| 18 April 2010
Results from Strikeforce: Shields vs Henderson, Saturday in Nashville, TN.
Strikeforce Middleweight Championship
Jake Shields (25-4-1) UD 5 Dan Henderson (25-8)
Scores: 49-46, 49-45, 48-45
Poor Jake Shields, despite beating everyone Strikeforce put in front of him, few gave the reigning middleweight champion much of a shot against former UFC champion Dan Henderson. Not that some of the doubt was unwarranted; after all, Henderson is the epitome of a fighter. In the opening round, it appeared that Henderson was on his way to coasting to the title in his first ever fight in a Strikeforce promotion. Henderson’s trademark right hand landed flush more than once on Shields who appeared to have all the initiative of a deer trapped in some headlights. Unfortunately, Henderson was unable to finish the job before the end of the first round, and this would come back to haunt him. A freshly composed Shields proceeded to take the fight to Henderson, taking down the celebrated wrestler seemingly at will. Henderson has never been a great ground technician and this deficiency would be exploited to its fullest as Shields controlled the guard, and continuously softened Henderson up with ground and pound in cruising to an easy unanimous decision.
Strikeforce Lightweight Championship
Gilbert Melendez (18-2) UD 5 Shinya Aoki (19-5)
Scores: 50-46, 50-46, 50-46
Despite some pretty impressive wins, Melendez was considered an underdog against Japan sensation Shinya Aoki. Aoki, a submission specialist of the highest order, tried, and tried to take this fight to the ground. Credit has to be given to Melendez for fighting the cerebral fight, keeping the fight standing where he could utilize his superior striking ability to give Aoki fits. The fight played out perfectly for Aoki, who was battered and bloodied in route to his one-sided domination.
Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship
Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal (7-0) UD 5 Gegard Mousasi (23-3-1)
Scores: 49-45, 49-45, 49-45
On paper, there was no convivial way that Lawal should have upset the highly touted champion in Mausasi. In fact, Mausasi was wildly considered one of the top five fighters in the entire sport. Which is why Lawal’s gutsy victory is so shocking. Sure, it wasn’t done in spectacular fashion, and sure, it appeared that Lawal was gassed after the first round, but give credit to him for grinding it out and beating Mausasi. It wasn’t a pretty victory, but it was an effective game plan, and now Lawal sits atop the Strikeforce light heavyweight division.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
