After 15 rounds of fighting between Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson, little is solved. Thomson won the first bout, Melendez won the rematch, and the trilogy fight at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier was nearly a tossup.
In the end, the judges scored it a split decision, with two judges scoring it 48-47 for Melendez and the third scoring it for Thomson. The fans seemed to believe Thomson deserved the nod, booing the decision.
Melendez had been considered a huge favorite to win handily, coming in as a 6-to-1 favorite.
He had to survive through several difficult situations to win. His most perilous moment came in the fourth, when Thomson scored a takedown, took his back and applied a rear naked choke. While he had his hands locked, he could never fully get his choking arm under Melendez's chin, and so Melendez eventually worked free.
The second half of the fight was definitely Thomson's, as he landed the heavier blows and marked up Melendez's face. The Strikeforce lightweight champ left with a badly swollen left eye after taking several uppercuts and a head kick in the final two frames.
Melendez couldn't really explain what went wrong late.
"I had control and started cupcaking it out there," he said. "It wasn't my best performance.
The early part of the fight belonged to Melendez.
After a slow-paced first round, he began to assert himself in the second. Much of the action came in sudden, violent bursts after periods of respectful distance. Melendez seemed to inch closer in the second round after figuring out the distance, and had the round's best sequence with a flurry, takedown, and strikes against the cage just after Thomson returned to his feet.
Melendez turned up his pace in the third, moving forward and putting Thomson on his heels. Thomson did get a brief takedown, but Melendez popped up to his feet in a flash and responded with a series of uppercuts. Melendez was the volume puncher, but Thomson did land a few power strikes, and by the end of the round, Melendez's right eye began to swell.
One note to the fight was that Thomson suffered multiple eye pokes, but the referee never deducted a point from Melendez. If he had, the scores would have made the fight a majority draw.
Melendez improved to 21-2 following his seventh straight win. Thomson fell to 19-5 with 1 no contest.
Posted on 19 May 2012 | 11:31 pm
SAN JOSE -- This is the Strikeforce live blog for Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier, a heavyweight bout on tonight's Strikeforce event from HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
Barnett, who has won eight straight fights, will face Cormier, who has never lost in his career, in the Strikeforce Heayvweight Grand Prix final.
Check out the live blog below.
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Round 4:
Round 5:
Posted on 19 May 2012 | 11:30 pm
MMA Fighting has Strikeforce results: Barnett vs. Cormier for Saturday night's fights at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. In the main event, Josh Barnett will battle Daniel Cormier in the Heavyweight Grand Prix final. Also on the main card, Gilbert Melendez will defend his title against Josh Thomson, Rafael Cavalcante faces Mike Pyle and Chris Spang squares off against Nah-Shon Burrell.
Truthfully, Daniel Cormier's progression as a mixed martial artist has been undervalued. Not only is Cormier unbeaten, he's done it in dominant fashion. Of his nine wins, seven have come via stoppage, with six coming in the first round. No one has yet to even be competitive with him. If he had the same resume in the UFC, he'd be buzzed about as the next big thing, a title challenger waiting in the wings. As it is, he's done it mostly under the radar.
That might change for good on Saturday night.
His Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix final opponent Josh Barnett has earned a level of stature and respect that would benefit Cormier if he can pull off the win. If he does, it will put a properly unexpected exclamation point on an utterly unpredictable tournament.
When it began in February 2011, Cormier wasn't even an official entrant. He was an alternate, and not even the first one, as that designation was supposed to go to Shane del Rosario.
But fate stepped in. Zuffa bought Strikeforce, del Rosario was badly injured in a car accident, and Alistair Overeem was cut following an issue with his management.
That left Cormier with a chance to step right into the semifinal, and he blasted his way into the final, knocking out Antonio Silva in a first-round finish last September.
The dominant win put into perspective what a quick study Cormier has been. He came in with a brilliant wrestling resume -- two-time Olympian, international star, and collegiate All-American -- but has done his best work in the standup department.
Those offensive numbers are outstanding. The most significant ones show that while he finds his target, he doesn't often take return fire. According to FightMetric, Cormier lands an average of 3.67 strikes per minute, but is only hit .98 times per minute. That is particularly impressive given that at 5-foot-11 and with a 71-inch reach, he is often at a height and reach disadvantage.
That will again be the case against Barnett, who is 6-foot-3 with a 78-inch reach.
Barnett (31-5) is a very well-rounded fighter. While he's made his bones as a submission artist (he has 17 tapout wins), he's well versed in striking and wrestling as well, skills that have allowed him the versatility to exploit holes in his opponent's game at times.
He has a striking accuracy rate of 48 percent, a tick better than Cormier's. Surprisingly, he's fared far better on takedowns, 58 percent to 27 percent. And he works well in the 50/50 positions.
But Barnett knows where his bread is buttered. He believes himself to be superior to any opponent on the ground, so he's usually insistent on putting the fight on the mat at some point. Barnett does that with his own style, favoring a form of Greco-Roman wrestling that is heavily reliant on body locks and trips.
While Cormier was primarily a freestyle wrestler by training, he's very well schooled in Greco-Roman as well, so Barnett will have his work cut out for him to take the fight down. As mentioned, Barnett has a 58 percent success rate on takedowns, but on the other hand, Cormier has yet to be taken down even a single time in his pro career. That's a point of pride with him, and so it's going to take something overwhelming to get him down.
So a lot of this fight hinges upon whether you believe Barnett can take the fight down. If he can't, then what? One possibility is that Cormier might want to take Barnett down. That though, seems unlikely. Despite his pedigree, he hasn't featured takedowns as a major part of his offense.
So we might be left with a standup fight, or some semblance of one. I think Barnett will exchange, but also try to work Cormier against the fence and look for positions for the takedown. Cormier, who strikes well from close range, is eventually going to find a way to free himself.
Back in the center of the cage, he's grown comfortable with his striking. That's going to happen training at American Kickboxing Academy. While he doesn't necessarily throw together advanced combinations, he pulls off the basics very well, and he has power. In his last fight over Silva, he also showed he was capable of navigating the distance necessary to land that power. Cormier excels in close distance, and because Barnett likes clinches, that could mean trouble.
This is a close fight. Most lines have it as a pick 'em bout for good reason. Barnett knows every trick in the book, but Cormier has a world-class skill, the aptitude to learn, and the ability to put what he's practiced into action. He also has a great training partner in Cain Velasquez, meaning he's been put through the ringer many times, so he won't be overwhelmed by anything Barnett does.
If Barnett can get Cormier on his back, he's capable of finishing. I just don't see him getting it there or keeping it there for long. If Cormier dictates the location of the fight, he'll win by landing the more significant strikes. This wacky tournament seems destined to end in some unexpected way, so Cormier by knockout.
Posted on 19 May 2012 | 11:08 pm
MMA Fighting offers Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier live play-by-play for the finals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. In the main event, former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett faces two-time Olympian Daniel Cormier in the finals of the tournament.
SAN JOSE -- This is the Strikeforce undercard live blog for the Barnett vs. Cormier event from the HP Pavilion.
There will be five fights on the undercard. Gesias Cavalcante vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg
Virgil Zwicker vs. Carlos Inocente, Gian Villante vs. Derrick Mehmen, Quinn Mulhern vs. Yuri Villefort, and James Terry vs. Bobby Green will be featured on the prelims.
Check out the live blog below.
James Terry vs. Bobby Green
Round 1: Lightweight bout between former Affliction fighter Green and the AKA's Terry opens things up. Not much action in the first minute. Green throws a couple jabs, then Terry answers with a front kick. Terry barely misses with a head kick attempt. Terry more active midway through the round, but isn't doing much damage. Terry connects with a left hook. Terry connects with a left and walks into a Green counter. Green lands a combo. Green attempts a takedown and pushes Terry back to the fence. They end up center cage and Terry connects with the biggest punch of the round. MMAFighting scores the round 10-9 for Terry.
Round 2: Terry connects with a left hand and a low kick after a minute of both fighters dancing. Terry finds a home with a big right hand and Green backpedals. Terry connects with a straight right. Green drops his hands and sticks out his tongue; Terry misses with a high kick in response. Terry with a combo. Green finally opening up a bit, connects with a straight left. Terry connects with a left to the jaw and follows with a right to the jaw. Green doing far more talking than fighting as the round ends. MMAFighting scores the round 10-9 for Terry (20-18 overall).
Round 3: Another slow first minute. Green connects with a combo and opens a cut on the bridge of Terry's nose. Terry connects with a left and a low kick, and pushes Green into the fence. Green goes for a knee from the Thai clinch and just misses. Terry throwing with more volume, but Green's punches are landing on Terry's cut. Green lands a combo. One minute left. Terry throwing more, but Green's been more effective with his strikes in the round. Green with a pair of body kicks right before the horn. MMAFighting scores the round 10-9 for Green (29-28 Terry overall).
The judges render a split-decision win for Bobby Green, as he took two out of three 29-28 scores.
Quinn Mulhern vs. Yuri Villefort
Round 1: Welterweight fight here. Mulhern is a Strikeforce Challengers vet. The 21-year old Villefort is 6-0 but hasn't fought in two years. An early exchange ends with Villefort throwing Mulhern to the mat. Villefort with a crisp low kick, Mulhern flicks a couple jabs. Mulhern with a takedown, briefly gets up, goes back into Villefort's guard. Villefort is clearly comfortable on his back, but Mulhern briefly gets his back. They're standing and clinching along the fence. Fight ends up back on the ground, Mulhern on the ground trying to work a shoulder lock. Villefort in Mulhern's guard as the round winds to a close. Villefort lands a late elbow. MMAFighting scores the round 10-9 for Mulhern.
Round 2: Fight goes right back to the ground, Mulhern is in Villefort's half guard. They stand and Villefort drills Mulhern with a knee, which busts open Mulhern's nose. Mulhern transitions from side control to mount, but Villefort escapes. They're briefly back standing, then end back up on the ground. Villefort tries to grab a leg, but Mulhern goes for a choke. One minute left and Villefort is in Mulhern's guard. Villefort connects with several punches in the round's closing seconds. MMAFighting sores the round 10-9 for Villefort (19-19 overall).
Round 3: An early scramble ends with Mulhern in side control. Three minutes left. Mulhern still in side control, but Villerfort spins out and they're both standing. Mulhern shoots, they end up on the ground again and Mulhern goes for a leg lock. Villefort escapes as they contunie scrambling on the ground. Mulhern trying for an arm bar, can't get it. He ends up in the mount with a minute left. More grappling over the final minute as the bout concludes. MMAFighting scores the round 10-9 for Mulhern (29-28 Mulhern).
The judges score the bout a split decision for Quinn Mulhern, on scores of 30-27 and 29-28 for Mulhern and 29-28 for Villefort.
Gian Villante vs. Derrick Mehmen
Round 1: Light heavyweight bout. Villante, the former heavyweight, connects with an early uppercut, which drops Mehmen. He clinches Mehman along the fence and connects on knees to the body as Mehman tries to get up. They're back up, two minutes in. Mehmen flicking jabs. Mehmen rushes Villante but nothing comes of it. Mehmen has a mouse under his left eye. Villante pops him again and they clinch along the fence. Mehmen connects on a kick. MMAFighting scores the round 10-9 for Villante.
Round 2: Not much of note in the opening minute as the two circle each other. Mehmen blocks Villante's attempted high kick. Midway through, a Mehmen counter catches Villante in the eye. Back to action after a brief break. They briefly clinch with about 90 seconds left. Mehmen picks up the pace, connects with a leg kick. Quick scramble on the ground and they're back up. Things open up in the closing seconds as both try to steal the round. MMAFighting scores the round 10-9 for Mehmen (19-19 overall).
Round 3: After another slow opening minute, Mehmen comes in close and eats a couple Villante uppercuts. Villante connects with a leg kick that registers. Mehmen comes out swinging and Villante covers up and gets to safety. Mehmen walks into a jab. Villante stalking him, lands a low kick. Midway through the round. Mehmen breathing heavily. Villante landing straight lefts. The two clinch and Villante throws a knee. Villante lands a big right. Another leg kick. Mehmen shoots for a takedown and gets Villante to his knees along the fence as the fight ends. MMAFighting scores the round 10-9 for Villante (29-28 Villante overall).
Gian Villante wins via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27).
Virgil Zwicker vs. Guto Inocente
Round 1: Marcos Rosales is your referee for this one. An early exchange ends with the fighters clinching. Inocente lands a head kick, but Zwicker shakes it off and gets a takedown. They're back up. Inocente opening up, connects with a couple kicks. Inocente just misses on a spinning back fist. Inocente lands a knee to the body and to the head. Credit Zwicker's toughness. Zkwicker with a spinning back fist of his own. Zwicker appears to be bleeding from the nose. Inocente with a knee. Zwicker with a sweet throw. They back standing late. Inocente clearly more skilled and Zwicker is clearly tough. First real crowd response of the night. MMAFighting scores the round 10-9 for Inocente.
Round 2: Inocente slips going for a head kick and Zwicker ends up in his guard. We're back standing, 90 seconds in. Wild exchange of punches and kicks. Inocente lands a knee. Zwicker catches a Inocente kick and backs him into the cage. Two minutes left, standing, Inocente connects with a spinning back fist. They trade knees. Zwicker again catches a kick. Greco clinch, Inocente tries for a throw, doesn't get it. Back to their feet. Zwicker with a spinning back fist. Both fighters breathing hard, Zwicker goes for a late takedown. MMAFIghting scores the round 10-9 for Inocente (20-18 overall).
Round 3: More of the same in the early going, just at a much slower pace. Zwicker really digs in for a takedown attempt but doesn't quite get it. Zwicker throws his billionth spinning back fist. Zwicker catches Inocente's kick for the billionth time. Inocente lands a knee to the head and Zwicker shakes it off. Two minutes to go. Both guys completely gassed. They clinch along the fence with about a minute left. Zwicker hits a standing elbow. Zwicker giving everything he has left in the closing minute. Thirty seconds left. Zwicker blocks an Inocente flying knee. Zwicker charges at him. Fight ends, crowd gives both guys a much deserved ovation for effort, if not technique. MMAFighting scores the round 10-9 for Zwicker (29-28 Inocente overall).
Guto Inocente wins via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
Gesias Cavalcante vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg
Round 1: Cavalcante with a takedown a minute in and works for a submission. Has a guillotine, but it doesn't appear tight. They're back up. Vallie-Flagg seems to eat a kick every time he comes close, so he keeps his distance. Vallie-Flagg hits a running knee. Cavalcante pops him with a head kick, then misses with another late. MMAFighting scores the round for Cavalcante, 10-9.
Round 2: Fight hits the ground. Cavalcante in Vallie-Flagg's half-guard. They're back to their feet. Cavalcante connects with a straight left and a low kick. Vallie-Flagg keeping his distance. Midway through the round. Vallie-Flagg has a streak of blood streaming below his right eye, which Cavalcante targets. Clinch work along the fence in the final minute. Cavalcante throws an elbow after the final horn. MMAFighting scores the round for Cavalcante, 10-9 (20-18 overall).
Round 3: Vallie-Flagg starts with a flurry, backing Cavalcante into the fence. Back to center cage. Vallie-Flagg is fighting like someone who was told by his corner in between rounds that he's losing the fight. Vallie-Flagg connects with a standing elbow and a front kick. Cavalcante backs Vallie-Flagg into the fence, but Vallie-Flagg reverses. Vallie-Flagg's head kick lands. Two minutes left, Vallie-Flagg the more active of the two. Vallie-Flagg with a flying knee in the final minute. They finish with a flourish. Valiant third-round by Vallie-Flagg. MMAFighting scores the round for Vallie-Flagg, 10-9 (29-28 Cavalcane overall).
Isaac Vallie-Flagg wins via split decision, getting two of three 29-28 scores.
Posted on 19 May 2012 | 10:59 pm
SAN JOSE -- This is the Strikeforce live blog for Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson, a lightweight bout on tonight's Strikeforce event from HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
Melendez, who has won six straight fights, will defend his lightweight title against Thomson, who has won his last three Strikeforce fights, on the main card. It will be the third meeting between the two fighters.
Check out the live blog below.
Round 1: Trilogy fight here. Thomson won the first bout and Melendez the rematch. Thomson got a mixed reaction from the crowd and Melendez a big ovation. Dan Stell is your referee. Thomson counters Melendez's early flurries. Melendez scores a takedown. They scramble back to their feet. Thomson clearly doesn't want a firefight. Brief exchanges. One minute left. Thomson with a combo and a high kick late, Melendez follows with a quick takedown. MMAFighting scores the round for Melendez, 10-9.
Round 2: Round two starts off at the same pace as round one. Thomson occasionally going for the high kick. Melendez throwing looping 1-2 combos. Melendez connects on an uppercut. Time out as Thomson catches something in the eye, didn't quite see it live and no replay on the screen. First real exchange of the round, Melendez gets the better of it. Melendez with a takedown. One minute left. Back up with 20 seconds left. Melendez stuffs Thomson's takedown attempt. MMAFighting scores the round for Melendez, 10-9 (20-18 overall).
Round 3: Melendez connects with a 1-2, goes for a double-leg, doesn't get it. Thomson connects and scores damage for the first time in the fight. Melendez backpedaling. Thomson with an uppercut and Melendez with a counter. Thomson with a trip, Melendez right back up. Thomson appears to be cut by his hairline. Pace slows. Melendez gets inside and lands several uppercuts. Thomson again claims an eye poke, scrambles away. Referee won't give him a time out this time. Thomson goes for a takedown, Melendez shakes him off. Melendez has a welt around his right eye. Closest round, but still Melendez's. MMAFighting scores the round for Melendez, 10-9 (30-27 overall).
Round 4: Melendez's right eye nearly closed as the round starts. Melendez measures Thomson and connects with a right hand. Thomson registers with a sharp straight left, followed by a head kick. Melendez goes for a double leg, picks up Thomson, and slams him. They get up and Melendez hits a standing elbow. Midway through, Melendez goes for a double leg but can't take Thomson down. Thomson drops Melendez and ends up in Melendez's guard. Gets Melendez's back as he tries to get up, gets a rear-naked choke. One minute left. Melendez breaks it but Thomson sinks it back in. 30 seconds left. Melendez breaks it a second time. Melendez gets to his feet, Thomson slams him, but still Thomson hangs on. Melendez survives. Tremendous sequence to finish the round. MMAFIghting scores the round for Thomson, 10-9 (39-37 Melendez overall).
Round 5: Biggest ovation from the crowd all night as round five starts. A "Gilbert" chant breaks out. Thomson looks confident. Melendez scores a takedown. Thomson back to his feet. Two minutes in. Thomson steps into a huge right that just misses Melendez. Melendez blocks a high kick. Thomson registers a flurry. Two minutes left. Thomson once again claims an eye poke. Brief break. Back to action. Hellacious flurry by Thomson, finished off with a knee. Crowd now chanting for Thomson. One minute left. Thomson with a takedown. Thirty seconds left. They finish with Thomson in Melendez's guard. Got a feeling this one will come down to how the judges scored a close round three. Big ovation from the crowd at the finish. MMAFighting scores the round for Thomson, 10-9 (48-47 Melendez overall).
Gilbert Melendez wins via split decision, taking two of three 48-47 scores.
Posted on 19 May 2012 | 10:46 pm
Revenge was short, brutal and sweet for Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante.
The Brazilian, who had lost to Mike Kyle in 2009, avenged the defeat with a swift submission win at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier.
It took him just 33 seconds.
Cavalcante rocked Kyle early in the fight with a knee to the head while Kyle was ducking low. Feijao swarmed for the finish on the ground, but Kyle managed to defend, and as he worked to his feet, Cavalcante snatched his neck and cinched in the guillotine choke.
Kyle held him up for a few seconds, but soon fell to the ground, and Cavalcante turned him over for the tighter, mounted guillotine. Kyle insta-tapped, giving Cavalcante the win.
The former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champ Cavalcante improved to 12-3, and it's possible he will move on to fight for the currently vacant belt.
"If Strikeforce gives me a chance, I want the belt," he said.
Kyle fell to 19-9-1 with 1 no contest.
Posted on 19 May 2012 | 10:34 pm
In a brutal 95 seconds of action, Chris Spang utilized a devastating left hook to knock Nah-Shon Burrell down, and then brutalized him from the clinch with knees and elbows in scoring a first-round knockout at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier.
The 24-year-old Swede rebounded from a unanimous decision loss in his last Strikeforce bout to improve to 5-1.
Burrell barely had a chance to get started before the fight was over.
He started the fight off well, with a mix of strikes as Spang circled from the outside. But the bout's complexion changed completely when Spang dropped him with the hook. Though Burrell quickly rebounded to his feet, Spang's accuracy never let him off the hook. According to stats aired by Showtime, Spang landed 44 of 56 strikes (79 percent).
Spang initiated a Muay Thai clinch and crushed him with a series of knees to the face. It appeared that ref Josh Rosenthal could have stopped the fight sooner, as Burrell looked out of it but somehow managed to stay on his feet. Finally, after elbows and uppercuts, Burrell fell down face-first, and Rosenthal waved the fight off.
Burrell fell to 8-2, suffering his first loss in seven fights.
Posted on 19 May 2012 | 10:25 pm
SAN JOSE -- This is the Strikeforce live blog for Rafael Cavalcante vs. Mike Kyle, a light heavyweight bout on tonight's Strikeforce event from HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
Cavalcante, who has won four of his past five fights, will battle Kyle, who has won two of his last three Strikeforce fights, on the main card.
Check out the live blog below.
Round 1: Marcos Rosales is the referee for this light heavyweight rematch. A gigantic knee right out of the gate drops Kyle in a hurry. Cavalcante follows with a series of hammer fists. Cavalcante catches Kyle in a standing guillotine as Kyle gets up. Kyle slams him, Cavalcante holds on, and Kyle taps.
Rafael Cavalcante wins via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:33 of round one.
Posted on 19 May 2012 | 10:19 pm