Strikeforce: 'Lawler vs Shields' recap and final thoughts
by Jesse Holland on Jun 7, 2009 12:35 AM EDT
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Strikeforce: "Lawler vs. Shields" from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 6, has come to a close.
The big story coming out of the live Showtime broadcast was the "Grimm" upset for the ultra-popular Andrei Arlovski, who was obliterated inside thirty seconds by the lead-fisted Brett Rogers.
Arlovski went for a routine low kick to open the bout but when Rogers bumrushed him, "The Pitbull" retreated -- and forgot to bring his head with him. Rogers seized the opportunity and drilled Arlovski with a crushing left-right combo that sent the Belarusian to the floor.
At first glance the lightning-fast stoppage by John McCarthy seemed to border on premature, but the Showtime replay confirmed that the stoppage was on point -- and likely a big favor to Arlovski -- who could have been on the receiving end of some serious damage.
The fireworks from that fight were enough to make up for the rather anti-climatic main event that saw Robbie Lawler play right into the hands of jiu-jitsu ace Jake Shields.
"Ruthless" was getting his timing down and picking his spots, but inexplicably offered up his neck on a silver platter when Shields jumped into guard.
Lawler contemplated a Rampage-esque slam to break out (with a little help from the cage), but Shields had it locked down and Lawler was forced to throw in the towel.
As expected, Nick Diaz and Scott Smith put on a ridiculous display of striking as the two started banging from the opening bell. Diaz was clearly getting the better of the exchanges but Smith (as usual) showed a ton of guts and determination and even answered the maniacal Diaz blow-for-blow on several occasions.
The final numbers had Diaz throwing 397 punches -- and landing more than 50 percent of them. Think of E. Honda on weed and you have tonight's performance in a nutshell.
There was some fan-unfriendly scuttlebutt from the peanut gallery about Diaz ending it with a "cheap" submission, but after the display he gave us in rounds one and two there was little to prove in the striking department.
After all, why end up like Benji Radach when you have a black belt under Cesar Gracie?
The match up between Joe Riggs and Phil Baroni turned out to be a pleasant surprise with plenty of action. The two exchanged on their feet and on the ground for the entire fight with "Diesel" clearly getting the better of the exchanges.
He may not be "the best EVA " but the "New York Bad Ass" did show improved cardio despite fading in the last stanza. Riggs was sharp throughout. One thing that didn't fade was Baroni's heart -- even after taking several big knees to the face and head.
Maybe with this win Joe Riggs has finally earned that shot at Jake Shields he so desperately wanted.
Rounding out the main card was Kevin Randleman, making his long-anticipated Strikeforce debut after fighting only once in almost three years.
The effects of the layoff were quite apparent as "The Monster" was out of gas by the end of the first. Whitehead didn't fair much better in the conditioning department, as the rumor mill inside the Scottrade Center claims he was forced to cut from 236 pounds to 205 the day of the weigh-ins.
As a result, the two failed to electrify the St. Louis crowd -- though to his credit "Iron" Mike was the busier of the two and did show a lot of heart after getting clowned in the third. Whitehead now pushes his record to an impressive 15-1 since March of 2006.
Randleman's meter is running as the 37-year-old has to make some major adjustments -- and fast if he hopes to compete in the Strikeforce light heavyweight division (or anywhere else for that matter).
The undercard saw the considerable momentum Rafael Cavalcante had built up during his 3-0 run under the Elite XC banner quickly vanquished courtesy of a Mike Kyle assault towards the end of the second round.
A plump "Feijao" showed brief flashes of the talent that garnered him so much praise, but in the end looked to be victimized by his own poor conditioning, setting up the crushing right hand by Kyle that put him to sleep for several minutes.
And following the stoppage, "MAK" made sure he gave Anderson Silva, who was cageside in support of Cavalcante, all kinds of dirty looks -- which "The Spider" gave right back.
Maybe that kind of intensity will jumpstart the seemingly stalled attack of Silva when he competes at UFC 101 on August 8. Perhaps any Griffin injuries can therefore be traced back to the scowl of Mike Kyle.
'Lawler vs. Shields' was a solid show with a major upset that will be talked about for days to come. If you missed any of the action, be sure to check out our complete Strikeforce results and blow-by-blow coverage by clicking here .
Now that's enough out of me for one night, it’s time to hear your thoughts. What did you think?
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anderson vs forrest should be a great one! some good fights 2nyt from strikeforce
by markg on Jun 7, 2009 12:41 AM EDT reply actions
That’s right- myself and ViolentMike called it. Rogers is one of the few HWs who throws combos even though he’s got massive power. Most power HWs are one pounch hitters. and tonight like barnett said AA’s bad habit of moving straight back combined with combos = getting horribly lit.
Diaz came through with some sick boxing. Really showed that you could be a volume guy in MMA if you’ve got the reach. Super pissed that my boy Feijao got starched – gotta see the fight for better analysis.
I expected riggs to gnp baroni but it was excellent seeing him work a tight standup game and most importantly that slow methodical lawler style rhythm. Very impressive.
Embarrased for the judges because the last round was 10-8 no matter what you say. Also giving Randleman the 3rd round for one knockdown is questionable IMO. Very enjoyable event- am happy i decided to stay in to watch this card.
by NameNotRequired on Jun 7, 2009 12:52 AM EDT up reply actions
how about those ceaser gracie boys~
yes!! im soo glad shields pulled this one out..
and diaz did exactly what i expected.. i cant wait to see him at 180 again.
wow~ grim rogers is a pure animal!! the man is huge~
i did think aa would get the best of him~ but grim didnt even give the chance..
i would like to see grim fight overeem at the next strikeforce..
~ i did great on my bets tonight~ lost a little on aa..
by stinky~fingers on Jun 7, 2009 1:15 AM EDT up reply actions
OFF TOPIC***
has anybody seen that video of Anderson Silva impersonating other fighters? I don’t know how old it is but I just saw it and it’s hilarious.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5zjL05yn3Q
by Don "The Prophet" King on Jun 7, 2009 2:39 AM EDT up reply actions
After watching Rogers beat Arlovski, it makes me really hope that Fedor will sign with the UFC. I mean, if Fedor beats Barnett, Rogers could possibly be his next fight. There just aren’t enough fighters in Affliction or Strikeforce. That goes for all of the divisions really, not just Heavyweight.
by naturalshadow on Jun 7, 2009 3:49 AM EDT up reply actions
I won a nice amount of money last night. YOU guys kjnow I have been missing events left n right in the past 2 months. Last night I rush home, after a day long party/BBQ. I get home at about 10:30, I roll a blunt, turn on strikeforce and I caught the last 2 rounds of Baroni/Riggs. Caught about 2 minutes of the Diaz fight and before even getting a chance to spark an L, My BITCH ASS FELL ASLEEP! I missed EVERYTHING!!! Im such a loser.
I just signed on and was pleasantly surprised that I won some decent money last night. I thought Arlovski would win, but I bet some money on grim…Won money on Diaz.. Lost some chump change on Lawler! All in all, a profitable evening for me!
by john on Jun 7, 2009 7:26 AM EDT up reply actions
I think the big test will be when Rogers faces Overeem which has to happen first. I mean we would have all laughed if we were seeing a potential Rogers vs Fedor match and even though I don’t think he would deserve a shot just yet as there have been much more deserved people in the UFC after Josh (not 2-1 Brock) but if he KO’d Overeem as well he would definately be a lot closer to being considered.
What a shame for Arlovski. I thought his main objective would have been his speed and footwork. Josh hit the nail on the head when he said he always moves backwards and had nowhere to go when Rogers came charging in.
This is definately not the end of Arlovski but something tells me we will be seeing the shellshocked version again in his next couple of fights.
by Ca$z on Jun 7, 2009 8:30 AM EDT up reply actions
Ca$z: I dont know if Arlovski will be ready to go again by August 1st…But I would absolutely love to see him matched up against Gilbert Yvel at affliction 3 in what I would expect to be a highly entertaining, Brutal stand up War!
I thought one of the biggest questions of last nights event would be how Arlovski boiunced back after being kO’ed by Fedor. Last time he got Ko’ed (Sylvia), he was shell shocked for his next five fights….now that he has been Ko’ed in back to back fights, there is a really good chance of the shellshocked version of Arlovski showing up in his next fight….Hopefully that isnt the case. I mentally stable Arlovski makes for one of the most exciting fighters at heavyweight in the world. HOpefully he is ok mentally for his next fight!
by john on Jun 7, 2009 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions
I think AA got also a boxing fight soon?
by Alpha Male 360 on Jun 7, 2009 10:30 AM EDT up reply actions
yeah but they have to cancel that out, if they have a brain.. his boxing debut should have been more important than this fight, it’s like they’re trying to force everything and just collect paychecks even if it means taking the fight on short notice without proper preparation…
by RoB on Jun 7, 2009 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions
That,would be an ideal thing to do RoB!I hope that he,will push back his boxing debut for after August!
by Alpha Male 360 on Jun 7, 2009 12:02 PM EDT up reply actions
John: That is so true. He was looking really good before the Fedor KO and I thought we had seen a new confident Arlovski back to entertain his thousands of fans.
Its just a shame mother nature gives you your chin and there is very little you can do to develop it.
I doubt he will be at Affliction now though after that although I would love to see him and Yvel go at it too. I would just not like to see him get KO’d again for his sake. I guess the thing that I’m gutted about the most is not seeing Rogers get tested. I was hoping win or lose that Rogers got the true test he needed to prove whether he is worthy of Top 10 opposition from now on. Either way he won decisively so I guess he is.
I might be wrong but I think that was Andrei’s last contracted fight and will need to negotiate another and may have lost some of his collateral with that performance.
by Ca$z on Jun 7, 2009 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Ca4z: thats exactly what I am pissed about! I wanted to see Grim tested so that we could find out exactly how good he is….Last night didnt tell us anything that we didnt already know: GRIM hits HARD!!!! Thats all I came away with from that performance other than the fact that I tripled my money betting on Grim. NO, I didnt call the upset. I thought AA would win, and I was rooting for Arlovski, but the odds on Grim were amazing, and I had to place a little wager on Rogers. That is the only good thing that came out of that fight…I WON MONEY!!!
What sucks is that we still have no idea if Grim is good enough to compete with Alistar. Of course he obviously has a punchers chance….but last night told us nothing
by john on Jun 7, 2009 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks for the props Name Not Required!!!!!
We sure did call the Grimm win.
I was away for the weekend at a festival and watched Strikeforce last night, and WEC last night and this morning before work (cuz I passed out)
by ViolentMike on Jun 8, 2009 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Grim earned a little respect. I think Arlovski is a bit overrated, but Grim showed that he needs to be fighting some of the higher rated heavyweights.
Not impressed with Diaz or Smith. I thought I was watching a toughman fight. Smith doesn’t belong in the cage with the top guys. He has heart, but no technique at all. Diaz’s punches were connecting regularly, but that’s not hard when you are punching a stationary object. Honestly, I still don’t think Diaz’s striking is all that good. He doesn’t have a lot of power in his punches. I hope he’s not getting too comfortable striking, because If he ever fights someone who can move their head and throw a few combinations, he’ll be in trouble if it stays standing.
I’m kind of blah about Lawler and Shields. Not all that surprised with the outcome. If Shields can learn how to throw a few punches, he could be really hard to beat.
by RealDrew on Jun 7, 2009 3:00 AM EDT up reply actions
WOW, I really don’t know where to begin! I told you guys to bet the odds that Grim was given. I think Barnett is wrong, AA (while one of my favorite fighters) is done! My 7 year old could knock him out if given the chance. This gives Dana something to talk about now!
Nick Diaz…I don’t have to say anything, I expected that! All this “hype” Scott Smith gets is so bogus, Nick just proved that! He’s always been one of my favorites, and he always goes out there and puts on a show. I personally think Nick is better all around and pound for pound than Shields, and Jake is very lucky they are on the same team and that that team is so close!
Speaking of Shields, I must’ve been watching a different fight than those announcers. I thought Shields’ stand up looked much improved. His boxing is shit, but he was letting his kicks go and landing them. Jake (and Nick for that matter) find ways to win at all different weight classes…thats true P4P!
Did anyone notice the smirk Fedor gave Maurro when asked “what will he do to beat Barnett?” What I got out of that was “do you know who I am? I already won!” Good to see the cross promotion.
Overall, I called it, great card, on paper and lived up to the billing. Lastly, Baroni is junk! All that shit talk for what?
Now with the Aug. strikeforce, a mma filled summer just got better. My wife already wants to go to the Aug show…I got Cyborg!
by kevin on Jun 7, 2009 3:24 AM EDT up reply actions
who is the “peanut gallery?” they should be dragged out and shot, they obviously are tough man competition fans and that it!
by kevin on Jun 7, 2009 3:27 AM EDT up reply actions
I wouldn’t call Andrei overrated but i would call him exposed.. I think Grimm is/was being underrated a man with that size that knows how to throw a punch is a threat to anybody, and the thing is that he’s smart and knows when and how to move in… Andrei on the other hand isn’t the smartest of fighters, you can’t just come in and expect everything to go like you want it and have a boxing match, it’s fun that he wants to be a boxer cause all he does in his fights is doing other stupid things like using inside leg kicks and of course becoming stationary while throwing them against a bigger man that has one punch KO power, Rogers just timed it, rushed him and it was over, everybody knows that Keith Jardine can’t defend against that either, it’s almost to the point where big guys in the club rushes in on Jardine and KO’s him, cause they move straight backwards with no head movement and no nothing..
by RoB on Jun 7, 2009 3:33 AM EDT up reply actions
AA wants to be a boxer but can’t take a punch from the heavy hitters, if he has this trouble in MMA he’s not going to last 5 minutes (sorry, 20 seconds ;p) up against the top heavyweight boxers. I don’t know where he can go from here really.
by Jimrod on Jun 7, 2009 3:41 AM EDT up reply actions
It is almost sad. Arlovski really is a very talented fighter, and one of the most athletic heavyweights, but for all that he has going for him, his chin is absolute glass, and there isn’t anything he can do about it.
by naturalshadow on Jun 7, 2009 3:51 AM EDT up reply actions
lmfao ya this fight pretty much shows how usa today or w.e heavyweight ranking mean nothing…he jsut got KO’d hardcore and they rate him #3 or4 w.e it was….that how u can tell a mag is sponcers by affliction
by JG on Jun 7, 2009 3:56 AM EDT up reply actions
yeah you shouldn’t trust anybody but yourself.. I still don’t think it’s fair how they have it in the HW division, Andrei is pretty but nobodys jaw is made to take a hit from a guy that’s 30-40lbs heavier than you..
by RoB on Jun 7, 2009 4:03 AM EDT up reply actions
AFFLICTION EXPOSED…AA got ktfo. Don’t buy the anti-UFC HW hype. There’s a reason why they always have to say FORMER UFC champs. Hate on!
by RedDog on Jun 7, 2009 4:32 AM EDT up reply actions
i bet the t-shirt guy was just pissed as hell after that fight… all though he DID get a fedor fight out of him… not much more he can get out of him now… at least not as a PPV draw
by sanshouer on Jun 7, 2009 4:49 AM EDT up reply actions
Kevin are you serious? Grim is huge and those punches were fast and he was moving forward throwing them from different angles so that Andrei’s head just started to spin, and there’s really not much you can do with defense like that and your chin up in the air while moving backwards.. If you know your chin is weak than you protect it, there’s always something you can do about it..
by RoB on Jun 7, 2009 5:26 AM EDT up reply actions
if i were lawler i would of gone out sleepin’ like a man,.. nap time.
randleman/whitehead looked like crap! they looked like more of heavyweights.
also riggs is beating phil up bad and rolnaldo asks anyone got a kicten sink? the comm. was ugly.
diaz was great!
by mikeybear on Jun 7, 2009 3:31 AM EDT up reply actions
you’ve obviously never been choked out, it’s not a nice feeling!
by kevin on Jun 7, 2009 4:09 AM EDT up reply actions
Good job for your picks kev!
Happy B Day!If it’s today?
by Alpha Male 360 on Jun 7, 2009 8:39 AM EDT up reply actions
What a moron! you obviously have not been choked out to the point were you look like a man but with convulsions, blue faced and pissed and possibly crap your pants.
by santiago69us on Jun 7, 2009 9:25 AM EDT up reply actions
Wth happend to Arlovski…Biggest upset of the year for sure so far!
by matthew on Jun 7, 2009 12:42 AM EDT reply actions
It’s a really devastating loss. Where does he go from here? I really can’t see him having a successful boxing career. I never really thought his chin was as bad as some made out but it was a left hook that barely clipped him that did the initial damage. Rogers then detonated his head. Poor old Arlovski :(
by RobH86 on Jun 7, 2009 12:52 AM EDT up reply actions
Better be glad he was getting paid so much,because he is done,there is no way he will see paydays like that again,he is done
by scott on Jun 7, 2009 12:57 AM EDT up reply actions
That’s really sad isn’t it. He’s so talented but he’s got a problem that cannot be fixed and it’s only going to get worse.
by RobH86 on Jun 7, 2009 1:16 AM EDT up reply actions
I’ve been doing pretty good this weekend so far on my picks. Got Soto, Baker, and Reis in Bellator yesterday, and now I got all but the main event here. I wanted AA to win really bad, but decided to put a bet on Grimm, and didn’t bother with the Feijao fight.
Good stuff though. I thought Diaz had a rear naked choke, and not a Brabo choke. But I did have a shiddy online stream, so I could be wrong.
I actually thought Whitehead and Diesel were locks. I seriously couldn’t see them losing.
I have to watch the Diaz/Smith fight again.
by Synyster on Jun 7, 2009 1:19 AM EDT up reply actions
For tomorrow, I’m going with Cowboy, Aldo, Brown, and I’m thinking Grispi. Not sure yet though. He is -200, but I dont feel like Jens will lose 4 in a row. Any advice guys?
by Synyster on Jun 7, 2009 1:21 AM EDT up reply actions
I’ll say one thing, Andrei is doing a good job at keeping up the trend of losing back to back fights. It was a lose lose scenario for him tonight. Win and no one bats and eyelid, lose and his rep is down the toilet.
by RobH86 on Jun 7, 2009 1:23 AM EDT up reply actions
the chin and caught thing is not what’s it about most of the time though, it’s more about defense! when Grim hits you cleanly like that with 3 fast punches in a row and gets your head in motion then it’s over..
by RoB on Jun 7, 2009 2:36 AM EDT up reply actions
I don’t think that can be called the biggest upset of the year cause a lot of people could see that coming. The Lawler loss seemed like a bigger upset to me, not because Shields won but because Lawler seemed to get caught in a rookie mistake.
by Hypn0T0ad on Jun 7, 2009 1:13 AM EDT up reply actions
How is ending a fight with a submission ‘cheap’? What kind of worthless fans does this sport have?
It’s MMA which means you use multiple arts to end a fight, not just continue a linear predictable strategy that is not going to alter once it has begun.
Go watch kickboxing, it is great stand up fights.
by DirtyML on Jun 7, 2009 12:49 AM EDT reply actions
what are you talking about,nobody on this forum said anything about cheap submission victory
by scott on Jun 7, 2009 12:53 AM EDT up reply actions
“There was some fan-unfriendly scuttlebutt from the peanut gallery about Diaz ending it with a “cheap” submission, but after the display he gave us in rounds one and two there was little to prove in the striking department."
From the thread you posted in but apparently did not read. :(
by DirtyML on Jun 7, 2009 12:57 AM EDT up reply actions
I did not see it,must be from another story.He must be an idiot because the reason he took the submission was because Smith was done and did not want to take anymore punishment,you can always tell when a fighter has given up,he will give up his back without putting up any struggle.It was still a good fight,so who ever you were arguing with must not know the sport he is watching.Me personally wish Nick would actually use his BJJ more.He very rarely uses his odvious advantage ,he could have beat Smith alot earlier if he would have taken him to the ground
by scott on Jun 7, 2009 1:05 AM EDT up reply actions
It’s in the write up. A comment from the “peanut gallery”.
Great pick on Grimm Jesse. When Nostrodumbass picks a dog, lay it down!
by Bob on Jun 7, 2009 1:02 AM EDT up reply actions
Those “fans” are an embarrassment to the sport, I honestly don’t know why they bother going to MMA shows if they only want to watch K-1 style fights and find submissions boring and cheap. If you don’t enjoy the ground game, then you’re not a fan of mixed martial arts, you just like some martial arts.
I agree Scott, I wish Diaz would use his BJJ more because he had the obvious advantage on the ground but he looked really impressive in the stand-up and picked apart Smith before submitting him once he gassed, great stratey and performance from Diaz, he deserves a fight with Lawler or Le, depending on if Cung ever bothers to come back to MMA or if he wants to be a second rate Bruce Lee in C-list movies.
by David W-S on Jun 7, 2009 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions
Diaz looked amazing again, punches in bunches. Lawler should of avoided any close contact with Shields and just made it a boxing match with his takedown defense but shields proved once again you can suck at striking and still win with awesome BJJ skills aka Maia. Rogers proved to have some awesome power and proved he can hang with the big boys, but I’m still convinced anyone with good takedowns and ground skills will show his weakness aka Fedor, Barnett. I’m gonna give Randleman a pass on tonight just because he’s been out for quite awhile and his cardio proved that, hopefully we can see better from him next time. That’s all I gotta say about tonight and I’m looking forward Brown vs Faber rematch tomorrow. Going Brown with another TKO.
by rydinlow on Jun 7, 2009 12:50 AM EDT reply actions
Shields looked great, I laughed when the commentators were bashing him for not being able to takedown Lawler at the same time when he was catching him with body kicks, sick guillotine from Jake that shut up all the doubters. Sure he has to work on his striking but he proved that the smaller guys can go up in weight and beat the best in that weight class, vindication after GSP-BJ and Mach-Aoki. When you are as good at BJJ as Shields and Maia, you don’t need to be a great striker or wrestler to win fights.
by David W-S on Jun 7, 2009 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions
Great fights! I was wrong on just about all my picks.
by ShitleTOT.com on Jun 7, 2009 1:04 AM EDT reply actions
Tell me about it. I had Lawler, Arlovski, Feijao and the new improved Baroni and definately not improved Randleman to win.
I’m just glad I had no money on any of these fights as I’d be extra pissed right now.
Although a lot of my picks didn’t win I still really enjoyed the card and if Strikeforce can keep putting on some excellent match ups they will prove to be a close number 2 to the UFC for providing regular solid cards.
Great show.
by Ca$z on Jun 7, 2009 8:40 AM EDT up reply actions
Don’t worries Ca$z i also was 2 in 6 in my picks.I had Lawler,AA,Feijao,Smith,Whitehead,Riggs.
I too thanks god to didn’t have any bets on that show!
Totally agreed…great show…I hope the same for the WEC tonight(not losing but for the quality of the show)!
by Alpha Male 360 on Jun 7, 2009 8:53 AM EDT up reply actions
Holly crap I forgot we still get to the WEC tomorrow.
by Hypn0T0ad on Jun 7, 2009 1:15 AM EDT reply actions
man. arlovski needs to quit whatever “pro boxing” training he is doing immediately and remove his head directly from his ass. big ups to el grimmo for just going for broke and getting it done. as always, the production values for this thing reminds you why the hell you watch the UFC, but at least no cheerleaders throwing cherry bombs while riding around on rollerskates or something and some good fights. #1 is easily diaz vs smith, where diaz threw a billion punches per minute and smith had to man up and still tried to murder him in the early third round. smith isnt the best fighter around, but pure heart and class, you have to respect the shit out of him. will have to find the feijao smash later. wow. mike kyle is a shitsandwich of a human and i wish justin eilers would just jump out and break his head every time he appears, that dirty illegal kicking piece of shite. but alas, so many next big things dont turn out so big against experienced fighters, especially in the higher weight classes. i wish anderson subbed in at the end and raped kyle to death. cest domage. now for more beer than prague drank last week…thanks for the writeup and the best site going. peace out.
by Hardcase on Jun 7, 2009 1:51 AM EDT reply actions
AA is done. His chin is completely gone and unfortunately he cant wear a helmet in the octagon. Time to hang up the beard arlovski.
I remember seeing one arlovski’s earliest fights and he was brutally knocked out, this just proves that once youve been koed it just gets easier to go to lala land.
by Colin D on Jun 7, 2009 2:24 AM EDT reply actions
Honestly I didn’t give Grimm a hope at winning this fight but boy did he prove me wrong, complete destruction from Rogers and he proved that he is for real and is easily a top 10 fighter. I can’t wait to see him face Overreem or Werdum, as good as they are Rogers proved that he can KO the best and any big HW with powerful hands is a test for anyone. Wins over these two and Rogers may actually become a threat to Fedor, something I would have laughed at last night.
As for AA, I know his chin gets a lot of stick and this was a bad defeat for him but it was the shot of him slumped in his corner, with tears in his eyes that makes me think that he is done. He looked a broken man and after 2 KO’s in R1, I don’t see where he is going to go from here. I doubt we’ll ever see him back to his best and any hopes for a big boxing career have gone. Shame for him because he is a class fighter but I don’t see him ever being top 3 again.
by David W-S on Jun 7, 2009 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions
Easily a top 10 fighter? Gtfo, he aint even in the top 20.
by Green Inferno on Jun 7, 2009 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions
I had the feeling Arlovski was going to be knocked out and I was sure. He is an overrated fighter like Rampage to me. Well done. Congratulations Rogers.
by Eddie Rock on Jun 7, 2009 2:28 AM EDT reply actions
Anyone know where we can see the prelims for Strikeforce?
by mmarocks on Jun 7, 2009 2:44 AM EDT reply actions
Good nite of fights. I enjoyed it. But, I did think that the “John Mccarthy cam” was kinda creepy. It was just kinda weird.
by blackBEERd on Jun 7, 2009 3:22 AM EDT reply actions
Whatz up with everyone saying Arlovski has a weak chin? He doesn’t have a weak chin what it is, is he is always getting caught with big solid punches. It’s not like those punches from Rogers were glancing or weak, he was straight throwing bombs and caught Arlovski when he hit the fence and was coming forward with hella momentum.
by Mike-C on Jun 7, 2009 3:39 AM EDT reply actions
lol, if that were the case, the first glancing punch that rocked him wouldn’t have!
by kevin on Jun 7, 2009 4:12 AM EDT up reply actions
MIKE-C!! Are you still trying to defend AA’s chin? Just stop please! Any questions that anyone should have still had about AA’s chin were answered in about 15 seconds.
by RedDog on Jun 7, 2009 5:27 AM EDT up reply actions
I think you’re missing the point kevin, Brett is a guy at 6’4 270lbs or something moving forward throwing punches, and the first came from wide out so Andrei didn’t see the punch coming and that’s why he lost his balance..
by RoB on Jun 7, 2009 5:32 AM EDT up reply actions
RedDog the time that the fight ended in has nothing to do with it, and if you knew anything than you would know that ALOT of KO’s happens in the first minute of the fight just because both fighters are still cold..
by RoB on Jun 7, 2009 5:35 AM EDT up reply actions
I used to think that his chin was fine but he barely got clipped with the left hook and he was hurt. Also Andrei was dropped recently in sparring by a jab.
by RobH86 on Jun 7, 2009 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions
Yea RedDog i am defending Arlovski’s chin. I never said he had an iron chin or anything like that, all i’m saying is that all tha shots that have ever KO’d Andre were always hard solid punches or combos like what Rogers hit him with tonite. Shit i’d like to see u take those punches from a 265 pound Brett Rogers whos rushing you and not get KO’d. If Arlovski would have just circled out and not try to fire back he wouldn’t have been KO’d like that and tha fight would have gone on longer. And Kevin if u watch tha fight again that first left hook that hit Andre was not glancing and had some heat behind it. Plus it hit him right near tha timble too so thats why he got rocked.
by Mike-C on Jun 7, 2009 6:28 AM EDT reply actions
Well no one is going to take the 3 punches that Andrei took when he was pressed up against the cage it’s the glancing left hook that everyone’s talking about. Watch it again.
by RobH86 on Jun 7, 2009 10:43 AM EDT up reply actions
dang too much hating on arlovski he got caught oh well it happens to anyone except the pitbull keeps getting caught i can say all of the ppl posting comments against AA wouldnt be able to take a shot from rogers
by Chino() on Jun 7, 2009 7:17 AM EDT reply actions
That is exactly how it should be! You never need more than one ref for the whole night.
There is much more consistancy this way!!
by b-real on Jun 7, 2009 8:44 AM EDT reply actions
Yeah, I didnt mind it either, although I was a little surprised I don’t think I have ever seen 1 ref do all the tv bouts before.
Big John is the man!
by markie on Jun 7, 2009 9:13 AM EDT up reply actions
all the losers last night came in with little to no game plan. arlovski never tried to use his movement, diaz threw flat footed looping punches and smith used his face to block, and lawler was dying for a one punch knock out.
by kmoney on Jun 7, 2009 11:59 AM EDT reply actions
What does everyone think about the crowd hating on Diaz?? I mean anyone who watched that fight saw a phenomenal performance from Diaz. His standup is unreal and then he tapped out Smith without even softening him up for the rear naked choke.
I know he gets the bad guy image from the media but you have to respect his abilities and I love his attitude. I dont care about all the negative publicity, I love the fact that he brings it everytime time. Not to mention its pick your poison with him, try and stand with him and take 500 punches or go to the ground and get tapped out. I am bias cause I think Diaz is an awesome fighter but I would like the crowd to show him more love.
Also, how bad are the announcers, strikeforce really needs to do something about that.
by Jared on Jun 7, 2009 12:29 PM EDT reply actions
the event was schedualed til 1:30 and ended shortly after 12 i was hoping to see the undercards looked like there was some exciting fights to watch :( anyone know where i can watch the undercards?
by Shmanks on Jun 7, 2009 12:30 PM EDT reply actions
Nick Diaz is one tough and talented guy. I knew this before the fight and Smith isn’t exactly world class but still he completely toyed with and destroyed Scott. Scott landed a couple of punches that didn’t even faze Nick.
As I said earlier in the week, Lawler has no business in the top ten in the world in middleweights much less the top five. I remember not to long ago Pat Militech saying that he thought Robbie was the second best middleweight in the world. LOL.
I felt bad for Arlovski and don’t believe he will be cleared to box at the end of June. He clearly didn’t have respect for Rogers because if he did he wouldn’t have had a boxing match scheduled for three weeks after his fight. I hope he has invested well because the paydays are going down down. I remember seeing him a couple of years ago on an all access for the UFC. He was getting into his BMW 750 and going to the jewelry store to have a piece made for him. Typical irresponsible athlete. I might not be his accountant but I’m pretty sure that that type of lifestyle will have to change.
by Adam T. on Jun 7, 2009 12:36 PM EDT reply actions
Arlovski is washed up, chuck need to go to strikeforce and have an ultimate clash of the glass jaws. Also where was scott smith’s tap, all i saw was his hand going up to try & pry off Diaz arm, probably would’nt have made a difference anyway though, but he did’nt tap!
by KRS on Jun 7, 2009 12:52 PM EDT reply actions
anouncers were real bad, Gus Jhonson ……..talks…….so……slooooow & needs to lighten up a litle, i really enjoy Shamrock though, he definatly has passion for the sport & is good in front of the camera, would love to see him alongside Joe & Goldie
by KRS on Jun 7, 2009 12:57 PM EDT reply actions
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