(“Ah, we make fight for good time, yes?”)
FIGHT! Magazine is onsite at the Sears Centre and the first fight is about to start. The arena is mostly empty and we’re about to get going with the first fight.
Christian Uflacker vs. Jonatas Novaes (Lightweight bout)
Round One: Uflacker with a double leg and in half guard. Novaes controls his opponents arms. Uflacker postures up, Novaes bucks but can’t escape. Novaes finally gets up, Uflacker on his back. Novaes tries to fall back into a hell hook but lets go and the position we spent the first minute in has been reverse. Both guys attempting to strike but he ref stands them up. Uflacker goes for a takedown, Novaes stuffs it for a second but ends up on his back. Likely 10-9 Uflacker.
Round Two: Leg kick Novaes, then a takedown. Novaes in guard. He stands and punches and falls back into guard. Novaes stands again and kicks Uflackers ass a bit. Uflacker stands, Novaes lands the leg kick-takedown combo again. Uflacker ends up on top, though. Uflacker with punches, Novaes works high guard for a triangle but gets nothing. Body shots from the bottom, Novaes. Uflacker gets crucifix and loses it. Novaes had this round and lost it. 10-9 Uflacker.
Round Three: Leg kick Novaes. Uflacker shoots the double leg and gets it. Novaes is working on bottom and kicks Uflacker in the head. Uflacker is on his back holding his gourd. He gets up then thinks better of it. Uflacker chooses to continue, Novaes isn’t DQ’d but loses points. Uflacker scores a takedown and controls from the top. Novaes active on bottom but he needs a submission or knockout to take the fight at this point. The ref stands them up. Uflacker stuffs a takedown, clinches, changes levels and takes Novaes down. Both guys punching a bit. 10-7 Uflacker if they deducted points from Novaes for the kicks to the head.
Christian Uflacker wins by unanimous decision, 29-26, 30-35, 30-25.
Louis Taylor vs. Nate Moore (Middleweight bout)
Round One: Circle, circle, circle. Moore pursues with punches, Taylor shoots the takedown, Moore stuffs it. Punches from the clinch. Taylor lands two on the way out. Moore against the cage again. Moore eats a knee to the pills but doesn’t even flinch. Taylor gets a talking to and the ref restarts the fight. Moore gets a takedown and lands in half-guard. Side control. The former Purdue wrestler is working but gets reversed. He tries to stand but Taylor keeps him down. Moore stands, takes Taylor down and gets his back. Taylor stands but Moore drags him back down. Taylor stands again but Moore stays on his back. The round ends, likely 10-9 for Moore, takedowns and control.
Round Two: Combination Moore, Taylor covers. Combination Moore, Taylor clinches, drives forward with knees, one of which finds Moore’s balls again. One point deduction. Moore moves forward with punches after the restart and scores a takedown. Moore works for position, mixing in strikes from Taylor’s back. Moore flattens Taylor out and throws punches. Taylor’s doin’ nothin’. Ref stoppage. Nate Moore wins by TKO at 3:29 of round two.
John Kolosci vs. Shamar Bailey (Welterweight bout)
Kolosci is rocking a sweet Scott Ian goatee.
Round One: Bailey charges in for the double leg. Kolosci in butterfly. Kolosci stands long enough to get taken down again. Bailey in half guard. Kolosci stands, Bailey gets a guillotine, Kolosci reverses the position. After a scramble Kolosci ends up on top. Bailey controls arm and escapes. Overhand and takedown, Bailey. In side control. Bailey pulls Kolosci away from the cage, gets mount, then half-guard. Kolosci gets up, throws knees from the clinch. Dirty boxing from Kolosci, wings a punch, Bailey ducks, shoots, scores another takedown. 10-9 Bailey.
Round Two: Another shot of Bailey’s to start the second frame. Kolosci stands and works a guillotine but Bailey is not giving it up. Kolosci tries his own takedown but Bailey shucks him and lands in side. Bailey is too athletic. He gets crucifix but Kolosci gets out and gets up. Bailey keeps the pressure up. Inadvertent knee to the face by Bailey, they stand up and restart. Baily charges again, they clinch against the cage to finish the round. 10-9 Bailey.
Round Three: Missed kick Kolosci. Bailey works a takedown. Bailey in guard. Bailey stands up and Kolosci kicks him off. Single leg takeown Bailey. Side control. Dude is too explosive for Kolosci but Kolosci keeps getting up. Knee to thigh Kolosci, takedown Bailey. Half guard. Bailey finishes the round in control. Not a barnburner but Bailey was dominant throughout. 10-9 Bailey.
Unanimous decision for Shamar Bailey, 29-27.
Jeff Curran vs. Dustin Neace (Feathercatchweight?)
The Big Frog gets a big round of applause from the hometown crowd.
Round One: Low kick/side kick from Curran. Big left hook Curran and another low kick. Neace’s spinning back kick misses. He charges with a knee and Curran cliches and grabs a leg. On one leg, Neace hops and knees Curran’s body. Curran delivers a knee to Neace’s liver and it’s game over. Neace stays on his feet but he’s done. Curran wins by verbal submisson, 1:39 of round one.
Marloes Coenen vs. Roxanne Modafferi (women’s bout)
Roxanne Modafferi, a resident of Tokyo, comes out through the columns of flame to some insane J-pop. Marloes Coenen comes out and plays the stern ass-beater to Modafferi’s hyperactive junior high schooler.
Round One: Strong teep from Coenen, punches, Thai plum, knee, Modafferi takedown and in guard. Coenen gets an arm and that’s it. Marloes Coenen serves Modafferi by armbar at 1:05 of round one. She looks strong on the feet, too. Should be a good one with Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos.
Mark Miller vs. Deray Davis (Welterweight bout) Scratched? Postponed? A figment of our collective imagination? Now we wait for the CBS card.
Antonio Silva vs. Fabricio Werdum (Heavyweight bout)
Round One: They feel each other out for maybe 15 seconds before boo birds come out. Head kick and a miss by Werdum. Lead uppercut Werdum, Silva counters and drops him, raining down punches form the top. Werdum weathers it and Silva lets him up. Leg kick Werdum. Werdum tries to clinmch but Silva throws hands. Werdum gets a clinch but Silva pushes him back then throws him off, forcing Werdum to stand with him. Jab/inside leg kick from Silva. Stiff jab from Werdum into the clinch. Silva with his back against the cage. Silva pummels out and throws hands. Center of the cage. Werdum kick, they exchange hard punches. Werdum throws a kick and Silva watches it fly by his face. Low kicks. Clinch against the cage. Werdum goes down from an elbow, Silva lets him up, the round ends to thunderous applause. 10-9 Silva.
Round Two: Silva catches Werdum in an exchange and Werdum goes down. Silva tries to strike standing and then steps into a lazy mount and gets reversed. Werdum on top but Silva escapes. Inside leg kicks Werdum. Clinch against the cage and the ref seperates and restarts them. Inside leg kick Werdum. Clinch against the cage again. Werdum goes for a single leg, Silva tries to fall into a guillotine but Werdum slips out and lands in half guard. Werdum passes to side, Silva escapes, Werdum rolls and tries a leg lock. 10-9 Werdum.
Round Three: Low kick Silva. Low kick Werdum. Knee from Silva when Werdum tries to clinch. Clinch against the cage, knee to thigh from Werdum. They seperate. Inside leg kick Werdum, takedowm Werdum. Werdum has Silva’s back, throwing punches. Silva stands, they clinch against. – where else? – the cage. Silva landing punches, stuffs a takedown. Silva steps out of a takedown but eats a knee. Werdum working a leg but eats a punch from Silva. Short uppercut silva. Knee to body from Werdum wobbles Silva, he turtles up on the ground, rolls over, Werdum in guard. Werdum dropping punches. Attempts to pass buy Silva regains half-guard. The round ends and it looks like Werdum pulled this one out with persistant pressure. 10-9 Werdum.
Unanimous decision for Fabricio Werdum, 29-28.
Gegard Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (Light heavyweight bout)
Round One: Quick jab Mousasi. High kick Mousasi, blocked And again. Sokoudjou is a few inches short with everything. They clash, Mousasi eats a punch and delivers an inside leg kick/nut slap. Inside leg kick Sokoudjou, set it up with punches. Sokou goes for the takedown, doesn’t get it. Body kick Mousasi. Throw Sokou, gets reverse, Mousasi in side control. Sokou escapes and hits a beautiful trip as Mousasi scrambles. Knees to the head by Sokou. Another takedown by Sokou, lands in half-guard. Sokou stands, Mousasi tries upkicks and then takes Sokou down using his feet. Sokou is showing UP. 10-9 Sokou.
Round Two: Clinch against the cage. Knee to body Mousasi. And again. Knee to thigh Mousasi. Mousasi starts throwing hands in the pocket and Sokou covers and counters. The crowd swells. Sokou tries a trip, Mousasi reverses, the slide down together, Sokou ends up in half-guard (This edition of Saturday Night Fights brought to you by Half-Guard – Half-Guard, low risk, low reward!) Mousasi goes for a kimura, they roll, Sokou escapes. Mousasi on top throwing punches until Sokou turtles up and the ref stops it. Mousasi by TKO (ref stoppage) at 3:43 of round two.
Jake Shields vs. Jason Miller (Middleweight championship bout)
Mayhem enters the arena through a gaggle of geishas. They ditch the umbrellas and shimmy while he dances down the ramp. The announcer calls Jake Shields a, “world-renowned cage master,” which sounds pretty fucking awesome. Miller is world-renowned slap boxing master, so it sets up as a classic cage vs. slap, style vs. style fight. Big John McCarthy gets a huge response.
Round one: Mayhem throws hands and gets taken down for his trouble. Shields gets his back with hooks. Miller gets to his back, Shields in mount. Miller escapes and stands. Shields goes for another takedown and gets it. Punches to Miller’s body. Shields going high-low with punches. Miller gets up, picks Shields up and slams him. Mayhem in guard. He stands and throws, Shields gets up and works a takedown but gets stuffed. Mayhem turns the tables on the wrestler, picking Shields up for a little suplex at the end of the round. Close, but I think Shields took it with persistant takedowns and control. 10-9 Shields.
Round two: Punch exchange. Looks like Shields is bleeding. Miller takes him down, Shields reverses and takes Mayhem’s back. Shields to full mount. Miller escapes momentarily but Shields takes his back again. Mayhem spins around and around and Shields stays on him like stink on shit. They end up some weird stalemate with Mayhem spread eagled on top of Shields. Now Mayhem is on his back against the cage. Shields gets an rear naked choke but Mayhem defends. Scramble and Mayhem is on his feet then on top. I’d say 10-9 for Shields again based on control.
Round three: Takedown Shields, in guard, then side control, then mount, then back. Mayhem rolls and is in guard. On the feet, spinning backfist Mayhem. In the clinch. BJM stops them to retape Mayhem’s glove. Restart – Mayhem knee, takedown Shields. Mayhem with his back against the cage, the crowd starts to boo. Miller gets up, Shields stays on him and gets a single leg. Mayhem is out, on Shields’ back. He’s got hooks, working an RNC. He has it and Shields is literally saved by the bell. Wow. 10-9 Shields.
Round four: Did they just restart with Shields on top against the fence? Might as well have. The crowd chants for Mayhem. BJM stops them and stands them up. The crowd roars. Punches and a knee from Mayhem. Yay! Takedown Shields. Aw. Shields has mount again. Mayhem turns, Shields has his back. Mayhem scrambles and gets out. Shields stays on him. Mayhem is scrambling out of bad spots but Shields is regaining dominant position and staying there. 10-9 Shields.
Round Five: Shields has Mayhem in the clinch, delivering knees to his skull. Down, then back up, Shields is never letting go if he can help it. Back down, Shields in mount then on Mayhem’s back. Mayhem out then back down. They’re up and striking in the final ten second. Looked to me like a clean sweep for Shields. 10-9 Shields.
Jake Shields is the Strikeforce middleweight champion by unanimous decision and the crowd is booing? Judges scored it 48-47, 49-46.
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers (heavyweight bout)
“The Grimm” gets booed walking out. Tacky and unnecessary but fans will do what they do. The arena goes dark and the crowd starts buzzing. Jimmy Lennon announces Fedor and the place goes wild. CBS and Strikeforce and M-1 Global and Rockstar Energy and WAMMA and CSI: Stary Oskol present the main event of the evening.
Round One: Each fighter stalks, finding his distance. Rogers bloodies Fedor’s nose with a jab. Fedor takes Rogers down but Rogers stands and gets underhooks against the cage. Short punches from Rogers. Knees to thighs Rogers. They seperate, BIG HOOK Fedor, takedown Fedor. Fedor in half-guard. Fedor elbow to thigh. Fedor goes for a kimura but gets reversed. Rogers on top doing damage, Fedor gets an armbar bur Rogers escapes. Fedor is bleeding badly. Fedor on top, gets a head and arm choke but Rogers muscles out. Fedor in guard. Fedor stands and dives in with a right. 10-9 Fedor.
Round Two: Stalking. Fedor in the clinch. Fedor is laying hands on Rogers like Benny Hinn. Rogers steps away and charges, back in the clinch. The seperate and Fedor lunges in with a right and knocks Rogers out. He follows with a few punches and BJM stops it. Fedor by KO, 1:48 of round two.
That’s all, folks. Fedor’s mystique is intact and we’re off to the presser. Check back with Fightmagazine.com tomorrow for exclusive content from Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers.
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