Strikeforce?s Three Stars: Santos, Bowling and Melendez

Strikeforce?s Three Stars: Santos, Bowling and Melendez

In a month packed with fights, Strikeforce still managed to stick out with memorable decisions and fast knockouts. Here are Cagewriter's Three Stars from Saturday night's fights; tell us yours in the comments or on Facebook.

No. 1 -- Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos: She was out of the cage for 18 months, then only needed 16 seconds to defender the Strikeforce featherweight title. She is so far ahead of any competition that she poses a conundrum for Strikeforce matchmakers. Who will emerge to steal that belt? It clearly wasn't Hiroko Yamanaka. Santos said after the bout Ronda Rousey talked too much, so maybe the Olympian is next for Cyborg.

No. 2 -- Roger Bowling: Jarron Peoples learned the hard way to not anger Bowling. Peoples weighed in nine pounds over the welterweight limit, which understandably angered Bowling. He took out his anger with a flush uppercut that knocked out Peoples in just 42 seconds. Unfortunately, three of the main card fights went to a decision, so there was no time for Bowling's win to be shown on Showtime.

No. 3 star -- Gilbert Melendez: The Strikeforce lightweight champion beat up on Jorge Masvidal for five rounds, then challenged Zuffa to bring him better fighters. With Strikeforce and Showtime signing a new deal, Melendez will stay put, but he still wants to fight the best. Melendez's plea for great fighters to "Step into my hexagon" should be printed on t-shirts immediately.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Strikeforce-s-Three-Stars-Santos-Bowling-and-M?urn=mma-wp10913

Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio

Photo: Jon Fitch wrestles referee after UFC 141 knockout

Photo: Jon Fitch wrestles referee after UFC 141 knockout

Johny Hendricks scored a 12-second knockout of Jon Fitch at UFC 141 on Friday night. When Fitch came to, he thought he was still fighting and tried to wrestle referee Steve Mazzagatti.

If Fitch was facing Mazzagatti, he would have had a nice start on the round. Unfortunately, he had already lost.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Photo-Jon-Fitch-wrestles-referee-after-UFC-141-?urn=mma-wp11371

Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio 

Alexander Gustafsson scores first knockout of the night at UFC 141

Alexander Gustafsson scores first knockout of the night at UFC 141

After a night of decisions, Alexander Gustafsson scored a first-round knockout of MMA veteran Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC 141 on Friday night.

Matyushenko moved in to throw a strike, and ran right into Gustafsson's jab. He was stunned and fell to the ground. Gustafsson threw strikes until the bout was stopped at 2:13.

"I was prepared for three hard rounds, and Matyushenko is a tough guy, but I got the knockout," Gustaffson said after the bout. "It was a good punch. It was my day today."

Gustafsson has been on a tear since losing to Phil Davis early in 2010. He has four straight wins and a record of 13-1, proving himself as a prospect to watch in the UFC's light heavyweight division.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Alexander-Gustafsson-scores-first-knockout-of-th?urn=mma-wp11335

Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio 

Strikeforce Heavyweight Shane del Rosario Signs with UFC

With Strikeforce soon folding its heavyweight division, undefeated prospect Shane del Rosario has signed with the UFC, manager Jason House recently announced. A date and opponent for Del Rosario's UFC debut have not been set.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/27006/strikeforce-heavyweight-shane-del-rosario-signs-with-ufc/

José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez

Long national nightmare is over: Lesnar vs. Overeem on for UFC 141

Any worries about the main event for UFC 141 were quelled by a tweet from UFC president Dana White.

Long national nightmare is over: Lesnar vs. Overeem on for UFC 141

Alistair Overeem was granted a conditional license for his bout with Brock Lesnar in Las Vegas after the Nevada Athletic Commission was unhappy with Overeem not taking pre-fight drug tests to their satisfaction. He had to take another test, but now that he has passed it, next week's fight is on.

Overeem started his training for Lesnar in Las Vegas, but moved back to his native Holland when his mother's cancer became a concern. He said during Monday's press call that there have been distractions, but he knows how to deal with them.

"It was a distraction but, I've been through a lot in my career. I have like 65, 70 fights," Overeem said. "So you learn how to deal with distractions, setbacks. I mean I'm a three-time champion and I've been through a lot, so it's all about adaptation. I'm pretty good at that I think."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Long-national-nightmare-is-over-Lesnar-vs-Over?urn=mma-wp10957

Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen 

Brock Lesnar retires from MMA after loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141

Brock Lesnar retires from MMA after loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141

LAS VEGAS - Brock Lesnar never really adjusted to getting hit for real. Tonight, facing a 263-pound monster in Alistair Overeem, Lesnar bowed out early and then walked away from the sport.

The same old bugaboo - his inability to absorb punches - reared its ugly head at UFC 141. Overeem targeted Lesnar's body with knees and kicks, got the big man to drop and cover up. It was all over in less than two and a half minutes in the main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

So is Lesnar's run in MMA. The former star of pro wrestling announced that he was finished fighting in the Octagon.

"I want to thank everyone, the Fertittas and Dana White," Lesnar told UFC analyst Joe Rogan. "I promised my wife and kids that if I won this fight, the fight against Junior [dos Santos] would be my last. If I lost tonight, this would be my last."

Overeem, a veteran of 47 MMA fights coming in, broke Lesnar's spirit early by thwarting a takedown attempt and battering his body repeatedly. The win gets him the next heavyweight title shot against dos Santos sometime in 2012.

"My hats off to Alistair Overeem. I want to take my hat off to all my training partners, my entire family," said Lesnar. "I've really had a difficult time with my disease. I'm officially retired tonight. This was the last time you'll see me in the Octagon."

Lesnar (5-3, 4-3 UFC) missed the last 15 months fighting a battle against diverticulitis. The intestinal ailment and subsequent surgery had him losing 40 pounds at one point.

Lesnar was first diagnosed in Oct. of 2009. He went without surgery and returned a year later. He lost his UFC heavyweight title belt to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121. More alarming than the one-sided loss was the way Lesnar turned and ran away from punches after he was nailed a few times by Velasquez.

Brock Lesnar retires from MMA after loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141

Velasquez is a big puncher, but Overeem is in a different class. An experience kickboxer, the 263-pound Overeem hits like a Mack truck. A few knees early tonight really rocked Lesnar and put him on his heels. From there, he was tentative in going for the takedown.

Lesnar, a wrestler by trade, only attempted one single-leg takedown 50 seconds into the fight. After that, he chose to stand and box with Overeem. It was a path to disaster.

With 2:42 left in the first, Overeem (36-11-1, 1-0 UFC) drilled Lesnar on his right side with a nasty body kick. Lesnar had a delayed reaction, grabbed at his ribs and went down to a knee. Overeem charged forward and threw 11 unanswered punches as Lesnar covered up. The final right crushed Lesnar to the body. That's when the ref stepped in.

Brock Lesnar retires from MMA after loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141

This was the UFC debut for Overeem, who's fought all over the world. The giant Dutchman spent most of his career fighting in Japan as a 205-pounder. In 2007, he decided to add bulk to his 6-foot-5 frame. The change has been shocking. He's stormed to eight straight wins in the big boy division, with seven of them coming via first round finishes.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Brock-Lesnar-retires-from-MMA-after-loss-to-Alis?urn=mma-wp11363

Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo 

Villain or no villain? Greg Jackson says Jon Jones has little control of what the fans think

Villain or no villain? Greg Jackson says Jon Jones has little control of what the fans thinkGreg Jackson tried to teach Jon Jones a lesson at UFC 140 following his win over Lyoto Machida. He told Jones to tend to the fallen Machida and "go get some fans." Clearly, Jackson misspoke and the intended lesson was lost on most.

"You get to this post adrenaline dump after the fight. Jon did that too," Jackson said of Jones' decision to stoically walk away from the sleeping Machida. "As a coach, I wanted to bring him out of that and make sure that he followed ring decorum. I think it's really important to be a role model for the fans."

Jones' ultimate image is still unknown. A very good guy away from the cage, Jones heard more than a few boos in Toronto. Jackson told ESPN1100/98.9 FM that he doesn't know why Jones was getting it from the boo birds.

"It's for the fans' entertainment. If they want to boo him ... it's like WWE. Then they're going to love him again ... then they're going to hate him again. As long as everybody's having a good time. It is what it is," said Jackson. "For me, I just want him to stay positive, make sure that he can the best role model he can be and then the fans will decide what they want to decide."

Here's the rest of the Jackson conversation. The MMA trainer also spoke about his role in shaping the movie "Warrior." Cagewriter is currently running a "Warrior" DVD giveaway on its Facebook page. The contest ends tomorrow.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Villain-or-no-villain-Greg-Jackson-says-Jon-Jon?urn=mma-wp10980

Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio