I fully expect tonight’s liveblog turnout to be more of an “intimate” affair, but that doesn’t mean we won’t do our best to give you a good show. Round-by-round results from the “Rockhold vs. Jardine” main card broadcast will be piling up after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET, courtesy of CagePotato liveblog up-and-comer Steve Silverman. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for coming, guys.
(Worst. Charity bachelor auction. Ever. / Photo via Strikeforce)
I fully expect tonight’s liveblog turnout to be more of an “intimate” affair, but that doesn’t mean we won’t do our best to give you a good show. Round-by-round results from the “Rockhold vs. Jardine” main card broadcast will be piling up after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET, courtesy of CagePotato liveblog up-and-comer Steve Silverman. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for coming, guys.
Our main event tonight is Luke Rockhold vs. Keith Jardine for the middleweight championship. We’ll start our coverage with Tyler Stinson vs. Tarec Saffiedine coming up right around the top of the hour.
Stinson has a 23-7 record while Saffiedine is 11-3 as these two welterweights hope to move up the ladder tonight. Let’s hope these guys go after it and don’t dance for three rounds. Good action and aggressiveness is a must. Round 1 upcoming.
Is there anyone who’s more of a jive-ass than Showtime announcer Mauro Ranallo? What a mope….
Stinson vs. Saffiedine
Round 1: Stinson with the hippy samurai hair do…Looks like he’d rather be in the club. Saffiedine is much more conventional looking and is a solid wrestler. …. Stinson with a straight left early. Stinson more aggressive early, Saffiedine wants to counter…Saffiedine pretty quick with his kicks. Good combination by Saffiedine. Good right roundhouse by Saffiedine followed by a straight right kick. Stinson connects with an elbow and almost puts Saffiedine down. Saffiedine cut around the right eye and it looks serious. Good left by Stinson and he’s looking for the nockout. Stinson is n charge. He’s getting hit hard. Stinson takes charge with a big finish.
Round 2: Stinson looking for power shots at the start of the round. He sees the blood and he wants to finish the round. Saffiedine is very defensive and looks to protect himself. Right kick by Stinson. Good 1-2 by Saffiedine and he registers a takedown with a solid shoulder drive to the midsection. Saffiedine trying to ground and pound and he is delivering shots — mostly to the ribs. Saffiedine is not doing a lot of damage but he has changed the momentum right now. Saffiedine trying to dig elbows to Stinson’s face and Stinson is bleeding. Big round for Saffiedine.
Round 3: Stinson hit below the belt to start off the round and is given time to recover. It was a right foot to the nuts. …
Saffiedine with another takedown. Very aggressive and wants to take control. More rib shots by Saffiedine. Maintains control and he is putting the pressure on Stinson. Elbows from Saffiedine are causing problems. Stinson can’t get up at this point. Stinson just ducks a big shot to the head. Blood all over Stinson’s body, some of it is from Saffiedine’s head cuts. Fighters standup in the final minute and it’s a bloodbath. Knee by Saffiedine hurts Stinson. Stinson coming on with combinations. Saffiedine out of gas at the horn. It looks like Saffiediene will hold on.
The decision goes to: Saffiedine…it’s a 2-1 split decision….
Next bout Tyron Woodley vs. Jordan Mein…another 3-rounder….
Woodley brings a 9-0 overall record into this bout, while Mein is 23-7.
Round 1: Woodley opens with a left roundhouse kick. Mein trying to measure Woodley against the cage. Woodley grabs hold and trying to get the takedown. Mein is avoiding the takedwon by using his length to gain leverage. Referee breaks them up and back to striking. Mein with and uppercut and Woodley takes him down. Woodley delivering punches. Mein tries to scramble away but Woodley is too quick and balanced to let him get away. Woodley looks comfortable on top but he has to start striking. Big elbow by Woodley but no follow up. Mein gets up. Knee from Woodley in final seconds. Not a lot of action, but it is Woodley’s round.
Round 2: Woodley is stronger and more powerful and he is looking confident at the start of the round. He gets in a solid right hand punch. Woodley takes down Mein once again. Solid right elbow by Woodley. Mein looks frustrated because he really can’t attack. Mein tries to throw elbows and they are landing to top of Woodley’s head. Mein trying to throw elbows and he is starting to be more effective. Woodley in control but he is not doing much damage. Woodley tapping Mein’s ribs. Mein tries guillotine but Woodley gets out of it. Even round even though Woodley was on top.
Round 3: Woodley ducks under a knee and registers another takedown. Mein uses the cage and pushes the match into the center of the cage. Left hook from the bottom by Mein and more left hand punches and elbows. Woodly finally throws a right hand and then a right elbow. Mein is resting even though his corner is imploring him to stay busy with two minutes to go. The fans want actin and they are booing. While Woodley is not throwing a lot, he doe maintain control. Ref stand them up and they start grappling. Woodley has his arms locked around the midsection. Not enough action. Woodley is the stronger man. He is in control as the fight ends. Poor fight but you have to give it to Woodley.
Decision: Woodley wins split decision. It should have been unanimous.
Next fight: King Mo Lawal (8-1) vs. Lorenz Larkin (12-0)
Larkin is a big striker but he will have his hands filled with the superior wrestling of King Mo…
Round 1: King Mo grabs Larkin’s leg and throws him down. King Mo trying to ground and pound. Very powerful and balanced. Larkin tries to scramble out but King Mo maintains control. Big right hands and elbows by King Mo. Larkin trying to sit out and he does deliver a right elbow. King Mo with some lefts in addition to the rights. Square shot to Larkin’s nose. Rib shots delivered by King Mo. He is punishing Larkin. Referee stands them up for no reason since King Mo was in control. Larking misses with wild left. Neither fighter does much in last 30 seconds. Give the round to King Mo.
Round 2: King Mo starts with an overhand right and grabs right leg. He takes Larkin down. King Mo delivering rights to body and head. He has power and is punishing Larkin. Larkin in huge trouble. He finishes King Mo with a sensational series of rights and Larkin is left defenseless.
King Mo wins big.
His hard right-hand punches were making a loud thump everytime he made contact with Larkin’s head. It could have been stopped 10 seconds earlier. Larkin could have been hurt badly.
Lawler is 18-8 while Amagov brings a 9-1-1 record into this fight.
Lawler is a big-time striker and he wants to reverse trend that has seen him lose 3 of 4. Amagov is a rough customer, a strong wrestler and a big hitter.
Round 1: Lawler charge but Amagov goes for the takedown. Amagov going for the guillotine and then delivers an illegal knee since Lawler was grounded. Lawler is getting a chance to recover. Amagov will lose a point for that illegal blow. Lawler finds his opening, delivers a knee and unloads on Amagov and stops him. The fight is over.
Lawler wins big!!!
Lawler needed just one flying knee to stun his opponent and then deliver hard punches. Great killer instinct. Referee had no choice but to stop fight because Amagov went limp.
The fight is stopped at 1:48 of the first round and goes into the books as a TKO for Lawler.
The feature bout between middleweight champion Luke Rockhold and challenger Keith Jardine is next. This is a 5-round bout. Jardine wants to turn this into a brawl, while Rockhold wants to use all his skills to defend his title.
Rockhold is 28 and brings an 8-1 record into the fight, while the veteran Jardine is 37 and has a 17-9-2 record.
Jardine does not respect Rockhold, calling him a “pretty fighter.” Rockhold has a lot of skills and seems quite confident.
Round 1: Rockhold with a solid left r0undhous kick to start. Jardine cut 19 pounds prior to the start of the fight to make weight. They are wrestling at the side of the cage and Rockhold delivering a few kicks. Right elbow from Rockhold. Jardine hit with a spinning back kick. Rockhold with a combination, Jardine with a left hand. Jardine looks slow and ponderous with roundhouse punches. Right hand by Rockhold drops Jardine, but he gets up right away. Another right by Rochkhold and Jardine goes down. He then launches a series of punches and Jardine can’t defend himself. Rockhold wins big.
Jardine could not compete. He was not quick enough with his hands and he could not defend himself. Rockhold showed he can be a devastating finisher.
Jardine looked tired and slow throughout. He was out of his element tonight.
The official time is 4:21 and Rockhold retains his middleweight title.
Rockhold was very confident going in and he used his speed and skills to get an edge. He overpowered his opponent tonight and he appears to be getting better every time he fights.
Strikeforce held a press conference yesterday plugging this weekend’s “Rockhold vs. Jardine” card at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Some highlights…
– Keith Jardine hasn’t weighed 185 pounds since the ninth grade.
After the jump: A highlight reel of the fighters in action. The editor wisely chose to use a clip of Jardine’s TKO of Forrest Griffin from 2006 rather than his sole appearance in Strikeforce.
Strikeforce held a press conference yesterday plugging this weekend’s “Rockhold vs. Jardine” card at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Some highlights…
– Keith Jardine hasn’t weighed 185 pounds since the ninth grade.
After the jump: A highlight reel of the fighters in action. The editor wisely chose to use a clip of Jardine’s TKO of Forrest Griffin from 2006 rather than his sole appearance in Strikeforce.
Besides Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, everyone I know who watched GI Joe as a kid looked forward to the “Knowing is Half the Battle” segments that taught us how to escape a house fire, avoid being kidnapped and molested and how to camp safely. If you watched the show on Saturday mornings or have seen any of the scores of parodies that have popped up the past few years, you’re going to enjoy the short fan-made spot above.
“Mo” used to enjoy the popular PSAs until the day he found out they were all a lie.
(Video courtesy of YouTube/FreeFightsForYou)
Besides Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, everyone I know who watched GI Joe as a kid looked forward to the “Knowing is Half the Battle” segments that taught us how to escape a house fire, avoid being kidnapped and molested and how to camp safely. If you watched the show on Saturday mornings or have seen any of the scores of parodies that have popped up the past few years, you’re going to enjoy the short fan-made spot above.
“Mo” used to enjoy the popular PSAs until the day he found out they were all a lie.
When he was a kid in Tennessee, Lawal watched the episode where a boy who couldn’t swim was instructed by Torpedo how to tread water and make his way safely to shore after he fell off of a cliff into the water. The cartoon made it look easy, so Lawal jumped in the water the next time he was at his cousin’s house and promptly sunk to the bottom of the pool. Had his uncle not seen him go in, he likely would have drowned. He told me last year that Torpedo was a liar and that GI Joe nearly killed him and that soon after the incident turned to Heathcliffe for life advice and credits the mangy cat for influencing his scrappy fighting style.
And that’s your six degrees of separation lesson for the day of how GI Joe is directly related to MMA.
First up, former light-heavyweight champion Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal will face off against undefeated up-and-comer Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin, whose 12-0 record includes three wins at Strikeforce Challengers events. Mo last competed in September, when he scored a first-round knockout against Roger Gracie. The winner of this fight could very well earn a shot at TBA for Strikeforce’s vacant 205-pound strap.
First up, former light-heavyweight champion Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal will face off against undefeated up-and-comer Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin, whose 12-0 record includes three wins at Strikeforce Challengers events. Mo last competed in September, when he scored a first-round knockout against Roger Gracie. The winner of this fight could very well earn a shot at TBA for Strikeforce’s vacant 205-pound strap.
Back in the middleweight division, Robbie Lawler will try to snap his two-fight losing streak against Chechen fighter Adlan Amagov (9-0-1, 2-0 in Strikeforce Challengers bouts), who’s perhaps best known for this spinning hook-kick knockout. Lawler has lost three out of his last four fights, most recently a decision to Tim Kennedy in July, so he’ll need a good showing if he wants to keep his Zuffa contract.
A welterweight bout between Tarec Saffiedine and Tyler Stinson has also been announced for the event. I’mma be straight with you guys: As it stands now, this card is a dog with extra fleas. On the other hand, a few of Strikeforce’s contracted fighters will be able to pay off their holiday bills, and that’s as close to happy ending as you’re going to get in this sport.