Strikeforce hosted a big show Saturday in San Jose, Calif., and Heavy.com's Jeremy Botter recapped all of the main-card action.
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Fabricio Werdum
Fedor Emelianenko got stunned Saturday night.
Werdum was sent to the canvas early by a Fedor right hand. Emelianenko followed Werdum to the ground and pounced for the quick TKO victory, but Werdum — a master of Brazilian jiujitsu and long considered to be a man who had the skills to beat the legendary Russian — quickly locked in a triangle choke with an armbar. Emelianenko fought it, but Werdum cinched tighter, and the mythical Emelianenko was forced to tap out at 1:09 of the first round.
Werdum said after the fight that while he wouldn’t mind fighting Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem, what he really wanted was another bout with Emelianenko, even if it has to be in Russia.
Scott Smith vs. Cung Le
Le battered Smith for all but a few seconds of their first fight before Smith pulled out a miracle comeback and put an end to Le’s unbeaten record. It was more of the same in the second fight, but this time there would be no miracle moment for Smith.
Le landed punches and kicks at will in the first round, using his speed to dodge the oncoming Smith and counterpunch to keep him off balance. In the second round, Le used a wicked spinning back kick to the side of Smith’s stomach, dropping the tough veteran to his knees in agony. Le pounced with punches and knees, opening up a gash on Le’s face and finally causing the end of the fight.
Cris Cyborg vs. Jan Finney
Finney is one of the toughest fighters I’ve ever seen. Not just the toughest female fighter — because she certainly is that — but one of the toughest overall fighters out there.
Severely overmatched from the moment the fight was announced, Finney nonetheless endured a horrific beating from Cyborg that went on far longer than it should have. Despite being barraged with punches and being dropped multiple times, Finney continued to endure, lasting past the first round when so many other female fighters have fallen. Finney willingly stood in the pocket and exchanged punches, perhaps to her own detriment.
The fight was mercifully stopped in the second round, to the collective relief of the crowd in attendance and the fans watching at home. Finney proved that she has plenty of heart, but Cyborg proved that she has no equal in the world of female MMA.
Josh Thomson vs. Pat Healy
Healy fights a lot like the rest of his Team Quest stablemates, which is to say that he’s tough as nails.
Healy survived five submission attempts from former Strikeforce champion Thomson, but the sixth time certainly wasn’t the charm. Thomson secured a rear naked choke with roughly 90 seconds left in the first round, a submission that Healy initially weathered, going as far as to signal to ref John McCarthy that he was fine. But Thomson skillfully rolled Healy to the opposite side of his body with a tight body triangle, clamping down the pressure on Healy’s neck and forcing the tough Oregonian to submit.
