The 33-year-old San Jose fan favorite showed grit in refusing to let a broken nose affect his dynamic striking game. Three times Le connected with spinning kicks, though his success didn’t convince Warren to try something different than charging in and wing wild shots.
In fact, the 32 year old from San Bernardino showboated in front of Le just before a right hand across the cheek sent the arena into a frenzy and Warren into the fence. A second Le straight right ended it.
Light heavyweights Bobby Southworth (Pictures) and James Irvin (Pictures) — really a heavyweight for this contest after weighing in four and a half pounds over the division’s 205-pound limit — had little chance to get to know one another.
Meeting in the center, the two clinched and Southworth, 36, drove Irvin towards the cage door. The fighters ripped through the passageway, spilling onto the walkway to the cage.
Irvin, who had to relinquish $1,500 of his purse to Southworth for failing to make weight, appeared to be in immediate pain and grabbed his left leg. Southworth was uninjured and elicited a chorus of boos after raising his hands.
With the help of his corner, a gimpy Irvin, 27, returned to his locker room just in time to hear Jimmy Lennon Jr. announce the bout a No Contest.
It was unclear what led to the door swinging open, except that a Strikeforce official was fiddling with the lock as the fighters hurtled in its direction.
Coming into their 155-pound clash, Duane Ludwig (Pictures) was a known commodity. The Muay Thai champion’s mixed martial arts career was replete with fights against those who smartly refused to stand in front of him.
In Tyson Griffin (Pictures), Ludwig faced an undefeated up-and-coming wrestler turned mixed martial artist who’d made his living at 145 pounds.
Standing five-six to Ludwig’s 5’ 10”, it was no mystery what Griffin hoped to do tonight. And despite possessing that knowledge, the 27-year-old Ludwig could do little about it.
A quick takedown put Ludwig, now 13-5, exactly where he didn’t want to be. Griffin, 22, worked smartly before scoring with a heavy blow three and a half minutes into the round.
The stout wrestler, who stayed undefeated at 7-0-0, continued to throw rights and lefts, most missing. But his pressure was enough to put Ludwig in danger. From half-guard, Griffin put right hands on Ludwig. Soon referee Jon Schorle, who said he twice saw Ludwig’s eyes roll into the back of his head, had seen enough, stopping the contest with just over a minute remaining in the first period.
Initially it looked like the end came early, but replays showed the stoppage to be within reason.
Lightweight Josh Thomson (Pictures) needed a fight like the one he was in tonight.
Facing the never-give-an-inch Harris Sarmiento (Pictures) in the same venue that saw him lose a definitive — Thomson says controversial — decision against Clayton Guida (Pictures) for the Strikeforce 155-pound belt, the 27-year-old UFC veteran won by arm-triangle submission 3:19 of round three.
It didn’t take long for the two fighters to engage and they exchanged strikes, submission attempts and takedowns. This continued for much of the first period, which led into an equally competitive middle round.
Gutting his way out of a guillotine, the 22-year-old Sarmiento returned to his feet and landed several crisp head-to-leg combinations. Each man worked his craft on the inside, the Hawaiian (18-14-0) taking time to stomp Thomson’s left foot while the local product worked on the wrestler’s left thigh.
Thomson, now 9-2-0, sealed the round with an impressive takedown, and as the contest moved into its final act, the fight appeared even.
The judges would not be needed.
Thomson planted Sarmiento on his back with to a double-leg takedown. He quickly mounted and then secured back-control. Thomson continue to dominate position when he used a nice set up to move from Sarmiento’s back into an arm-triangle choke that forced the fight-ending tapout.
Eugene Jackson (Pictures) looked slow and sluggish during his first Strikeforce fight last March. Tonight versus a dangerous Mike Seal (Pictures) the 39-year-old from East Palo Alto, Calif. came in showing better wind and timing, helping him put away the middleweight contest 2:49 of round two.
Using his trademark left hook, Jackson put Seal (9-12-1) down for the fight’s first moment. The stalky middleweight took Seal’s neck and attempted to end the contest early, but the 28-year-old from Ensenada, Mexico remained calm and worked through the pressure.
Action returned to the feet, where both Jackson and Seal scored, bringing the house to its feet. Falling prey to the scene, the two smiled and shared a high-five. They soon returned to delivering shots, and the first period closed out an exciting exchange that once again brought the pro-Jackson crowd to its feet.
Though the pace slowed to begin the second, with Seal looking to connect with kicks to Jackson’s right leg, the pace increased at the halfway point. A right-handed body-head combination put Jackson in control, which he would not relinquish.
After catching a Seal kick, Jackson dumped his longhaired foe on the canvas, quickly mounted and proceeded to land multiple right hands, prompting referee Cecil Peoples to stop the bout.
Cupertino, Calif.’s Daniel Puder (Pictures) remained calm after being put on his back by fellow Californian Tom Tuggle (Pictures), and from the guard the young heavyweight quickly locked in an armbar, winning by tapout just 28 seconds into the fight.
The 24-year-old, who remains undefeated at 3-0-0, should continue to be a Strikeforce mainstay. And though he’s relatively inexperienced, one would like to see him face a bit of a test — someone better than Tuggle, at least — in his next fight or two.
Preliminary Action
Jared Hamman (Pictures) took the 13-pound advantage he held over Scott Graham (Pictures) and used it to help stop the game but overmatched 25-year-old Santa Cruz, Calif. light heavyweight at 1:36 of round two.
Off the opening bell Hamman, 24, played his hand, driving Graham, now 1-2-0, to the floor. The heavier man did this at his leisure, and though he stood with Graham, it was on the floor that he won the fight.
Round two began much the same as the first ended: Graham mounted and in trouble. With a full five-minute period in front of him, Hamman (2-0-0) unloaded from the dominant position, forcing referee Jon Schorle to step in and halt the contest.
San Francisco’s Luke Stewart, 26, capitalized off his first takedown by mounting Reno, Nevada’s Bill Duvall and taking the middleweight’s right arm to force a tapout 75 seconds after the opening bell.
The win came in Stewart’s professional debut. Duvall, 28, falls to 1-2-0.
Also making his professional debut, San Jose’s Clint Coronel (1-0-0) put together a good effort against Juan Miranda, taking the three three-minute round contest by submission.
The lightweights traded shots in the opening period, though Coronel, 24, was clearly the more comfortable fighter on the feet. As action moved into the second the 25-year-old Miranda (2-1-0) offered kicks to Coronel’s body, but the rookie shrugged them off and moved forward.
After Miranda pulled guard, Coronel easily passed to the side and eventually moved to North-South, where he sunk in what ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. called an anaconda choke, though it appeared closer to a neck crank. Miranda tapped his way out of the fight 1:43 of round two.
Chris Amarante (Pictures) seemed intent on catching Sean Bassett (Pictures), 32, with a submission, and after several attempts the 30-year-old from San Bernardino secured the submission.
The two lightweights grappled around the hexagon cage, tossing each other to all corners before Amarante (2-0-0) locked in the submission from the guard that forced Bassett (1-2-0) to tapout 4:37 of round one.