“Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley” took place Saturday night inside the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. A pair of spectacular championship affairs headlined the Showtime broadcast.
Saturday night’s card was the first Strikeforce event under Zuffa’s control and the event didn’t disappoint. The co-main events lived up to their billing and entertained not only the fans in attendance, but also those who watched on Showtime.
Gilbert Melendez was out to show the world that he should be gettin’ some love at the top of MMA’s lightweight ladder, as he easily dispatched of Tatsuya Kawajiri to retain his lightweight title.
Melendez’s training partner, Nick Diaz, also put his title on the line and had former UFC vet Paul Daley on spaghetti legs as “Big John” McCarthy stopped the action with only three ticks left in the opening stanza.
Former light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi took on Keith Jardine, but was unable to notch a win as a costly point deduction prevented the Armenian fighter from securing his the 31st win of his career. Instead the judges ruled their 205-pound bout a majority draw.
Although there were some awesome fights on display last night, Strikeforce hasn’t yet adopted the UFC’s policy of awarding “Fight of the Night” bonuses.
Quick Results:
Preliminary Bouts:
Casey Ryan Defeated Paul Song via Submission (Guillotine) at 1:39 in the 1stRound
Rolando Perez Defeated Edgar Cardenas via Unanimous Decision (30-27, All Three Judges)
Hermann Terrado Defeated A.J. Matthews via TKO at 4:16 in the 1stRound
Joe Duarte Defeated Saad Awad via Submission (Armbar) at 2:45 in the 2ndRound
Virgil Zwicker Defeated Brett Albee via TKO at 1:46 in the 1stRound
Robert Peralta Defeated Hiroyuki Takaya via Split Decision (30-27, 30-27, 28-29)
Main Bouts:
Shinya Aoki Defeated Lyle Beerbohm via Submission (Face Crank) at 1:33 in the 1stRound
Gegard Mousasi vs. Keith Jardine Ruled a Majority Draw (29-27 – Mousasi, 28-28, 28-28)
Gilbert Melendez Defeated Tatsuya Kawajiri via TKO (Strikes) at 3:14 in the 1stRound
Nick Diaz Defeated Paul Daley via TKO (Strikes) at 4:57 in the 1stRound
Post-Fight Notes:
Gilbert Melendez
Says he means no disrespect but he’s been in the sport longer then Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard and has accomplished more than them.
The Octagon allows fighters to back-pedal more and Strikeforce’s hexagon makes you fight.
Nick Diaz
Believes he fought a smart fight against Paul Daley and that the best thing to do is accept the punching power of a big puncher.
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