Strikeforce:Houston Review

You watch Strikeforce compared to the UFC and its night and day... You start right with the production value is second rate, but that can be easily be overcome by just spending more money... And now the announcing team... I can see having Frank Shamrock since he a legend of the sport and has had some of the most memorable fights in MMA history, Mauro Raunillo is good with his analysis and he has been around long enough to know the ins and out of the sport.. But, Gus Johnson? He is one of the best when it comes to college basketball but sitting there and listening to what he was saying last night, I would rather watch paint dry, then watch Johnson commentate MMA... He knows absolutely nothing about the sport and they need to find someone more knowledgeable... Pray to God, that Showtime and Strikeforce realize that in the near future as they need someone legitimate to become more recognizable and a top tier promotion...



Bobby Lashley vs Chad Griggs started out the main card and Lashley was favored going into the bout and was proclaiming to wanting a title shot by the end of 2011... Chad Griggs had a different idea though as yes Lashley was the bigger name and a better ground game, but Griggs had more experience and better standup going into the bout... Lashley started out the fight taking down Griggs and grounding and pounding him until the end of the 1st round and round 2 was a different story as Lashley did take Griggs down but you can Lashley getting winded as he was breathing out of his mouth... With about a minute left in the 2nd, referee Jon Schorle stood them up with Lashley in the mount and then Lashley had a cut under his left eye and Schorle asked if he could continue and Lashley said he could so the fight continued and Lashley looked fatigued in an attempt for a takedown as Griggs landed hammerfists to end the round... Then, Schorle asked Lashley if he could continue into the 3rd round and Lashley said no and the fight was halted with Griggs winning the bout...



KJ Noons faced Jorge Gurgel in a lightweight and Noons was making his return to the cage after a one year stint in the boxing world and Noons showed it throughout the 1st round as Noons his jabs and mixed in some kicks to throw off Gurgel, but as the 1st round progressed Noons was landing more and more punches and to end the round, the bell rang and Noons hit Gurgel with a left hook and knocked out Gurgel...

The 2nd round began and Gurgel looked out of it and Noons dropped him again and Noons looked at the ref like Gurgel is out and why arent you stopping the fight, so Noons went in and get punching away and when the referee started to step in Noons threw what looked an apparent left knee to the face which is illegal to end the fight and a victory in the return for KJ Noons...

Tim Kennedy faced Jacare for the Vacant Middleweight Title, vacated by Jake Shields who vacated the title after his victory over Dan Henderson in April and he and Strikeforce couldn't agree on a contract and Shields signed with the UFC last month..

Going into the fight everyone expected Jacare to take the fight to the ground and utilize his BJJ and Kennedy to keep it standing as he was supposed to have the edge standing up... Well, we got a different as Jacare kept the fight standing and only attempted a couple takedowns on Kennedy and Kennedy took down Jacare two times, but the factor in the fight was Jacare was the more effective striker even though Kennedy landed more strike but a lot of them were effective on the scorecard as Jacare walked out the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship...

Now, the main event of the evening which pitted King Mo vs Feijao for the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Title... People were expecting a cakewalk for King Mo based on the way he dominated Mousassi in April to win the title and that Feijao had won 2 in a row since his loss to Mike Kyle but weren't over high calibur opponents... and the first round Feijao stuck to his gameplan and stood with King Mo and defended his 2 takedowns superbly as he popped right back up after each attempt and was hitting Mo with really clean shots to win Round 1...

Round 2 was all King Mo as he was winning the stand up battle and landed really body shots on Feijao to easily win round 2 and going into the 3rd round, the champion had everything under control... Well, Feijao had another thing coming as he came out more agressive as even though Lawal was hitting him with some good shots and Feijao stood there and when they got in the clinch, feijao went to work throwing a couple devasting knees to stun King Mo and then Mo tried to hit uppercut bombs on Feijao and then Feijao hit more knees to stun Lawal and dropped and unloaded hammerfists even though was trying for a takedown and then his left arm dropped and referee John McCarthy put a halt to the bout and Feijao became the new Light Heavyweight Champion...

So, what do we make of the Strikeforce card last night? This much we do know... Bobby Lashley is nowhere near ready as needs A TON of work with his standup and his cardio and it looks like we might see him face Dave Bautista in what would be a freak show of a fight but a marketable fight for Strikeforce...

KJ Noons is an interesting situation... Strikeforce can do 1 of 2 things with him... Either keep him at lightweight and face Champion Gilbert Melendez or go for the Welterweight Title and face Nick Diaz in a rematch... It seems like Strikeforce wants the Diaz bout to happen and that makes the most sense... It is a more marketable match and the feud is already there as both guys dont like each other as Noons beat Diaz in Elite XC and a rematch wasnt made due to a squabble between Noons and Elite XC... And the fact that Melendez seems hell bent on facing Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez next, so have Noons face Diaz after Diaz fights on October 9th and then whatever happens when Noons-Diaz face other, have Noons still face Melendez down the line...

What is next for Jacare? Well, he could wait around and see what happens with the supposed middleweight tournament that will be taking place, but I think a fight with Cung Le would make sense... Le is quite arguably Strikeforce's most popular fighter and has said that he isnt going to be ib the Strikeforce Middleweight Tournament and only wants to be in big fights... What a big fight it would be if he fought Jacare as they have contrasting styles... Tim Kennedy you ask? Think a third match with Mayhem Miller makes the most sense... They each own a win over each other... I was a disappointed in Kennedy for post-fight comments he made with Gus Johnson as soon as he rewatches the fight, he will realize that it doesnt matter how many punches you throw, it matters on how effective they are...

Now, what is next for Feijao? The light heavyweight division is not as loaded as the other weight classes are... You have Dan Henderson, Moussasi, Babalu, Feijao, King Mo and thats all about it... What Strikeforce needs to do is find a way to get some of the talent from around the world whether its Dream or Senogku or wherever... 205 is the UFC's deepest division and that is Strikeforce's weakeness along with 170 and they need to find quality fighters in each weight class... So, whats next for Feijao is more than likely waiting on to face the winner of the rumored Babalu-Henderson bout and for King Mo, I think a rematch with Mousassi would make the most sense right now...

Strikeforce in a nutshell is a mess... Last night, 3 of the their most marketable fighters lost in fights they were expected to win... They need to do take a deep look at their roster and make decisions that are best for them and them... So, stay tuned because I think we will be finding out what direction Scott Coker will take his company...