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Having recently reviewed Strikeforce’s recent Challengers show it’s now time to take a look at more recent events, the semi-finals of their Heavyweight World Grand Prix tournament, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on Primetime here in Britain.

The show began in the lightweight division as Grizzly Redwood tribute act Pat Healy went up against Maximo Blanco.

This proved to be an explosive and at times controversial encounter. The two began by exchanging quick combinations before a leg sweep from Blanco sent Healy down.

But a few moments later when the fight was on the ground and Healy looked like he was going for a heel hook Blanco connected with several kicks to Healy’s head, an illegal move under the unified rules.

Healy was checked over by the doctors and cleared to continue, while Blanco was docked a point for his infraction.

The break seemed to light a fire under Healy. From that moment on he took control of the fight, taking Blanco down and going to work with the ground and pound as the first round came to an end.

He continued his good work into the second, countering Blanco’s superior speed with two more take downs, and after tying up one of Blanco’s arms he locked in a rear naked choke at the second attempt for the submission win.

It was up to light heavyweight for the next fight as King Mo Lawal faced Roger Gracie.

This one featured quite a lengthy feeling out period. In fact it was so lengthy it wasted well into the third minute. They caught each other with the odd punch and kick but apart from that nothing much happened.

That was until King Mo connected with a big right hand that dropped Gracie like the proverbial sack of spuds. Gracie looked out of it before he hit the ground, and the referee wisely stepped in to give Lawal the knockout win.

The only title fight of the show saw Luke Rockhold challenging Jacare Souza for the Middleweight title.

This has to be one of the most competitive fights I’ve seen this year. We were treated to five rounds of non-stop back and forth action, and it was a joy to behold.

Each man had their moments, and there were many of them, and while the majority of the pundits expected this to be a ground battle this was a mainly striking affair. Both men got in their share of kicks and punches, with Rockhold in particular looking very impressive, and not looking like a man who’d been out of the game for nearly two years.

There were a few brief forays to the ground, but most of the grappling came in the form of clinches against the cage, and when the fight came to an end they both looked like they could go another five rounds.

With the fight going the distance it was left to the judges to decide the outcome, with Rockhold taking the unanimous title winning decision. A fantastic fight here.

Then it was on to the Heavyweight World Grand Prix semi-finals, beginning with Antonio Silva against Alistair Overeem’s replacement Daniel Cormier.

To say that Cormier put in a great performance here would be an understatement. While everyone was expecting Bigfoot to take the win it soon began to look like the replacement fighter hadn’t read the script.

As soon as his big right sent Silva down to the mat the fight turned in his direction. The Brazilian was obviously hurt by the blow, and seemed annoyed when Cormier would score with a take down and refuse to follow him down, unwilling to play his game.

Moments later a beautiful combination which was ended with a right uppercut sent Silva down once again. Two hammer fists followed but by then it was all over as the referee stepped in to give Cormier the knockout win.

The second semi-final saw Josh Barnett taking on Sergei Kharitonov.

While the first semi-final was a great striking battle this one saw some dominating ground work from Barnett. After exchanging a few combinations with Kharitonov Barnett took the Russian down to the ground.

The former UFC champ dominated from there. Kharitonov seemed lost as Barnett went to work, and after Kharitonov turned over Barnett took his back, later moving to the side as Kharitonov rolled over so he could apply a head and arm choke for the submission win.

In conclusion – this was another quality show from Scott Coker and his crew. A quality undercard was highlighted by the remarkable Middleweight title fight between Souza and Rockhold, and both of the tournament semi-finals delivered style wise, with Cormier’s knockout win over Silva the highlight of the night for me.

So once again Strikeforce’s recent offering gets the thumbs up. It’s a shame that we’ll have to wait until sometime next year for the tournament finals though!

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With Strikeforce having held their latest major show this past Saturday what better time is there to look into their recent archives, and this time we’re going back just a few weeks as Jorge Gurgel faced Joe Duarte in the main event of the latest Challengers show.

The show began in the light heavyweight division as Roy Jones (no, not that one) went up against Derrick Mehman.

This was a really enjoyable three rounder. The first round saw Jones coming forward and unloading with the bug guns, connecting with a flying knee that rocked Mehman.

But after Jones delivered an inadvertent low blow the rest seemed to invigorate Mehman as he scored with the take down, and although he wasn’t exactly dominate he did enough to keep his man on the ground.

The beginning of the second round saw Mehman counter a spinning back kick attempt with a take down. However, Jones’ heel caught him about the left eye and opened up a nasty gash above his left eye. The doctor allowed him to continue, and Mehman scored with another take down and once again set about controlling Jones on the ground again.

The doctor checked Mehman again between rounds and allowed him to continue, and once again he sought to control Jones on the ground. It was enough to keep Jones down, although he was on the receiving end of a nasty jab to the left eye when the referee stood the fighters up.

So with the fight going the distance it was on to the judges who gave the decision to Mehman.

Then it was on to women’s action with a fight made at 145 between Ronda Rousey and Sarah D’Alelio.

Now this was a confusing and controversial one. After both fighters jockeyed for position Rousey went for an arm bar, and as Rousey went to lock in the hold the referee stepped in and stopped the fight

And then confusion ensued as D’Alelio claimed that she didn’t tap, and replays from various angles show that she didn’t. Neither fighter looked particularly happy when the decision was announced, with Rousey claiming that D’Alelio said she was tapping and D’Alelio claiming she was crying out in pain during the post fight interview. This was nothing more than very poor officiating.

Lightweight action followed as Grizzly Redwood look-a-like Pay Healy took on Eric Wisely.

After the disappointment of the last fight this was just what the doctor ordered. For the first two rounds Wisely put in a good performance on the ground, and even though Healy was on top for the majority of that time Wisely was on the offensive, going for arm bars and various leg locks as well as countering Healy’s attempts to change position.

Healy seemed to have finally figured his man out in the third round, taking more control in the fight with his ground and pound, and although Wisely still put up a good fight.

So once again the judges came into the equation, with Healy getting the unanimous decision, another example of how judges take into account what the fighter on top is doing more than the fighter on the ground.

It was up to middleweight for the next fight as Danillo Villefort took on Nate James.

This interesting three rounder proved to be a great back and forth affair. Both fighters put on good performances both on the ground and in the striking game.

Villefort looked particularly impressive early on, especially with his take downs, but as the fight progressed he seemed to tire while James looked fresh throughout. It got to the point where James was able to take control late on with some take downs of his own and some nice ground and pound work.

Yet again the judges came into play as James took the unanimous decision.

The main event saw Jorge Gurgel taking on Joe Duarte in the lightweight division.

This was another of those intriguing three round affairs. We saw some great striking from both fighters, in particular from Gurgel, although Duarte wasn’t far behind him in that respect.

The ground work proved to be just as good, especially in the third. Gurgel went for a take down but found himself with Duarte in the mount. Later on Duarte scored with an impressive take down himself but by then he didn’t have much time to do any work.

More work for the judges at the end of this one as Duarte took the unanimous decision.

In conclusion – once again the up and comers of the Strikeforce roster delivered a quality show, and although there were no flashy finishes and no big knockouts it was still fun to watch.

Apart from the women’s fight, that is. The women’s division in Strikeforce is always one of the highlights for me, but this time extremely poor officiating meant that the fought between Rousey and D’Alelio was ruined. There’s an old chant in football (soccer) about referee’s needing glasses when he misses a foul, but maybe a certain Mr. Mazzgatti needs a hearing aid so he can learn the difference between someone grunting in pain and saying “tap tap”.

But apart from that misdemeanour this was a quality show, and it gets the thumbs up from this particular writer.

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com. There’s over a thousand articles and reviews there, some dating back as far as 1998, with some newly added fiction dating back even further.

Having taken a look at their recent Challengers show it’s now time to step forward a few days to the meeting of the legends as we take a look at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson.

The show began in the welterweight division as Scott Smith took on Tarec Saffiedine.

This was a masterful performance from Saffiedine. The Belgian put in an excellent striking display, constantly changing his stance from south paw to orthodox and back again, rolling off the combinations and combining them with hard kicks.

It was as if Smith didn’t have an answer to this tactic. His face was marked up early in the first round, and as the fight progressed he more or less became a statue, hardly moving as Saffiedine connected with blow after blow.

With the fight going the distance the judges came into the equation, with all three giving everything to Saffiedine.

The welterweight action continued with my fellow Brit Paul Daley taking on Tyron Woodley.

This proved to be a very intriguing battle. Woodley did a good job of imposing his will on the fight, going for take downs on a number of occasions and stopping Daley from unleashing his huge punching power.

Daley did show some improvement on the ground, especially on the defensive side of things, and he even went for a couple of submission attempts. But his only real moment of offence came late in the fight with an alma plata attempt, but Woodley was able to escape.

Once more the judges were called into action as they gave Woodley the unanimous decision. Those in attendance didn’t seem to like it, but Woodley deserved the win.

Then it was up to the middleweight division as Robbie Lawler faced Tim Kennedy.

This certainly was an interesting battle. For the first two rounds these two put on a great back and forth battle, especially on the ground. Lawler put on a great defensive display, quickly getting back to his feet whenever Kennedy scored with the take down.

But even though Lawler his man’s face above the right eye and on the bridge of the nose it was Kennedy who was the busier in the second round as he went to work with the ground and pound.

The third round was disappointing. At a time when he really needed to up his game Lawler just didn’t seem to have it in him, and it was frustrating, especially considering Kennedy looked exhausted.

There was more work for the judges afterwards as Kennedy earned the unanimous decision. If only Lawler had pushed the pace in that final round.

The penultimate fight saw Miesha Tate challenge Marloes Coenen for the women’s Bantamweight title.

This was another of those intriguing affairs. It wasn’t overly flashy but it was full of solid action.

The majority of the fight was contested on the ground. Tate lived up to her nickname on a number of occasions, but while she was on top there were times when she was just content to control the champion. Coenen, for her part, went for a guillotine, but Tate was able to escape.

The end came in the fourth round. Tate scored with the take down once again and pulled off the best move of the fight, controlling Coenen on the ground in side control before transitioning to the mount and then to the opposite side where she locked in an arm triangle for the submission win. A solid fight with a great ending.

The main event featured heavyweight action as Fedor Emelianenko tacking Light Heavyweight Champion Dan Henderson.

If you ever wanted to see an MMA encounter that had that big fight feel then this is the fight to see. A quick beginning saw both fighters swinging for the trees, with Henderson opening up a cut near Fedor’s right eye.

From there they engaged in a clinch against the cage, and after they jockeyed for position they began to unload again, with Fedor rocking Henderson and sending him down to the ground.

Seconds later and it was all over. Henderson recovered quickly and escaped from Fedor’s ground and pound, going behind the Russian and delivering a right uppercut from behind. Fedor went limp as Henderson went for the ground and pound as the referee quickly stepped in to give Henderson the excellent TKO win.

In conclusion – after the impressive Challengers show the Strikeforce crew went one better with this event.

From top to bottom we were treated to an event packed with great action, topped off by an explosive main event that had the kind of big fight feel that is sadly missing MMA’s counterparts in the world of professional boxing.

Dan Henderson’s win over Fedor Emelianenko not only confirms him as a bonafide legend in MMA history but it also places a big question mark over the career of the Last Emperor. Sadly the supposed best heavyweight ever hasn’t really impressed that much during his Strikeforce tenure, and I don’t really see him making any improvements in his game anytime soon.

So does Fedor vs. Henderson get the big thumbs up? It sure does, and there’s not much more I can really say on this matter.

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com.

With Strikeforce’s busy week now over I’m going to step back in time a week or so by taking a look at the latest in their Challengers series, with Bobby Voelker facing Roger Bowling for the third time in the main event.

The show began in the middleweight division as Adlan Amagov went up against Ron Stallings.

These promotional newcomers put on an highly entertaining battle. At times it resembled a Van Dam film as Amagov went to work with his various kicks, controlling the majority of the first two rounds, adding some nice judo throws into the mix for good measure.

Stallings’ best work came in the third when he scored with the take down early on, looking for a couple of arm submissions before taking the mount. Amagov was able to escape however, and once again the Russian upped his game a little, escaping from a guillotine attempt with a spinning back fist.

So with the fight going the distance it was up to the judges as Amagov took the split decision, a slight confusing decision seeing as those in the know (and me) gave Amagov the fight two rounds to one.

Women’s action followed as Sarah Kaufman faced Liz Carmouche in a 135 pound encounter.

Having told everyone that they were going to shoot it out these two began the fight with a clinch against the cage which lasted for the first four minutes of the first round. It was only after this that they finally engaged in a striking battle.

When that battle began it was obvious that Kaufman was the better striker. Carmouche was able to get a few good shots in but Kaufman more than matched these, and whenever Carmouche went for the take down Kaufman easily defended.

So with the second fight in a row going the distance it was down to the judges again, with all three giving the fight to Kaufman.

Light heavyweight action followed as Ovince Saint Preux took on Joe Cason.

The first fight of the show that didn’t go the distance saw Cason come back with some strong strikes, but once OSP retaliated the tide turned immediately, and when he connected with a big knee and rocked Cason it was all over bar the shouting, with Cason tapping out when OSP unleashed with the ground and pound, ending a very impressive performance.

Then it was up to the big boys of the heavyweight division as Devin Cole faced Shawn Jordan.

This was a highly entertaining battle. They exchanged combinations early on, but when Cole punched Jordan in the face the big guy just smiled at his opponent. A short time later Jordan took the fight to the ground but failed with a rear naked choke attempt.

It was pretty much the same in the second round, back and forth action with some more great striking and ground work, while the third saw Cole really up his game as he took the fight down after escaping from Jordan’s guillotine attempt.

There was more work for the judges at the end of this one as Cole took the unanimous decision.

The main event featured welterweight action and the rubber match between Bobby Voelker and Roger Bowling.

As the old saying goes the third time’s a charm. Bowling began the contest extremely well, his kicks to Voelker’s legs and mid-section ringing out throughout the arena and doing a great deal of damage. He also managed a take down, but Voelker quickly wall walked his way out of that one. And to add to the mix, in a repeat of the first fight, Voelker inadvertently poked Bowling in the eye.

The ending came in the second round. Bowling began the round strongly, but when Voelker connected with a knee as Bowling backed out of a clinch against the cage he wobbled, and as Voelker went in for the kill he knocked Bowling to the ground, with the referee stepping in as Voelker went for the ground and pound, giving the vicious one the TKO win.

In conclusion – this was another strong outing from Strikeforce’s lesser lights. None of these fights disappointed, with Voelker’s victory over Bowling in the main event the highlight of the night for me.

So with that being said, the latest Challengers show gets the big thumbs up from this particular writer, another example of how you don’t need a show packed with big names to deliver. Although all of those big names will appear in my next Strikeforce review.

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com.

It’s a busy time for Strikeforce at the moment, so what better time to take another look at one of their most recent events as the Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament continued with Overeem vs. Werdum.

The show began in the heavyweight division with the other Overeem, Valentijn, taking on Chad Griggs.

Overeem tested the waters a little at the beginning with a couple of kicks, but after a clinch against the cage Griggs took the fight to the ground.

Moments later he worked his way out of Overeem’s half guard and went to work with the ground and pound. Overeem turned his back on Griggs, tapping out seconds later as Griggs unloaded with the heavy stuff.

Well, I guess when I saw the name Overeem I was expecting a little more.

More heavyweight action followed as Daniel Cormier faced Jeff Monson.

This was an entertaining three rounder. It was obvious what Cormier’s tactics were as soon as the fight began, and he executed these tactics perfectly, keeping Monson off the mat and engaging in a riveting striking battle.

While Monson seemed content to throw out single jabs Cormier responded more often than not with a series of combinations, rocking his more experienced opponent a number of times. It was a great performance, and as the fight went on Monson began to look more and more like a man who had had over 50 fights.

No surprise with the judges decision as all three gave each and every round to Cormier.

It was down to lightweight for the next fight as K.J. Noons went up against Jorge Masvidal.

This was another intriguing three round affair. Masvidal took control early on with his superior striking, and it wasn’t long before he’d opened up a cut on Noons’ forehead.

The best moment in the first was when Masvidal connected with a big left kick to Noons’ neck, knocking him down to the ground, following him down for some ground and pound, his assault only halted by the end of the round.

As the fight went on the cut on Noons’ head was soon joined by a massive swelling as Masvidal kept up his great work. Noons had a few good moments towards the end of the second round, but like his opponent in the previous round time was against him.

Once again there was no surprise with the decision with every judge giving everything to Masvidal.

Then it was on to the Heavyweight Grand Prix quarter finals, beginning with Josh Barnett taking on Brett Rogers.

After a night of great striking it was time to see some great ground work. Barnett took the action to the ground early on, and it wasn’t long before he took the mount and controlled Rogers for the rest of the round.

It was the same story in the second, with Barnett getting the early take down. But with Rogers visibly tiring Barnett soon applied an arm triangle choke, with Rogers tapping seconds later.

The last quarter final saw Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem facing Fabricio Werdum.

I suppose it had to happen. After four very entertaining fights we had to get a duffer.

From the outset it was obvious how this one was going to play out. Werdum wanted to take the fight to the ground, but Overeem was having none of it, sprawling when Werdum went for the take down, and refusing to follow him down when he was invited.

Later on Werdum’s tactics saw him pulling guard whenever Overeem connected. At first Overeem would simply stand up, but it wasn’t long until he finally decided to join Werdum on the ground.

The only problem was that when they went to the ground nothing much happened, with the only thing of note coming towards the end of the fight when Werdum went for a knee bar, but by then it was too late.

So with the fight going the distance it went down to the judges once again, with all three scoring in favour of Overeem, setting up a semi final with Antonio Silva, a fight he would later pull out of.

In conclusion – when I logged onto Facebook the day after this show quite a few of my friends posted updates saying how disappointed they were with this show, although a few of them used more colourful language, and while I disagree with them with regards to all the show, I must admit that they were spot on with regards to the Overeem/Werdum fight.

But despite that disappointment, this show gets the thumbs up for the four fights that did deliver, and not for the one that probably won’t make Strikeforce’s highlight reel for 2011.

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com.

It’s time to step into the MMA world again as I take my regular look at the now much changed Strikeforce promotion, with a look at their three most recent events.

Feijao vs. Henderson, the last show under the old ownership,] began with lightweight action as Jorge Masvidal faced Billy Evangelista.

We saw a dominating performance from Masvidal here, using his reach advantage to good effect in the striking department.

Evangelista just didn’t have any answers as Masvidal picked him apart. But even though Masvidal was beating his man to the punch almost every time he didn’t put the pedal to the medal, content that what he was doing was getting the job done.

So with the fight going the distance the judges came into play, with all three giving the fight to Masvidal for his solid if unspectacular performance.

It was up to the middleweight division for the next fight as Tim Kennedy went up against Melvin Manhoef.

This was your typical wrestler versus striker battle. Manhoef did well early on, easily defending Kennedy’s take down attempts and causing some damage to his man’s lead leg with some stinging taps.

It was long before Kennedy finally got the take down he was looking for, quickly taking the Dutchman’s back and synching in a rear naked choke for the submission win. A good performance by Kennedy, but another example of how Manhoef needs to work extensively on his ground game.

The first title fight of the show saw Liz Carmouche challenging Marloes Coenen for the Women’s Welterweight title.

Once again the women put on a great fight. For the first three rounds Carmouche took it to the champion, dominating in rounds two and three with some vicious ground and pound.

But as Coenen looked out of it at the beginning of the fourth she suddenly came back into the fight. After a series of reversals on the ground Coenen locked in a triangle choke. Carmouche tried to fight it for as long as she could until she eventually tapped out. A very impressive outing for Carmouche, valiant in defeat.

The main event saw Dan Henderson challenging Rafael Feijao for the Light Heavyweight title.

After a lengthy feeling out period at the beginning Feijao suddenly sprang into life as a big right sent Henderson down. However, Henderson came back immediately with a take down.

From there Henderson slowly took control with his superior grappling. Feijao just didn’t seem to have any answer to this.

But in the end it was Henderson’s punching power that came into play. Early in the third he connected with a big right that sent the Brazilian crashing. Henderson followed him down but it wasn’t long before the referee stepped in to give Henderson the knockout win.

Show conclusion – A very good show. The women’s fight delivered big time, while Dan Henderson once again proved that life begins at forty with an incredible win, adding another title to his trophy cabinet.

Strikeforce Challengers 15, the first show under the Zuffa banner, began with welterweight action as Damion Douglas faced Wayne Phillips.

This proved to be a very interesting fight. They took the action to the ground early on, with Douglas going for a couple of rear naked choke attempts.

But as the round progressed Douglas began to visibly tire, giving Phillips the chance to lock in a rear naked choke of his own, with Douglas looking like he was about to pass out as the round ended.

Douglas came out for the second round looking like he’d been cast in a George Romero film, although he did attempt a guillotine early on, which only served to tire him out even more, giving Phillips the chance to work his way back into the fight.

As the third round began Phillips looked like he’d joined Douglas in the Romero flick. Both men looked exhausted and seemed content to exchange brief combinations without any feints.

Douglas seemed to get the better of these exchanges, and seemed to get stronger as the round went on, even showboating a little as the fight came to an end.

So in the end it was in the hands of the judges as they gave their majority decision to Douglas, a decision which didn’t exactly please many of those in attendance.

A catchweight bout, made at 165, between James Terry and Josh Thornburg followed.

This was a great striking battle. Terry came forward early with some nice combinations and had Thornburg on the back foot early.

Thornburg managed to get off a few good shots himself, but as the first round entered it’s final minute Terry connected with a straight right that sent Thornburg crashing. The referee stepped in immediately, giving Terry the impressive knockout win.

It was up to light heavyweight for the next fight as Lorenz Larkin went up against Scott Lighty.

This encounter between an undefeated amateur boxer and a K-1 fighter proved to be an exciting affair.

Larkin put in an excellent performance, moving around the cage with great speed and rolling off blow after blow.

Lighty had his moments, but these were few and far between, and when the fight entered the second round Larkin’s assault continued, and it wasn’t long before a right uppercut rocked Lighty, with a left uppercut sending him down. The referee quickly called a halt to the proceedings as Larkin took the very impressive knockout win.

Lightweight action followed as David Douglas took on Caros Fodor.

Fodor put in an excellent performance here. Douglas had his moments but from the second round onwards Fodor took control, dominating on the ground.

Fodor’s dominance continued against the cage as the third round began. While Douglas seemed intent on holding onto his opponent’s wrist Fodor unloaded with a series of strikes, and with Douglas offering nothing in reply the referee stepped in, giving Fodor the great TKO win.

The main event saw Justin Wilcox facing Rodrigo Damm in the lightweight division.

This one began with a farcical situation because the athletics commission medics weren’t in position, so it seemed like an age before the fight actually began. As the announcers said it was completely unprofessional.

When the fight finally began Wilcox was all over Damm like a cheap suit. The Brazilian was constantly on the back foot until a Wilcox right sent him down.

From there Wilcox went to work with the ground and pound, a right elbow opening up a nasty cut above Damm’s left eye. Wilcox’s attack was relentless, and Damm was lucky to survive until the end of the round.

But that was it as far as the doctor was concerned. After examining Damm’s cut he called off the fight, giving Wilcox the well earned win.

Show conclusion – The Zuffa ownership and slight rule changes, most notably the allowing of elbow strikes to a grounded opponent came into play immediately, with some of the fighters, especially Justin Wilcox, using their newfound freedom to good effect.

As for the show it was another great event from Strikeforce’s undercard fighters, with all four fights delivering.

Diaz vs. Daley began with lightweight action as Shinya Aoki faced Lyle Beerbohm.

A quick start to the evening saw the fight go to the ground early on. Aoki soon took Beerbohm’s back, taking the submission win seconds later thanks to a neck crank.

It was up to the light heavyweight division for the next fight as Gegard Mousasi faced the debuting Keith Jardine.

The Dean of Mean was looking to get back into winning ways, but sadly, having taken the fight at less than two week’s notice it was too much to ask.

Although Jardine scored with a number of take downs he didn’t follow up with any work on the ground.

Mousasi, however, put in a great performance, especially with his striking as he turned Jardine’s face into a bloody mess, although he did earn a point deduction in the firs round for connecting with an up kick while Jardine was still grounded.

So with the fights going the distance the judges came into play with one judge scoring for Mousasi and the other two scoring it as a draw. A disappointing decision, although I thought that Mousasi was a clear winner.

The first title fight saw Tatsuya Kawajiri challenging Gilbert Melendez for the Lightweight title.

Melendez came out with all guns blazing, out boxing and rocking his Japanese challenger from the outset.

There was a brief lull as Melendez took Kawajiri’s back, but it was soon back to the striking game.

The end came as Melendez continued his onslaught on the ground, with the referee stepping in to give Melendez the first round TKO win.

The main event saw Paul Daley challenging Nick Diaz for the Welterweight title.

This was as slugfest, plain and simple. Both men went all out as soon as the bell sounded, coming forward with the big bombs.

It was an enthralling back and forth fight, fought at a frantic pace, with each man rocking the other.

But it was as the first round ended it’s final sages that Diaz took control, rocking his challenger as Daley pushed him away.

Daley was out of it and crashed to the ground. Diaz quickly followed him down, with the referee quickly stepping in to give Diaz the TKO win.

Show conclusion – This was a tremendous show, once of the best I’ve seen this yearn, with the performances of both Melendez and Diaz highly impressive.

In conclusion – Watching these shows you can see why Zuffa were interested in buying Strikeforce. These shows were certainly up there with some of the UFC’s most recent efforts.

But I must admit it did feel a little strange in the last show seeing Dana White wearing a Strikeforce T-shirt, as well as Strikeforce regulars fighting on a mat advertising the next UFC show.

So overall these show get the big thumbs up, and as far as the possible super-fights are concerned I’m not going to make any bold predictions. I’m just going to sit back and enjoy the ride.

It’s three-for-one time as I take a look back at the three most recent offerings from Strikeforce, only one of which was shown on television here in Britain. How did I get these shows? Surely you don’t need to ask that this far into the 21st century.

Diaz vs. Cyborg began with light heavyweight action as Trevor Prangley faced Roger Gracie.

After an early feeling out period it wasn’t long before Gracie took control on the ground, securing the mount before taking Prangley’s back and taking advantage of his opponent’s self-confessed “glass neck”, synching in a rear naked choke for the very impressive first round submission win.

It was up to heavyweight for the next fight as Scott Carson went up against Herschel Walker.

A one-sided battle saw Walker go to work after a quick Carson head kick. This was all Walker needed to light his fire as a left from the former American football star sent Carson crashing.

From there it was all Walker as he went to work with the ground and pound. Carson briefly escaped, only to be taken straight back down. More ground and pound followed, and with Carson offering nothing in return it wasn’t long before the referee stepped in to give Walker the TKO win.

The first title fight of the evening saw Jacare Souza defending the Middleweight title against Robbie Lawler.

This was an awesome performance from the champion. Although Lawler managed to get off a few good strikes Souza all but dominated with his excellent ground work.

It was a thing of beauty to watch as Souza seemed able to transition at will, adding in some nice ground and pound and a couple of arm bar attempts in the second.

The end came in the third round when Souza took Lawler’s back and synched in a rear naked choke for the well deserved submission win.

The main event saw Evangelista Cyborg challenging Nick Diaz for the Welterweight title.

This proved to be an enthralling encounter. For nearly two complete rounds these two put on a hell of a striking battle.

It began with Cyborg attacking Diaz’s right leg, following up with some crisp striking. But it wasn’t long before Diaz came back and rocked Cyborg with some great strikes of his own.

And that was how the action played out until the final thirty seconds of round two. Cyborg took the fight to the ground with Diaz quickly attacking his arm and locking in an arm bar for the submission win. Who would have thought it after that great striking battle.

Fedor vs. Silva was a show full of heavyweight action, beginning with K-1 legend Ray Sefo facing Valentin Overeem.

I really wanted old Sugarfoot to win this one, but even though he got off some fast strikes early on it was all over as soon as Overeem took the fight to the ground. A neck crank later and it was all over, Overeem getting the submission win.

Next up was Chadd Griggs as he went up against Gian Villante.

This may not have been technically brilliant but it was great to watch. Both fighters came out swinging, and it wasn’t long before Griggs began to rock Villante with some big shots. Villante managed to get in one big kick, but Griggs’ attack was so relentless he was able to knock Villante down twice, following him down the second time to secure the TKI win.

The next fight saw Shane Del Rosario going up against Lavar Johnson.

A very intriguing back and forth battle saw Johnson get in some good powerful shots early on, but his insistence on taking the fight to the ground played right into Del Rosario’s hands.

Del Rosario soon took the mount and unleashed with the ground and pound before he moved to the side and locked in an arm bar for the submission win.

Then it was on to the World Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament quarter-finals, beginning with Andrei Arlovski against Sergei Kharitonov.

I really wanted Arlovski to win here, but I knew deep down it wasn’t going to be. Arlovski began well with some nice strikes and dirty boxing, but when Kharitonov began to unload with the heavy stuff a right hand sent him crashing. A brief moment of ground and pound followed until the referee wisely stepped in to stop the fight, giving the Russian the big TKO win.

The second quarter-final, and main event, saw Fedor Emelianenko going up against Antonio Silva.

The first fight of the show to make it out of the first round once again showed that the great Russian hope is actually human.

From the moment the fight started Fedor looked very cautious against his much bigger opponent, and he had his moments Silva was more than able to keep up with him.

The second round completely belonged to Silva. As soon as he took Fedor down he controlled the Russian, showing some great transitions and submission attempts.

But it was the ground and pound that did the most damage, his massive fists causing a ton of damage to Fedor’s eye. The Russian’s only real moment of offence came with a knee bar attempt at the end of the round.

The fight was called off soon afterwards when the doctor examined Fedor’s eye, calling the fight off when he deemed him unable to continue, giving Silva the tremendous win.

Strikeforce Challengers 14 began with a catchweight bout, made at 150 pounds, between David Douglas and Nick Gonzalez.

Douglas came into this one with a big height and reach advantage, and he used that to great effect from the start, coming forward early with some nice combinations before sending Gonzalez down with a left.

Douglas quickly followed him down, and a rear naked choke later the submission win was his in just 65 seconds.

It was up to the welterweight division next as Erik Apple faced Ryan Larson.

A great display of grappling by Larson saw him control almost every aspect of the ground fight. Apple’s only offence of note came with a heel hook attempt towards the end of the first round.

Larson continued his dominance in the second round, and after transitioning from position to position he secured the submission win with a triangle choke, just reward for a great display.

Lightweight action in the form of Ryan Couture against Lee Higgins followed.

After an extensive feeling out period this fight didn’t really spring into life until the second round when Couture took control after dropping Higgins with a right. From there he controlled the action on the ground, although Higgins showed some sound defensive skills.

Higgins came back slightly at the start of the third, but Couture soon re-established control, finally securing the submission win in the dying seconds with a rear naked choke.

Another catchweight bout, made at 160 pounds, saw Bryan Travers taking on Carlo Prater.

The blink and you’ll miss it affair of the show. Prater got the quick take down, locked in the d’arce choke, with Travers quickly tapping out after just 38 seconds.

The main event saw Lyle Beerbohm taking on Pat Healy in the lightweight division.

This was an intriguing back and forth affair. Through three rounds both men put on great grappling displays.

The best moment came in the second round when Healy applied a reverse leg triangle while going for a kimura at the same time, something I’ve never seen before.

With the fight going the distance it was down to the judges to render a decision as Healy took the close unanimous win.

In conclusion – this is the first time in ages I’ve reviewed three MMA shows like this, and I was half expecting the odd stinker in here.

But there wasn’t one. Each and every fight on all three shows delivered as we saw great displays of both striking and grappling, as well as a couple of upsets along the way.

So in all these three shows get the big thumbs up from this particular writer. If you haven’t seen them already I recommend that you do.

With Sky seemingly uninterested in showing Strikeforce since they purchased Bravo and closed it down I succumbed to the inevitable and went for the download option.

So, a little later than planned, I’m now able to bring you a review of their first show of the year, the 13th in the Challengers series.

The show began with light heavyweight action as Rhadi Ferguson faced John Richard.

This proved to be a great way to start the show. Richard dominated the beginning of the first round, getting the early take down, taking Ferguson’s back and going for a rear naked choke.

But Ferguson managed to escape, taking the guard and unleashing with the ground and pound. Richard, for his part, earned a point deduction when he spat out his gum shield three times.

The second round was just as action packed, a borderline low kick Richard staggering Ferguson. He quickly followed up by taking the fight to the ground, but a quickly recovered Ferguson soon went for a heel hook, before moving to a knee bar for the impressive submission win.

Action from the women’s welterweight division followed as Julia Budd went up against Amanda Nunes.

The blink and you’ll miss it affair of the show. Nunes came forward with all guns blazing and quickly knocked Budd down with a left, following her down with a series of hammer fists, with the referee quickly stepping in to give Nunes the TKO win after just 14 seconds.

The big boys of the heavyweight division came out to play next as Daniel Cormier took on Devin Cole.

The first fight of the show to go the distance was a somewhat dominating affair for Cormier as he controlled almost every aspect of the fight.

Everything Cormier did looked good, from his striking to his take downs to his ground work. Cole had his moments, but they were few and far between.

So there were no surprises with the judges decision, with all three giving the fight to Cormier.

Then it was back down to the light heavyweight division as Ovince St. Preux faced Abongo Humphrey.

The third fight in seven weeks for OSP may have been a step too far. Although he put in a good effort there were times when he looked a little sloppy, visibly fading as the fight entered the third round.

Humphrey put in a good performance here with some good striking, and he would surely have to the win with a guillotine had it not been for poor positioning.

Once again the judges came into play, with all three giving the fight to OSP. A good fight, but the guy clearly needs a rest.

The main event saw Tyron Woodley taking on Tarec Saffiedine in the welterweight division.

The most even looking fight on the show. Both fighters put in good performances, looking good in every aspect, but as the fight progressed it became obvious that their respective styles were starting to cancel each other out.

I really didn’t envy the judges having to make a decision with this one, with all three giving the fight to Woodley.

In conclusion – Strikeforce’s first show of 2011 proved to be a very entertaining affair. All the fights delivered, although a couple of performances did seem a little below par.

So with Strikeforce’s prospects getting the promotion off to a good start let’s hope Sky pull their fingers out and find a slot for them in their schedules.

It’s another of those strange occurrences….well….sort of. This time we’re taking a look at Strikeforce’s first ever DVD release, a two disc set that carries the inspired title of….Strikeforce. It features three shows, one of which we Brits didn’t get to see on television, and it begins with…..

Show 1: Heavy Artillery

The show began with light heavyweight action featuring Antwain Britt and Rafael Feijao.

Lots of feeling out at the beginning, including a lengthy clinch against the cage before the fight suddenly sprang into life when an overhand right from Feijao staggered Britt. Swift combinations followed before Britt slumped to the mat, with the referee stepping in to stop the punishment, Feijao earning the TKO win.

The light heavyweight action continued as Roger Gracie went up against Kevin Randleman.

Randleman went into this one looking to resurrect his career, and although he put in a good effort it just wasn’t enough.

After a somewhat even looking first round Gracie took control in the second after a knee from the clinch. Randleman tried to defend but it wasn’t long before Gracie took his back, with Randleman tapping to a rear naked choke. An impressive showing from Gracie in only his third fight.

It was down to the middleweight division for the next fight as Jacare Souza faced Joe Villasenor.

This was a very intriguing battle, a great example of the grappler versus the striker.

Souza was the grappler, putting on a great display of takedowns and ground fighting, while Villasenor played the part of the striker with some crisp shots, as well as some great defensive work at times. It was a highly entertaining three round affair, with all three judges scoring in favour of Souza.

Then it was on to the heavyweights as Andrei Arlovski took on Antonio Silva.

Arlovski was another fighter looking for a big win, but he found a formidable opponent in Bigfoot.

Silva, to the surprise of many, was the quicker striker of the two and clearly won the stand up battle, although Arlovski’s supposedly glass jaw took a few good shots.

Add several clinches against the cage and Silva scoring with a take down late on and you’ll get the idea how this one played out.

No surprise with the decision, with all three judges giving the fight to Silva and handing Arlovski his third loss in a row.

The main event saw Brett Rogers challenging Alistair Overeem for the Heavyweight title. This was Overeem’s first defence in three years, and Rogers earned his title shot by losing his last fight to Fedor Emelianenko.

The Dutchman put in a dominating performance. Rogers didn’t stand a chance as Overeem controlled the striking game before throwing his man down and unleashing with the ground and pound, and as the round neared it’s conclusion the referee stepped in to give Overeem the title retaining TKO win.

Show 2: The Los Angeles Event

This show began with the first of two catchweight bouts as K.J. Noons squared off against Conor Heun in a fight made at 160 pounds.

This was a great way to start the show, one of those balls to the wall encounters that you just couldn’t take your eyes off.

Both men went all out for victory. Their brief foray to the ground in the first saw Heun controlling the action until Noons managed to escape.

The rest of the fight was an outstanding back and forth striking battle, with some great blows and combinations from both fighters.

The judges came into play at the end of this one, with Noons getting the split decision.

Middleweight action followed as Tim Kennedy faced Trevor Prangley.

Some nice ground work by Kennedy here, who gained control of the action after a big take down. Prangley tried to escape by standing up with Kennedy still on his back, but a slight change of position and Kennedy synched in a rear naked choke, with the South African soon tapping out.

Then it was down to the welterweight division as Marius Zaromskis took on Evangelista Cyborg.

No ground work here, just plenty of great striking. Each man hurt the other with some nicely placed punches and kicks, but it was the heavily tattooed Brazilian who got the better of things, dropping Zaromskis with a right hand as he went for a flying knee. Nice work from the Cyborg here.

The main event was the second catchweight fight, made at 195 pounds, between Robbie Lawler and Renato “Babalu” Sobral.

Both fighters came into this one looking to get back into the title pictures of their respective weight divisions, and they put on a pretty good fight in doing so.

It was an enjoyable back and forth battle, a mainly striking affair that featured a brief trip to the ground. Each man had their moments, but as the fight progressed Sorel’s punches and kicks just seemed to be that much crisper.

With the fight going the distance the judges were called into action again, with all three giving the fight to Sobral.

Show 3: Fedor vs. Werdum

This was the show that we Brits never got to see on television, and it began with lightweight action as Josh Thomson faced Pat Healy.

Given the wrestling pedigree of these two it came as no surprise that they fought a mainly ground-based battle, with plenty of transitions, reversals, submission attempts, and even a suplex.

Then, just as it looked like it was going to go the distance Thomson took Healy’s back and synched in a rear naked choke. Healy held on for as long as he could, but with just over thirty seconds left he couldn’t hold out anymore and tapped, giving Thomson the submission win and ending a tremendous battle.

Then it was on to title action as Jan Finney challenged Cris Cyborg for the Women’s Middleweight title.

This was one of the most one-sided fights I’ve ever seen. Cyborg overwhelmed Finney from the start and literally beat the hell out of her. Finney managed to get in a couple of blows, but Cyborg’s assault was overwhelming, although it wasn’t without controversy as she was deducted a point for repeated blows to the back of Finney’s head.

This fight really should have ended towards the end of the first when Finney had no answer to Cyborg’s onslaught. The end finally came in the second when Finney was rocked by a muay thai knee. The referee finally stepped in, giving Cyborg the tremendous TKO win, although it should never have gone past the first round.

Middleweight action followed in the form of Scott Smith against Cung Le.

This was another of those intriguing battles. Both men got off some good shots, but things looked somewhat messy at times.

It was only in the second round that Le broke out his world famous kicks, and it was a second spinning back kick that doubled Smith up in pain. A few seconds of ground and pound followed before the referee called a halt to the proceedings, giving Le the TKO win.

The main event saw Fedor Emelianenko facing Fabricio Werdum in the heavyweight division.

The upset of the year. Fedor dropped Werdum within seconds and followed him down for the ground and pound.

But Werdum wasn’t out of it, and the Brazilian fought back. Seconds later he locked in an arm bar and leg triangle. Fedor tried to fight it, but soon tapped out, proving that he is human after all, and giving Werdum the win after just 69 seconds. Awesome stuff.

All three shows come with bonus features, including fights, weigh-ins, and the usual kind of stuff.

In conclusion – it took a while for them to finally release a DVD, but what they have release is an extremely good buy.

The three shows here proved that Strikeforce really is a viable alternative to the mighty UFC. There were no disappointing matches here, and quite a few good performances, especially Werdum’s upset over Fedor.

But that thing I really appreciated about this release was that each show was unedited from it’s original television broadcast. While the UFC heavily edit their releases, taking out things like entrances, Bruce Buffer’s introductions and pre and post-fight interviews Strikeforce have left all of that in, which is particularly handy if you’re unfamiliar with any of the fighters.

So in all Strikeforce’s first DVD release gets the big thumbs up.

With thanks to the powers that be for supplying a copy of this release. Visit www.strikeforce.com for more information on how to buy this release.

As the UFC were crowning their latest Ultimate Fighter Strikeforce were giving us a re-match ten years in the making as Dan Henderson faced Renato “Babalu” Sobral, shown this past Monday on Bravo 2 here in Britain.

The show began with light heavyweight action as Benji Radach faced Ovince Saint Preux.

The second fight in two weeks for OSP saw him put on a dominating performance, his power advantage allowing him to take Radach’s back a number of times.

However, as the fight went on fatigue became a factor for both men, with Radach mounting something of a comeback as the fight came to an end.

No surprise with the decision, with all three scoring in favour of OSP.

The big boys of the heavyweight division followed as Antonio Silva went up against Mike Kyle.

This was an awesome fight. Despite giving up a ton of weight Pyle dropped Silva with a big right in the first round, controlling the rest of the period with some well place ground and pound.

Bigfoot came back strongly in the second round though, and his size came into play, sealing the TKO win with some great ground and pound after almost getting the win with an anaconda choke.

Then it was down to middleweight as Robbie Lawler took on Matt Lindland.

The proverbial blink and you’ll miss it affair. Both guys came out swinging, but it was Lawler who scored with the big shot, a right send Lindland crashing. The referee quickly stepped in when he realised that Lindland was out cold, giving Lawler the outstanding knockout win.

It was down to welterweight for the next fight as my fellow Brit Paul Daley went up against Scott Smith.

Semtex looked back to his best here, controlling the action with some great striking, knocking Smith down early on. Smith tried to fight back, but a left hook from Daley sent Smith down again, and this time he wasn’t getting up, giving Daley the impressive knockout win.

The main event saw Dan Henderson taking on Renato Sobral in the light heavyweight division.

The third explosive fight in a row began with the feeling out process before both men went to the ground. It was there that Henderson took control, posturing up as he went to work with the ground and pound, and just seconds later it was all over, the referee stepping in and giving Henderson the knockout win.

In conclusion – Strikeforce’s last show of the year gave us two hours of tremendous entertainment. Three knockouts in a row really sent the pulses racing.

So while this was a great show, how did it compare to the UFC’s effort, something it went head to head with in America? The fights here certainly delivered, and the explosive action throughout just edged this one for me.

However, UFC and Strikeforce weren’t the only people holding high profile MMA shows last weekend. Britain’s own Ultimate Challenge also gave us their latest offering, so this trilogy of reviews continues next time.