If our past few posts are any indication, it doesn’t really matter what the subject of this article is, because you Taters will inevitably turn the comment section into a discussion on a feller who goes by dipsetkilla, whether he fucked your mom or not, and how gay you would be based on whether he fucked your mom or not. Personally, I think we should have dipset and bootystar (remember him?) engage in a winner-takes-all battle of incoherent superiority. Then again, dipset is probably hitching up his trousers and throwing a five dollar bill on my mother’s nightstand as we speak, so clearly I have a dog in this fight. Maybe I just miss bootystar and such whimsical gems as: “I bet the gladiator got asked cuz he was caught starring at the pork barrel sausage in the littereen next to his bald headed one yed jack of pades” but I digress.
Aaannnyyway…a pair of bouts have been added to Strikeforce’s stacked (LOL!) final card that will feature Luke Rockhold vs. Mr. Glass, Daniel Cormier vs. some dude, Josh Barnett vs. Imhotep, and Whoshisface vs. Whatshisname. We don’t mean to over-hype these fights, but needless to say, they will forever change your definition of the word “Superfight.”
If our past few posts are any indication, it doesn’t really matter what the subject of this article is, because you Taters will inevitably turn the comment section into a discussion on a feller who goes by dipsetkilla, whether he fucked your mom or not, and how gay you would be based on whether he fucked your mom or not. Personally, I think we should have dipset and bootystar (remember him?) engage in a winner-takes-all battle of incoherent superiority. Then again, dipset is probably hitching up his trousers and throwing a five dollar bill on my mother’s nightstand as we speak, so clearly I have a dog in this fight. Maybe I just miss bootystar and such whimsical gems as: “I bet the gladiator got asked cuz he was caught starring at the pork barrel sausage in the littereen next to his bald headed one yed jack of pades” but I digress.
Aaannnyyway…a pair of bouts have been added to Strikeforce’s stacked (LOL!) final card that will feature Luke Rockhold vs. Mr. Glass, Daniel Cormier vs. some dude, Josh Barnett vs. Imhotep, and Whoshisface vs. Whatshisname. We don’t mean to over-hype these fights, but needless to say, they will forever change your definition of the word “Superfight.”
First up, an interesting clash at lightweight between rising star Ryan Couture and falling star K.J. Noons. Currently 5-1 under the Strikeforce banner, not Randy Couture will be looking to end his SF career with four straight wins against the struggling Noons, who has dropped three of his last four in the promotion including a near death-by-wrestlefucking at the hands of Josh Thompson in his last appearance.
In other news, Roger Gracie will be looking to build on his recent victory over Keith Jardine at Strikeforce:Rockhold vs. Kennedy when he takes on Anthony “Lionheart” Smith, who recently submitted Lumumba Sayers via triangle choke at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman to improve his SF record to 2-1.
Random fact: If Mike Kyle can make it to his fight with Gegard Mousasi this time, he will have competed on the very first and very last Strikeforce MMA cards. Cover your eyes, Gegard, because some thumbs will be comin’ your way if history is any indication.
Alright, now that we’ve got past all that boring MMA stuff, can we please get back to where the hell CAPSLOCKHAL and Xeno have been?
Since coming up short against Nick Diaz during their Strikeforce welterweight title fight in October 2010, Noons has gone 1-2 at lightweight, most recently dropping a unanimous decision to Josh Thomson at the Tate vs. Rousey card in March. Still, his sharp boxing and significant experience edge could make him a very tough match for Couture, who is riding a three-fight win streak. Couture won a split-decision over Joe Duarte in his last Strikeforce appearance at Rockhold vs. Kennedy, and was most recently spotted looking at a paint-clad Natasha Wicks with an expression that seemed to say, “You’re hot and everything, but my dad’s already manhandled you, so I don’t know.”
Since coming up short against Nick Diaz during their Strikeforce welterweight title fight in October 2010, Noons has gone 1-2 at lightweight, most recently dropping a unanimous decision to Josh Thomson at the Tate vs. Rousey card in March. Still, his sharp boxing and significant experience edge could make him a very tough match for Couture, who is riding a three-fight win streak. Couture won a split-decision over Joe Duarte in his last Strikeforce appearance at Rockhold vs. Kennedy, and was most recently spotted looking at a paint-clad Natasha Wicks with an expression that seemed to say, “You’re hot and everything, but my dad’s already manhandled you, so I don’t know.”
Welcome, friends, to the most bonerrific highly-anticipated women’s bantamweight fight in MMA history. Seven months after winning the Strikeforce 135-pound strap, Miesha Tate will attempt to make her first title defense against arm-snapping fire-cracker Ronda Rousey. And that’s just the cherry on top of a loaded fight card that also features two former Strikeforce champions (Josh Thomson, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza), a pack of crowd-pleasing sluggers (Paul Daley, Scott Smith, KJ Noons), and the return of former PRIDE welterweight grand prix champion Kazuo Misaki.
Handling our liveblog for this evening is Steve Silverman, who will be posting round-by-round results for the Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey main card after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and please toss your own brilliant opinions and observations into the comments section.
Welcome, friends, to the most bonerrific highly-anticipated women’s bantamweight fight in MMA history. Seven months after winning the Strikeforce 135-pound strap, Miesha Tate will attempt to make her first title defense against arm-snapping fire-cracker Ronda Rousey. And that’s just the cherry on top of a loaded fight card that also features two former Strikeforce champions (Josh Thomson, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza), a pack of crowd-pleasing sluggers (Paul Daley, Scott Smith, KJ Noons), and the return of former PRIDE welterweight grand prix champion Kazuo Misaki.
Handling our liveblog for this evening is Steve Silverman, who will be posting round-by-round results for the Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey main card after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and please toss your own brilliant opinions and observations into the comments section.
Mauro Ranallo … what a jive-ass putting on his phony radio voice…. No doubt that Miesha Tat and Ronda Rousey will put on a sterling show…
Tate is a very solid-looking fighter … and a stunning babe… and Rousey may not be ready for her just yet….
Jacare Souza and Bristol Marunde will get the night started….
Steve Silverman here and happy to be bringing the action to you ….
Marunde has won 9 of his last 10 fights….Souza is a take-down artist who will try to put Marunde on his back and punish him.
Souza trains with Anderson Silva, soyou know that makes him a real badass….
Jacare starts with a straight right and he is boxing early. … Marunde looking to switch between righty and southpaw…
Both fighters looking for an opening .. Hard right by Jacare and then a takedown. Marunde working a pyramid….
Short hard right by Jacare that drops Marunde… Jacare has his back… and is getting in knee strikes…Jacare domination in the first round..Marunde does very little damage as first round ends.
Jacare pounding away as Marunde covers up. Uppercuts and pounding punches…Strikes to back of head by Jacare and he breaks them….
Round 2….
Roundhouse right by Marunde misses badly and then lands a short right and then another….
Jacare with two big kicks and Marunde has his face against the cage. Jacare gets his back but Marunder escapes….
Jacare is very patient….and that doesn’t make for a lot of action…but he is in charge.Knee by Jacare to the chin of Marunde
Kick and then left-hand body shot to Jacare. Then another. both are short and powerful…Nice kick by Marunde. Right hand by Jacare…
Two overhand rights by Jacare…and a hard takedown by Jacare….
Round 3…
Jacare takes Marunde down and is on his back. Jacare trying to get his right hand loose…
Marunde is cut high on the forehead. Jacare delivering right hands to Marunde and he is getting hit with lot fo punches….
Jacare getting in his hook and he is punishing Marunde. He can’t get loose and is just a defensive fighter. Then Jacare gets the side-triangle choke and Marunde submits….
Jacare was able to win this fight without taking any real punishment himself. He trapped Marunde’s arm and choked him out….
Sayers brings a record of 5-2 into this fight while Smith comes in with a record of 18-9 and 1 no contest…He has lost three in a row…
Smith’s a little chubby around the middle; Sayers with a 3-inch reach advantage…
Sayers with a straight right hand… another right hand and then throws Smith on his back. H e sinks in a hook and starts punishing….
Great throw down by Sayers…. gets in guillotine choke and it’s over… Smith wins big….
CORRECTION… SAYERS WINS BIG….
Smith got thrown down and couldn’t react… Sayers started pounding and then got in his guillotine. Another first-round win by Sayers… All his fights are one-rounders, six wins and two losses…1:34 is the official time.
Smith looks absolutely done as he suffers his fourth straight loss. He offered no resistance…
Kazuo Miskai vs. Paul Daleyy coming up next….
Misaki is 24-11-2 and is from Tokyo….
Misaki has a big right hand but he likes to use takedowns…. Incredible cauliflower left ear…
Daley, from London, has won two fights in a row….However, he has problems with wrestlers and grapplers, so Misaki could give him a problem…
Daley tries a right roundhouse kick.. Daley with jabs, but thy are not landing…Misaki with overhand right….
Misaki drives through with takedown…Misaki lets him get back up. Right kick to midsection…
Misaki to body and then to head… Daley looks slow and wwkwrd. yo cna tll he’s strong but slow. Misaki hits him hard to jaw… Misaki taking charge….
Daley takes Misaki down but Misaki gets his legs around him and he is controlling from bottom. Daley gets in a couple of bombs at end of the round…
Round 2….
Jab and body kick by Misaki.. Knee by Misaki.
Daley having a hard time gtting his punches in. Misaki is a little quicker and making himself hard to hit…. Misaki getting better of exchanges… Daley takes down Misaki but Misaki is comfortable….
Daley trying to work over the ribs… ref calls for more action… wild left by Daley but it misses. Misaki gives up his back.
Misaki flips positions and he is on top in last minute..ref breaks them because action is nil..Misaki with overhand right and then a kick.
Round 3
Daley needs a big round to win this fight… right kick by Misaki…Left jab by Daley, good counter by Misaki….
Daley with a couple of left jabs and then throws Misaki down….elbow by Daley and Misaki is cut badly…
Bad cut over Misaki’s left eye but doctor allows fight to continue… Complete bloodbath…
Daley looks tired. He has a target in that cut to go after but Misaki is coming back after Daley. Misaki also has a broken nose but he is not backing down going into final minute.
Daley gets takedown but Misaki gets right up. Daley looks so tired but he tris to rally with takedown and he doesn’t get it….
It’s over and it will go to scorecards….
Daley did so much damage with a big elbow. He ripped a big cut and also broke Misaki’s nose. Misaki seemed to get in most of the other damaging blows…
Misaki will need stitches to get that cut closed… waiting on decision….
stats are all in favor of Misaki…and Misaki gets the decision….
It is a split decision … Misaki controlled much of the fight … except for getting cut badly. But Misaki wins….
Next fight….
Josh Thomson (18-3-1) vs K.J. Noons (10-3)
Thomson is a great grappler while Noons wants to stay on his feet…
Ronda Rousey looked she wanted to hammer Heidi Androl during interview… Rousey looks like she means business….Does she have enough to throw at Tate?
Noons and Thomson are good friends outside the ring….
Just about ready to go…
Round 1 coming….
Thomson with a front kick to the jaw….Thomson a bit quicker….
Thomson push kicks are dangerous… Thomson looking for a takedown…Noons measuring him and trying to get in his jab….
Thomson gets the takedown and he is working to keep control…Noons trying to get back to his feet…
Noons looks comfortable sitting and ref may break them up for lack of action. Noons trapped on side of cage….
Thomson in control but not getting in many shots…fans booing because there’s not enough action…
Round 2 is coming and the fans did not like Round 1…slight advantage for Thomson…
Superman punch by Noons but it doesn’t do much damage… Thomson slips, Noons on top but reversal by Thomson…
Throw down by Thomson and that means that he is on top… but no real action…Thomson now trying to throw elbows and Noons trying to do the same from the bottom….
Thomson with a right hand and needs to throw more punches… end of round two…
Referee stands them up. because the action is lacking. Noons letting go with uppercuts…Noons is cut over left eye….
Noons gets in a right hand but Thomson takes him down with about a minute to go in round.
Noons bleeding from left eye but he doesn’t seem hurt badly.
Round Three coming….
Good takedown by Thomson… choke triangle by Thomson.. it’s in deep…..
Noons gets loose for a second, but Thomson get the choke and is in control….Noons just trying to survive. He’s not fighting back….
Thomson with elbows and hammer fists. Noons is tired and in pain….
Now Thomson is in charge, delivering aggressive forearms and elbows…less than a minute to go. Thomson with ground and pound. Noons is shut down…
Noons a couple of weak punches and Thomson with a knee to close….
Waiting for the decision. Thomson should get unanimous decision….
AND HERE’S THE DECISION… THOMSON WINS AND IT’S UNANIMOUS…
It was kind of boring… Thomson tells Ranallo that his performance tonight was “shit.” Conditioning was shit and so was fight. It was a boring fight….
TATE VS. ROUSEY COMING UP!!!
Just about ready for the main event….
Both fighters are top grapplers, but Rousey lacks experience. She is very aggressive. Tate can win on the ground or if she keeps it standing….
Rousey has four wins in 138 seconds of total action….Tate wants to make Rousey “bleed her own blood….
Both of these fighters are red-hot and sexy dolls….I love these good-looking hard-asses…
Rousey seems totally confident despite lack of experience….
Tate is angry because Rousey said she could beat up Tate and Tate’s boyfriend….
Tate may hit harder than Gina Carano — another babe….
Round 1 coming up….
Look for this to be a short fight… 1 or 2 rounds….
Here we go….
Misha Tate with flurry and Rousey takes her down. RRousey has her
Tate gets loose and escapes. Rousey had her arm bar….but Tate got away…
Tate looking choke. Rousey escapes and hit her with left. Rousey looking for throw and she brings down Tte.
Rousey tosses Tate and she looks like she is stronger. Ground and pound for Rousey….
Rousey gets the arm bar and she wins the fight. She may have broken Tate’s arm….
Rousey is some angry fighter. Great strength and technique to go long with killer instinct. Tate did not want to quit and she paid a big price…..
Rousey used her hips to throw Tate a couple of times. Big night for Rousey. Experience didn’t matter because Rousey was too powerful and tough….
4;27 of first Round… Rousey is new champion… She’s all smiles now….
With their women’s Featherweight division in shambles, Strikeforce will look to further develop the scene at Bantamweight with a pairing of Sarah Kaufman and Alexis Davis. Kaufman formerly held Strikeforce’s 135lb strap–her only loss came in a title defense against Marloes Coenen back in October of 2010. Since that time she’s rattled off wins over Megumi Yabushita and Liz Carmouche. Davis is on a three-fight streak, picking up her last two wins over Julie Kedzie and Amanda Nunes under the Strikeforce banner. Given the caliber of competitors and their placement on this card, it’s safe to assume that the winner of this fight could go on to challenge the victor of the Tate-Rousey bout.
…and fillilng out nicely, we must say. (Pic: StandThemUp.org)
With their women’s Featherweight division in shambles, Strikeforce will look to further develop the scene at Bantamweight with a pairing of Sarah Kaufman and Alexis Davis. Kaufman formerly held Strikeforce’s 135lb strap–her only loss came in a title defense against Marloes Coenen back in October of 2010. Since that time she’s rattled off wins over Megumi Yabushita and Liz Carmouche. Davis is on a three-fight streak, picking up her last two wins over Julie Kedzie and Amanda Nunes under the Strikeforce banner. Given the caliber of competitors and their placement on this card, it’s safe to assume that the winner of this fight could go on to challenge the victor of the Tate-Rousey bout.
Another former Strikeforce champion, Josh Thomson, will square off against former title contender KJ Noons in a lightweight clash. This will be Thomson’s first bout in fifteen months; he last met Tatsuya Kawajir on the K1-Dynamite!! Power of Courage 2010 card in a fight he lost via decision. Noons recently picked up his first win in three fights with a decision victory over Billy Evangelista.
In a bout that will likely round out the main card of this event, noted scalephobePaul Daley will look to continue his winning ways against Kazuo Misaki. Though “Semtex” dropped his last two fights in the Strikeforce organization, he’s since picked up two decision wins overseas in Bamma. Misaki has similarly rebounded from a two-fight skid with a pair of TKO victories. This will be his first contest back in Strikeforce since a 2008 victory over Joe Riggs.
There was some talk before K.J. Noons fought Billy Evangelista on Saturday night that he might be contemplating quitting MMA. But with his victory over Evangelista in hand, Noons said people misunderstood his comments about retiring.
Noons said on The MMA Hour that he is thinking about retirement — but only in the sense that he has to be smart enough to know that he won’t make enough money in MMA to live on for the rest of his life, and that future planning is important. That doesn’t mean he’s currently considering quitting MMA.
“I love my job, fighting. But there is a life after fighting. I’m still young, I still want to fight, don’t get me wrong on that,” Noons said. “There’s a life after fighting. It just made me think when I got married — it’s hard to make a living on fighting, and some guys in their young 30s, their knees are busted up, they have all these surgeries, they’ve got bulging discs, they’ve had all these injuries and they can’t even do normal stuff in their mid-30s. That’s all I was thinking of, I need to build something because I can’t retire off MMA purses, at least not the purses I make.”
Noons said he’ll continue fighting in Strikeforce and hoping to get better, and he said he’s fine with fighting in Strikeforce rather than getting called up to the UFC — even though he’s envious of the Fight of the Night bonuses that the UFC gives to the fighters who put on the best performances, something that Zuffa hasn’t yet implemented in Strikeforce.
“I want to get better as a fighter, stay busy and just see where the cards fall,” Noons said. “The only thing I’m missing out on is not getting the Fight of the Night every time I fight — those bonuses, I’d be a wealthy man now.”
One thing Noons is not focusing on is a return to the boxing ring. In 2008, Noons vacated the EliteXC lightweight title to pursue a career in boxing, but Noons said that Zuffa won’t permit him to do both, and that he’s perfectly content sticking with MMA.
“I love boxing, they just won’t let me box right now. We’ll see in the future,” Noons said. “Hopefully in the future I can box again. … I definitely get better paydays in MMA right now.”
There was some talk before K.J. Noons fought Billy Evangelista on Saturday night that he might be contemplating quitting MMA. But with his victory over Evangelista in hand, Noons said people misunderstood his comments about retiring.
Noons said on The MMA Hour that he is thinking about retirement — but only in the sense that he has to be smart enough to know that he won’t make enough money in MMA to live on for the rest of his life, and that future planning is important. That doesn’t mean he’s currently considering quitting MMA.
“I love my job, fighting. But there is a life after fighting. I’m still young, I still want to fight, don’t get me wrong on that,” Noons said. “There’s a life after fighting. It just made me think when I got married — it’s hard to make a living on fighting, and some guys in their young 30s, their knees are busted up, they have all these surgeries, they’ve got bulging discs, they’ve had all these injuries and they can’t even do normal stuff in their mid-30s. That’s all I was thinking of, I need to build something because I can’t retire off MMA purses, at least not the purses I make.”
Noons said he’ll continue fighting in Strikeforce and hoping to get better, and he said he’s fine with fighting in Strikeforce rather than getting called up to the UFC — even though he’s envious of the Fight of the Night bonuses that the UFC gives to the fighters who put on the best performances, something that Zuffa hasn’t yet implemented in Strikeforce.
“I want to get better as a fighter, stay busy and just see where the cards fall,” Noons said. “The only thing I’m missing out on is not getting the Fight of the Night every time I fight — those bonuses, I’d be a wealthy man now.”
One thing Noons is not focusing on is a return to the boxing ring. In 2008, Noons vacated the EliteXC lightweight title to pursue a career in boxing, but Noons said that Zuffa won’t permit him to do both, and that he’s perfectly content sticking with MMA.
“I love boxing, they just won’t let me box right now. We’ll see in the future,” Noons said. “Hopefully in the future I can box again. … I definitely get better paydays in MMA right now.”
Filed under: StrikeforceStrikeforce’s 2011 came to a close on Saturday night in San Diego, but the organization will live on in 2012. Whether that’s good news or bad news for the fighters on the roster remains to be seen, but this latest event did seem…
Strikeforce’s 2011 came to a close on Saturday night in San Diego, but the organization will live on in 2012. Whether that’s good news or bad news for the fighters on the roster remains to be seen, but this latest event did seem to be some kind of harbinger of things to come, for better or worse.
Biggest Winner: Cris “Cyborg” Santos
There aren’t many ways to enter a bout as a 9-1 favorite and still exceed expectations, but by crushing Hiroko Yamanaka in 16 seconds, Santos found one. If anything, Santos is a little too dominant for her own good. After a year and a half out of the cage, she probably could have used a round or two of work just to stay sharp. Instead she went out there and Mike Tyson’d yet another overmatched opponent, leaving us to wonder whether there’s any woman in the world who can possibly compete with the Brazilian. The powers that be seem to be eyeing Ronda Rousey as the next challenger, but Rousey seems savvy enough to know she’d be better off dropping to 135 pounds and chasing smaller, less terrifying prey. Now that Santos has laid waste to the 145-pound division, she might have no choice but to try and follow her down. If she can lose that much weight without the aid of a tapeworm, that is.
Biggest Loser: Jorge Masvidal
This might have been his last best chance to break out of the journeyman mold and claim some bit of greatness for himself, but he sure didn’t fight like it. Word is that he went into this one with an injured hand, which might explain why he wasn’t swinging for Melendez’s brain stem with wild abandon down the stretch. Still, he had to know he was down on the cards and wasn’t going to end it with takedowns in the final round, so what exactly was his plan for victory? Even with Strikeforce’s lean roster, he’ll have a hard time getting another title shot while he’s still young and able. He needed to make this one count, and he didn’t. Even with Melendez’s eye swelling shut in the fifth, Masvidal kept fighting like he had two more rounds to make his move. It isn’t easy to go for broke with an injured hand, but when you’re running out of time to dethrone the champ in what might be the only shot you’ll ever get, what other choice do you really have?
Most in Need of a Change: Gilbert Melendez
What’s the worst part about his continued stay in Strikeforce? Forget the lack of money and attention, it’s the dearth of quality opponents. You look around the Strikeforce roster and there’s not a single potential challenger who Melendez wouldn’t be a huge favorite against. And when you’re the favorite, as he was against Masvidal, it’s not always enough to win a smart, strategic decision. Not if you’re trying to create a buzz and get fans to demand your presence in the UFC. You can’t fault Melendez for fighting the way he did, but neither can you say that it upped his stock on Saturday night. Unless Strikeforce signs some new talent — or the UFC loans it some — Melendez is looking at more and more of these fights for as long as he’s stuck in the Hexagon. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. And if you can’t even get a fight with the best, then you need to absolutely smash the other guys just to stay in the conversation. It’s a tough situation for Melendez, and it isn’t getting any easier.
Most Improved: Gegard Mousasi
Looks like someone finally had enough of getting out-wrestled on the American MMA scene. After having that aspect of his game exposed by Mo Lawal (and, to a lesser extent, Keith Jardine), Mousasi clearly spent some time in the wrestling room and made some real strides of late. Granted, he’s still not going to double-leg his way to a win over someone like King Mo, but maybe he can at least get good enough to stay upright against him. That is, maybe he can get there if only he’d start believing in himself a little more. After his decision win over Ovince St. Preux, Mousasi did his best to talk his way out of a potential title shot, implying that maybe there were others who might be more deserving. It reminded me of his demeanor after the draw against Jardine. He stayed in his seat well after the post-fight press conference ended, staring down at the table as his coaches tried to cheer him up. No matter how much they told him that he got robbed by the judges (which he did) or that he fought well (which he sort of did), he still looked and talked like a kid whose puppy had just been run over. It’s nice to be honest with yourself about where you stand. It’s also good to expect better and better performances from yourself. But at some point you cross the line from demanding to unnecessarily negative, and that doesn’t help you. Cheer up, Gegard. You’re not doing so bad for a 26-year-old pro fighter.
Least Improved: Showtime broadcast
You’d think that with as many Strikeforce events as the Showtime crew has done, they’d have it down cold by now. You’d be wrong. First they got off to a late start after the Super Six aftermath turned into a Wimbledon-style trophy presentation. Then, once the transition from boxing to MMA was complete, the simple task of reading the results of a clumsy Facebook poll proved more than any one person could handle. Between awkward interviews, weird sound miscues, and a broadcast team that seemed like it would have rather been somewhere else, it was a rough night. Even Pat Miletich, who’s usually the very best ex-fighter commentator out there, had to be repeatedly dragged into the conversation by Mauro Ranallo. What’s normally fun banter between the broadcast team became simply distracting, and you almost wished some producer would have stepped in and told them to play nice. I realize that broadcasting live sporting events isn’t easy, and anybody can have an off-night, but if you compare Showtime’s product to the one the UFC puts on pay-per-view more than 20 times a year, they aren’t even close. It’s like the difference between the picture of the cake that’s in the cookbook and the half-sunken, dried-out mound you pull out of your oven after failing to read the directions carefully. If you want me to believe that Strikeforce is a top-tier organization, start with presentation.
Most Surprising: KJ Noons and Billy Evangelista
Who would have guessed that this would be one of the most exciting and competitive fights on the card? Noons and Evangelista mixed it up something fierce, and in the end the judges got it right when they gave the nod to Noons. But what’s also surprising is the word that Noons was supposedly considering retirement (at least in theory) if he lost to Evangelista. I can understand feeling like he needed to win one — after two losses in a row, he did — but it’s not like Evangelista is some chump that any decent fighter should be able to stroll through. He’s a skilled, game opponent, and he showed it in the later rounds. Noons can be proud of that win, and with a few tactical changes here and there he’s right back in the conversation at lightweight. Strikeforce’s roster might be thin right now, but that’s good news for guys like Noons. It means there’s a short climb to the top of the 155-pound division, even if there’s a heap of trouble waiting for you when you get there.
There was some talk before 
Strikeforce’s 2011 came to a close on Saturday night in San Diego, but the organization will live on in 2012. Whether that’s good news or bad news for the fighters on the roster remains to be seen, but this latest event did seem to be some kind of harbinger of things to come, for better or worse.