My Take On MMA 03.31.08: Final Strikeforce ‘Shamrock vs. Le’ (3.29.08) Thoughts

Posted by Larry Csonka on 03.31.2008

Cung Le: New Strikeforce Middleweight Champion and the New King of San Jose.



Introduction:

And I am back again! It's been a busy week with WEC last Wednesday, Live Impact Thursday, Strikeforce on Saturday and WrestleMania on Sunday. We're not done either as we have Fight Night on Wednesday and ShowXC on Saturday! But you know what, it's a great time to be a fan. The WEC delivered once again, and the Strikeforce show looked strong going in, but injuries and other people being pulled off made the card appear weak just day before the show. Could Strikeforce step up and deliver a good show despite the odds? Let's find out.

Final Strikeforce ‘Shamrock vs. Le' (3.29.08) Thoughts~!:

The Fight: MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT - Joe Villasenor (24-6) vs. Ryan Jensen (11-3)
The Result: Joe Villasenor via RD1 (4:45) KO
Final Thoughts: Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, who was set to face off with Joe Villasenor, was pulled from the card when it was determined that the company will not be able to get Santos into the country with enough time for him to go through weigh-ins or to get all his medicals taken care of. Jensen took the fight on short notice, and was coming off of two straight loses to Thales Leites (UFC 74) and Demian Maia (UFC 77). Things didn't get any better for Jensen here. Things were slow in the opening minutes, but the last minute of the fight was great. Villasenor dropped Jensen, who popped right back up. They both started to fire away and Jensen looked to have hurt Villasenor with a hard leg kick. Maybe hurt was the wrong word, pissed off would be better. Villasenor came back with two jabs and a right that leveled Jensen for the KO. Villasenor now has two straight wins, and could be in line for a title shot with another, and I am sure he wants a shot at the title he lost to Rua. A great way to kick off the show.
Larry's Enjoyment Index: 7.4

The Fight: HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT - Mike Kyle (9-5-1) vs. Wayne Cole (10-6)
The Result: Wayne Cole via RD1 (0:42) Submission
Final Thoughts: Before the next fight, Rannallo and Quaddros explained to us that Mike Kyle was coming off of a one-year suspension from a DQ that happened back at WEC 20, involving illegal kicks and punches while TWO officials tried to pull him off of his opponent. He hadn't fought in two-years and they wondered if cage rust would be a problem. I don't know if it was the problem or not but he was HUMBLED by Wayne Cole. Here is what happened: They touch and Cole with jabs and a big shot that misses to begin. Cole shoots, against the cage they go and a slam by Cole. Side control already for Cole, he gets an arm bar and Kyle taps! That was it. Cole never even got full extension on the arm bar, but Kyle wasn't going anywhere either. Where Wayne Cole goes from here is anyone's guess. He came in at 209, and could and should really drop to Light Heavyweight in my opinion. He is 37 years old, and when he fought in a bigger promotion (IFL) he was 0-2. But he looked dominant here, and that is all that matters right now. I want to see more of him to see how good he really is.
Larry's Enjoyment Index: 6.0

The Fight: STRIKEFORCE LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE BOUT - Gilbert Melendez © (13-1) vs. Gabe Lemley (11-6)
The Result: Gilbert Melendez retains via RD2 (2:18) Referee Stoppage (TKO)
Final Thoughts: Next up was the first of two title fights, and the first fight to take it past the first round. Round one was a domination by Gilbert Melendez, as he took Lemley down and beat the shit out of him. Seriously, there is no better explanation. He was connecting with everything and really, you could make the argument that Herb Dean should have stopped the fight at the end of round one. Dean made a similar call on the WEC show, and it is something I have noticed with him at times. He would rather let a guy take punishment and survive the final t10-seconds than stop the fight. In a way in understand, but when you are getting owned as Lemley was, the fight should be stopped. Round two was basically the same as round one, but this time Lemley was just laying there and covering up, offering no defense and the bout was stopped. Whether you like him or not, Gilbert Melendez came out of this fight looking like a dominant champion. His performance was good and it made me want to see him fight again.
Larry's Enjoyment Index: 7.0

The Fight: WELTERWEIGHT BOUT - Drew Fickett (31-5) vs. Jae Suk Lim (9-3)
The Result: Drew Fickett via RD1 (1:14) Submission
Final Thoughts: This was two fights combined into one. Jake Shields was supposed to face off with Fickett to crown the first Elite XC Welterweight Champion. But a back injury took Shields out of the bout. Jae Suk Lim was to face off with Nick Diaz, but due to Diaz listing marijuana on his medical forms and the CSAC deciding that there was not time to have their commission doctor and the personal doctor of Diaz to meet and explain the medical need for the drug, he was pulled from the card. So the two welterweights decided that they would take the fight against each other. Fickett had a lot to lose here, as if he would have lost this fight, he could have found himself out of the title match with Shields on June 14th. Lim would get a trip early, but that is what Fickett wanted. He would get a swank guillotine as Lim stood up, which was a great visual and possibly my favorite submission. Lim would drop down and tap and that was it. Fickett was great after the fight, cutting a pre-wrestling style promo and hyping the fight with Shields, who had stepped into the cage. We had a good fight and promos that made me want to see their title fight, this was a win/win situation.
Larry's Enjoyment Index: 7.5

The Fight: STRIKEFORCE MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE BOUT - Frank Shamrock © (25-8-2) vs. Cung Le (5-0)
The Result: New Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cung Le via RD3 Doctor's Stoppage (Right Arm Injury) TKO
Final Thoughts: And here we were, the main event of the evening. And not only the main event of the evening, but this was a money fight. Both men are hugs in the San Jose area, and this was a title fight, but where some joked, this really was a fight to determine the King of San Jose. They had a great first round that had everything you wanted. They worked the striking, Shamrock tried to be the gamesman, Le answered back with the mockery, and he controlled early. Shamrock made a comeback at the end of the round and in my opinion, as well as two of the judges cards earned the round. Round two was more of the same, Shamrock kept to his promise of keeping the fight standing, and more importantly he was just Frank Shamrock and the crowd loved it. But this round went to Le. He was aggressive, commanding and while he took some shots to the fact, the kicks were taking a toll on Shamrock. Round three kept the greatness going. While Shamrock looked good at times, Le was dominating early and then late and took the round for me.

After the 3rd round Shamrock looked rough as he fell to the mat before he could make it to his corner. I thought maybe his ribs were hurting from kicks, but then we fond out that Le had broken Shamrock's arm and he couldn't continue. The King is dead; long live the King. While Le broke Shamrock's arm, Le didn't leave this fight unscathed. He took a lot of hard shots to the face and ribs, and while he was commanding, I think Shamrock had him figured out and could have still won the fight; unfortunately we'll never know. The bottom line is that in every way this fight lived up to the hype, and it was absolute spectacle.

So now we wonder, where do both men go? Frank likely still has his sights set on a fight with Ken, but with both guys losing, that fight loses a lot of steam to the die-hard fans that wanted to see it. But those aren't the fans that they want, they want the casual fan and Frank is such a promoter that he may be able to pull it off. And then there is Le. Le is a talented and exciting fighter, there is no doubt. But the fact that people are calling him a top 10-middleweight after six fights is stretching it. SIX FIGHTS. That is what you have to remember, six fights and the only person he has defeated is Frank Shamrock. It's a bit early to be calling Le the next big thing, he has the talent, he is exciting, but let's not jump the gun yet.
Larry's Enjoyment Index: 10.0

The Overall:
Best Fight(s): STRIKEFORCE MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE BOUT - Frank Shamrock © (25-8-2) vs. Cung Le (5-0) 10.0
Worst Fight: NONE
Final Thoughts: Much like the WEC show Wednesday this was a great show. Not one bad match and the main event delivered. While this show could have been a disaster, Strikeforce ended up putting on a quality show, and if you missed it, catch a replay. Thumbs up from me!
Show Score: 8.5