Five Quick Rounds 01.10.12: Strikeforce Results, Cyborg Fails, and Franca Gets Sentenced

Posted by Wyatt Beougher on 01.10.2012

From the drug test failure of Cris Cyborg Santos and the most recent Strikeforce results to Hermes Franca going to jail and more, 411 Wyatt Beougher breaks down the week that was in MMA in the latest edition of Five Quick Rounds!



Welcome to the latest edition of Five Quick Rounds, 411's fastest-finishing weekly opinion column. As always, I'm your host, Wyatt Beougher, and I'm writing this column as I look out over Vegas. Unfortunately, I'm only going to have half a day off in the two weeks that I am out here, so it looks like the trip to the Hoover Dam this past Friday (with a follow-up trip to the Strip) will be the only recreation I have while I'm here. If you've never been to the Hoover Dam and you get the opportunity, I highly recommend it. Between the Dam itself, the Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, and the scenery in general, it's a vivid reminder of just how small mankind is in the natural order of things, but also how much we can accomplish when we put our minds to it.



Round 1: Strikeforce Starts the Year Off

**TOUCH OF THE GLOVES**

First week back to being a regular column and I've already got a show to talk about, but it's not a UFC show in a surprising change of events. I was actually going to try to attend this show, since it was literally just down the road from my hotel, but I ended up having to work Saturday and Sunday, and I just didn't have time. At any rate, Strikeforce: Rockhold vs Jardine took place Saturday night, and it was a pretty decent night of fights that didn't really offer a lot of surprises.

Tarec Saffiedine and Tyron Woodley both picked up split decision victories and likely set up a welterweight championship fight in the process, King Mo and Robbie Lawler both picked up TKO victories in less than 100 seconds each, and, in the main event, Middleweight champion Luke Rockhold knocked Keith Jardine silly with just over thirty seconds left in the round. Like I said, decent show, but nothing truly surprising. Hopefully they can get Rockhold a better challenger for his next defense, even if that means rematching with Jacare.

**HORN SOUNDS**



Round 2: Say It Ain't So, Sheborg

***TOUCH OF THE GLOVES***

In what was likely the biggest news of the past week, Strikeforce Women's 145-pound champion Cristiane Santos tested positive for stanozolol, an anabolic steroid, after her title defense against Hiroko Yamanaka. Scott Coker initially stated that he hadn't seen the test results, but that Strikeforce had long-standing policies against PEDs and would work with the CSAC regarding the test result. Coker's boss, Dana White, said that Santos would be stripped of her title and that this could signal the end of the 145-pound division. Coker later said that Cyborg losing her title and being suspended would be good for the 145-pound division, as it would encourage more female fighters to step up and fight in a division suddenly devoid of its extremely dominant champion. It'll be interesting to see if that's the case.

In her defense, Santos claimed that the failed test was a result of taking a dietary supplement because she was having issues cutting weight. This story doesn't fly with me, because athletes use diuretics to lose weight (and also to flush out their systems prior to drug tests), and it wasn't a banned diuretic that she tested positive for, it was an anabolic steroid. And while steroids will help you lose fat, they also cause you to gain muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat, so this story doesn't jibe at all. Also of note, Alistair Overeem passed his UFC 141 drug test, so his UFC career is off to a great start thus far.

(I used the above video of Gina Carano because - a: she was Sheborg's biggest opponent, b: she's amazingly attractive, and c: no one really wants to see a picture of Sheborg.)

***HORN SOUNDS***



Round 3: The Dumb Just Keep Getting Dumber

**TOUCH OF THE GLOVES**

Former UFC fighter Hermes Franca was sentenced to 42 months in prison last week, stemming from charges of sexually abusing an underaged female student at a jiu-jitsu academy where he was an instructor. Franca, if you'll recall, was suspended by the UFC after testing positive for steroids after his unsuccessful title shot against then-lightweight champion Sean Sherk (who also test positive for steroids after that fight). Franca eventually returned, but was released after amassing both a sub-par record and a reputation for having less-than-exciting fights.

In this case, Franca was charged with seven counts of sex abuse in the first degree and two counts of unlawful sexual penetration; he pled guilty to one count of each. In addition to the 42 months of prison time, Franca will also serve 54 months of probation and he must register as a sex offender. As someone with an underaged daughter, I think it's deplorable that Franca used his position of influence as a teacher to abuse a minor, and I'm glad that he was both caught and punished. If it were my daughter, I'd consider the sentence to be too light, but with the detachment of distance, I can say that 8 years (plus a lifetime of being a registered sex offender) is a pretty lengthy sentence.

***HORN SOUNDS***



Round 4: Strikeforce Announces Next Event

***TOUCH OF THE GLOVES***

At this past weekend's Strikeforce show, they officially announced their next show, which will take place on March 3rd and will emanate from Columbus, Ohio, which means that Strikeforce will be taking the place of WEC, which in turn took the place of the UFC as being the show held in conjunction with the Arnold Classic. This is great news for the Columbus area, who have stated in the past how important Zuffa's business was to them, and it should give the Strikeforce fighters a chance to interact with people who are attending the convention, which is always good for growing a fanbase.

Officially announced for the card are the following: Miesha Tate vs Ronda Rousey for the Women's 135-pound championship, Sarah Kaufman taking on Alexis Davis in what is likely a Women's 135-pound title eliminator, Paul Daley facing off against Kazuo Misaki, and KJ Noons fighting Josh Thomson. It's also widely believed that the finals of the Heavyweight Grand Prix will take place at that event, provided Daniel Cormier is cleared to fight and has enough time to get in a proper training camp. This should be a good show, and if I'm home that weekend, I will certainly make the three-hour drive to check it out.

(FYI, I used a picture of Ronda Rousey because a commenter last week questioned if she was attractive because some pictures are and some pictures aren't, so consider that Exhibit A and A1 that she is. I would hazard a guess that she looks less attractive in some photos because they are older and she has grown into her facial features as she has aged.)


***HORN SOUNDS***



Round 5: CM PUNK!

***TOUCH OF THE GLOVES***

Confession: I grew up a wrestling fan. And while I haven't watched a full episode of any WWE or TNA program in years, I do enjoy watching highlights of some of my favorite wrestlers, and CM Punk is currently at the top of that list. He's brash, outspoken, and traditional fans don't care for his ways, which is why it makes perfect sense for him to corner Chael Sonnen at UFC on FOX 2 in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. I had already committed to covering this show for 411 prior to hearing about this announcement, and now I'm extremely glad that I did, because I'll get to see my favorite professional wrestler corner one of my favorite fighters in a title eliminator fight. I honestly cannot wait for the post-fight interview, when Sonnen (and ideally Punk) again calls out Anderson Silva.

And for those wrestling-hating MMA fans who are worried that this is the start of a new WWE/UFC co-promotional agreement that will culminate with Brock Lesnar taking on the Undertaker at Wrestlemania, you can put down those torches and pitchforks, as the deal was made between Punk and Sonnen, not Dana and Vince. You might still see Lesnar taking on the Undertaker at Wrestlemania, but it won't have anything to do with Punk or Sonnen.

***HORN SOUNDS***

And that's it for another week! This will be my first full year writing for 411, and I'm anxious to get it started on the right foot, so I hope everyone enjoyed my return to form this week. Let me know what you thought about this column in the comments or on Twitter: @webeougher. Have a great week, and remember 411Mania for all your MMA needs!