Strikeforce Results

Credit: Esther Lin.

Main Card Results

Tarec Saffiedine defeated Nate Marquardt via unanimous decision.
Daniel Cormier defeated Dion Staring via TKO at 4:02 of the 2nd round.
Josh Barnett defeated Nandor Guelmino via submission (arm-triangle) at 2:11 of the 1st round.
Gegard Mousasi defeated Mike Kyle via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:09 of the 1st round.
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza defeated Ed Herman via submission (kimura) at 3:10 of the 1st round.

Prelims Results

Ryan Couture defeated K.J. Noons via split decision.
Tim Kennedy defeated Trevor Smith via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:36 of the 1st round.
Pat Healy defeated Kurt Holobaugh via unanimous decision.
Roger Gracie defeated Anthony Smith via submission (arm-triangle) at 3:16 of the 2nd round.
Adriano Martins defeated Jorge Gurgel via unanimous decision.
Estevan Payan defeated Mike Bravo via TKO at 4:01 of the 2nd round.

Belgium has given the world so much. Waffles, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and legendary film director Chantal Akerman. It has now given us Tarec Saffiedine, the new and final Strikeforce welterweight champion.

The first round set the story, as Marquardt rushed in and was caught by a slick right jab that knocked him down. Marquardt would soon go for the takedown, but it was to no avail. Saffiedine was able to use his technical superiority when it comes to striking to pick Marquardt apart. By the third round, Marquardt was huffing and puffing, while the fresh Saffiedine was landing leg kick, after legkick. In the fourth frame, those brutal legkicks continued, further damaging Marquardt’s leg.

“That’s one of the worse legs I’ve ever seen,” Pat Miletich, Strikeforce color commentator.

By this point, Marquardt was going for the MMA equivalent of a hail mary. In the fifth frame, Saffiedine continued with the onslaught. To show how dominant he was, he easily took Marquardt down at the very end of the fight and kept him there as the time ticked away. Saffiedine was awarded the unanimous decision win.

It was the best performance of Saffiedine’s career. He outclassed and seriously damaged a respectable, high level opponent. Saffiedine will now enter the UFC with the type of win that will make him stand out. The welterweight division is a stacked division, and we should all be interested in seeing who Saffiedine clashes with next.

In the undercard, the two heavyweight grand prix finalist made quick work of their lesser opposition. Daniel Cormier got on top of Dion Staring to finish him via TKO at 4:02 in the second frame. Josh Barnett easily took Nandor Guelmino to the canvas, and locked in an arm-triangle to win via submission at 2:11 in the first round. Cormier immediately challenged Frank Mir for a showdown in April, which will be a great fight. Barnett’s future is less known, he cut an entertaining promo, but we will have to wait and see what path Barnett will take.

Gegard Mousasi took down Mike Kyle and tapped him out in the first frame at 4:09 with a rear naked choke. Kyle is hardly UFC material at this point and with a history of unprofessional behavior, it might be best to not sign him. Mousasi looked fine, but it was hard to get much out of it since it was an easy win for him.

Ronald “Jacare” Souza heads to the UFC with some excitement behind him. Ed Herman isn’t a great fighter, but he’s a tough and difficult fighter for many. Jacare controlled every aspect of the fight. In the end, he slammed down Herman and then locked in a kimura for the win at 3:10 of the first round. Jacare can be a potential good draw for the Brazilian market.