(Whoa, whoa, Cyborg. Didn’t Strikeforce ask you very nicely to refrain from messing up Gina’s face if possible? The girl’s got to make a living after this.)
Where do this weekend’s Strikeforce participants stand after their crushing defeats and triumphant victories? Let’s consult the Potato Index’s arbitrary numerical rankings system to see whose stock fell and whose is on the rise.
“Cyborg” Santos +236
She absolutely overwhelmed Carano with her power and aggression. A little sloppiness and a couple of failed takedown attempts show she still has room for improvement, but she came up big in the most important fight in the history of women’s MMA. Let’s see how many people tune in to see her next fight before we decide what kind of future there is for female main events.
Gina Carano -131
The face of women’s MMA took a beating on Saturday night, but what does it mean for her celebrity and the popularity of the women’s division? That’s still unclear, but at least we found out what happens when Carano has to face a real striker. Maybe fewer photo shoots and more time in the gym would have helped?
Gegard Mousasi +147
It’s not only that he beat Sobral, but that he made it look so easy. He even proved what a gentleman he is by stopping when he saw Babalu’s eyes roll back in his head. What a prince. If only Strikeforce had somebody who could give him a fight.
Renato Sobral -101
Every winning streak comes to an end, though usually it’s not in the first minute of your first title defense. Tough luck, Babalu. That’s the difference between good and very, very good. Up next, back to fighting the Whiteheads and Randlemans of the MMA world?
Gilbert Melendez +73
Stayed patient, stuck to his game plan, and it paid off. But just because he took Ishida apart does that mean he’d fare any better against Thomson the second time around? If Josh ever takes the time to let himself heal up all the way we might get to find out.
Mitsuhiro Ishida -60
When all you have is the takedown in your arsenal, eventually your opponent is going to figure out how to stop you, even if it’s not until the second fight.
Fabricio Werdum +58
Not exactly a major test, but you can’t complain about a first-round submission. Still, better work on the stand-up a little if you don’t want to get murdered by Fedor.
Mike Kyle -49
Look on the bright side: at least he didn’t cheat.
Jay Hieron +56
It wasn’t the fight he wanted, or the organization he’d originally been preparing for, but a win’s a win and a paycheck is a paycheck. Now somebody hide Nick Diaz’s weed so we can make this fight happen.
Jesse Taylor -54
We can’t wait to read the poem that he’ll write about this one.
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If Mauro Renallo had a dick, I would kick him in it.