Cung Le vs. Sam Morgan

The main event of the evening pitted San Shou darling Cung Le against TUF-alumnus Sammy Morgan. From the get-go Sammy was looking to take the fight right to Cung and manage to set up a successful takedown attempt, but Cung used his heightened sense of ring savvy to slip the wild looping attacks, and score a plethora of throws standing.

Cung demonstrated solid wrestling throughout the bout, which he attributed to achievements as a national Greco-roman champion in high school, as well as a state championship in freestyle wrestling.

Cung managed to drop Morgan numerous times with Spetsnatz -style side kicks, as well as pick him apart with hard punches. He pushed the pace for two hard rounds before stopping Sammy with a kick to the liver midway through the third.

Cung Le called out Frank Shamrock post fight and Frank said he will oblige so that we can have at last the Showdown of San Jose and give the fans exactly what they want; quality MMA action.

"My gameplan is no secret", Cung Le commented, "Throws, kicks, and aggression. I will bring it all!"

The Return of The One-Night Tournament to North American MMA

Tonight was also historical in the fact that the California Athletic Commission sanctioned its first middleweight tournament, to be fought two fights of 2- Five minute rounds. The first of which was Ohio State wrestler Sean Salmon,a late replacement for Yuki Sasaki, who did not gain clearance to fight after a questionable MRI result, taking on American Top Team's Jorge Santiago. Within the first thirty seconds of the match Santiago blasted Salmon out of this world with a stellar flying knee, securing a spot in the tournament finals, as well as not overexerting himself and maintaining his stamina for the later fight to come.

Also of note, cagey MMA veteran Dennis Hallman, who has two notable victories over UFC welterweight contender Matt Hughes, applied a slick ankle lock on Jeremiah Metcalf (representing Team Voodoo and Modesto, California) which meant he would be the alternate, should a fighter not be able to continue.

The second semi-final of the tournament saw Falaniko Vitale, a Hawaiian jiu-jitsu practitioner and accomplished mixed martial artist, take on South African Trevor Prangley, who trains at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose. Both men matched up very well physically and it looked to be a competitive fight. Vitale scored early with some good boxing, to which Trevor simply absorbed on his granite chin and responded by smiling and pounding away with shots to the body. They worked knees in the clinch, and it looked to be very even. An accidental eye-poke led to the fight being turned over to the score cards prematurely. The majority of the judges saw the fight as a draw, so what might be a first in MMA event occurred where the referee was asked to declare the victor, to which he appointed Prangley.

The finals would see Prangley, who had to cut 17 pounds the day before the fight, take on the hotshot in Jorge Santiago. Santiago worked excellent boxing and knees in the clinch. Santiago struck his way to a KO stoppage victory over Prangley, but both fighters should be respected for their amazing effort in this historic event.

Santiago, the champion, stated that he would love to fight anybody in any organization afterwards. His training included preparing for six five minute rounds and that he was keeping the gameplan open for anything. He executed his corner's instruction perfectly and earned himself the right to be considered the number one contender in Strikeforce's 185 pound division.

A Heavyweight Champion Is Crowned

A vacant heavyweight championship was up for grabs tonight as The Demolition Man from Holland, Alistair Overeem, would take on the head-hunting big man from Texas Paul Buentello. Paul trains in San Jose, so his fan base is huge at the HP Pavilion. Alistair pushed the pace and really took it to Buentello, forcing him on his back while he pounded away at the larger man's face. Overeem was working Paul over on the ground, attempting the occasional submission and really just displaying world class technique in all regards. The second round saw some action on the feet as Alistair Overeem finished Buentello with some vicious knees to the body. Paul had enough and yielded to a submission victory. Alistair was very pleased post-fight, felt he had plenty of energy after the fight and is will be prepared for any upcoming challenges.

"B South" battles Anthony Ruiz

In light-heavyweight action, San Jose standout Bobby Southworth went to war with Anthony Ruiz. The fight was a mix of trying to attain position on the ground and score on the feet while standing. Eventually Ruiz got the better of the exchanges and landed a vicious four-punch combo on the feet which had badly cut Bobby, and ended up deciding the fight. Ruiz took the win, but both fighters matched up very well evenly, and a rematch should not be overlooked.

Luke Stewart Lands Some Knees

San Francisco native Luke Stewart, affiliated with Ralph Gracie Jiu-jitsu, took on the game Bryson Kamaka from Hawaii. Luke seemed to implement his gameplan and knee'd bryson unconcious fairly early in the fight, but the controversy is raised when one considers the knees to the opponent after he hit the mat. They were blows thrown to the head of the downed opponent which are illegal in California. Bryson did not complain though, and both fighters are relatively inexperienced, but Luke Stewart appears to be developing into a force.

My Schwartz is Bigger Than Your's

6'3" Brian Schwartz made his MMA debut, taking on North Carolinian Lemont Davis. Schwartz had a seven inch reach advantage on Davis, so it looked to be a night where Schwartz would use the jab and the front-kick to the abdomen of his foe. The fight was a slower paced one as neither fighter had any big league MMA experience. Lemont pressed with the takedowns, and at one point dropped his hands in showboating style, but both fighters were a little too tentative in the cage tonight. It is all part of developing as a fighter and gaining experience. Both fighters will look to improve on this fight and grow with the sport, as Davis secured a lackluster decision win.

Undercard Moments are Memorable and of Worth

The events undercard featured some three by three minute action.

Josh Neal, from Turlock, fought the local athlete Eric Lawson. The first round started with Neal being taken down immediately, where he negotiated a triangle choke on from his back. Lawson had to hang tough as the round came to a close, and he met more than a few scary moments. He came out for the second and exploded on Neal and sunk a beautiful rear-naked choke and earned his fourth MMA victory.

Pete Sabala, from San Bernadino, would take on the ever exciting Anthony Figueroa. Figueroa would work Sabala over with the strikes on the feet, but Sabala was crafty with his grappling techniques and it made for a competitive bout. Numerous knockdowns, a few submission attempts, and control over the pace of the fight led to Figueroa taking a hard fought and fast paced split decision victory.

Clint Coronel from Saratoga and representing Shamrock MMA fought local talent Alex Crispin. Crispin is a respected jiu-jitsu instructor affiliated with Ralph Gracie, Blood Bath Boxing, and brought the full package in the skills department. The fight was a rather tentative one, both fighters being cautious as to not give way to the strength of their opponent, but some good action was to be had when they initiated. Crispin took the decision victory and earned his third win.

More action saw a grappler, Chris Drumm, take on Evan Esguerra. Esguerra had his own cheerleading section, but a misplaced fist to the back of Drumm's head led to a premature ending to this fight, and it was declared a "technical draw."

Despite the Difficulties, Strikeforce Stands Strong

Strikeforce put together an excellent show tonight. It featured strong international talent, local fan favorites, and provided an avenue for developing fighters to rise to the occasion. The sanctioning bodies which govern the mixed martial arts are still learning what needs to be done in order to help grow the sport and events such as Strikeforce provide a unique opportunity to obtain the data needed to better serve fight fans around the globe. Whether you were at home in Beijing or screaming from the front rows at the HP Pavilion, you can applaud the outstanding efforts put on by the Strikeforce promoters to bring you mixed martial arts action featuring rising stars, grizzled veterans, and legendary heroes all in the same night. I salute them and give them credit where credit is due.