by Adam Lawman
Yeah….So that happened last night.
There was a lot to love about Strikeforce: Houston but there was also quite a bit to loathe. For every stunning KO and takedown there was a referee issue or something else to counter the excitement. Overall, the event was a gambler’s dream with many underdogs finding their way to the win column, including the first fight of the night (and biggest upset) which saw Chad Griggs work through 16 months of ring rust to defeat the over-hyped Bobby Lashley.
Griggs looked a little rough at first and Lashley seemed to be able to take him down pretty easily, but once on the ground Lashley went blank and wasn’t able to cause much damage and never once looked for a submission. Instead, he played the positional control game, trying to nullify his opponent’s movement rather than looking for a finish. This worked for only a while before Lashley became tired and started huffing and puffing. Griggs actually worked his way back up a few times and started to expect Lashley to shoot and used uppercuts to counter the wrestler. One such strike opened a decent gash under Lashley’s left eye which introduced the former TNA star to real pain very quickly. Lashley was able to battle through and even got another takedown however referre Jon Schorle decided to stand up the fighters as Lashley was in mount. I’m not sure if it was the cut he was checking on or if he really doesn’t get MMA, but nonetheless it changed the pace of the fight. Lashley, whom had gassed a la Shane Carwin, looked zombified and stiff which lead to him getting rocked on his next takedown attempt. Griggs took advantage of the situation and pummelled Lashley until the end of the second round. That round would be the last as Lashley waved off the third due to exhaustion and the beating his cranium took.
First thing’s first, Jon Schorle is a horrible referee. The stand up he called for when Lashley had mount was downright ridiculous. That type of handling of a fight is a major disruption to the legitimacy of the competition and has no place at any level of the sport. It’s disgusting to see so many referees whom are ignorant about the fights, specifically the intricacies of positioning and technique on the ground.
Secondly, Lashley is obviously not ready for the big time. In fact, he may not be cut out for MMA. Granted, he showed toughness to persevere as long as he did but you could see was giving up on himself mid-fight. He has a lot of work to do if he wants to gain credibility and have a shot in this sport. It could happen with a rededicated focus on his career, but the question is if he’s really committed to doing that.
On to fight number two: KJ Noons and Jorge Gurgel. I was so surprised when Gurgel decided to stand rather than use his BJJ skills (caution: the previous sentence contains sarcasm). Noons looked cautious to begin and Gurgel took advantage gaining an early lead in the striking department. Noons soon started answering and countered beautifully, specifically at the end of round one when he knocked Gurgel out cold. The strike was thrown right at the bell and Gurgel used the time in between rounds to collect his consciousness. He wouldn’t regain it long before Noons went on the attack again and KO’d Gurgel for the second time in the fight. However, that wasn’t enough for the referee. Gurgel out of survival instincts grabbed Noons leg and received a few more blows to the head, including an illegal kick, before the official decided that maybe the fight should be over. The kick would not lead to disqualication though, based on the fact that the fight was being called off before Noons connected. Overall, Noons looked much better than Gurgel and deserved the victory.
Next up for Noons could be a grudge match waiting in the welterweight division. Strikeforce has confirmed that Nick Diaz will headline the October 9th card and rumors are circling that a rematch with KJ Noons is likely however the bout is not yet official. I’d love to see that over any other option but if something falls through, then let’s see Noons take on Lyle Beerbohm or Josh Thomson for lightweight number one contention.
Next up was the middleweight championship between Tim Kennedy and Jacare Souza. Jacare’s stand up game was much improved and he used it instead of his incredible BJJ skills to beat Kennedy. Jacare was quicker and had better technique which allowed for more effective strikes even though Kennedy kept close in pace regarding punches thrown and landed. Kennedy did win the takedown battle, earning 2 for himself and not allowing Jacare to score any for 25 minutes. But in the end, it just wasn’t enough to outpoint Jacare Souza, who became the new Strikeforce 185 lbs champion.
I’d like to see Kennedy enter the proposed middleweight tournament, whenever it happens, if he is healthy enough. He showed that he was able to hold his own and deserves to compete against the other contenders in the division.
In the main event of the night, “King Mo” Lawal had his recently earned title as Strikeforce’s light heavyweight champ on the line against Team Black House member and Anderson Silva training partner Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante. Most fans and critics chose Lawal to win easily, some choosing a stoppage but most were sure he’d at least dominate through a decision. That wasn’t how life played out though. Feijao looked crisp in his striking, a newly renovated area of his game. Lawal was able to slam his opponent twice but never used his wrestling as he should have. Instead, Mo looked to trade punches with Feijao who, in the third round, dazed Lawal before kneeing him in the clinch. Feijao then followed the falling champ and caught him with a hook which dropped the former Oklahoma State wrestler. Lawal clutched Feijao’s leg but was beaten until a technical knockout was called due to the amount of unanswered blows.
Lawal, even as a champion, was still very much untested. He went through Mike Whitehead and Gegard Mousasi on his way to the title, but I wouldn’t consider either in the top 10. Feijao whom lost via TKO to Mike Kyle just last summer, may not have the greatest credibility as a champion himself, but there is no discrediting the victory he earned in Houston.
The next likely direction for the 205 lbs belt seems to be targeted on a rematch of Feijao and Mike Kyle which speaks on so many levels about the talent gap between Strikeforce’s light heavyweight fighters and those employed by the UFC.
After Saturday night, Strikeforce has some work cut out for selling their bigger name fighters. Lashley was seen as a possible contender by the less experienced fans but it is now obvious he is not; nor is he even near that level. Lawal on the other hand, is still a very talented fighter, just inexperienced. “King Mo” can get back atop the division and still be a top tier fighter but he has some blatant weaknesses he needs to address.
While the show was mostly fun for the fans, I’m sure Scott Coker and company are pretty dumbstruck about how their money makers like Fedor, Lashley and Mo have all lost recently. The parity is great for the sport but maybe not so good for Strikeforce as a business.
(Photo by Esther Lin for Strikeforce / Showtime)
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