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Now that the Strikeforce/DREAM alliance is in full swing, MMA fans worldwide are getting to see some much-anticipated matchups that would otherwise be impossible. In a night full of upsets, Jake Shields dominated a larger Dan Henderson at his own game, while fellow Cesar Gracie teammate Gilbert Melendez welcomed Shinya Aoki to America and showed that you need more than just a stellar submission game to compete at the top. Even Gegard Mousasi was bested by a lesser-experienced fighter as Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal now demands recognition for dominating a Top Ten ranked opponent.
Speaking of rankings, last night’s upsets really threw the MMA community off track, with Shinya Aoki looking especially overrated. With most unofficial rankings having Aoki pegged as a Top 5 fighter, and often the #2 under B.J. Penn, getting dominated by Gilbert Melendez really showed how long a bridge the Japanese fighter has to cross before even considering facing some of the top lightweights in the UFC.
It doesn't matter how progressive Aoki's grappling game is, you just can't be a one-trick pony at this level of competition. It was interesting that despite being ranked higher than Melendez, Aoki still came into the fight as a slight underdog at +155.
In a similar battle, "King Mo" Lawal was able to force his game plan on a tired looking Gegard Mousasi and pretty much dominate from top position with superior wrestling for the duration of the fight. Despite taking some very heavy shots from a grounded Mousasi in the second round that caused his left eye to swell completely shut, Lawal hung tough and pulled out a unanimous decision that will really put Mousasi's current ranking in question and probably give the former Champion doubts about entering the heavyweight division anytime soon.
In the night’s main event, however, the big underdog Jake Shields upset a living legend, as Dan Henderson simply got out-wrestled. I never thought this would happen with Hendo being the Olympic-caliber wrestler that he is, and I was expecting a slug fest with the two grapplers neutralizing each others ground game.
This proved not to be the case as Shields implemented his game plan to perfection, forcing Henderson to stay on his back where he is probably least comfortable. The first round started great for Dan as he dropped Shields with his signature overhand right and landed a hard uppercut later on, but this would prove to be his only 10 point round.
Shields showed the world that he has a strong chin to go with his great cardio as he recovered from these punches very well and came back to absolutely dominate the former PRIDE champion for the following 4 rounds. He was able to successfully take down a man regarded as one of the best wrestlers in the entire history of the sport, all while showcasing beautiful Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu as he passed Dan's guard and mounted at will.
While I would have liked to have seen him finish from such dominant positions, I really must commend Jake on being able to best a fighter I have always considered one of the Top 5 in the world, and beat him at his own game no less. And with Dan creeping up on the dreaded 40th birthday, could this be a passing of the guard?
Perhaps surprisingly, last night’s event ultimately left more questions than answers. Will Shields stick around Strikeforce long enough to see a rematch, or will the UFC pick up a new and noteworthy addition to their roster? (By the way, that little scuffle at the end of the main event looked staged to me. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if Scott Coker simply told Jason "Mayhem" Miller to go in there and talk shit just to try and obligate Shields to stick around Strikeforce for a couple grudge matches.)
Will Aoki get an instant rematch against Melendez in Japan, or will he avoid some of the top American talent after such a disastrous defeat? And finally, what's next for recent Strikeforce signees Dan Henderson and Gegard Mousasi, brought in to be reigning Champions but now facing a long road back to the top? I, for one, would like to see both men, along with newly crowned Champ “King Mo” Lawal, enter DREAM’s upcoming light-heavyweight grand prix tournament and see where they stand after that.
RELATED STORY: STRIKEFORCE ON CBS RESULTS: Dan Henderson gets dominated by Jake Shields, loses in Strikeforce debut: [CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE]
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