(Wrap your fucking head around THAT….and no, it isn’t a Photoshop.)
When UFC president Dana White said he probably wouldn’t attend any Strikeforce events because of the enemies he had made who are associated with the promotion and its broadcast partner, Showtime, nobody seemed very surprised, but when the Balfather showed up at the Valley View Casino Center a couple hours ago for tonight’s SF event in San Diego people nearly lost their shit.
We gotta admit, seeing Dana with his arms around Strikeforce and UFC CEOs Scott Coker and Lorenzo Fertitta is pretty fucking bizarre, kinda like when he french-kissed Tito. Hopefully he’s there to enjoy the show, not to hand out pink slips to Strikeforce employees (unless we’re talking Gus Johnson) and to have reporters he doesn’t like escorted from the premises.
We want to believe that he isn’t going to get rid of Strikeforce like he did PRIDE, the WFA and the WEC.
Here’s hoping his tune hasn’t changed from November when he said:
“We couldn’t care less [what Strikeforce is doing], but we don’t want them to blow their brains out and go away. We need these guys to exist. Listen, whether they want to believe it or not, they’re the small show. They’re a feeder show. Whether they want to believe it, that’s what they are. We need them.”
Strikeforce has consistently put on quality fights and solid events the past handful of shows and tonight’s event is no exception.
Enough about business as usual, let’s talk Strikeforce.
Preliminary Bout Results
Casey Ryan def. Paul Song via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 1:39
Rolando Perez def. Edgar Cardenas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Herman Terrado de. A.J. Matthews via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:16
Joe Duarte def. Saad Awad via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 2:45
Virgil Swicker def. Brett Albee via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:46
Robert Peralta def. Hiroyuki Takaya via split decision (30-27, 30-27, 28-29)
Main Card
Shinya Aoki vs. Lyle Beerbohm
R1:
Beerbohm presses the action and forces Aoki into the cage and barely avoids eating a knee. Aoki trips and lands on top, but Beerbohm rolls. Aoki pounces on his back and immediately goes for the rear naked choke, but switches to a neck crank. Beerbohm is in trouble. And he taps.
Shinya Aoki def. Lyle Beerbohm by submission (face crank) 1:32 R1
Gegard Mousasi vs. Keith Jardine
WOW! The crowd doesn’t like Iranians. Booing Mousasi like he’s the Iran Shiek taking on Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania.
R1:
Jardine comes out throwing rapidfire slap-jabs. Mousasi seems unconcerned. Jardine shoots and takes Gegard to his back, but Mousasi gets back to his feet after sweeping “The Dean of Mean.” Jardine throws his lead-leg kick and Mousasi clinches. Jardine grabs a single and eats a handful of hammerfists before dropping “The Dreamcatcher” on his back again. Mousasi works to land a switch, but gets dumped on his side yet again. Back on his feet, Mousasi puts on the pressure and connects with a combo. Jardine backs up, seemingly exhausted. Jardine clinches and drops Mousasi on his rear, but eats an upkick soon after. Yosemite Sam gives Jardine five minutes to recover and takes a point from Mousasi for the illegal move. Mousasi backs Jardine up with a combo as soon as the action is re-started, but seems to take a poke in the eye from the former bounty hunter. A cut over Jardine’s eye is leaking profusely. The round ends with little fanfare. 10-8 Jardine with the point deduction.
R2:
Jardine seems to be following King Mo’s formula for beating Gegard. Mousasi seems like he’s waiting for the perfect shot. Jardine wades in with his head down, and Mousasi looks to be trying a standing D’Arce choke, but Jardine pops his head out. Jardine is backing up, circling to his right. Mousasi connects with a kick to the side of Jardine’s head. He’s stocking Keith now, and whiffs with a left hook, but lands with a leg kick. Mousasi’s mixing it up now throwing combos and leg kicks, and Jardine’s face is bloodied. Jardine connects with a straight, but eats another leg kick. Jardine attempts what looks like a body slam, but Mousasi shrugs it off. Mousasi throws a huge overhand right that Jardine ducks under, and he dumps Mousasi on his back again. Jardine just can’t keep Mousasi down, as he rolls and gets back up to his feet. Mousasi is working the jab now, and connects with another body kick. Liver punch by Mousasi lands, followed by a short left hook, and Jardine seems hurt. He clinches and dumps Mousasi back onto the canvas, but he seems like he needs the stool. Mousasi connects with another jab that jolts Jardine’s head back, and the horn sounds much to Jardine’s relief. 10-9 Mousasi.
R3:
Jardine steps to Mousasi, and Mousasi throws a combo that glances his head, and Jardine tries for the clinch and eats a knee to the nuts. Jardine is happy for the rest. Jardine now misses with his own combo, and Mousasi connects with a jab. Jardine clinches and pushes Mousasi to the cage, but can’t take him down. Jardine tries for a high double and Mousasi sinks in a guillotine, but Jardine pops out. Now Mousasi gets a takedown, and from side control works to mount and lands a few solid shots from the top, and an elbow, before Jardine gives up his back and shrimps out using the cage for leverage. Back on his feet, Jardine gets another stopage and immediately eats a straight right and a head kick that pushes him back against the cage. Jardine works for a kimura, but Mousasi reverses and attempts his own kimura. Mousasi pushes Jardine to his back. Jardine attempts an armbar, but Mousasi pushes him back into full guard, and continues to pound away on his bloody face. Jardine rolls again for an armbar, but Mousasi’s having none of it, as he ends the fight with a short left to Jardine’s dome. 10-9 Mousasi.
Gegard Mousasi def. Keith Jardine by unanimous decision (29-27, 28-28, 28-28) The judges score this a majority draw.
Strikeforce Lightweight Championship Bout
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Gilbert Melendez
R1:
Oh shit. Cecil Peoples!
Melendez comes out in a somewhat strange sideways stance, and Kawajiri connects with a body kick. Melendez drops him with a big right, and clinches when Kawajiri gets back to his feet, connecting with a pair of knees. Melendez is lighting him up. He drops Kawajiri again and follows up with a handful of heavy shots, but Kawajiri is a resilient mother fucker. It’s weird seeing Dana White over the shoulder of the action. Kawajiri’s bleeding now, and whiffs with a front kick. Melendez’s footwork and head movement is crisp. Kawajiri shoots and Melendez makes him pay with a handful of short uppercuts before pushing him back on the canvas and finishing him with the first Strikeforce elbow TKO.
Melendez versus Edgar has to happen.
Gilbert Melendez def. Tatsuya Kawajiri by TKO (elbows) 3:14 R1
Strikeforce Welterweight Championship Bout
Paul Daley vs. Nick Diaz (C)
R1:
No touch of gloves. Not a surprise.
Diaz comes out giving the “don’t be scared, homie” pose, and connects first with a jab. He paws at Daley, but Daley drops him with a hook, and just starts throwing floor-touchers, connecting with a handful. It looked like he tried to kick Nick in the head but landed to the body while Diaz was sprawled on the canvas. Daley seems tired. Diaz now presses forward with shots to the body, and Daley clinches and connects with some knees to the body. Diaz has Semtex hurt, and Daley shoots for a surprising takedown. Diaz drops for a choke, but ends up on his back. Surprisingly Daley comes out of it unhurt, and comes back to his feet. Daley works for the head, and Diaz concentrates on the body. Diaz lands with an elbow, and Daley lands with a shot that wobbles Diaz. Diaz pushes through, and connects with a shot but gets dropped. He rolls on his belly, and Daley peppers him with hammer fists. Diaz tries to coax Daley into his guard, and he does, but does nothing of consequence. Big John McCarthy stands them up. Diaz now has Daley hurt with body shots, and then he drops the Brit, who lands on his head. Rolling over on his back, Semtex is met with a handful of bombs by Diaz. The fight is over. Diaz came back from the brink of losing to hand Daley his first TKO loss of his career (unless you count the thumb injury TKO, and I’m pretty sure none of us do).
Nick Diaz def. Paul Daley by TKO (strikes) 4:57 R1
Gus Johnson proves once again that he has no clue about MMA. Does he really thing Cung Le versus Anderson Silva would be anything more than a slaughtering? He realy needs to lighten up on the make-up. Now he’s just fucking with us.


REEFER MADNESS!!!!
@MRuss
Makes sense, since I turn the volume off between fights. That man is absolutely awful.