How the Bad Girl won, and other observations from the March 3 Strikeforce Card

All I can say is "Wow". Rousey talked the talk, walked the walk, and now she's Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion. Was I surprised by the outcome? Absolutely not! Her Olympic pedigree  was nothing to scoff at over her MMA record.  Did she deserve the fight? My answer is still no. But considering the road that might lie ahead in Strikeforce's future, I'm glad she got the opportunity now, because she because the opportunity might not have been there a year from now. More on my ominous signs of doom later...
Lets talk about the rest of the card.
Couture vs Huen
This was one of my top 3 fights of the under card. Ryan Couture continues to impress me. Nuff said

Fodor vs Healy
This ranked #2 fight on the under card. The way it was presented, was that this was a tune up fight for Fodor. Things started out well for Fodor, but mid way through the 2nd round Healy's clinch fight game wore him down. Healy  got the submission in the 3rd

Sailing vs. Bowling
 I was rooting for Sailing, but I thought something was a little off about him. It turn's out he might be a white supremacist. EPIC FAIL to Strikeforce for not picking that up if it's true.


Kaufman vs Davis
 My # 1 fight of the under card. I was expecting Sarah Kaufman's stand up vs. Alexis Davis's ground game. What I saw was a 3 round slugfest. I felt Davis might have won if she could have finished off Kaufman with a submission when she had her on the ground. Kaufman will get her title shot against Rousey, but I'm not liking Sarah's odds when it happens (see Miesha Tate's arm)

Main Card


Souza vs Marunde
This was a tune up fight for Souza plain and simple

Smith vs Sayers
 This one is in my top 3 of the main Card. Sayers fights never get beyond the first round win or lose. But Sayers could not have won in a more spectacular fashion than he did against Smith with a back body drop slam in to a guillotine choke submission in the first round

   Daly vs Misaki
  Also in the my Top 3. Daly looking to advance in his career by taking on Japanese legend Kazuo Misaki. Daly's fights have been hit of miss for me. Misaki nickel and dimed Daly's to point of confusion. Daly had to move away from his normal stand up to actually to trying using a ground game to gain some advantage over Misaki, that didn't work. Despite Daly's crying after the match he it was clear to me that he didn't win.


Thomson vs Noons
 What was suppose to be the fight of the night before the main event, was the most lack luster showing of both the cards. Noons should just stick with being a pro boxer, while he's put on good shows in the past with his stand up. I haven't seen improvement in his takedown defense, because Thomson was controlling him the entire fight. Thomson post fight interview pretty much summed up my feelings... It was "$#!+"

Overall this was a great card, but like many I believe that this the beginning of the "Strikeforce Farewell" tour. With Zuffa (the parent company of UFC) now owners of Strikeforce. Over the last 7 years Zuffa has bought out the competition (PrideFC, WEC, and now Strikeforce) and integrated them into the huge machine that is UFC. They plan to ride out the contract with Showtime for the rest of the year, but after that's it's anyone's guess. Cue ominous signs I pointed to earlier.