Following in the footsteps of now-defunct IFL and Elite XC, Strikeforce became the third MMA promotion to broadcast an event live on national television. The inaugural CBS event was highlighted by the top heavyweight in the world Fedor Emelianenko taking on the undefeated Brett Rogers. The televised card also featured a middleweight title bout between Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller and Jake Shields, a non-title bout between Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, and another heavyweight clash with Fabricio Werdum taking on Antonio ‘Big Foot’ Silva.
Antonio Silva vs. Fabricio Werdum (HW)
Round 1: After an initial feeling out process, Silva lands the first significant offense of the fight, dropping Werdum with an uppercut in a moment reminiscent of Werdum’s loss to Junior Dos Santos. Silva pounces and unloads, but Werdum miraculously survives and works his way back to the feet. Werdum exchanges with Silva then attempts to pull guard, but Antonio manages to keep the fight standing and punishes Werdum on the feet. Round 10-9 Silva
Round 2: Werdum attacks early with a flurry. Silva fires back and again drops Werdum. Werdum invites Silva into his guard; Antonio accepts the invitation and gets swept. Silva escapes back to his feet and they clinch against the fence. After a stalemate in clinch, they separate and Werdum takes Silva down with a single-leg. Werdum attempts an arm triangle, then spins for a kneebar as Silva defends. Round 10-9 Werdum
Round 3: The fighters trade leg kicks. Werdum lands a combination and follows it up with a takedown. Silva gives up his back and stands up. Werdum lands several knees from a plumb clinch. Silva responds with a combination of punches then gets taken down again. Werdum has Silva’s back; Silva regains half-guard but gets blasted with punches from the top. Round 10-9 Werdum
Fabricio Werdum defeats Antonio Silva by unanimous decision (29-28 on all scorecards).
Aftermath: This fight was supposed to be the first part in a mini-tournament for the right to face the Strikeforce heavyweight champion Allistair Overeem. The next step for the Fabricio Werdum should be the winner of the night’s main event. And might as well match up Silva with the loser while we’re at it.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Strikeforce Light heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (205 lbs non-title bout)
Round 1: Light trading on the feet, with neither fighter scoring anything significant. They exchange kicks. Fast-paced action on the feet. Mousasi lands a couple of kicks to the groin. Sokoudjou responds with one of his own. Mousasi unloads a combination as Rameau’s back is to the fence; Sokoudjou counters with a beautiful throw. Sokoudjou attempts a guillotine; Mousasi sweeps and they scramble up. Mousasi ends up on his back after a guillotine attempt; Sokoudjou stands up and Mousasi kicks his leg to trip him back down as the round ends. Round 10-9 Sokoudjou
Round 2: Mousasi forces a clinch and lands numerous knees to Sokoudjou’s body and legs. They trade punches briefly; Mousasi attempts a takedown but ends up on his back. Mousasi sweeps Sokoudjou and all the fight seems to have gone out of Rameau as he is just laying on his back and absorbing punches, causing referee to stop the fight.
Aftermath: Mousasi earned the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight title by defeating Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral in a previous bout. This would have been Gegard’s first title defense, but for some odd reason Strikeforce made this a non-title bout. It’s not clear whom Mousasi’s first title defense will come against: the light-heavyweight division is thin outside of the UFC. If Strikeforce comes to terms with free agent Dan Henderson, Henderson – Mousasi would be a great bout. Otherwise, expect ‘King’ Mo Lawal to challenge Gegard for the belt.
Sokoudjou once again sizzles in the first round and fizzles in the second. With each loss, it becomes less likely that he will ever live up to his full potential as a fighter.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Jake Shields vs Jason Miller (185 lbs championship bout)
Round 1: Miller is looking to strike but gets taken down immediately. Shields take Miller’s back. Miller escapes and is taken down again. Stalemate on the ground. Miller escapes and scores a takedown of his own – a big slam. Shields quickly sweeps and they stand. Miller scores another takedown near the end of the round. Round 10-9 Shields
Round 2: Miller lands a combination, opening a small cut of Jake’s nose. Miller with a takedown but Shields ends up on top in the scramble. A long series of ground transitions follows, with neither man getting the upper hand until Shields takes Miller’s back and looks for the choke. Miller escapes and ends up on top. Round 10-9 Shields
Round 3: Miller again scores the first takedown. Shields escapes and takes Miller down in turn. Shields briefly mounts Miller; Miller rolls out of it before Shields has the chance to do any damage. They work back to their feet, and the ref briefly halts the fight to re-tape Miller’s gloves. Shields gets another takedown; Miller sweeps and gets Jake’s back. Miller locks in a rear naked choke; it looks very tight but Shields is saved by the bell. Round 10-9 Miller
Round 4: Shields gets a takedown but doesn’t do anything with it, and the action comes to a halt. A long stalemate then the ref calls for a standup. Shields gets another takedown and proceeds to take Miller through a series of dominant position – side control, mount, back mount – but is not able to do any damage. Miller does nothing but defend and Shields is starting to take over the fight. Round 10-9 Shields
Round 5: Shields takes Miller down early again, and gets his back after a scramble. Shields has a body triangle and is alternating punches from the back with choke attempts. Miller sweeps into guard. Shields reverses and gets back mount again. Miller escapes and the time runs out. Round 10-9 Shields
Jake Shields defeats Jason Miller by unanimous decision with the scores of 48-47, 49-46, 49-46
Aftermath: Jake Shields becomes the new Strikeforce middleweight champion, winning the belt vacated by Cung Le who took a hiatus from MMA to pursue his acting career. This was a tedious fight to watch, and showed that Shields is better off fighting at 170 lbs. However there are much more fighters available to Strikeforce at 185 lbs, and so this is where Shields will remain for the time being.
Fight Grade: 2/5
WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers (HW title bout)
Round 1: Fedor leads off with a hook and misses. Rogers connects with a jab and Fedor’s nose begins to bleed. They circle then clinch and Fedor trips Rogers down. Rogers gets up and they clinch against the cage. They separate and Fedor lands a combination, hurting Rogers then tossing him to the ground. Fedor punches from the top but Rogers is showing good ground defense and eventually sweeps Fedor, then lands several solid punches from within Emelianenko’s guard. Fedor’s nose is bleeding profusely and appears to be broken. Fedor attempts an armbar; Rogers escapes but gives up position. Fedor attempts an arm choke. Rogers defends as the time expires. Round 10-9 Emelianenko
Round 2: They circle and Emelianenko attacks with wild hooks. Rogers pushes Fedor against the cage and stalls in the clinch. Rogers appears tired and is not doing much. The fighters are separated and Rogers’ hands are at his hips. Fedor lands a right hook, knocking down Rogers. Brett goes fetal as Fedor follows up with several additional punches before referee John McCarthy steps in to end the fight.
Aftermath: Fedor retains his #1 standing and the dubious ‘WAMMA’ title. His most likely next opponent will be Fabricio Werdum, and a title unification bout with the absentee Strikeforce heavyweight champion Allistair Overeem somewhere down the road. Rogers performed well given the odds against him, and showed a surprising ground game (along with an unsurprising lack of stamina). Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva should be Brett’s next opponent in the Strikeforce cage.
Fight Grade: 5/5
All in all, the Strikeforce live network television debut was a success. Sadly the five rounds of Shield vs. Miller really dragged down the two-hour event with only four fights shown and the entire main event running over the scheduled time slot.