Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
Here is tonight’s card…
* Strikeforce Lightweight Title Unification Fight: Josh Thomson (Strikeforce Lightweight Champion) vs. Gilbert Melendez (Strikeforce Interim Lightweight Champion)
* Strikeforce Middleweight Division Fight: Cung Le vs. Scott Smith
* Strikeforce Middleweight Division Fight: Ronaldo Souza vs. Matt Lindland
* Strikeforce Heavyweight Division Fight: Muhammed Lawal vs. Mike Whitehead
Here are the preliminary fight results…
* Alex Crispim def. AJ Fonseca by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Justin Wilcox def. Daisuke Nakamura by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
* Antwain Britt def. Scott Lighty by TKO via doctor stoppage (5:00, R1)
Cung Le and Scott Smith are shown arriving to the arena.
Mauro Ranallo welcomes the viewers to the event before introducing Frank Shamrock and Stephen Quadros, then all of them discuss tonight’s card.
Jake Shields, Robbie Lawlor, Cristiane Santos, KJ Noons, Bobby Lashley, Dan Henderson and Herschel Walker were shown in the crowd.
Fight #1 - Strikeforce Heavyweight Division Fight
King Mo (5-0-0) vs. Mike Whitehead (24-7-0)
Referee: Jon Schorle
Round One
The round begins with Mike Whitehead hitting King Mo with a leg kick, King Mo then hits Mike Whitehead with a punching combination. King Mo then hits Mike Whitehead with a left hook to the head, King Mo then hit’s a charging Mike Whitehead with a left cross. Mike Whitehead then hits King Mo with a few leg kicks, King Mo then drops Mike Whitehead with a counter right and follows it up with some ground and pound until referee Jon Schorle stopped the fight.
Fight Result: King Mo def. Mike Whitehead by TKO via strikes (3:08, R1)
Post fight interview with King Mo, who says that he has the best coaches anyone can get and that Mike Whitehead is a good opponent.
Jenn Brown interviews Josh Thomson backstage, who says Gilbert Melendez earned the Strikeforce Interim Lightweight Title and hopefully they will be friends after the fight.
Gilbert Melendez is shown in his locker room.
Fight #2 - Strikeforce Middleweight Division Fight
Jacare Souza (10-2-0) vs. Matt Lindland (21-6-0)
Referee: John McCarthy
Round One
The round begins with Matt Lindland hitting Jacare Souza with a light head kick, Jacare Souza then blocks a Matt Lindland takedown attempt. Jacare Souza then hits Matt Lindland with a leg kick, Jacare Souza then connects with a body punch on Matt Lindland. Matt Lindland then scores a takedown attempt and gets into Jacare Souza’s butterfly guard, Jacare Souza then attempts an arm bar on Matt Lindland. Jacare Souza then gets back control on Matt Lindland and starts using ground and pound, Matt Lindland then nearly gets Jacare Souza in the omaplata submission. Jacare Souza finds a way to escape and posture up to hit Matt Lindland with a diving forearm strike, Jacare Souza then moves into the half guard on Matt Lindland. Jacare Souza then locks Matt Lindland in an arm triangle and a tap out follows.
Fight Result: Jacare Souza def. Matt Lindland by submission via arm triangle (4:18, R1)
Post fight interview with Jacare Souza, who says that Strikeforce is his new home now and he thanks the fans for coming tonight.
Jenn Brown interviews Cung Le backstage, he says that his goal is to get through this fight tonight and his acting career won’t hurt his odds at winning tonight.
Scott Smith is shown in his locker room.
Fight #3 - Strikeforce Lightweight Title Unification Fight
Josh Thomson (Strikeforce Lightweight Champion) (16-2-0) vs. Gilbert Melendez (Strikeforce Interim Lightweight Champion) (16-2-0)
Referee: Josh Rosenthal
Round One
The round begins with Gilbert Melendez hitting Josh Thomson with a leg kick, both fighters then start throwing wild punches at each other. Gilbert Melendez then hits Josh Thomson with a leg kick, Josh Thomsn then trips Gilbert Melendez and gets brief head control. Gilbert Melendez then hits Josh Thomson with a left uppercut, Josh Thomson then hits Gilbert Melendez with a punching combination. Gilbert Melendez then hits Josh Thomson with a leg kick, Josh Thomson then hits Gilbert Melendez with a leg kick of his own. Gilbert Melendez then hits Josh Thomson with a leg kick and punching combination, both fighters swing wildly at each other as the round ends.
Round Two
The round begins with Gilbert Melendez dropping Josh Thomson with a counter right, the fighters stand up and Gilbert Melendez hits Josh Thomson with elbow strikes. Gilbert Melendez then accidentally hits Josh Thomson with a crotch shot and the bout is temporarily halted, the fight resumes with Josh Thomson hitting Gilbert Melendez with multiple body kicks. Josh Thomson blocks a Gilbert Melendez takedown attempt and hits him with knee strikes, Gilbert Melendez catches a Josh Thomson kicks attempt and hits him with a running knee strike. Gilbert Melendez then hits Josh Thomson with a leg kick, Josh Thomson then rocks Gilbert Melendez with a punching combination. Gilbert Melendez drops Josh Thomson after both fighters destroy each other with wild punches, Gilbert Melendez drops into the guard of Josh Thomson as the round ends.
Round Three
The round begins with Gilbert Melendez hitting Josh Thomson with a leg kick, Josh Thomson then hits Gilbert Melendez with a jab to the face. Josh Thomson then hits Gilbert Melendez with a leg kick and overhand right, Gilbert Melendez then hits Josh Thomson with a knee strike to the body. Gilbert Melendez then hits Josh Thomson with a two punch combination, Gilbert Melendez then briefly drops Josh Thomson with a double leg kick. Josh Thomson recovers by hitting Gilbert Melendez with a leg kick, Josh Thomson then connects with a push kick on Gilbert Melendez. Gilbert Melendez then hits Josh Thomson with a leg kick as the round ends.
Round Four
The round begins with Josh Thomson hitting Gilbert Melendez with multiple leg kicks, the fighters swing wildly at each other until Josh Thomson scores a brief takedown on Gilbert Melendez. Josh Thomson then hits Gilbert Melendez with a push kick, Gilbert Melendez then hits Josh Thomson with a leg kick/jab combination. The fighters then continue to launch wild strikes at each other, Josh Thomson then hits Gilbert Melendez with another push kick. Josh Thomson then hits Gilbert Melendez with a body punch, Gilbert Melendez responds by hitting Josh Thomson with an uppercut. Gilbert Melendez then hits Josh Thomson with a knee strike, Josh Thomson then hits Gilbert Melendez with a body kick. Josh Thomson then accidentally gets poked in the eye by Gilbert Melendez and the fight is briefly halted, the fight resumes with both fighters circling each other until the bell sounds.
Round Five
The round begins with Josh Thomson hitting Gilbert Melendez with a leg kick, Josh Thomson then hits Gilbert Melendez with a knee strike to the body. Then both fighters start rocking each other with a series of big time strikes, Gilbert Melendez then starts rocking Josh Thomson with a plethora of punches to the face. Gilbert Melendez then drops Josh Thomson with an overhand right, Gilbert Melendez then drops into the guard of Josh Thomson. Gilbert Melendez then gets back control on Josh Thomson, the fighters stand up and Gilbert Melendez hits Josh Thomson with a leg kick. Josh Thomson then hits Gilbert Melendez with a body kick, Gilbert Melendez then hits Josh Thomson with a running knee strike. Josh Thomson scores a quick takedown on Gilbert Melendez, Josh Thomson then hits Gilbert Melendez with a knee strike as they both stood up. Both fighters then start violently swinging at each other as the round ends.
Fight Result: Gilbert Melendez def. Josh Thomson by unanimous decision (49-47, 49-46, 49-46)
Post fight interview with Gilbert Melendez, who says that it feels great to redeem himself and that Josh Thomson is the toughest opponent he has ever fought. Post fight interview with Josh Thomson, who says that Gilbert Melendez is the better fighter tonight and then thanks his supporters.
Jenn Brown interviews Bobby Lashley, who says that he is all business when he steps into the cage and won’t be playing like he does in TNA. Jenn Brown then interviews Dan Henderson, who says he will compete at middleweight in Strikeforce and will debut with the promotion in April while teasing a future fight with Fedor Emelianenko.
Main Event - Strikeforce Middleweight Division Fight
Cung Le (6-0-0) vs. Scott Smith (16-6-0-1NC)
Referee: John McCarthy
Round One
The round begins with Cung Le hitting Scott Smith with a few side kicks, Cung Le then drops Scott Smith with a spinning back kick. Cung Le then starts hitting Scott Smith with some ground and pound, the fighters stand up and Cung Le hits Scott Smith with a knee strike. Cung Le then drops Scott Smith again with another spinning head kick, the fighters stand up and Cung Le hits Scott Smith with a head kick. Cung Le then hits Scott Smith with a body kick, Cung Le then hits Scott Smith with a leg kick and overhand right as the round ends.
Round Two
The round begins with Cung Le hits Scott Smith with multiple side kicks, Cung Le then hits Scott Smith with a straight left. Cung Le then drops Scott Smith again with a spinning back kick, Cung Le then moves into the guard of Scott Smith. The referee stands up the fighters after inactivity and Scott Smith hits Cung Le with a punching combination, Cung Le then forces Scott Smith up against the cage wall to hit him with knee strikes to the body. Scott Smith then hits Cung Le with a left uppercut, Scott Smith then connects with a few short elbow strikes to the face of Cung Le.
Round Three
The round begins with Cung Le rocking Scott Smith with a few body kicks, Cung Le then hits Scott Smith with a super kick like move. Cung Le then hits Scott Smith with a spinning back fist, Cung Le then levels Scott Smith with a high kick to the head. Cung Le then hits Scott Smith with a side kick, Scott Smith then drops Cung Le with a left hook. Scott Smith follows it up by dropping Cung Le again with some more punches and follows it up with ground and pound until referee John McCarthy stops the fight.
Fight Result: Scott Smith def. Cung Le by TKO via strikes (3:25, R3)
Post fight interview with Scott Smith, who says that the finish was incredible and that he is never out of a fight with an opponent. Post fight interview with Cung Le, who says that Scott Smith was the better man tonight and that he did his best tonight.
Stephen Quadros, Mauro Ranallo and Frank Shamrock review the evenings fight as the show comes to a close.
