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.
Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsStrikeforce on Thursday announced four of the five televised bouts slated for its Jan. 7 event at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
The new matchups are Robbie Lawler vs. Adlan Amagov, Muhammed “…
Strikeforce on Thursday announced four of the five televised bouts slated for its Jan. 7 event at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
And as previously reported, the main event will be middleweight champion Luke Rockhold defending his belt against UFC veteran Keith Jardine.
“Jardine is a big name who’s fought a lot of tough guys in this sport,” Rockhold said in a statement. “I’m not going to sleep on him or this opportunity. This isn’t just another fight for me, I’ve wanted my chance to prove I’m a champion and a five-round title defense is the way to do it.”
Rockhold (8-1), undefeated in seven Strikeforce fights, captured the middleweight strap away from Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza by unanimous decision in September. Jardine (17-9-2) made his Strikeforce debut in April, fighting Mousasi to a draw. Jardine will be making his 185-pound debut.
Lawler (18-8) will be looking to snap a two-fight losing streak. In 2011, Lawler lost to both Souza and Kennedy. Amagov (9-1-1) made the jump from the Russian MMA scene to Strikeforce in July and has since won two bouts.
In his lone fight in 2011, Lawal (8-1) scored a first-round knockout over Roger Gracie. Larkin (12-0) won four fights this year, three of which took place inside the Strikeforce cage.
Saffiedine (11-3) lost to Tyron Woodley in January and then bounced back to beat Scott Smith in July. Stinson (22-7) made his Strikeforce debut in July and earned an impressive KO over Eduardo Pamplona.
Strikeforce Challengers 19: Larkin vs. Rossborough was held this past weekend at The Palms in Las Vegas with Lorenz Larkin taking the Unanimous Decision win over Nick Rossborough in the main event. Ryan Couture also.
Strikeforce Challengers 19: Larkin vs. Rossborough was held this past weekend at The Palms in Las Vegas with Lorenz Larkin taking the Unanimous Decision win over Nick Rossborough in the main event. Ryan Couture also earned his 3rd professional win with a Majority Decision over Hawaiian native, Maka Watson, although Couture also received a nice gash in his forehead. Both Larkin and Couture also earned the biggest payouts of the night with $10, 000 each. Our featured photographer, Joe Pic was there to capture all the action.
Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsWith a payday of $10,000, Lorenz Larkin, Ryan Couture and Lavar Johnson were the highest earners at this past Friday’s Strikeforce Challengers 19 in Las Vegas.
Larkin, who defeated Nick Rossborough in the evening’s main e…
Larkin, who defeated Nick Rossborough in the evening’s main event, earned $5,000 to show and another $5,000 to win. Couture and Johnson each received $10,000 flat. Couture, though, won his fight against Maka Watson, while Johnson was submitted by Shawn Jordan.
Salaries for all 18 fighters on the card are after the jump.
Please keep in mind these salaries are the numbers Strikeforce reported to the Nevada athletic commission and does not necessarily represent a fighter’s final earnings.
Showtime Bouts
Lorenz Larkin ($5,000 + $5,000 win = $10,000) def. Nick Rossborough ($3,000)
Shawn Jordan ($4,000 + $4,000 win = $8,000) def. Lavar Johnson ($10,000)
Ryan Couture ($10,000) def. Maka Watson ($2,000) Jason High ($4,000 + $4,000 = $8,000) def. Todd Moore ($4,000)
Preliminary Bouts
Brian Melancon ($3,000 + $3,000 win = $6,000) def. Felipe Portela ($2,000) James Terry ($4,000 + $4,000 win = $8,000) def. Magno Almeida ($2,000) Bobby Green ($3,000 + $3,000 = $6,000) def. Charon Spain ($3,000)
Christopher Spang ($3,000 + $2,000 = $5,000) def. Joe Ray ($2,000)
Quinn Mulhern ($2,100 + $2,500 = $4,600) def. Danny Davis Jr. ($2,900)*
Mulhern failed to make weight and forfeited $400 of his purse to Davis Jr.
Let’s pretend that you’re a novice MMA fan. You just started watching the sport after being at a bar that was showing “one of those UFC events”, and you want to follow this sport more closely. Specifically, you want to be able to watch the sport’s brightest prospects fighting on the same card while it’s still mostly for recognition. Then let me tell you everything you need to know: The UFC 135 Facebook prelims begin at 5:30 ET. You’re welcome.
For those of you who really want to be hardcore fans, and want to know about the brightest prospects of the minor leagues fighting to be somewhat more famous minor league prospects, we got your back, too. Strikeforce Challengers 19 went down last night in Las Vegas last night at the Palms Resort Casino. While most of the fighters were pretty rough around the edges, the crowd was still treated to some decent fights.
In the main event, light heavyweight prospect Lorenz Larkin remained undefeated by edging out Nick Rossborough for a unanimous decision victory. Despite accepting the fight on short notice, Nick Rossborough kept the fight close throughout the first round by utilizing the clinch against the shorter Larkin. However, Larkin managed to wear Rossborough down with leg kicks throughout the second round, and opened up a cut on Rossborough’s forehead with elbows in the third. Lorenz Larkin is now 12-0 in his MMA career, while Nick Rossborough falls to 20-15.
Let’s pretend that you’re a novice MMA fan. You just started watching the sport after being at a bar that was showing “one of those UFC events”, and you want to follow this sport more closely. Specifically, you want to be able to watch the sport’s brightest prospects fighting on the same card while it’s still mostly for recognition. Then let me tell you everything you need to know: The UFC 135 Facebook prelims begin at 5:30 ET. You’re welcome.
For those of you who really want to be hardcore fans, and want to know about the brightest prospects of the minor leagues fighting to be somewhat more famous minor league prospects, we got your back, too. Strikeforce Challengers 19 went down last night in Las Vegas last night at the Palms Resort Casino. While most of the fighters were pretty rough around the edges, the crowd was still treated to some decent fights.
In the main event, light heavyweight prospect Lorenz Larkin remained undefeated by edging out Nick Rossborough for a unanimous decision victory. Despite accepting the fight on short notice, Nick Rossborough kept the fight close throughout the first round by utilizing the clinch against the shorter Larkin. However, Larkin managed to wear Rossborough down with leg kicks throughout the second round, and opened up a cut on Rossborough’s forehead with elbows in the third. Lorenz Larkin is now 12-0 in his MMA career, while Nick Rossborough falls to 20-15.
The only stoppage on the main card came in the night’s co-main event, as Shawn Jordan secured a keylock in the second round against Lavar Johnson. A member of the LSU’s 2007 National Championship football team, Shawn Jordan caught Lavar Johnson with a vicious left hand thirty seconds into the fight, causing Johnson’s right eye to swell up. From there, Jordan showed off an impressive chin by laughing off Johnson’s punches before dumping him on his back as often as possible. By the second round, Johnson was more focused on his swollen eye than protecting himself from Jordan’s submission attempts, allowing Jordan to secure the fight ending keylock. While the Greg Jackson product needs to work on his standup game, a victory over Lavar Johnson is a quality win for him.
In other action, Ryan Couture still looked pretty raw and one-dimensional, but managed to grind out a majority decision against Maka Watson. Watson managed to open up a cut on Couture’s forehead in the first round, but managed to out-grapple Watson for the majority of the fight. Also, both Jason High and Brian Melancon managed to grind out unanimous decision victories that left the Las Vegas fans booing. Jason High has now won six straight fights.
Lorenz Larkin def. Nick Rossborough via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Shawn Jordan def. Lavar Johnson via submission (keylock) – Round 2, 3:08
Ryan Couture def. Maka Watson via majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jason High def. Todd Moore via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Brian Melancon def. Felipe Portela via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
OFFICIAL PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS
James Terry def. Magno Almeida via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:27
Bobby Green def. Charon Spain via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:54
Chris Spang def. Joe Ray via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Quinn Mulhern def. Danny Davis via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 4:08
Filed under: StrikeforceAlthough it was a tougher fight than most people expected, Lorenz Larkin managed to take home a unanimous decision after a hard-fought 15-minute brawl with Nick Rossborough on Friday night, improving to 12-0 and winning his thir…
Although it was a tougher fight than most people expected, Lorenz Larkin managed to take home a unanimous decision after a hard-fought 15-minute brawl with Nick Rossborough on Friday night, improving to 12-0 and winning his third Strikeforce Challengers fight of the year.
The judges scored it 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for Larkin, who at age 25 is demonstrating that he’s one of the most promising fighters in the sport.
“I think he came to fight, I think he was hungry, and that’s what I want,” Larkin said, before turning to Rossborough and saying, “Nice fight.”
For the first two rounds the fight was close, but Larkin really started to bring it in the third. Early in the third round Larkin landed a huge knee to the body that sent Rossborough crumpling to the canvas, and late in the third round Larkin landed a vicious elbow on the ground that opened up a big cut on Rossborough’s forehead. By the end of the round it was clear that Larkin would take the decision.
In other Strikeforce Challengers action:
— Shawn Jordan earned the biggest win of his MMA career, submitting Lavar Johnson in the second round with a keylock. Jordan, a former LSU fullback, is an athletic powerhouse who showed off improved technique in this fight, perhaps attributable to his training with Greg Jackson and Mike Winklejohn. Jordan hurt Johnson with a big left hand in the opening seconds of the first round and controlled the fight throughout, and he’s looking like an up-and-coming star in the heavyweight division.
— Ryan Couture, son of Randy Couture, beat Maka Watson by majority decision, with two judges scoring it 29-28 for Couture and one judge scoring the fight a 28-28 draw. Couture was a much more effective grappler than Watson, but when Watson managed to get into top position he hurt Couture with ground and pound. “He’s tough as nails — this was not that fun, but I’m really happy to get the W,” Couture said afterward.
— Jason High beat Todd Moore by unanimous decision in a fight that consisted of a lot of wrestling in the cage and a lot of booing in the stands. The most entertaining moment of the bout came afterward, when the confused ring announcer briefly announced Moore as the winner — even though it was obvious to everyone that High had dominated. Both Moore and High turned around and looked at the ring announcer as if he were crazy, and the announcer quickly corrected himself and said that High had won, 30-27 on all three judges’ cards.
— And in the first fight of the Showtime broadcast, Brian Melancon beat Felipe Portela by unanimous decision, with one judge scoring it 30-27 and the other two scoring it 29-28.
Strikeforce
With a payday of $10,000, 