Villasenor via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
POST FIGHT: Villasenor said it was a great fight, and it was a good fight to come back to after a year off. He said he was really surprised by Cyborg's countering and really turned it into a great fight. He said the leg kicks hurt his movement for a bit until he started blocking them. He said he wants to recover for about three months and whoever Coker wants to throw him in there with is fine. He said Cung Le is sitting, watching all of these guys getting better and shaking in his boots and he'd like a chance to fight him.
STAR RATING: (***) Good back and forth fight from these two in the main event, but both were so tired in the third they didn't have nearly as much pop in their shots. It was a good performance from Villasenor to get the win and keep on the winning track after a year long layoff, but Cyborg hung in there through all three rounds of a close, but definitely entertaining fight.
-Miletich and Ranallo close out the show, again wasting time because they don't show any prelim fights. They run down the results of the night to finish out.
-That's the show for tonight. There was some good, there was some bad (*cough* officiating! *cough*), and there was some ugly, but this was an entertaining night of fights and a good second offering in the "Challengers" series. Jorge Gurgel and Conor Huen put on a hell of a show, as did the ladies in the first women's bout to go five minute rounds and go the distance. Now Strikeforce is on hold in the month of July but they return in big time fashion in August with the Carano vs. Cyborg headlined card on August 15th. Thanks for sticking with us for the report tonight and make sure to be here tomorrow night for the live run down of the Ultimate Fighter finale live on Spike at 9PM ET, right here on MMATorch.com!
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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