Strikeforce: "Live" Play-By-Play & Live ResultsStrikeforce came to the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, tonight with a unique Wednesday night card at Strikeforce: “Live.” The Showtime event was headlined by a 195-pound catchweight bout between final EliteXC Middleweight Champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral.

Also on the card, knockout artists Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromskis and Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos squared off in a welterweight bout that ended with a knockout. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the event.

 

Renato “Babalu” Sobral vs “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler

Round 1:
Sobral looked to jab early on and landed a leg kick, then clinched for a takedown. Lawler defended and the fighters exchanged knees. Sobral threw a knee to the head and referee John McCarthy separated the fighters. Lawler landed a big left hand and a knee. He pressed a now-bloodied Sobral up against the cage and landed quick punches. The fighters separated and both landed right hands.

Sobral landed a leg kick and scored a takedown. He attempted a guillotine choke, but Lawler escaped and stood up. Lawler fell while throwing a body kick and Sobral worked from his guard. He tried for an Anaconda Choke and Lawler once again escaped. Sobral landed a body kick and threw a wild right hook. He clinched against the cage and landed a knee. The fighters traded punches in the final seconds. 10-9 Sobral.

Round 2:
Sobral landed a hard kick to the body to open the second round and Lawler answered with jabs and a left hook. Sobral tried for a takedown, but Lawler punished him with punches and Sobral backed away. A left hand landed for Lawler, but Sobral drilled him with another body kick. Sobral followed with another kick and a flurry and Lawler feigned injury. He smiled, but Sobral kept the pressure on with more shots.

Sobral landed a head kick, but Lawler was unfazed. Sobral jabbed and Lawler answered with a quick combination. Sobral landed a leg kick and clinched, then followed with a knee. Lawler responded with a jab, but missed with an overhand left. Sobral landed a stiff jab of his own and a right hook, but Lawler countered. Sobral kept up the offence with a punch and a knee and Lawler landed a right hook before the bell. 10-9 Sobral.

Round 3:
Sobral landed knees in close in the final round, but Lawler stuffed a takedown and connected with two punches. Again, Lawler punched free of a takedown attempt, but Sobral grabbed on to Lawler’s leg a third time. Lawler continued to score with punches and Sobral answered with leg kicks. Sobral landed a right hand and the fighters traded punches. Sobral threw a spinning backfist, but Lawler blocked it.

Lawler backed Sobral up with a head kick, but Sobral quickly answered with a one-two and a front kick to the ribs. Body shots landed for Sobral and Lawler winced. Sobral remained the aggressor, but Lawler cracked him with a counter one-two. Sobral staggered briefly, but circled to the side and recovered. Lawler rushed in with right hands as Sobral began to bleed more heavily from the face. Lawler landed a combination, but Sobral again circled. Two more right hands scored for Lawler. 10-9 Lawler.

Winner: Renato Sobral by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 36-8-0.

 

Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos vs Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromskis

Round 1:
Zaromskis landed a one-two early on, but Santos immediately countered with a big three-punch flurry. Zaromskis threw a head kick and Santos rocked him with more hard punches. Zaromskis circled back and recovered, then threw another head kick. Santos blocked a head kick and threw a leg kick in return. A left hand and a body kick both landed for Zaromskis, but Santos rocked him with a head kick.

Santos followed with a right hand and a one-two, then floored Zaromskis as the Lithuanian attempted a flying knee. Santos landed punches on the ground until referee Herb Dean stopped the fight. Very impressive performance from Santos.

Winner: Evangelista Santos by TKO (Punches) at 2:38 of round one. He improves to 18-13-0.

 

Tim Kennedy vs Trevor Prangley

Round 1:
Kennedy opened the fight with a leg kick and a one-two, then clinched against the cage. Prangley used a very impressive judo throw to slam Kennedy to the mat, but Kennedy immediately stood up and tried again for a takedown. A right hand over the top landed for Kennedy and Prangley answered with a knee. He took Kennedy down briefly, but Kennedy stood again and finally got Prangley to the mat. Kennedy worked from Prangley’s half-guard.

Kennedy used punches to set up a move to mount, then landed more short strikes from the top. He pinned Prangley’s right arm and threw more punches, then took Prangley’s back. In a split second, Kennedy secured a rear-naked choke and Prangley immediately tapped out. Excellent submission win for Kennedy.

Winner: Tim Kennedy by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:35 of round one. He improves to 12-2-0.

 

“King” KJ Noons vs Conor “The Hurricane” Heun

Round 1:
Heun looked to clinch for a takedown early on, but Noons jabbed and stepped away. He just missed with a big right hand and stuffed a takedown, but Heun landed a head kick. The fighters traded punches and Heun landed a right hand as Noons threw a leg kick. A hard kick to the body landed for Heun and he followed with a big left hook. Heun punched his way in, but was cracked by a solid counter right. Heun returned to head kicks, but only managed to land one as he bled from beside his left eye.

Heun scored a takedown and Noons tried to work back to his feet. Heun took Noons’s back and tried for a rear-naked choke. He transitioned to a modified Twister, then took mount and landed punches. Noons rolled, but Heun kept the pressure on with big shots. Noons could not get back to his feet and ate more punches and hammerfists. Noons finally stood and dropped Heun just before the bell. Excellent round. 10-9 Heun.

Round 2:
Noons caught a kick and sent Heun to the mat early in the second round, but Heun stood and both fighters landed punches. Noons targeted the body with a left hook and he backed Heun up with jabs. He threw a knee to the body as Heun landed a leg kick. Both fighters connected with left hooks and Noons landed a three-punch flurry. Heun threw a knee to the body and Noons answered with a left hook.

More punches to the body scored for Noons and both landed hard left hooks at the same time. Heun staggered backwards, but recovered and wobbled Noons briefly with a counterpunch. Heun was unsuccessful with a takedown attempt and Noons landed two punches. Heun landed a knee and tried for another takedown. Noons stuffed it and landed a big left. He threw a head kick, but Heun took him down at the bell. 10-9 Noons.

Round 3:
The fighters exchanged body punches in the final round and Heun threw a head kick. Both connected with punching flurries and Heun landed a body kick. Noons landed a knee as Heun shot in for a takedown, but Heun backed him up with a head kick. A big right hook scored for Noons and Heun answered with a knee. He followed with a left hook, but Noons bloodied him with three quick punches. The fighters clashed heads, but quickly recovered.

Heun landed a right hand and a knee to the body, but failed miserably with a takedown attempt. He was successful with his second effort, but only very briefly. Noons stood and Heun threw wild strikes. Heun continued to try to land head kicks and went for a takedown, but Noons stuffed it. Two big punches landed for Heun, but he again failed with a takedown. Heun briefly tripped Noons and kept the pressure on, but Noons landed a counter left. He followed with a hard combination before the bell. Razor-thin round. 10-9 Noons, barely.

Winner: KJ Noons by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30) after three rounds. He improves to 9-2-0.

 

Undercard Fights:

Jeremy Umphries defeated R.J. Clifford by Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:27 of round two. He improves to 5-1-0 with the win.

Hugo Sandoval defeated Marcus Kowal by TKO (Punches) at 0:43 of round two. He improves to 2-2-0 with the win.

 

Strikeforce’s unique Wednesday event at the even more unique Nokia Theatre was largely a success, as fans at the E3 convention in Los Angeles were treated to a solid night of fights. Following his main event victory, Renato “Babalu” Sobral expressed a desire to face UFC veteran and former two-division PRIDE champ Dan “Hendo” Henderson in a rematch well over ten years in the making.

 

 

(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)