Strikeforce: "Destruction" Results
by Robert Sargent
Showcasing another excellent card, Strikeforce put on a solid show at "Destruction," which saw Renato "Babalu" Sobral become the new Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, while Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith quickly knocked out Terry Martin.
Also on the card, former UFC star Joe "Diesel" Riggs got a much-needed win, Kim "Sugar Free" Couture scored her first victory and Duane "Bang" Ludwig edged out Yves Edwards.
Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith vs Terry Martin
Expected to be a slugfest, this bout did not disappoint, though it ended quickly after Smith knocked Martin out cold with a right hook just 27 seconds into the fight.Both fighters looked to find their range with jabs in the opening seconds, but Smith caught Martin with a short left hook and followed it up with a crushing right hand that sent Martin to the canvas, unconscious. Once again, Martin's chin fails him when matched against a skilled striker. For Smith, it was a big victory and a great way to end the night.
Winner: Scott Smith by KO (Punch) at 0:27 of round one. He improves to 14-5-0, 1 NC.
Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship
Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs Bobby Southworth
Though the outcome was largely expected, Sobral did not look as impressive as many had thought, but he landed a vicious elbow strike late in round one that opened a bad, fight-ending cut above Southworth's left eye, leaving Sobral as the new Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion.Sobral came forward with punches early in round one, then clinched against the cage, but Southworth reversed and took Sobral down. However, as usual, Southworth did absolutely nothing on the ground and Sobral prevented Southworth from doing any damage. Sobral got back to his feet and clinched again, where he landed knees to the legs. Little happened for the next two minutes and referee "Big" John McCarthy - making his return to the sport - separated the fighters. Sobral clinched again and looked for a takedown, but could not get the fight to the ground. Seconds later, he landed an elbow strike that opened up a bad cut above Southworth's right eye. Time was briefly called, but the fight was allowed to continue for the final few seconds. Just before the bell, Southworth caught a kick from Sobral and scored with a flurry of punches, but the round came to a close.
Between rounds, the doctor deemed that the cut was too severe and stopped the fight. As a result, Sobral became the new Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion.
Winner: Renato Sobral by TKO (Doctor Stoppage - Cut) at 5:00 of round one. He improves to 31-7-0.
Duane "Bang" Ludwig vs Yves Edwards
Taking the fight on short notice, Ludwig made the most of his opportunity by edging out an extremely close decision win over the veteran Edwards.Edwards scored a takedown in the opening seconds of round one, then landed small strikes while moving from half-guard to side-control and looking to set up a submission. Ludwig eventually managed to regain guard, but Edwards again moved to half-guard and landed weak strikes. Ludwig regained guard again and looked for a triangle choke, but Edwards escaped and landed a flurry of punches from the top. Edwards controlled position until the bell. 10-9 Edwards.
Edwards began round two with a flurry and a jumping head kick, then tried for a flying knee and more knees in a clinch. Ludwig landed quick punches and a kick, then began to target the body. Edwards scored a brief takedown, but Ludwig got back up and landed a knee to the ribs, then more kicks to the body. Ludwig continued to score with knees to the ribs, but Edwards caught a kick attempt and took Ludwig down. Edwards moved to half-guard and then to side-control. Edwards briefly passed to mount, but Ludwig escaped and got to his feet, then secured a very brief takedown of his own. Edwards scored another takedown and worked from Ludwig's guard. Edwards landed punches before Ludwig got to his feet again. In the clinch, both fighters landed knees to the body before the bell. The round was very close, but Edwards appeared to have controlled enough. 10-9 Edwards.
Ludwig landed a variety of lefts and rights to the head and body in the first minute of round three, as Edwards appeared to tire. Quick combinations scored for Ludwig, who defended a takedown attempt from Edwards. Ludwig took Edwards down, but Edwards kept Ludwig in his guard. Ludwig managed to land some decent punches from the top, but Edwards got back to his feet and both fighters landed knees in a clinch. Edwards tried a punch-kick combo, but it was Ludwig who landed a quick combination of punches and two kicks. Ludwig attempted a pair of head kicks, but both were blocked. Edwards scored a pair of brief takedowns before the bell, but Ludwig had done enough to take round three. 10-9 Ludwig.
All three judges disagreed, however, and gave the razor-thin second round to Ludwig, who took the fight with a Unanimous Decision.
Winner: Duane Ludwig by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 18-8-0.
Kim "Sugar Free" Couture vs Lina Kvokov
This fight seemed to be over before it began, as Kvokov apparently had no interest in fighting Couture and spent most of the short fight turning away from the relentless punches from her opponent.Kvokov looked extremely tentative on her feet as the opening bell rang, and seemed to have zero interest in striking at all, while Couture appeared to be out to make a statement as she opened up with huge combinations in the opening seconds. Kvokov turned her head away repeatedly as Couture teed off with punches, but the referee allowed the fight to continue. Multiple knees to the head and body landed for Couture, as she locked on a Thai clinch and punished her weary opponent. After the fighters separated, Couture unleashed another series of rights and lefts that had Kvokov stumbling to escape, and the referee had seen enough. A solid performance for Couture, but it was evident that Kvokov had little future in the sport.
Winner: Kim Couture by TKO (Referee Stoppage - Strikes) at 1:42 of round one. She improves to 1-1-0.
Joe "Diesel" Riggs vs Luke Stewart
Rebounding from a disappointing loss to Kazuo Misaki, Riggs moved back to the welterweight division and stopped Stewart with strikes in the second round.Stewart came forward and clinched, then scored a trip takedown. Stewart went for a slam, but Riggs used the opportunity to get back to his feet. Riggs avoided a takedown by landing some solid punches, then tossed Stewart backwards. Quick strikes landed for Riggs, but Stewart scored another takedown. Stewart maintained top position and looked to move to mount, but had to settle for side-control. Stewart finally got to mount with 20 seconds remaining, but Riggs quickly regained half-guard just before the bell. 10-9 Stewart.
Stewart used unorthodoxed kicks and punches to enter a clinch early on, but it was Riggs who scored the takedown. From top position, Riggs rained down punches for over a minute, while Stewart tried to nullify as much of the offence as possible. Riggs rocked Stewart with three punches on the ground, then continued to land big shots as Stewart got back to his feet. After a series of unanswered strikes, referee "Big" John McCarthy stopped the fight, giving Riggs a much-needed win.
Winner: Joe Riggs by TKO (Punches) at 2:04 of round two. He improves to 29-10-0, 1 NC.
Luke Rockhold vs Nik Theotikos
After surviving an early guillotine choke, Rockhold controlled much of the remainder of the fight and secured a fight-ending rear naked choke in the latter half of round one.Theotikos countered a missed punch from Rockhold by latching onto a guillotine choke and pulling guard just 15 seconds into the fight. The choke looked to have Rockhold in trouble, but he remained calm and escaped, then landed strikes from Theotikos's guard. Rockhold postured up and continued to land strikes from the top, while Theotikos replied with elbows and punches from the bottom. Rockhold drilled Theotikos with a series of rights to the body, then moved the fight to the cage. Theotikos scrambled to escape, but gave up his back in the process. After absorbing numerous punches to the head, Theotikos rolled over and Rockhold locked on a rear naked choke that forced Theotikos to quickly submit.
Winner: Luke Rockhold by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:06 of round one. He improves to 3-1-0.
Undercard Fights:
Bobby Stack defeated Cyrillo Padilha by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 6-1-0.Eric Lawson defeated Tony Johnson by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:28 of round one. He improves to 8-2-0.
Kurt Osiander defeated Josh Neal by TKO (Punches) at 2:16 of round one. He improves to 4-1-0.
Brian Schwartz defeated Lemont Davis by KO (Punch) at 2:22 of round three. He improves to 1-1-0 and avenges his defeat to Davis from one year earlier.
Darren Uyenoyama defeated Brad Royster by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 5-2-0.
Alvin Cacdac defeated Jose Palacios by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:10 of round two. He improves to 5-4-0.
Zak Bucia defeated Adam Steel by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:35 of round one. He improves to 1-1-0.
Though the battle between Duane Ludwig and Yves Edwards did not end in dramatic fashion, Scott Smith's highlight-reel knockout of Terry Martin, along with many other great fights, ensured that "Destruction" was another top-notch event from Strikeforce.
