PWInsiderXTRA - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

FIVE ROUNDS WITH STRIKEFORCE: DIAZ VS. CYBORG

The first major Strikeforce event of 2011 is officially in the books and two titles were successfully defended on Saturday Night. Beyond the title fights, a member of the famous Gracie Family and an NFL great were also victorious in the cage. Despite the hype of the upcoming Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, this event gave fans plenty to talk about.

Round One: A Cyborg Defeated

Most experts declared that Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos was unfit to challenge Nick Diaz for the Strikeforce Welterweight Title. For the first round anyway, they were incorrect, but the second round saw a tactical error and the end of a challenger. In the second round, Evangelista Santos took Nick Diaz to the ground and was promptly submitted with an arm bar. Nick Diaz, despite taking some harsh leg kicks from his opponent, now looks to maybe move up a weight class to settle a dispute.

Next Round For Nick Diaz: Jason Miller, Paul Daley or Tyron Woodley

Next Round For Evangelista Santos: Scott Smith or Tarec Saffiedine

Round Two: A Tactical Error, A Title Retained

Speaking of tactical errors, there may have been none more confusing than the one made by Robbie Lawler. During the opening round of his title fight with Ronaldo Souza, Robbie Lawler rocked the champion with a series of strikes and then followed the champion to the ground. Once the fight went to the ground, Ronaldo Souza would take over and then choke out Robbie Lawler two rounds later. Ronaldo Souza will now seek new challengers as a former challenger is going to be left to wonder…”what’s next?”

Next Round For Ronaldo Souza: Jason Miller or Cung Le

Next Round For Robbie Lawler: Tim Kennedy, Trevor Prangley or Scott Smith

Round Three: Nothing Like The NFL

Nearly one year to the day that NFL great Herschel Walker made his professional MMA debut, the legend returned to the cage. This time the NFL Hall Of Famer stepped into the cage against Scott Carson, who has only fought once in the past ten years. Herschel Walker would display the skills of a ten year MMA veteran when he defeated the WEC veteran by TKO in the opening round. The real interesting question coming out of the fight is this, who will the NFL legend face in his next fight?

Next Round For Herschel Walker: Chad Griggs, Dave Batista or Bobby Lashley

Next Round For Scott Carson: A Release From Strikeforce

Round Four: The Gracie Legend Continues

Most hardcore MMA fans have heard of Gracie Family members like Royce Gracie, Renzo Gracie, Rolles Gracie and many others. However, Roger Gracie is quickly establishing himself as the front runner as the top Gracie of the new generation. In his return to Strikeforce, Roger Gracie submitted UFC veteran Trevor Prangley with a rear naked choke in the first round. In just four professional MMA fights, Roger Gracie has defeated Ron Waterman, Trevor Prangley, Yuki Kondo and Kevin Randleman thus far in his novice career.

Next Round For Roger Gracie: Renato Sobral or Gegard Mousasi

Next Round For Trevor Prangley: A Return To The Shark Fights Promotion

Round Five: That Did Not Take Very Long

Usually, the majority of MMA events I watch on television last around two and a half hours or longer, but Strikeforce decided to give the viewers a quick night. The highly anticipated Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg card on Showtime lasted less than two total hours. This was an event that featured two title fights (Welterweight & Middleweight) and two other fights. This event could be the proving point that Strikeforce needs to start airing preliminary card fights to fill in the time on their televised events.

Next Round For Strikeforce: Events Lasting Longer Than Two Hours

You can contact David Tees at bigteesps3@yahoo.com

---