Filed under: StrikeforceReturning to the cage after a year and a half away, Cris Cyborg absolutely destroyed Hiroko Yamanaka on Saturday night, needing just 16 seconds to win by technical knockout.
Cyborg exploded out of the gate and connected two qui…
Returning to the cage after a year and a half away, Cris Cyborg absolutely destroyed Hiroko Yamanaka on Saturday night, needing just 16 seconds to win by technical knockout.
Cyborg exploded out of the gate and connected two quick hard right hands to knock Yamanaka down. Yamanaka got up but Cyborg exploded on her again, knocking her down against the cage. Cyborg began to pounce on the ground, but before she could do anything there the referee stepped in and stopped the fight.
“I’m very happy,” Cyborg said afterward. “I trained hard for a year and a half. This is amazing. I love fighting, I love training, I want to fight more.”
The win improves Cyborg’s professional MMA record to 11-1 and shows once again that she’s simply the toughest woman in the world. She’s Strikeforce‘s women’s featherweight champion, and the only question about her is whether Strikeforce will be able to find any opponents who can test her. After the fight Cyborg was asked about potentially fighting Ronda Rousey, which could be an option, although Rousey probably isn’t ready for Cyborg.
Yamanaka came into the fight with a 12-1 record and a reputation as one of the best female fighters on the planet, but she’s no Cyborg. There’s no one like Cyborg.
This is the Strikeforce live blog for Cris Cyborg vs. Hiroko Yamanaka, a women’s 145-pound championship bout on tonight’s Strikeforce on Showtime event from the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.
Cyborg (10-1) is back after an 18-month absence. She last fought in June 2010, knocking out Jan Finney to make her second successful title defense. Yamanaka (12-1) is coming off a stint with JEWELS and has won her last eight fights.
Round 1: Santos drops Yamanaka with her second punch, an overhand right. The ref looks ready to step in but holds off as Cyborg works for the finish. Yamanaka gets back to her feet and Cyborg drops her again after a flurry against the cage. One more punch on the ground and it’s over. Yamanaka looks mad at the stoppage, and it was probably a bit early but it was probably just a matter of time anyway.
Winner: Cris “Cyborg” Santos via first-round TKO(:16)
This is the Strikeforce live blog for Cris Cyborg vs. Hiroko Yamanaka, a women’s 145-pound championship bout on tonight’s Strikeforce on Showtime event from the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.
Cyborg (10-1) is back after an 18-month absence. She last fought in June 2010, knocking out Jan Finney to make her second successful title defense. Yamanaka (12-1) is coming off a stint with JEWELS and has won her last eight fights.
Round 1: Santos drops Yamanaka with her second punch, an overhand right. The ref looks ready to step in but holds off as Cyborg works for the finish. Yamanaka gets back to her feet and Cyborg drops her again after a flurry against the cage. One more punch on the ground and it’s over. Yamanaka looks mad at the stoppage, and it was probably a bit early but it was probably just a matter of time anyway.
Winner: Cris “Cyborg” Santos via first-round TKO(:16)
Filed under: Strikeforce, ResultsMMA Fighting has Strikeforce results of Gilbert Melendez vs. Jorge Masvidal and the rest of Saturday’s Strikeforce on Showtime card happening at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.
MMA Fighting has Strikeforce results of Gilbert Melendez vs. Jorge Masvidal and the rest of Saturday’s Strikeforce on Showtime card happening at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.
Melendez will defend his Strikeforce lightweight belt against Masvidal. Meanwhile, Cris Cyborg is back in action as she defends her women’s 145-pound title against Hiroko Yamanaka.
Undercard Caros Fodor def. Justin Wilcox via first-round knockout Roger Bowling def. Jerron Peoples via first-round knockout Devin Cole def. Gabriel Salinas-Jones via unanimous decision Eddie Mendez def. Fernando Gonzalez via majority decision Herman Terrado def. Chris Brown via submission (armbar)
Reminder —Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal goes down tomorrow night in San Diego, and we’ll be liveblogging the Showtime broadcast beginning at 10 p.m. ET. Strikeforce recently released this promo video focusing exclusively on the lightweight title competitors and Cris Cyborg; Gegard Mousasi and Ovince St. Preux are nowhere to be seen, and the only glimpses we get of KJ Noons and Billy Evangelista are brief clips of them getting beat up by Jorge Masvidal. Still, this could be a surprisingly entertaining card for those who actually care enough to watch it. Either way, that clip of El Nino ruining Kawajiri’s life with elbows never gets old.
After the jump: Jorge Masvidal gets interviewed by three hot Spanish chicks, nearly slaps the crap out of one.
Reminder —Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal goes down tomorrow night in San Diego, and we’ll be liveblogging the Showtime broadcast beginning at 10 p.m. ET. Strikeforce recently released this promo video focusing exclusively on the lightweight title competitors and Cris Cyborg; Gegard Mousasi and Ovince St. Preux are nowhere to be seen, and the only glimpses we get of KJ Noons and Billy Evangelista are brief clips of them getting beat up by Jorge Masvidal. Still, this could be a surprisingly entertaining card for those who actually care enough to watch it. Either way, that clip of El Nino ruining Kawajiri’s life with elbows never gets old.
After the jump: Jorge Masvidal gets interviewed by three hot Spanish chicks, nearly slaps the crap out of one.
Props: Republica Deportiva via MiddleEasy. The weird slapping demonstration starts at the 5:20 mark. No, I don’t know what they’re saying either, but they’re called “Las Senadoras,” and you should probably watch this video too.
Filed under: MMA Media Watch, UFC, StrikeforceShowtime and Strikeforce have agreed to a new deal for more fights on the premium cable network, an announcement that comes as something of a surprise following months of speculation that the UFC would comp…
Showtime and Strikeforce have agreed to a new deal for more fights on the premium cable network, an announcement that comes as something of a surprise following months of speculation that the UFC would completely absorb the promotion it purchased early this year.
That news will have a wide-ranging impact on the mixed martial arts world, including the fighters, the promoters, the networks and the fans. We examine who the winners and losers are in the new Strikeforce-Showtime deal below.
Winner: Strikeforce women’s champions Cris Cyborg and Miesha Tate It was a little jarring to hear UFC President Dana White, who’s far from the biggest supporter of women’s MMA, talk on the conference call announcing the new Strikeforce-Showtime deal about how great this will be for female fighters. But he’s right: Showtime made a specific point in this announcement of singling out Cyborg and Tate as champions who would be involved in big events going forward. The UFC isn’t ready to feature women’s MMA, but Strikeforce and Showtime are.
Loser: Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez White insisted that Melendez is excited about the opportunities he has ahead of him to continue defending his Strikeforce belt, starting on Saturday night against Jorge Masvidal. That may be true, but it’s also true that Melendez is a great competitor who craves top-level competition, and he’s just not going to get that outside the Octagon. If Melendez beats Masvidal, he’d be very worthy of the next UFC lightweight title shot, against the winner of the upcoming Frankie Edgar-Ben Henderson fight. Instead, Melendez will remain in Strikeforce, no doubt putting on solid performances — but not getting the opportunity to do what he really wants to do, which is prove that he’s the best lightweight in the world.
Winner: Showtime Even though the new Strikeforce won’t be quite as good as the old Strikeforce (the UFC has, after all, already taken away some of the biggest stars, like Alistair Overeem, Dan Henderson, Cung Le, Jake Shields and Nick Diaz), this deal still means that Showtime will be the home of the biggest names in MMA outside the UFC. As a subscriber-based business, Showtime is less interested in attracting broad audiences than in attracting the kinds of loyal viewers who are willing to pay for content. That perfectly describes hard-core MMA fans: The people who love the sport really love the sport and are willing to show that love on their cable bills. Keeping Strikeforce means keeping tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of MMA fans who only subscribe to Showtime to watch Strikeforce.
Loser: MTV2, Spike, HDNet and any other network airing MMA It’s already tough to get attention in the MMA media world if you’re not with the UFC, and for MTV2 (current home of Bellator), Spike (future home of Bellator), HDNet (home of several smaller and international promotions) and any other channel that’s thinking about getting into the MMA business, keeping Strikeforce alive on Showtime makes it tougher.
Winner: Strikeforce heavyweights Strikeforce will conclude its heavyweight tournament with Daniel Cormier vs. Josh Barnett, then give one more fight to the winner of that, and then move all the heavyweights remaining on the roster over to the UFC. That’s big news for the biggest guys getting to fight in the biggest show, and it’s the logical conclusion of a movement that is already underway: Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem is already in the UFC, set to fight Brock Lesnar, and the last man Overeem beat, Fabricio Werdum, is headed for the UFC now. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva is surely set to fight in the Octagon soon, and promising heavyweights like Shane Del Rosario, Chad Griggs, Lavar Johnson and Shawn Jordan will have great opportunities to prove themselves on a big stage.
Loser: Strikeforce light heavyweights Although Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson has already vacated his belt and returned to the UFC, it appears that the other Strikeforce light heavyweights will stay where they are. That means good Strikeforce 205-pounders like King Mo Lawal, Rafael Cavalcante, Gegard Mousasi, Ovince St Preux and Lorenz Larkin — all of whom could have a place in the UFC light heavyweight division — will be denied that opportunity.
Winner: MMA fans With Zuffa planning 40 live events (32 UFC, eight Strikeforce) plus the new live Ultimate Fighter on Friday nights, Bellator looking at a couple dozen events spread over two seasons, HDNet airing a couple shows a month and your random one-off events from other promotions, it’s going to be a rare weekend night when MMA isn’t on TV. If you’re an MMA fan, you’ve already got plans for almost every weekend.
Loser: Spouses/significant others of MMA fans With Zuffa planning 40 live events (32 UFC, eight Strikeforce) plus the new live Ultimate Fighter on Friday nights, Bellator looking at a couple dozen events spread over two seasons, HDNet airing a couple shows a month and your random one-off events from other promotions, it’s going to be a rare weekend night when MMA isn’t on TV. If you’re married to an MMA fan, you’re not going to be able to make plans for many weekends.
Filed under: StrikeforceWill Gilbert Melendez make a statement that he deserves to be fighting for the UFC lightweight belt, or will Jorge Masvidal pull off a major upset? Will Cris Cyborg continue to look like the toughest woman in the world after a l…
Will Gilbert Melendez make a statement that he deserves to be fighting for the UFC lightweight belt, or will Jorge Masvidal pull off a major upset? Will Cris Cyborg continue to look like the toughest woman in the world after a layoff of more than a year? Can Gegard Mousasi stop a takedown? Will MMA fans remember to watch Strikeforce on Saturday, more than three months after the last major Strikeforce card? We’ll answer those questions and more as we predict the winners of Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal below.
What: Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal
Where: Valley View Casino Center, San Diego
When: Saturday, the Showtime broadcast begins at 10:00 PM ET
Predictions on the four televised fights below.
Gilbert Melendez vs. Jorge Masvidal For Melendez, this fight is less about defending his Strikeforce lightweight title than it is about demonstrating that he deserves to be brought into the UFC and given huge pay-per-view fights, like the Strikeforce champions at heavyweight (Alistair Overeem) light heavyweight (Dan Henderson) middleweight (Jake Shields) and welterweight (Nick Diaz) have been. Melendez needs more than just a victory — he needs a sensational performance, a spectacular submission or knockout that has everyone clamoring to see Melendez fight the winner of the upcoming Frankie Edgar-Ben Henderson fight.
Melendez should beat Masvidal handily, but finishing him in highlight-reel fashion is going to be tough to do. Masvidal has only been finished three times in his 28-fight MMA career. Melendez will win, but it’s going to be tough for him to win in a way that convinces the UFC that he deserves the next crack at the belt. Pick: Melendez
Cris Cyborg vs. Hiroko Yamanaka Cyborg is finally returning to the cage a year and a half after she demolished Jan Finney in a serious mismatch. Give Strikeforce credit for the matchmaking this time around, however, because Yamanaka is no mismatch — she’s probably the second-best145-pound woman in the world, after Cyborg, and she presents some interesting matchup problems for Cyborg. The 5-foot-11 Yamanaka taller and longer than Cyborg, and Cyborg’s tendency to swing wildly with her chin up and her hands down could leave her exposed to an opponent with a reach advantage.
But Yamanaka isn’t much of a finisher (eight of her 12 wins are by decision), and in a 25-minute title fight, eventually Cyborg is going to hit her and hit her hard. Look for Cyborg to win, but look for Yamanaka to give her the toughest test she’s had since she made her EliteXC debut three and a half years ago. Pick: Cyborg
Gegard Mousasi vs. Ovince St. Preux Mousasi has much more experience than St. Preux and a much, much more well-rounded game than St. Preux. Some fans view this fight as a mismatch that Mousasi should win easily.
I’m not so sure about that. I think St. Preux, a former University of Tennessee defensive end who has gone on a tear in the cage over the last couple of years, has just the kind of style to drive Mousasi crazy: St. Preux is stronger than Mousasi and has good takedowns, and Mousasi has shown in his loss to Mo Lawal and his draw with Keith Jardine that he has a really, really hard time staying off his back. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see St. Preux take Mousasi down enough to grind out a decision.
However, while Mousasi isn’t very good at staying off his back, he is good at finishing his opponents from his back. And that’s what I see him doing: Look for him to catch St. Preux in a triangle choke or an arm bar and force him to tap. Pick: Mousasi
KJ Noons vs. Billy Evangelista Noons and Evangelista are both coming off losses to Masvidal, and the loser of this one may be done in Strikeforce, where no fighter on a losing streak can expect to be safe. I see this fight going the distance, and Noons landing more effective strikes and winning the decision. Pick: Noons
Returning to the cage after a year and a half away, Cris Cyborg absolutely destroyed Hiroko Yamanaka on Saturday night, needing just 16 seconds to win by technical knockout.
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