Strikeforce came to the Stockton Arena in Stockton, California tonight for Strikeforce Challengers 15. The event was headlined by a lightweight bout between promotional prospect Justin “The Silverback” Wilcox and veteran Rodrigo Damm, as both fighters looked to step closer to title contention.

Also on the Stockton card, military veteran Caros “The Future” Fodor took on David “Tarzan” Douglas in another battle of lightweight prospects, while Scott Lighty faced Strikeforce newcomer Lorenz Larkin in light heavyweight action. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the Strikeforce event.

 

Justin “The Silverback” Wilcox vs Rodrigo Damm

Round 1:
After a lengthy delay before the fight due to the California State Athletic Commission not having medical personnel at cageside, the fight finally began and Damm landed a nice leg kick. He was rocked by two big punches from Wilcox, however, and Wilcox followed up with more punches and body kicks. Damm, bleeding from near the left eye, continued to circle into Wilcox’s powerful right hand. Wilcox threw a head kick and floored Damm with a right hook.

Wilcox dove in with punches on the ground and tried for a guillotine choke. Damm scrambled to his feet, but was thrown down again and began to bleed badly. A battered Damm tried to hold on as Wilcox blasted him with punches from the side. He added knees to the body and more punches and Damm could not get up. The round came to a close with Wilcox on top in Damm’s butterfly guard. 10-8 Wilcox.

Prior to the second round, the fight was stopped by the cageside doctor – who was now present – due to the cut over Damm’s left eye.

Winner: Justin Wilcox by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 5:00 of round one. He improves to 11-3-0.

 

Caros “The Future” Fodor vs David “Tarzan” Douglas

Round 1:
Fodor clinched early on and looked for a takedown, but Douglas countered with punches and a knee to the body. Fodor landed a knee of his own and tried for another takedown, but wound up on the bottom. Douglas took his back and worked for a rear-naked choke, then an armbar. Fodor escaped and the fighters stood. More knees to the body landed for both in a clinch.

Fodor looked to use a guillotine choke to counter a Douglas takedown, but lost the position and scrambled to his feet. He tripped Douglas and threw elbows from the top in Douglas’s half-guard. Fodor stood and dove in with a hard right hand. He worked for a Kimura and nearly got it, but gave up the hold and settled for two elbows before the bell. 10-9 Fodor.

Round 2:
Fodor punched his way into a clinch in the second round and took Douglas down with a guillotine choke. Douglas got back to his feet against the cage, but Fodor landed knees and pulled guard with a guillotine choke. He rolled Douglas over and wound up on top in full mount. He landed big punches, but Douglas held on.

Fodor kept Douglas pressed up against the cage on the ground and threw short elbows, but Douglas managed to regain half-guard. Fodor returned to side-control and looked for a Kimura, then landed two more elbows. He ended the round on top in Douglas’s guard. 10-9 Fodor.

Round 3:
Fodor landed a nice right hook and a knee to open the final round, then followed with punches and more knees in a clinch. He landed a hard knee to the face as Douglas began to wilt. Fodor continued to land knees and short uppercuts as Douglas struggled to defend himself. Two knees to the head and body ended the fight, as the referee intervened on Douglas’s behalf.

Winner: Caros Fodor by TKO (Knees) at 2:12 of round three. He improves to 8-2-0.

 

Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin vs Scott Lighty

Round 1:
Larkin landed a nice left hook and a pair of jumping kicks early on. He stayed busy with more kicks and circled around Lighty, who struggled to find his distance. Larkin continued to batter Lighty with kicks to the body and quick punches. Lighty landed an insight leg kick and sent Larkin off-balance with a counter left hook. He followed with a head kick, but Larkin answered with a combination.

The fighters traded punches in close and Lighty threw a head kick that was blocked. A front kick to the body sent Lighty backwards into the cage. Big punches dropped Lighty twice, but he recovered and battled back to his feet. Lighty turned the tables and scored with a combination of his own and two kicks before the bell. 10-9 Larkin.

Round 2:
Larkin dropped Lighty with punches two more times early in the second round, but Lighty managed to hold on. Larkin punished him with short elbows – now legal in Strikeforce – and kept Lighty down against the cage. Lighty got back to his feet, but appeared wobbly. He recovered and landed a left hook to the body. Lighty lanced a quick combination, but was hurt by a counter left hook. Larkin pushed forward with more punches that dropped Lighty against the cage and the fight was finally stopped.

Winner: Lorenz Larkin by TKO (Punches) at 3:15 of round two. He improves to 10-0-0.

 

James Terry vs Josh Thornburg

Round 1:
Thornburg opened the fight aggressively with kicks and Terry just missed with a right hook. Terry began to score with effective counterpunches as Thornburg struggled with his right hook. Terry landed a nice one-two and a pair of body kicks. He displayed impressive footwork in stepping in and landing punches before Thornburg could answer.

Terry scored with a big combination and a Superman Punch. He followed with another three-punch flurry in close, but Thornburg cut Terry near the right eye with a counterpunch. Body kicks also landed for Terry and he continued to mix up his strikes. An overhand right and a hard leg kick backed Thornburg up. Terry then landed a devastating right hook that dropped Thornburg to the mat, unconscious.

Winner: James Terry by KO (Punch) at 4:38 of round one. He improves to 10-2-0.

 

Damion Douglas vs Wayne Phillips

Round 1:
Douglas clinched early on and reversed a takedown attempt from Phillips. He worked from the top in Phillips’s half-guard, then transitioned and took his back. Douglas attempted a rear-naked choke, but Phillips escaped and stood up. The fighters returned to the centre of the cage and battled for takedowns. Douglas got one against the fence and took Phillips’s back again. Once more, Douglas tried for a rear-naked choke and Phillips scrambled out.

Douglas landed three hard left hooks and Phillips backed up. Phillips threw a head kick and was cracked by a right hook to the temple. The fighters traded big punches that missed, but Douglas connected with another right hook. He appeared to fatigue, however, and circled away. Phillips took him down, but Douglas worked for a Kimura. Phillips took Douglas’s back and secured a very tight rear-naked choke, but time expired and Douglas was saved by the bell. 10-9 Phillips due to the late rally.

Round 2:
The fighters clinched in round two and Douglas pulled guard with a guillotine choke. Phillips stayed calm and worked free, then stood over Douglas. He returned to Douglas’s half-guard and looked to set up an arm-triangle choke. Douglas countered with a Kimura attempt from the bottom as the pace slowed.

Referee Josh Rosenthal stood the fighters up and Phillips landed a pair of knees. Phillips slowed down as well, but managed to connect with three punches. Douglas responded with a one-two and ate another knee. An exhausted Douglas tried for a sloppy takedown and was hit by a pair of right hooks. 10-9 Phillips.

Round 3:
The final round began slowly as the fighters exchanged single punches. Brief flurries landed for both, but the crowd began to boo the lack of action. Douglas fired off a right hook, but it had little effect. A follow-up combination backed Phillips up momentarily, but Phillips responded with a one-two.

Douglas began to target the body as Phillips looked to land a knee. Two hooks connected for Douglas and the fighters returned to throwing single punches. Douglas inadvertently poked Phillips in the eye, but the fight continued on and Douglas landed a nice combination. Phillips scored with a right hook before the bell. 10-9 Douglas.

The judges’ scorecards were read and Douglas was handed a highly questionable decision victory. 30-27 was absurd.

Winner: Damion Douglas by Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 4-1-0.