Strikeforce – Challengers 16
June 24, 2011
ShoWare Center,
Kent, Washington, United States

Lightweight (155 lbs)

Caros Fodor (6 – 0 – 0) defeated James Terry (10 – 3 – 0) by unanimous decision.  Fodor, who has won 4 of his 6 victories by stoppage, flies 91 spots up the ranks from [#195] to [#104].  Fodor should look to test himself against someone like [#79] Conor Heun next (if he isn’t off for a long time due to the arm injury he incurred in his last bout).  If he can defeat him, he will be ready for the next level.  Terry, who was on a 3 fight winning streak prior to this loss, moves from [#159WW] into the lightweight “Top 500” at [#220].  He could face [#362] Matt Ricehouse for his next bout.

Lightweight (155 lbs)

Matt Ricehouse (5 – 0 – 0) defeated Ryan Couture (2 – 1 – 0)  by unanimous decision.  Ricehouse, who won his first 3 victories by stoppage, enters the lightweight “Top 500” at [#362].  Ricehouse may be ready for a stern test in [#220] James Terry in his next bout.  Couture, who has fought all 3 of his pro bouts inside Strikeforce, remains unranked.  Couture should look to test himself against someone of comparable fight experience like [#479] Anthony Avila in his next fight.

Light Heavyweight (205 lbs)

Lorenz Larkin (11 – 0 – 0) defeated Gian Villante (7 – 3 – 0) by unanimous decision.  Larkin, who has won 8 of his 11 victories by (T)KO (6 in the 1st round), moves 10 spots up the ranks from [#87] to [#77].  Larkin looks like he might be ready for the next level of competition, and could fight veterans [#25] Trevor Prangley or [#18] Renato Sobral to determine where he goes next.  Villante, who is 1-3 in his last 4, moves from [#171HW] into the light heavyweight “Top 250” at [#183].  Villante needs to get back on the winning track, and should look to do so against [#153] Ron Humphrey next.

Welterweight (170 lbs)

Jason High (14 – 3 – 0) defeated Quinn Mulhern (15 – 2 – 0) by unanimous decision.  High, who is on a 5 fight win streak, moves 16 spots up the ranks from [#47] to [#31].  High is on a roll, and could possibly be in line for number 1 contendership if he were to next defeat another surging prospect in [#45] Eduardo Pamplona.  Mulhern, who was on a 7 fight win streak (6 by stoppage-4 by rear naked choke submission), drops 29 spots from [#56] to [#85].  Villante needs to get back on the winning track, and should look to do so against [#153] Ron Humphrey next.

Women’s Featherweight (145 lbs)

Julia Budd (2 – 1 – 0) defeated Germaine de Randamie (2 – 2 – 0) by unanimous decision.  Budd moves 5 spots up the ranks from [#14] to [#9].  De Randamie remains unranked.
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UFC Live 4 – Kongo vs. Barry
June 26, 2011
Consol Energy Center,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Heavyweight (265 lbs)

Cheick Kongo (16 – 6 – 2) defeated Pat Barry (6 – 3 – 0) by KO due to a punch at 2:39 of round 1.  Kongo, who is 2-0-1 in his last 3 (prior to which he suffered back to back losses), moves 2 spots up the ranks from [#16] to [#14].  General consensus seems to be that Kongo should face fellow winner on the card [#19] Matt Mitrione next.  This would be a test for both fighters to see who will enter the next tier of the division.  Barry, who is 2-3 in his last 5 (3-3 in the UFC), drops 5 spots from [#44] to [#49].  Barry could either face [#43] Aaron Rosa or [#50] Stefan Struve next, both which would be slugfests.

Welterweight (170 lbs)

Charlie Brenneman (14 – 2 – 0), who was a 1 day late replacement for [#5MW] Nate Marquardt, defeated Rick Story (13 – 4 – 0) by unanimous decision.  Brenneman, who is on a 2 fight win streak (3-1 in the UFC), rockets 80 spots up the ranks from [#97] to [#17].  He should look to face the winner of [#7] Carlos Condit vs. [#18] Dong Hyun Kim taking place this Saturday at UFC 132.  Story, who was on a 6 fight winning streak prior to this loss (6-2 in the UFC), drops 9 spots from [#11] to [#20].  Perhaps Story should next face the man whom he replaced in tonight’s bout, [#21] Anthony Johnson.

Welterweight (170 lbs)

Matt Brown (12 – 10 – 0) defeated John Howard (14 – 7 – 0) by unanimous decision.  Brown, who breaks a 3 fight losing streak with this win, flies 75 spots up the ranks from [#136] to [#61].  He could face fellow “Ultimate Fighter” alum [#51] Rich Attonito in his next fight.  Howard, who is on a 3 fight losing streak (4-3 in the UFC), drops 13 spots from [#54] to [#67].  If Howard isn’t cut for losing 3 in a row, he could face [#56] T.J. Grant or [#74] Carlos Eduardo Rocha in what would be a must win fight for the Boston native.

Heavyweight (265 lbs)

Matt Mitrione (5 – 0 – 0) defeated Christian Morecraft (7 – 2 – 0) by KO due to punches at 4:28 of round 2.  Mitrione, who has won 4 of his 5 victories by (T)KO, moves 1 spot up the ranks from [#20] to [#19].  Mitrione should face [#14] Cheick Kongo next.  Morecraft, who is 1-2 in his last 3 (all in the UFC), drops 13 spots from [#91] to [#96].  Morecraft is in need of a victory to stay employed by the UFC,  He should face [#43] Aaron Rosa or [#53] Jon Madsen to see if he will stick around.

Featherweight (145 lbs)

Tyson Griffin (15 – 5 – 0) defeated Manny Gamburyan (11 – 6 – 0) by majority decision.  Griffin, who breaks a 3 fight losing streak with this win, moves from [#37LW] into the featherweight “Top 250” at [#7].  He should look to face rising prospect [#18] Dustin Porier in his next bout.  Gamburyan, who has back to back losses (prior to which he won 3 in a row), drops 5 spots from [#8] to [#13].  Gamburyan will need a win in his next bout to stay relevant in the 145 lb division, and should look to accomplish this feat against [#14] Mark Hominick or [#15] Diego Nunes.
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Armageddon Fighting Championships 6
June 18, 2011
Bear Mountain Arena,
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Middleweight (185 lbs)

UFC vets battled when John Salter (7 – 2 – 0) defeated Kalib Starnes (12 – 7 – 1) by TKO due to punches at 4:13 of round 2.  Salter, who has back to back wins following his release from the UFC last August (after going 1-2 in the promotion), jumps 29 spots up the ranks from [#83] to [#54].  Starnes, who has back to back losses (2-3 in his last 5), drops 28 spots from [#100] to [#128].

Light Heavyweight (205 lbs)

Robert Drysdale (3 – 0 – 0) defeated Mike Nickels (9 – 5 – 0) by submission due to a guillotine choke at 1:04 of round 1.  Drysdale, who has rattled off 3 1st round submissions in a row, flies 55 spots up the ranks from [#144] to [#89].  Nickels, who is 1-3 in his last 4, falls 39 spots from [#108] to [#147].

Welterweight (170 lbs)

Derek Medler (6 – 0 – 0) defeated Jaret Evans (7 – 4 – 0) by TKO due to punches at 2:06 of round 2.  Medler, who has won all 6 of his victories by stoppage, jets 85 spots up the ranks from [#334] to [#249].  Evans, who had not fought in 1 1/2 years prior to this bout, remains unranked.
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Ring of Combat 36
June 17, 2011
Tropicana Resort and Casino,
Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States

Ring of Combat Welterweight Championship

Welterweight (170 lbs)

UFC veteran Pete “Drago”  Sell (9 – 5 – 0) defeated Elijah Harshbarger (6 – 3 – 0) by submission due to an armbar at 2:34 of round 2.  Sell, who returned to action after a 2 year layoff, enters the welterweight “Top 500” at [#121].  Harshbarger, who is 1-2 in his last 3, plummets 95 spots from [#231] to [#326].

Ring of Combat “National” Bantamweight Championship

Bantamweight (135 lbs)

Aljamain Sterling (3 – 0 – 0) defeated Claudio Ledesma (4 – 2 – 0) by split decision.  Sterling has rattled off 3 wins since going pro in April 2011.  Ledesma had been on a 3 fight win streak prior to this loss.  Both fighters remain unranked.

Bantamweight (135 lbs)

Sean Santella (8 – 2 – 1) defeated Tito Jones (7 – 5 – 0) by unanimous decision.  Santella, who has won 3 in a row (8-1 in his last 9) jumps 19 spots up from [#81] to [#62].  Jones, who has lost back to back bouts (1-3 in his last 3), remains unranked.

Light Heavyweight (205 lbs)

Ryan Contaldi (7 – 3 – 1) defeated Rob Wince (20 – 15 – 0) by unanimous decision.  Contaldi, who is 1-1-1 in his last 3 (prior to which he was on a 3 fight win streak), flies 76 spots up the ranks from [#239] to [#163].  Wince, who is on a 4 fight losing streak, remains unranked.
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Strikeforce – Overeem vs. Werdum
June 18, 2011
American Airlines Center,
Dallas, Texas, United States

Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal

Heavyweight (265 lbs)

Alistair Overeem (35 – 11 – 0) defeated Fabricio Werdum (14 – 5 – 1) by unanimous decision.  In an interesting twist, Werdum landed more strikes in this bout than his stand up based foe.  Werdum tried many times to take the fight to the floor, but Overeem continually stood up from these attempts in the 1st round.  In the 2nd and 3rd, Overeem remained in Werdum’s guard for longer periods of time, but the jiu jitsu ace was able to do nothing with the position.  The result was a prosaic decision for the “Demolition Man.”    Overeem, who is on a 7 fight win streak (has not lost since November 2007), moves up 4 spots from [#8] to [#4].  He will face [#6] Antonio Silva in the Heavyweight Grand Prix semi finals.  Werdum, who was on a 3 fight win streak prior to this loss, drops 2 spot down the ranks from [#3] to [#5].  Perhaps a bout with the loser of the [#10] Josh Barnett vs. [#13] Sergei Kharitonov semi final would be appropriate next for “Vai Cavalo.”

Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal

Heavyweight (265 lbs)

Josh Barnett (30 – 5 – 0) defeated Brett Rogers (11 – 3 – 0) by arm-triangle choke at 1:17 of round 2.  Barnett did not play the striking game with Rogers for long, taking him down with a big slam early in the 1st.  He secured mount and worked for submissions from the top.  The 2nd round ended up in the same position following a textbook lateral drop from Barnett which landed him in mount.  Barnett used his submission prowess to apply a tight arm triangle from mount, and as he transitioned to side control, Rogers tapped.  Barnett, who is on a 7 fight win streak (6 by stoppage, 4  by submission), holds his rank at [#10].  He will face [#13] Sergei Kharitonov in the Heavyweight Grand Prix semi finals.  Rogers, who has lost 3 of his last 4 (albeit against top flight competition), drops 4 spot down the ranks from [#14] to [#18].  Rogers needs to get back on the winning track if he is ever to be seen as an elite heavyweight again, and a fight against [#34] Chad Griggs or even [#33] Jeff Monson could be appropriate next steps.

Lightweight (155 lbs)

Jorge Masvidal (22 – 6 – 0) defeated K.J. Noons (10 – 4 – 0) by unanimous decision.  Masvidal used a dynamic strategy which was highlighted by range finding jabs, strategic takedowns and vicious knees and kicks.  One head kick nearly ended the fight in the 1st round, sending the bloodied Noons to the canvas.  Noons was saved by the bell, and was able to get back into the fight in round 2.  Though Noons hung tough and never quit, Masvidal won all 3 rounds.  Masvidal, who has back to back wins in Strikeforce (3-2 in his last 5), moves 5 spots up the ranks from[#15] to [#10].  He is the most likely candidate to face Strikeforce lightweight champion [#3] Gilbert Melendez next for the title.  Noons, who is on a 2 fight losing streak (prior to which he had a 6 fight win streak), moves from [#68WW] into the lightweight “Top 500” at [#47].  Noons is still a very good lightweight, but a 3rd loss in a row would be very detrimental to his standing.  Bouts with [#43] Pat Healey or [#60] Lyle Beerbohm would help bring more clarity to the sub-elite tier of the Strikeforce lightweight division.

Heavyweight (265 lbs)

Daniel Cormier (8 – 0 – 0) defeated Jeff Monson (42 – 12 – 0) by unanimous decision.  Cormier exhibited improved boxing and used kicks liberally to vex the older Monson in what was a 3 round stand up war.  Only when Cormier would effortlessly toss Monson to the mat to shuck off a clinch did either of the opponents end up on the ground at all.  Cormier, who has finished 6 of his 8 opponents (5 by strike based stoppage), jumps 13 spots up the ranks from [#28] to [#15].  He should face the man he was originally supposed to fight before injury struck, [#38] Shane del Rosario.  Monson, who was on an 8 fight win streak prior to this loss, drops 12 spots from [#21] to [#33].  There are interesting matches to be made with Monson.  Fights with [#26] Andrei Arlovski or [#46] Mike Kyle at either heavyweight or light heavyweight would be appropriate, depending on what division he wants to fight in.

Heavyweight (265 lbs)

Chad Griggs (11 – 1 – 0) defeated Valentijn Overeem (29 – 26 – 0) by submission due to punches at 2:08 of round 1.  Griggs was in control from the start, pressing Overeem up against the cage and hitting a lateral drop.  He proceeded to punch out of an americana keylock attempt from Overeem, then pounded Overeem into submission.  Griggs, who is on a 6 fight win streak (all by strike based stoppages), jumps 12 spots up the ranks from [#46] to [#34].  A bout with fellow prospect heavyweight [#38] Shane del Rosario would be excellent in propelling one of the fighters to the next level in the division.  A bout with [#18] Brett Rogers would be an absolute stand up war.  Overeem, who was on a 3 fight win streak prior to this loss (all by stoppage under 1:45), plummets 31 spots from [#98] to [#129].  Other than a fight with [#33] Jeff Monson, there aren’t many bouts that would not have a high possibility of Overeem giving up and submitting to strikes in the end.
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