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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
-Mauro Ranallo welcomes the audience to the show, discussing Cung Le and Scott Smith with video of them entering the arena. He brings in Frank "Braces" Shamrock as his color commentator to discuss Cung Le's ring rust coming into tonight. Stephen "Awkward Interviewer" Quadros is the third man in the booth tonight, and he runs down the rest of the night's main card.
-They show a lot of Strikeforce fighters and newcomers cageside, including Herschel Walker, Bobby Lashley and Dan Henderson.
FIGHT ONE: MUHAMMED "KING MO" LAWAL VS. MIKE WHITEHEAD (HEAVYWEIGHT):
ROUND ONE: Whitehead is jiggling up a storm tonight nearly 60 pounds heavier than normal. Whitehead starts the bout coming forward with a few leg kicks. Lawal catches him with a good left early. Whitehead came in again and ate another left that rocks him. White head tried to push in and clinch but ate a few shots after Lawal pushed him away. King Mo is looking for that left all the way here. He catches Whitehead again with the left. Lawal is walking around with his hands down at his sides, switching stances as he goes. Another left lands. Lawal throws a right to the body and then a short combo tot he body. They've gotten slightly tentative and some boos come out from the crowd. Whitehead throws a couple of low kicks as Lawal keeps his hands low. Whitehead gets in a right. Lawal unleashes a huge right hand that drops Whitehead, and he follows it up with some shots on the ground to finish him off. That was King Mo just outclassing Mike Whitehead tonight. He grabbed two cans of energy drinks and pulls a Stone Cold Steve Austin and double fists them and gets a talking to by a Commission official for getting stuff all over the canvas.
WINNER: Lawal via KO at 3:08 of the first round.
POST FIGHT: King Mo says he has the best coaches. He said he doesn't know if Whitehead was the best guy he's fought. He says he's a "moneyweight" fighter, and he'll fight where the money's at.
STAR RATING: (**+) Excellent stuff from Lawal, who made a longtime veteran look like he didn't belong in the cage with him. He outclassed him and disrespected him completely by disregarding his stand up with his hands at his sides, and he showed it was for a reason when he dropped him. Good win for King Mo.
-Josh Thomson is interviewed backstage, he says he's fine with Melendez getting an Interim belt because he earned it, and that Strikeforce wanted to delay this fight to the January 30th show but he wanted to fight as soon as possible.
FIGHT TWO: MATT LINDLAND VS. RONALDO JACARE SOUZA (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Jacare said he got his nickname because his grip is like that of an alligator. Lindland said he's going to keep coming at him to finish this fight and he wants to make sure that Souza never wants to fight him again.
ROUND ONE: Lindland throws a body kick early and Jacare counters with a short combo. Jacare gets in with a good right and follows with a couple more short punches. Another right from Jacare. Jacare misses a high kick and Lindland tries to grab him and take him down, but Souza keeps himself upright. He lands an inside leg kick after they separate. Jacare continues to land counters nicely. Jacare lands a good body shot. Lindland then sweeps and gets Jacare to the ground. Jacare throws up for an armbar but Lindland gets out. Jacare holds onto an omoplata and lands a few shots before Lindland rolled through again. Lindland tried to throw up a triangle but Jacare got into his guard. Jacare stands and drops on his side with a forearm and gets to side control. Lindland gets quickly back to half guard. Jacare slapped on an arm triangle with a minute left. After trying to hold it off for a few seconds, he's forced to tap. Awesome stuff from Jacare.
WINNER: Souza via submission (arm triangle) at 4:18 of the first round
POST FIGHT: Jacare said he's very happy to be fighting for Strikeforce and it's his new home. Quadros tries to get him to chant "jiu jitsu" but he says he's training MMA and it's showtime.
STAR RATING: (***-) Really impressive stuff from Jacare tonight. Just a great performance from start to finish and an impressive submission in the first round.
-Cung Le is backstage for an interview, and he says he's enjoying every minute of his MMA career. He said he's been doing movies since he started his career, it's just been bigger parts have given him a longer layoff, but he said he's just going to do his best tonight. He said the fights are tough on his mom's heart but she will be in attendance tonight cheering him on.
FIGHT THREE: JOSH THOMSON VS. GILBERT MELENDEZ (LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE BOUT)
PRE FIGHT: Melendez said he got into MMA after finding a gym and Jake Shields and challenging him and getting beat. He said that he felt both of his losses the guys were fighting to win, not to fight. Thomson said he comes to fight, and he's coming to fight tonight.
ROUND ONE: Both fighters come right to the center of the cage. Melendez engages first with an outside leg kick. Thomson starts to walk him down but Melendez gets him to back off by coming forward. Thomson lands a good early exchange with a high kick and punch combo. Melendez shot in for a single leg and Thomson held it off. Melendez threw a kick but Thomson caught it and sent him to the ground. He tried to pounce but Melendez got to his feet. Thomson caught Melendez with a few shots and then they both landed some good shots in a wild flurry. Melendez pops in with the jab. Melendez now starts to come forward and gets in a punch. Thomson then lands a combo. He's getting some really good strikes in here in the first round. Melendez again shoots in but Thomson holds it off. Melendez lands a right as he backs off. Melendez lands a solid kick to the right leg. He gets in with a jab again. Thomson lands a hard leg kick with a minute left in the round. Melendez pops in with a right, gets in a good leg kick and pops him with another combo as Thomson tries to swing wildly. Great action here in spots in this round. Thomson pops in again but eats a flurry late and steps back as the round comes to a close. Awesome start.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Thomson. He got the better of most of the exchanges until late in the round and landed a higher percentage of his strikes there. Great start to the fight.
ROUND TWO: Thomson comes out moving forward. Melendez catches a kick and drops him with a right, but Thomson recovers nicely and gets back to his feet. Melendez comes forward and Thomson slipped. Melendez lands a few short elbows at the cage. Melendez comes in and Thomson starts swinging. They trade shots. Thomson comes back in and Melendez tried to throw a knee to the body but Thomson eats a low blow and Josh Rosenthal gives him time to recover. They start up again and immediately throw in a flurry. Thomson then circles to put Melendez to the fence and throws two good body kicks. Melendez then circles and gets the center. They trade shots again and Melendez tried to shoot once more. Thomson again held it off. Melendez catches another kick and tags him with two right hands. He tries to throw him down but Thomson stays on his feet. Thomson then pushes Melendez to the cage, but Melendez separates with some nice elbows. Melendez popped in with a good leg kick after avoiding Thomson forward movement. Thomson lands a big body shot and then a rocking combo. He comes in and they start swinging. Melendez rocks Thomson and drops him twice. This is insane. Melendez gets into his guard. Thomson pulls rubber guard and tries to grab the omoplata. Thomson lands an illegal elbow from the bottom but just gets warned and the round ends with Melendez on top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Melendez. Another awesome round with both guys going insane with their strikes. Melendez dropped him twice in that late exchange and his power will be a factor late into this fight.
ROUND THREE: Thomson again comes forward to start the round and he lands an early leg kick and straight body kick. Melendez pushes forward and lands a leg kick. Melendez lands a good left punch/right kick combination. Thomson came forward but ate another combo from Melendez. Thomson tried to throw a spinning back kick but Melendez avoided it. Melendez landed a good jab followed by a body kick. Melendez again with the jab and kick. Thomson throws a kick. Thomson lands an overhand right but eats the counter from Melendez. Melendez tried to close the distance but Thomson was able to avoid the strike. Melendez lands a good body punch. He gets in the jab and leg kick combo again. Melendez is taking over in the striking department here and lands another combination ending with a leg kick. Melendez again gets the punch-kick combo in nicely. Thomson pushes forward and tries to land a punch but Melendez backs off. Thomson lands a good knee in an exchange. Melendez gets in a couple of jabs and Thomson throws a straight kick. Thomson finally shoots in for a single leg but Melendez held it off. Melendez lands a good left. Melendez pushes forward and gets in another leg kick before the round ends. Time for the Championship rounds.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Melendez. That round slowed the action a bit, but Melendez is taking over in the striking department by a large margin.
ROUND FOUR: Thomson throws a high kick early but it's only a grazing shot. Melendez pushes in with the jab and leg kick. Thomson goes to the body with a kick and then lands another. Thomson shoots in for the takedown. Melendez holds it off but Thomson stays on him and gets him down briefly. Melendez gets back to his feet though and Melendez tags him with shots as they both swing wildly again. Melendez again lands a good combo. Thomson throws a straight kick but eats a counter combo. Melendez lands a good knee to the head as Thomson puts his head down. Melendez with another leg kick and then catches Thomson with a combo. He almost catches another kick but Thomson gets away. Melendez lands another jab. Melendez lands another leg kick and they both swing and connect in another good flurry. Thomson continues moving forward and Melendez continues to land counters. Melendez catches a kick and then kicks out the back leg of Thomson. Thomson is able to get back to his feet, though. Thomson again pushes forward and eats punches when they exchange. Thomson shoots but it gets shrugged off. THey trade shots again. Thomson comes forward with a good body shot. Melendez then comes right back with a combo of his own. Thomson then lands a shot. Melendez comes forward again and lands a good combination. Thomson then eats an eyepoke with :12 left in the round. They restart it and Thomson just backs off as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Melendez. He's controlling the stand up right now and Thomson just keeps eating shots as he comes in. He's going to need to do something drastic to hold onto his Title.
ROUND FIVE: Melendez lands an early jab and Thomson lands a body kick in response. Thomson lands a good body kick. Thomson comes in close and lands a good combo and then eats a shot. He comes in close again and they both swing wildly. BOth are landing shots here as they unload at each other. Thomson comes forward again and they keep swinging. Both are landing shots. Melendez catches him with three good punches in another wild flurry. This is just awesome stuff for a fifth round right now. Melendez lands a good left and then lands a big right that drops Thomson. He gets down into Thomson's guard and lands a couple of good hammer fists. Thomson got to the cage and got on his knees. Melendez lets him stand and then backs off, landing a shot as he backed out. They exchange shots again. Melendez again lands a big punch in a flurry. Melendez with a leg kick. Thomson lands a body kick and a right. Melendez gets in with a combo and backs away from the counter. Thomson shoots in and gets a takedown completed. He almost got Melendez's back but Melendez somehow got out and back to his feet. Melendez lands a left. Thomsons pushes forward and they swing wildly again. Melendez catches a kick and they start swinging punches and they swing for the final ten seconds as the round ends. Fight of the year right there.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Melendez. Just awesome, awesome stuff from both fighters with Melendez dropping Thomson and Thomson almost pulling it out from the jaws of defeat in the last minute and a half with the takedown and getting Gilbert's back, but Melendez got it back to the feet and finished strong. Just a really, really exciting fight.
WINNER: Melendez via unanimous decision (49-47, 49-46, 49-46)
POST FIGHT: Melendez said he just wanted to perform better than he did last time and said Thomson was the most difficult fight of his career and maybe that he'll ever have. Thomson said Gilbert was the better fighter tonight and doesn't want anyone making excuses for him about the layoff. He said he has the win for a third fight but this is Melendez's night. A ton of respect from him there and a great show of sportmanship.
STAR RATING: (****+) The final round picked it back up to the pace the first two were at, and this was my Fight of the Year right here. Just a torrid and exciting pace throughout the fight with wild aggression, and more technicality than most of these types of slugfests have. Thomson almost pulled it out himself late in that third round as well, and plain and simple this was just an awesome, awesome fight.
-Bobby Lashley and Dan Henderson are cageside for an interview. Lashley says it's all business when he gets in the cage. He said he had the opportunity to play around in pro wrestling but he's here to give it his all. Henderson gets a big ovation from the crowd as it goes to him. Henderson said he'll be fighting at 185 for now and he's excited to be in Strikeforce. He said he doesn't know why people keep talking about a fight with Fedor because he's got others in his path. He said he does it for the challenge and Fedor would be the biggest challenge should that fight ever take place.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT FOUR: CUNG LE VS. SCOTT SMITH (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
PRE FIGHT: Le says Smith will be hard to stop so he needs to work his angles. Smith said you only need to look at Frank Shamrock's arm to see how powerful his kicks are. Le says he's a fighter first. Smith said Cung's going to come out of the fight wondering why he got back into MMA.
ROUND ONE: Smith comes right out looking to attack. Le avoids and then lands a side kick to the body. Le lands another kick to the body. He throws one high but it gets blocked. Another side kick to the body. Smith tried again to push forward but Le avoided. Le again with the body kick and then a spinning back head kick barely missed it's target. Le drops Smith with a huge spinning back kick and went to work with some right hands on the ground. Le postured up and started landing hard hammer fists. He's dropping bombs on Smith right now, who can only cover up. Le is dropping these one after another, but in slow succession, allowing Smith to stay in it. Le keeps firing and Smith finally gets back to his feet. Le avoids Smith coming forward and backs away nicely. Le again with a spinning back kick to the head that Smith ate as he was slipping backwatds. Le let him back up after briefly going to the ground. Le lands a roundhouse to the face. Le with a good straight left and then a side kick high. Smith lands a good right and then misses a high kick of his own. Le lands another spinning back kick to the ribs. Le lands a side kick as Smith pushes forward. Le lands a big overhand left and then a straight kick. Le again lands a punch and blocks one from Smith. Smith pushes Le to the cage and they clinch to the end of the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Le. That was dominant, and those spinning back kicks were beautiful there.
ROUND TWO: Le lands an early side kick. Smith tries to push forward but Le backs away nicely. Le goes briefly for a takedown attempt but backs off and blocks a high kick. He starts attacking with leg and body kicks from a number of angles. He pops in with a good left. Le with a leg kick. Le again with the spinning back kick to the gut sends Smith on his ass. Le gets into Smith's guard but Smith holds onto Le's wrists. Le can't get loose and Smith tries to keep control here. Big John stands them up as they are inactive. Smith immediately comes forward and lands a couple of punches but Le is able to avoid much of it. Le starts going to the kicks and a combo of punches of his own. Smith comes in and clinches Le against the cage. Le tries to throw Smith but Smith stays on his feet. Le gets Smith's back to the cage and lands a couple of shoulders. Smith turns him around again. Le again tries the throw but Smith holds it off and lands an uppercut as they separate. Le then clinches and pushes Smith to the cage. Smith lands a good elbow. Smith spins it around and lands a couple of big shots as the round ends.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Le. Le is slowing down a bit as the fight goes on, and Smith finally got in a couple of shots late in that round.
ROUND THREE: Le threw an early high kick and then landed a spinning back kick to the head of Smith, and then another to the head. Smith tried to deliver a kick of his own. Le missed a roundhouse kick but then got another side kick in. Spinning back kick to the body from Le. Shamrock says Cung Le's strikes don't hurt you just can't see them. Le lands a coupel of counter punches as Smith tries to chase him down. Le is avoiding almost everything Smith is swinging at him. Le pushes Smith to the cage and lands a few good punches. He then lands a spinning back fist and spinning back kick. Le picks him up and then drops him down. Le with a straight kick. Then another side kick to the gut. Left hook from Le lands. Le lands a good left. Smith pushes in and lands a right and tries to come forward. He drops Le with a left and then keeps coming forward. Le gets back on his feet but then eats another one and gets dropped. Le again almost gets back up but Smith drops him a third time and finishes him off on the ground. He's done it again, it's just incredible. He was getting his ass kicked and then pulled it out of nowhere. Another unbelievably typical Scott Smith performance.
WINNER: Smith via TKO at 3:25 of the third round.
POST FIGHT: Smith said that was "one hell of a Rockstar Energy finish." He said he's never out of a fight and that's why he's fun to watch. No doubt about that. He said that left hook is his best punch. Smith said he wants to go home, he said he may not be in line for the belt but he wants these tough fights like Cung Le. They went to Le, who said he caught him with a punch. He said he fought his heart out but he got caught. He said it's nothing to do with movies, he was focused, but he got caught.
STAR RATING: (****-) The ending and Le's unique offense with those kicks made this a fight to go out of your way to see. I'd say it was an unbelievable finish, but with Scott Smith this should just be expected. It was an absolutely insane finish after Le battered him with those kicks all fight long. Le would have one this fight more than handily had he been able to survive another minute and a half, but that's why you fight til the end and why you can never, ever count Scott Smith out.
-From a fight specific standpoint, this was top to bottom probably Strikeforce's best effort on Showtime. Standout performances from the newcomers King Mo and Jacare, and then my Fight of the Year for the Strikeforce Lightweight Title before it was capped off by Scott Smith yet again pulling a win out of his ass to defeat Cung Le. This was just awesome stuff from Strikeforce tonight and an excellent way for them to close out their year. Make sure to check out Matt Pelkey's WEC 45 report, and check back in the morning for my round by round breakdown on that event, as the DVR failed to record the WEC event in full and I'll have to wait on the replay for the full event.
[Scott Smith photo provided to MMATorch by Strikeforce]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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