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Two titles were on the line this past Saturday Night as both the Strikeforce Middleweight and Strikeforce Welterweight Titles were up for grabs. While those two title fights were exciting, one of the fighters undefeated streaks came to a violent end. Also, a Gracie stood tall over a UFC veteran and an undefeated middleweight turned himself into a title contender.
Round One: Two Shots…Two Defeats
Tim Kennedy has had two different opportunities to win the Strikeforce Middleweight Title and both times…he has come up short. This time, Tim Kennedy fell victim to a unanimous decision loss to champion Luke Rockhold after five rounds of action. Luke Rockhold dominated the fight with superior striking and the ability to get off the ground after Tim Kennedy put him there. While Tim Kennedy did look good at times, his inability to pull the trigger on Luke Rockhold is what cost him the fight.
Next Round For Luke Rockhold: Lorenz Larkin or Ronaldo Souza
Next Round For Tim Kennedy: Roger Gracie, Derek Brunson or Keith Jardine
Round Two: The New Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Is…
Nate Marquardt, who used destructive striking to knockout the previously undefeated Tyron Woodley in the fourth round. Nate Marquardt, coming off of a long absence after the TRT incident, looked like the fighter of old who was destroying folks in the UFC. Tyron Woodley did look good at times in the fight, but was unable to capitalize when he had Nate Marquardt rocked in the second. While there is no doubt that Nate Marquardt is thrilled to be champion, it is just sad that the actual division is paper thin.
Next Round For Nate Marquardt: Jason High, Roger Bowling or Tarec Saffiedine
Next Round For Tyron Woodley: Kazou Misaki, Quinn Mulhern or Bobby Voelker
Round Three: Keeping The Tradition Alive
Roger Gracie definitely made an impact in his middleweight debut, defeating UFC veteran Keith Jardine by unanimous decision. Roger Gracie showed good striking and a brutal ground game to defeat the bloody UFC veteran after three rounds of action. Keith Jardine did not look very good in this fight and has not looked good in a long time, it may be time to see the fighter retire. Roger Gracie started off his middleweight run with a victory and if he keeps the momentum going, will do the Gracie name proud.
Next Round For Roger Gracie: Robbie Lawler, Derek Brunson or Tim Kennedy
Next Round For Keith Jardine: Robbie Lawler, Adlan Amagov or Danillo Villefort
Round Four: A Ruthless Defeat
At one point in his MMA career, Robbie Lawler was considered one of the best strikers in the entire MMA universe. Many years later, Robbie Lawler is still a good fighter, but younger fighters like Lorenz Larkin has surpassed him in that skill. Lorenz Larkin easily out pointed Robbie Lawler on Saturday Night, a much needed victory for the undefeated striker. Currently, the Strikeforce Middleweight Division is thin on talent and this could cause Lorenz Larkin to get that title shot.
Next Round For Lorenz Larkin: Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold, Roger Gracie or Ronaldo Souza
Next Round For Robbie Lawler: Keith Jardine, Derek Brunson or Danillo Villefort
Round Five: Gilbert Melendez’s Next Challenger Will Be…
Pat Healy, who won a controversial decision over Mizuto Hirota on the preliminary card of the Strikeforce event on Saturday Night. Pat Healy looked awful in the first round of the fight, but picked up the pace for the remainder of the fight. Pat Healy has now won five straight fights in Strikeforce and now has a valid claim for a Strikeforce Lightweight Title opportunity. Hopefully the officials give Mizuto Hirota another opportunity in the promotion after the controversial decision loss.
Next Round For Pat Healy: Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez
Next Round For Mizuto Hirota: Josh Thomson, Ryan Couture or Jorge Masvidal
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