A former champion took on an established UFC veteran last night (Jan. 12, 2013) as Ronaldo Souza fought Ed Herman in the opening bout of Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Souza was looking to build some serious buzz for himself as the promotion held its final event and he prepared for the next step of his career in the UFC.

Mission accomplished.

Early on in the bout, Souza struck with Herman, showcasing his improved stand-up abilities, but he quickly shot in and took "Short Fuse" down with a perfectly timed double leg.

After some atrocious officiating in which Herman was able to secure a stand-up after landing an illegal upkick instead of being reset on the ground, Souza turned it up a notch, pressing the action with heavy and precise punches and kicks which overwhelmed The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season three runner-up before slamming him to the ground.

Once on the canvas for a second time, "Jacare" didn't mess around, quickly isolating locking down Herman on the ground and isolating one of his arms. After some gnarly torquing of a Kimura submission hold, Herman had no choice but to tap out or snap.

Thankfully he chose the former rather than the latter.

For Ed Herman, there wasn't much he could do last night. He has had a nice Cinderella story since returning from the gruesome knee injuries that nearly ended his MMA career, but his wins over the likes of Clifford Starks, Kyle Noke and Tim Credeur were nothing compared to the unstoppable force that was "Jacare" last night. He did not have an advantage in any one area against Souza and it was only a matter of time until he was stopped via strikes or submitted on the ground. Souza was just that damn good and Herman has nothing to be ashamed of. Souza would have destroyed a large majority of UFC middleweights had they stepped into the Strikeforce cage. He at least deserves some respect for taking the fight in the first place.

For complete Strikeforce: "Marquardt vs. Saffiedine" results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here and here.