Strikeforce results recap from last night (Aug. 18) for 'Rousey vs Kaufman' in San Diego

Strikeforce blew the doors off the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California, last night (Sat., Aug. 18, 2012) with its latest Showtime broadcasted mixed martial arts (MMA) event, featuring arguably the biggest star remaining with the promotion.

That's right, Ronda Rousey climbed back inside the cage to put her bantamweight championship on the line for the first time since she twisted it off Miesha Tate back in March. Her opponent was Sarah Kaufman, a soft spoken striker seeking to halt the hype train.

It didn't happen.

Of course it didn't. There never really seemed to be any doubt that it would. Kaufman is a respectable mixed martial artist, a veteran of the game with the chops to prove as much. But she was no match for "The Arm Collector."

What is perhaps most impressive is that this wasn't such a surprise. We've come to expect Rousey to wow us with her uncanny ability to drag her opponent to the mat, grab an arm, and twist it until they tap. Or choose to let it break. The fact that she's been able to do this in under a minute in all but one of her professional fights proves her greatness.

Just as sure as you will live, you will die. And just as sure as women will fight, they will fall to Ronda Rousey by armbar.

Deal with it.

While every MMA fan on Earth expected Rousey to latch onto one of Kaufman's arms, there wasn't a single soul out there predicting Ronaldo Souza to score the first legitimate knockout of his career over Derek Brunson.

But that's exactly what happened.

"Jacare," a world renowned Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace, was aggressive, champing at the bit to prove he deserves another crack at Luke Rockhold and the Strikeforce middleweight championship. He came in fast and hard but it wasn't until Brunson rushed him that Souza capitalized with a counter right hand over the top that put Brunson on Queer Street.

That tends to happen when you leave your chin up like your staring at the ceiling.

Does Souza deserve another crack at Rockhold? Sure, why not? It's not like Strikeforce is overwhelmed with top contenders at 185-pounds.

Thankfully for Tarec Saffiedine, the promotion is also rather short on top welterweights to challenge Nate Marquardt for the belt he won by knocking out Tyron Woodley.

"The Sponge" struggled at points standing and trading punches with Roger Bowling but once he worked his game, namely the Thai Plum and a lot of clinch work against the cage, it was clear who was the superior of the two.

You could score the first for Bowling but two and three were clear rounds for Saffiedine. The judges scored it unanimously in his favor, giving him his third win in a row. Yes, they've all been by decision, some closer than others, but does that mean he shouldn't at least be in the discussion to be Marquardt's next opponent.

After all, it's not like Scott Coker will have any better ideas.

Speaking of bright ideas, Anthony Smith utilized a smart game plan to outscore and overwhelm Lumumba Sayers, finishing old "Heavy Hands" by triangle submission in the very first round.

It started with Smith dragging Sayers to the floor and gaining full mount. He dominated positionally and made it clear Lumumba couldn't hang if the two were fighting on the mat.

Naturally, Sayers went back to standing and found success with a knockdown that may or may not have been aided by a slip. Ultimately, it didn't matter, because Sayers went down into Smith's guard and ended up choking on a triangle.

It was a particularly devastating loss because Sayers was slowly but surely picking up the pieces at 185-pounds since his loss to Derek Brunson in July of last year. Now it's right back to the drawing board and considering the always uneven footing Strikeforce seems to be standing on, that's no place to be.

The "Rousey vs. Kaufman" main card kicked off with a light heavyweight mismatch pitting Ovince St. Preux vs. T.J. Cook. There isn't much of anything to say about this bout because A) I didn't actually get the chance to see it due to my cable company being terrible at what they do and B) It went just about the way it was supposed to.

St. Preux dominated early, struggled in the middle, and smashed late. Sure, he should have been better but the brutal nature of the finish should quell any heavy duty criticism.

That's it from us. Now it's your turn to sound off in the comments section below with all your thoughts on the Strikeforce: "Rousey vs. Kaufman" event that took place last night in San Diego. And remember to check out MMAmania.com's complete results and blow-by-blow coverage of all the night's action by clicking here.