"Strikeforce At The Mansion II" Results
by Robert Sargent
Returning to the infamous Playboy Mansion one year after their first show, Strikeforce put on another solid night of fights for the Bunnies, but the main event between Kazuo Misaki and Joe Riggs concluded with a controversial referee stoppage.
Elsewhere, Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh "The Punk" Thomson defeated Ashe Bowman, while "The Endless Fighter" Mitsuhiro Ishida quickly submitted Justin Wilcox.
Kazuo "Grabaka Hitman" Misaki vs Joe "Diesel" Riggs
After a tentative and uneventful first round, Riggs dropped Misaki with a punch, only to have Misaki come back with a huge right of his own moments later, and a controversial referee stoppage gave the TKO victory to Misaki.Very little happened in the first half of round one, as both fighters pawed with jabs and Misaki used his trademarked footwork to keep Riggs guessing and avoid any damage. Near the middle of the round, the fighters began to open up with strikes a bit, and Misaki connected with a crushing kick to the body. A quick combination to the body and head landed for Misaki, and he went back to using footwork. Misaki landed a punch to the body, then a leg kick and another body shot. Riggs seemed to be unable to do much, but did land a left cross late in the round, then a glancing head kick just before the bell. 10-9 Misaki.
A quick leg kick landed for Misaki early in round two, and he landed a body kick seconds later. Both fighters landed a quick flurry and then went back to jabs. After a body kick from Misaki, Riggs dropped him with a left cross, only to have Misaki immediately get back to his feet and press forward. Suddenly awoken, Misaki drilled Riggs with a massive right cross, sending Riggs backwards to the mat. Misaki pounced and landed numerous punches, but nearly all of them hit the forearms and gloves of Riggs, who was clearly actively defending himself. Referee Josh Rosenthal saw it otherwise and called a stop to the fight, to the vocal displeasure of Riggs and others.
Winner: Kazuo Misaki by TKO (Punches) at 2:29 of round two. He improves to 21-8-2, 1 NC.
Josh "The Punk" Thomson vs Ashe "The Archer" Bowman
Fresh off of his dominant victory over Gilbert Melendez, Thomson, the newly-crowned Strikeforce Lightweight Champion, made extremely short work of Bowman in this non-title bout.Bowman landed a kick to the body early in round one, only to have Thomson come right back with a head kick. Thomson scored with a pair of stiff leg kicks, and Bowman replied with a leg kick of his own. A Superman Punch landed for Bowman, but Thomson fired right back with a quick flurry which was punctuated by a left-right combination that dropped Bowman. Thomson pounced with more punches and hammerfists before referee Herb Dean could wave off the fight. A very impressive win for Thomson.
Winner: Josh Thomson by TKO (Strikes) at 1:14 of round one. He improves to 16-2-0, 1 NC.
Terry Martin vs Cory "The One" Devela
Rebounding from a crushing knockout loss to Vitor Belfort at Affliction: "Banned," Martin scored a hard-fought third-round TKO victory over a very game Devela.Devela scored early on with a variety of kicks to the legs and body, but was slammed to the mat after a clinch. Devela worked his way back to his feet and landed a quick trio of punches. Martin scored another takedown and Devela looked for a Kimura from the bottom. Devela again got back to his feet and landed another leg kick, then a quick combination. Devela continued to press forward with quick punches and kicks, and Martin just missed with his own shots. A flying knee from Devela set off a wild exchange where neither fighter connected solidly. Devela landed a glancing head kick and two more punches, then another flying knee. Martin landed a looping left hook just before the bell, but Devela takes round one.
As in the first round, Devela once again came forward aggressively in round two, but Martin scored another takedown. Devela looked for a Kimura and used the cage to get back to his feet. After a lengthy clinch, Devela landed an elbow and a pair of head kicks. Devela rushed forward with wild punches and both fighters connected with haymakers. Devela missed a spinning back kick and Martin landed a big overhand right. A flying knee from Devela narrowly missed and Martin stuffed a takedown attempt. Devela's head and front kicks continued to dictate the pace of the fight, as both fighters threw wild punches before the bell. A very close round that could have gone either way.
Martin was more aggressive in round three, landing a pair of big punches in the opening seconds. Both connected with rights and Devela continued to use flying knees and head kicks. A big right hand from Martin landed and Devela remained standing. Another flying knee landed for Devela, while Martin countered with a right hook. Devela landed a leg kick, but Martin lunged forward with a looping left hook that dropped Devela. A follow-up punch on the ground finished the fight, giving Martin a much-needed comeback win.
Winner: Terry Martin by TKO (Punches) at 2:08 of round three. He improves to 18-5-0.
"The Endless Fighter" Mitsuhiro Ishida vs Justin "The Silverback" Wilcox
Coming off of his disappointing defeat to Caol Uno in DREAM, Ishida rebounded and scored an extremely quick and impressive submission victory against the overmatched Wilcox.Ishida opened up round one with a series of chopping kicks to the left leg of Wilcox, while Wilcox pressed forward with lunging punches. Ishida caught Wilcox with a solid counterpunch and Wilcox went for a takedown. Ishida immediately used the opportunity to latch onto Wilcox's arm and twisted into a picture-perfect armbar that forced Wilcox to submit, in great pain. Ishida makes a dominant statement in victory.
Winner: Mitsuhiro Ishida by Submission (Armbar) at 1:21 of round one. He improves to 17-4-1.
Undercard Fights:
Trevor Prangley defeated late-replacement Anthony "A-Train" Ruiz by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. The win marked Prangley's second victory over Ruiz, who stepped in for an injured Renato "Babalu" Sobral. Prangley improves to 18-5-0 with the win.Luke Stewart defeated Jesse Juarez by Submission (Armbar) at 4:55 of round one. He improves to 6-1-0.
Brandon Magana defeated Brandon Thatch by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 6-1-0.
Jessie Gillespie defeated Dave Martin by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30) after three rounds in a bizarrely scored fight. The win marks Gillespie's second victory over Martin, who is still winless. Gillespie improves to 2-2-0 with the win.
Though the main event ended somewhat controversially, Strikeforce's second foray into the Playboy Mansion was a successful one, and the promotion will look to continue the momentum with a pair of upcoming events.
