411's Strikeforce Challengers Series 6 Report 2.26.10
Posted by Jeremy Lambert on 02.27.2010
Sarah Kaufman won the Strikeforce Womens Welterweight title with a Unanimous Decision victory over Takayo Hashi in the nights main event. Elsewhere, Luke Rockhold stopped Paul Bradley with knees to the body in the first round and Karl Amoussou vs. Trevor Prangley ended in a technical draw due to an eyepoke. Click for the full report.
Strikeforce Challengers: Kaufman vs. Hashi
From The Civic Auditorium in San Jose, California
Live on Showtime
-Challengers Series opening.
-Mauro Ranallo, Stephen Quadros, and Pat Miletich are the hosts.
-Mauro runs down the card.
-Quadros talks about the style match up between Kaufman, who is a striker, against Hashi, who is a grappler.
-Kaufman talks about how she finishes fights. Hashi plans on being aggressive and winning by decision.
-Miletich talks about Bradley vs. Rockhold. Bradley is a powerful wrestler who trains with Greg Nelson while Rockhold is a submission fighter who trains at AKA.
Middleweight Fight: Raul Castillo (6-0) vs. Yancy Medeiros (3-0)
Round One: Castillo moving away a lot. Medeiros with a good right hand. They trade leg kicks. Castillo looking very uncomfortable on his feet. Castillo ducks under a left hook and looks for the takedown. Medeiros stays on his feet and Castillo puts him against the cage. He gets the takedown but Medeiros right back up. Still in the clinch against the cage with Castillo controlling. Castillo drops for the single. Medeiros continues to fight off the takedown and Castillo gives up on it. Body kick by Medeiros. Medeiros pressing forward. Castillo with another takedown attempt but Medeiros shrugs it off. Medeiros with a right hand. Castillo looking for the takedown again. Medeiros stays on his feet but Castillo forces him against the cage. Castillo has a single leg and switches to a double. Medeiros with a knee and they break. Medeiros with a good combo. Overhand right by Medeiros. Medeiros tagging Castillo at will. Knee followed by a left and a right by Medeiros. Medeiros sprawls as the round ends.
10-9 Medeiros. All Medeiros on the feet and he fought off every takedown attempt.
Round Two: Medeiros with a good knee as Castillo ducks under. He follows up with a good combo. Superman punch by Medeiros. Medeiros with his hands very low, no respect for Castillo's striking. Good jab by Medeiros. Spinning backfist by Medeiros but it was mostly blocked. Medeiros pecking away with the jab. Right hand by Medeiros. Leg kick by Medeiros. Leg kick by Castillo but he eats a left. Good combo by Medeiros. Castillo ducks under a left hook and tries to get the takedown but Medeiros stays on his feet. Great balance by Medeiros. They break from the clinch. Sprawl by Medeiros. Back on the feet. Leg kick by Castillo as the round ends.
10-9 Medeiros. He's having his way with him on the feet and continuing to avoiding the takedowns.
Round Three: Medeiros catches Castillo with a grazing groin kick. They fight on. Left hook by Medeiros followed by a right. Castillo shoots but Medeiros stuffs it. Castillo pushes him against the cage and has a single. Castillo working hard for the takedown but can't get it. The ref breaks them. Left hook by Medeiros followed by another. Big knee by Medeiros as Castillo shoots in. Castillo catches Medeiros with a knee to the groin. The action breaks and the ref says, "you're all right" and tells them to fight on. Medeiros wasn't given his 5 minutes. Big right hand by Medeiros. Castillo with a desperation shot but Medeiros easily avoids it. Castillo back up and eats an uppercut. Head kick by Castillo is blocked. Medeiros sprawls and Castillo falls to his back. Medeiros stands over him and does nothing, forcing the ref to allow Castillo to stand. Big right hand by Medeiros. Castillo looks for another takedown as the round ends.
10-9 Medeiros. Another dominating round.
Official Decision: Yancy Medeiros by Unanimous Decision (30-27 across)
-Medeiros thanks everyone in Hawaii.
-A recap of Herschel Walker's MMA debut.
-Walker is with Mauro. He thanks AKA for helping him get ready for that fight. He says MMA is the toughest sport in the world. Mauro asks if Walker will fight again and Walker says that he's leaving that up to his trainers. Walker talks about getting into curling as his next adventure.
-Gilbert Melendez joins Mauro. Melendez says that a third fight with Josh Thomson, "has to be done." He says he wants to fight Shinya Aoki.
-Mauro says that Strikeforce will have a major announcement on Monday.
Welterweight Fight: James Terry (7-1) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (7-2)
Round One: Right hand by Terry followed by a leg kick and another right. Good left by Saffiedine. Another left followed by a leg kick by Saffiedine. Terry presses forward but comes up short with his punches. Double jab by Saffiedine. Good right hand by Saffiedine as Terry throws a kick. Left hook by Saffiedine. Good combo by Saffiedine. Good one-two by Saffiedine and then he charges in with a knee but just misses. Terry looks for a takedown by Saffiedine shrugs it off. They both just miss with the right. Right hand by Saffiedine. Good combo by Saffiedine. They each throw a head kick and they're both blocked. Roundhouse kick by Saffiedine lands. Good left by Saffiedine followed by a one-two. Terry shoots and gets the takedown. Terry in guard. Saffiedine pushes him away and gets back to his feet. Terry presses forward but Saffiedine moves away. Right hand by Saffiedine. Terry cut under the left eye. The round ends.
10-9 Saffiedine. He landed the better strikes on the feet.
Round Two: Right hand by Saffiedine. Left hook followed by a leg kick by Saffiedine. Saffiedine just misses with an uppercut. Saffiedine looks for the jumping knee but Terry avoids it. Saffiedine grabs a plum clinch and tries to knee but Terry moves away. Good uppercut by Terry. Saffiedine with a good combo. Right hand by Terry. Saffiedine putting together his combos better than Terry and is landing more. Leg kick by Terry and then he avoids the right. Another right by Saffiedine. Good combo by Saffiedine. Good leg kicks by Terry. Terry bleeding for the mouth. Good right by Saffiedine and then he shrugs off a takedown. Left followed by a leg kick by Saffiedine. Terry ducks under a right and looks for the takedown but Saffiedine shrugs him off. Good combo by Terry. Good jab by Terry. Good leg kicks by Terry. Sprawl by Saffiedine. The round ends.
10-9 Saffiedine. Won the stand up battle again.
Round Three: Right hand by Saffiedine as Terry throws a body kick. Saffiedine pressing forward and landing good punches. Knee by Saffiedine as Terry ducks his head. Left followed by a right by Saffiedine. One-two by Saffiedine. Terry shoots and gets the takedown but Saffiedine right back up. Terry still in the clinch and has Saffiedine against the cage. Saffiedine spins away and they break. Good combo by Terry. Terry clinches and pushes Saffiedine against the cage. Knee by Saffiedine and Terry just misses with an elbow on the break. Left hook by Saffiedine. Good right by Saffiedine. Terry bleeding badly from the cheek. Saffiedine picking Terry apart. Saffiedine grabs the plum and lands some good knees although Terry partially blocks them. Both men running out of gas. Right hand by Saffiedine. Terry returns fire. Body shots by Saffiedine. Terry clinches and eats a knee. They break. Leg kick by Saffiedine. Good combo by Saffiedine. Saffiedine really looking for the knee as he gets inside. Good exchange by both men. Saffiedine shrugs off a takedown. Spinning back kick by Saffiedine. Terry looks for the takedown and as he goes to pick him up Saffiedine shows strong hips and ends up on top of him. Saffiedine in mount landing strikes but the round ends.
10-9 Saffiedine. Another easy round for him.
Tarec Saffiedine by Unanimous Decision (30-27 across)
-Saffiedine says that Terry is a really tough fighter.
-Mauro talks about Lavar Johnson's situation where he was shot and almost lost his life but survived. Johnson's cousin died in the shooting. Johnson has been medically cleared to fight again. Johnson joins Mauro. Johnson says he wasn't worried about fighting when he was in the hospital. Johnson will headline the next Strikeforce Challengers event againt Lolohea Mahe. He's looking forward to the fight and says that he's taking fighting more serious now.
Middleweight Fight: Luke Rockhold (6-1) vs. Paul Bradley (12-1)
Round One: Rockhold comes out southpaw. Head kick by Rockhold but he swings high. They clinch and Bradley with a good right on the break. Rockhold pressing forward but Bradley covers well. Rockhold switches stances. Rockhold catches Bradley coming in and he drops him. Rockhold follows up with a left hand. Rockhold on top of him but Bradley regains guard and pushes Rockhold away. Rockhold tries to grab a guillotine on the way up but Bradley pulls out. Back on the feet. Big right hand by Rockhold by Rockhold drops Bradley. Rockhold tries to finish with a guillotine but Bradley pulls out. They clinch. Knees to the body by Rockhold and Bradley doubles over. The ref jumps in and stops it.
Official Decision: Luke Rockhold by TKO at 2:24 in Round One
-Rockhold says he wants to fight tough competition.
Middleweight Fight: Trevor Prangley (22-5) vs. Karl Amoussou (11-2-1)
Round One: Prangley presses forward and Amoussou lands some big punches. Prangley survives and steps back. Quick hands by Amoussou. Crowd growing restless at the lack of action. Amoussou misses with a left. They clinch but quickly break. Prangley with another clinch and gets the takedown. Prangley in half guard. Amoussou traps the right arm so Prangley can't posture up. The ref stands them up. Right hand by Amoussou. Prangley ducks under and lands a good knee. Big right hand by Amoussou followed by another. Another right by Amoussou and Prangley fires back with a right of his own. Body shot by Prangley. Prangley catches Amoussou with a finger to the eye. The doctor comes in to check him out. Amoussou's right eye is shut and he says that he can't see. The doctor advises the ref to stop the fight and the ref does just that.
-The crowd is booing the call but Amoussou said that he couldn't see. Amoussou is upset that the fight is stopped.
Official Decision: Technical Draw due to Eye Poke at 4:14 in Round One
-The rule director explains that Amoussou said that he couldn't see and the doctor made the call to stop the fight.
Womens Welterweight Title Fight: Sarah Kaufman (10-0) vs. Takayo Hashi (12-1)
Round One: Hashi using leg kicks to start. Kaufman with a big right that drops Hashi. Hashi right back up and she clinches. Kaufman controlling the clinch against the cage. They trade knees to the thighs. Body shots by both women. The ref breaks them. They trade left hands. Left hook by Kaufman followed by a leg kick. Big left hook by Kaufman. Stinging left drop Hashi to a knee but she's back up. Hashi throws a head kick but it's blocked. Right hand by Kaufman. Double jab by Kaufman. Left hook by Kaufman. Kaufman drops Hashi with a right as Hashi threw a leg kick. Hashi tries for a single as Kaufman comes in but Kaufman just stands up. Leg kicks by Kaufman. The round ends.
10-9 Kaufman. All Kaufman on the feet.
Round Two: Right hand by Kaufman. Leg kick by Kaufman. Hashi with a leg kick of her own. Kaufman pecking away with the jab. Hashi goes down again but she's back up. Right hand by Kaufman. Right hand by Hashi and Kaufman returns fire. Left hook by Kaufman and Hashi lands a good counter. Hashi with good leg kicks. More leg kicks by Hashi. Right hand by Kaufman followed by another as Hashi throws a leg kick. Double jab by Kaufman. Right hand by Kaufman. Quick flurry by Kaufman to end the round.
10-9 Kaufman. Same as round one.
Round Three: Quick combo by Kaufman. Kaufman catches the body kick and drops Hashi with a right hand. Hashi back up. Left hook by Kaufman. Body kick by Hashi. Good combo by Kaufman. Double jab by Kaufman followed by a good combo. Good right hands by Kaufman as Kashi tries to get in tight. Good combo by Kaufman. The fight is all Kaufman on the feet. Big right by Kaufman. Kaufman pecking with the jab. Right hand by Hashi. Double jab by Kaufman. Right hand by Kaufman knocks down Hashi but she's back up again. Leg kick by Kaufman. Stiff left by Kaufman. They clinch and Kaufman lands a good left. Triple jab by Kaufman. Hashi shoots and Kaufman shrugs it off. They clinch as the round ends.
10-9 Kaufman. Another dominating round.
Round Four: Hashi coming up short with her strikes. Big left hook by Kaufman. Good jabs by Kaufman. Hashi shoots but Kaufman stuffs it and they clinch. Kaufman controlling the clinch and has Hashi against the cage. Hashi reverses and is working for the takedown. Kaufman stays on her feet. The ref breaks them. Kaufman continues to pick apart Hashi. They trade right hands. Hashi shoots and Kaufman stuffs it again. They clinch against the cage with Kaufman controlling. Body shots by Kaufman. Knees by Kaufman. Right hand on the break by Kaufman. Hashi with another shot and Kaufman sprawls. Hashi trying to pull guard but Kaufman pulls away and gets to her feet. Hashi back up. Right hand by Kaufman. Kaufman continues to peck away with the jab. The round ends.
10-9 Kaufman. More of the same.
Round Five: Leg kick by Kaufman followed by a left. Leaping left hook by Kaufman. Quick flurry by Kaufman. Double jab by Kaufman. Hashi shoots and Kaufman sprawls. Hashi falls to her back and Kaufman gets to her feet. Hashi stands up. Right hand by Kaufman. They trade leg kicks. Right hand by Kaufman after taking a body kick. Hashi shoots and pulls half guard. Kaufman gets to her feet and pulls away as Hashi grabs her ankle. Back on the feet. Hashi shoots and tries to pull guard again. Kaufman again gets back to her feet. Front kick by Hashi. Right hand by Kaufman. Kaufman continues to double up on her jab. Kaufman catches the kick and pushes Hashi down. Hashi back up. Hashi gets poked in the eye. Hashi says she's fine and the fight continues. Hashi shoots and Kaufman sprawls. Back on the feet. Double jab by Kaufman. Kaufman shrugs off one more takedown as the round ends.
10-9 Kaufman. All Kaufman again.
Official Decision: NEW STRIKEFORCE WOMENS WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION - Sarah Kaufman by Unanimous Decision (50-45 across)
-Kaufman says that Hashi put up a great fight and thanks her sponsors and camp. Kaufman apologizes for not finishing the fight.
