Author: Matthew Hemphill

Strikeforce Results: What We Learned in Luke Rockhold’s Win vs. Keith Jardine

When Luke Rockhold was picked to face then-champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza for the title, he was an underdog.Souza was an accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner.Rockhold had only been beaten once, but his opponents until that point put him just …

When Luke Rockhold was picked to face then-champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza for the title, he was an underdog.

Souza was an accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner.

Rockhold had only been beaten once, but his opponents until that point put him just above prospect level.  He beat most of his opponents by submission, but groundwork was Souza’s specialty and it didn’t look like he could be beaten.

Not only did Rockhold beat him, he did it for five rounds and without question when he scored a unanimous decision over the champion.

After the fight, questions remained, the biggest being, “How good was Rockhold?”

Fans had a new champion, but no one knew what he was capable of…at least not until tonight.

Keith Jardine was a perfect opponent to test Rockhold.  He was a grizzled veteran who had faced some of the best fighters in the world and beaten some of them.  Those who he didn’t were pushed to the edge by his unorthodox style of fighting.

The fight was going to be a real test for the young and unseasoned Rockhold.

Except by the end of the night, he steamrolled Jardine and made it look easy.

Critics could mention that Jardine got a draw in his last fight (which many considered a loss) and that he had lost four fights in the UFC before being cut.  They could even mention that Jardine was 36 and past his prime.

All of these points have merit, but Jardine is still a tough fighter and better than most.  Even if his prime is past and he may not be elite, he should have been able to give Rockhold more resistance than the young champ came up against.

Instead, Rockhold was able to dispatch Jardine quickly.  It speaks more for Rockhold’s talent than anything else.

The most astounding thing was how Rockhold was able to counter every of the wiley veteran’s maneuvers. 

At 27, Rockhold has plenty of years to get better, and it’s scary to think what he is capable of doing if he uses them properly.

Rockhold attracted a lot of eyes with his win over Jardine.  Now that they’re on him, how he reacts and what he does next will be scrutinized.

He did well on Saturday.

Now he just needs to keep the ball rolling and do it all over again in his next fight.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Strikeforce Results: What We Learned in Luke Rockhold’s Win vs. Keith Jardine

When Luke Rockhold was picked to face then-champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza for the title, he was an underdog.Souza was an accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner.Rockhold had only been beaten once, but his opponents until that point put him just …

When Luke Rockhold was picked to face then-champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza for the title, he was an underdog.

Souza was an accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner.

Rockhold had only been beaten once, but his opponents until that point put him just above prospect level.  He beat most of his opponents by submission, but groundwork was Souza’s specialty and it didn’t look like he could be beaten.

Not only did Rockhold beat him, he did it for five rounds and without question when he scored a unanimous decision over the champion.

After the fight, questions remained, the biggest being, “How good was Rockhold?”

Fans had a new champion, but no one knew what he was capable of…at least not until tonight.

Keith Jardine was a perfect opponent to test Rockhold.  He was a grizzled veteran who had faced some of the best fighters in the world and beaten some of them.  Those who he didn’t were pushed to the edge by his unorthodox style of fighting.

The fight was going to be a real test for the young and unseasoned Rockhold.

Except by the end of the night, he steamrolled Jardine and made it look easy.

Critics could mention that Jardine got a draw in his last fight (which many considered a loss) and that he had lost four fights in the UFC before being cut.  They could even mention that Jardine was 36 and past his prime.

All of these points have merit, but Jardine is still a tough fighter and better than most.  Even if his prime is past and he may not be elite, he should have been able to give Rockhold more resistance than the young champ came up against.

Instead, Rockhold was able to dispatch Jardine quickly.  It speaks more for Rockhold’s talent than anything else.

The most astounding thing was how Rockhold was able to counter every of the wiley veteran’s maneuvers. 

At 27, Rockhold has plenty of years to get better, and it’s scary to think what he is capable of doing if he uses them properly.

Rockhold attracted a lot of eyes with his win over Jardine.  Now that they’re on him, how he reacts and what he does next will be scrutinized.

He did well on Saturday.

Now he just needs to keep the ball rolling and do it all over again in his next fight.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

5 WWE Superstars Who Could Succeed in the UFC

With news that CM Punk will be walking out with Chael Sonnen for Sonnen’s match with Mark Munoz, the topic of WWE wrestlers and MMA fighters seems to be coming up more.Pro wrestling is looked down on by many fans of other sports, and that includes MMA …

With news that CM Punk will be walking out with Chael Sonnen for Sonnen’s match with Mark Munoz, the topic of WWE wrestlers and MMA fighters seems to be coming up more.

Pro wrestling is looked down on by many fans of other sports, and that includes MMA fans.  The men and women who compete in wrestling are viewed as actors and stunt people with no actual fighting ability who work in “fake” matches.

However, the WWE employs some people with real fighting backgrounds who could not only beat up most people, but could even take a run in the Octagon.  They might even succeed on a serious level.

That is because wrestlers in the WWE not only have to be charismatic, they usually know a thing or two about technical wrestling.

So here are five people in the WWE who are young enough that if they switched over today, could win a fight in the UFC.

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Strikeforce Results: Did Robbie Lawler Just Save His Job?

Fans just can’t be sure which Robbie Lawler is going to show up.  Is it going to be the man who gets knocked out after being outclassed by his opponents, or the man who has one-punch KO power who surges forward like one man blitz?It can be frustra…

Fans just can’t be sure which Robbie Lawler is going to show up.  Is it going to be the man who gets knocked out after being outclassed by his opponents, or the man who has one-punch KO power who surges forward like one man blitz?

It can be frustrating for anyone trying to bet on him, but for fans who just enjoy fights, there is nothing better.  Lawler’s punching power has given him more TV time and main-event slots than have been afforded to other fighters.

The only catch is that it also meant stepping up in competition.

Lawler is a talented if limited fighter who wins until he faces off against top competition.  He has just enough power and skill to stop inexperienced fighters or those who have the same skillset minus Lawler’s power.

Lawler had done enough to impress fans and his promoter to get fights against Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Tim Kennedy, who are both elite fighters.

He lost both fights without question and was even submitted by Souza.

The fight tonight against Adlan Amagov might have been the last straw.  If he had lost he would have been 0-3 in all of 2011 and at the start of 2012.

Lawler could have been in trouble even if he had gotten the win without the exciting finish.  He isn’t known to be the most technical fighter.  Just one who gives fans exciting knockouts and slugfests.  There is a good chance his paycheck reflects that status as well.

For a fighter who isn’t seen to be elite, but gives a good show and makes their money that way there is nothing worse than losing a few fights in a row.  It could mean that each fight was close and that the fighter in question just came up short.

Usually it means that they are on the decline.

Lawler is only 29, but it wouldn’t be too soon for it to happen.

That is because every time a fighter has a fun scrap it takes years off their career.  Fighting is stressful and a fighter who is always coming back from the brink puts even more of that stress on themselves.

Lawler was able to show tonight that he hasn’t reached that point yet.  It will come one day for him like it does for all fighters and even athletes, but it wasn’t going to be the end just yet.

So Lawler’s first gift of the new year is a revitalized career and a finish that will get him bigger fights and maybe another shot in the UFC.

From being on Strikeforce’s chopping block to now being talked about again, that is a pretty good turn around.

Now let’s see if Lawler can keep the momentum going.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Cyborg Santos & Why Her Steroid Suspension Sets Women’s MMA Back Years

When Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos demolished her opponent Hiroko Yamanaka in less than a quarter of a minute this last December, it seemed that she turned a corner.She was seen as the saviour for Women’s MMA and the person who would eventually lead it to …

When Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos demolished her opponent Hiroko Yamanaka in less than a quarter of a minute this last December, it seemed that she turned a corner.

She was seen as the saviour for Women’s MMA and the person who would eventually lead it to being taken seriously.

Now that she has been busted for steroids, that isn’t going to happen.  No matter what she does after this, she will be seen as a dirty fighter who used drugs to get an edge in her fights.  The skills she might have had go into question now that fans know it was a drug that helped her win her last match.

And that isn’t the only thing fans are going to mull over.

Every single win that Santos has had up until this point is going to be called into question.  

Did she really beat Gina Carano, or did she have help?

Was she really able to crush all those other competitors so easily, or was it steroids that made it happen?

Fight fans are fickle.  If the smallest discrepancy pops up, then they will scrutinize a fighter’s every achievement.

Now it’s Santos’ turn.  She has had her last win overturned and is going to have the ones before it questioned as well.

Did she find a way to get through those drug screenings?

Did how many times did she win on steroids?

What would happen in a rematch with Carano?

These are some of the questions Santos will be faced with when she returns.

Worst is that is damages women’s MMA.

She became the face of women’s MMA when she beat Gina Carano and then continued to win fights after that.  She was changing the perception fans had of what a female fighter needed to be.  Instead of needing to be a model who could fight, a woman could just be a fighter.

Some male fans dismissed her, but those were the shallow ones who never watched women’s MMA for the skill.

She was making waves and starting to get a buzz for herself and females as fighters in general.

Now, not only has she tarnished that image, but because no one beat her before she did, there is no one else to turn to.  There isn’t another fighter in women’s MMA who has even close to as much impact as she did.

Even if fighters like Ronda Rousey succeed, they can’t make the same changes that Santos did.  

That is because Rousey is attractive.  As painful as it is to admit, it will take a female fighter who isn’t considered “attractive” by most of the male demographic to move women’s MMA from a sideshow to the pedestal it deserves.

It could have been Santos’ legacy.

Instead, it’s just another “what if” in the annals of MMA.

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Why Keith Jardine is a Perfect Fit for Strikeforce

Keith Jardine just might have found his niche in Strikeforce.It should be stated that this writer put up another article about how Jardine has the most to gain on Saturday with a win potentially getting him back in the UFC, but that doesn’t mean that i…

Keith Jardine just might have found his niche in Strikeforce.

It should be stated that this writer put up another article about how Jardine has the most to gain on Saturday with a win potentially getting him back in the UFC, but that doesn’t mean that is a good thing.

Jardine is the proverbial big fish in a small pond in Strikeforce and is able to constantly get bigger fights.  In the UFC his biggest win was against Chuck Liddell and it was a great win for him. However, Jardine was never able to capitalize on that win and turn it into something.

He also took Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to the limit, almost winning their fight but getting knocked down in the last 10 seconds.  It is what most in the MMA community think cost him the decision.

Jardine’s career seems to be rife with moments where he almost rose to greatness only to fail or come up short.

That isn’t an insult to Jardine.  Precious few people ever take risks the way he has and instead choose to play it safe throughout their lives.  He chose to risk everything and dared to be something amazing.

That he failed is a shame, but nothing to be ashamed about.  

And that is why Jardine not only should stay in Strikeforce, but he deserves it as well.

In the UFC he was nothing more than another fighter—albeit a fun one to watch, but another gatekeeper who was never going to fight for the title or end up in the Hall of Fame.

In Strikeforce he is a commodity, a name that people recognize and will tune in for.  He is someone important.

Jardine is 36.  Soon enough his time in the cage will be over.  He may never get the brass ring as far as the UFC goes, but if he can become Strikeforce champion and stay as a staple of the company he will have achieved some success.

It may not be what Jardine wanted when he started fighting.  It may not even be what he wants now.  Unfortunately, life doesn’t always work out the way we want.

Jardine has been a professional fighter for 10 years.  While that might not be a lot of time in other jobs, in sports it is a lifetime.

At this point he should be enjoying the time he has left as an MMA fighter.  That isn’t to say he should stop trying to compete or be the best fighter he can be. It just means there is enough competition in Strikeforce to keep him busy.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com