Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy
Rose Garden
Portland, Ore.
Main card on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Prelim card Showtime Extreme at 8 p.m. ET/PT
Main Card (Showtime)
Champion Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Kennedy (middleweight title bout)
Nate Marquardt vs. Tyron Woodley (vacant welterweight title bout)
Roger Gracie vs. Keith Jardine
Lorenz Larkin vs. Robbie Lawler
Prelim Card (Showtime Extreme)
Jorge Masvidal vs. Justin Wilcox
Pat Healy vs. Mizuto Hirota
Jordan Mein vs. Tyler Stinson
Jason High vs. Nate Moore
Ryan Couture vs. Joe Duarte
The Strikeforce Challenger series is dead (it was not part Showtime’s renewed 2012 broadcast deal) which means the undercard tonight and going forward are going to be deeper with talent.
In fact, the prelim card alone is going to be excellent.
Masvidal holds a win over K.J. Noons, while Wilcox has beaten Rodrigo Damm, Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro, and Shamar Bailey.
Healy is on a four-fight win streak, and Hirota is the former DEEP lightweight champion.
Canada boasts some pretty good welterweights, and Wein is among them, taking out Josh Burkman, Joe Riggs, Cyborg Santos, and Marius Zaromskis in 2011.
In business, politics and entertainment, being the son of someone successful can be a massive advantage. In fighting, not so much. But Ryan Couture is blazing his own path to the top, most recently against Conor Huen, and tonight against 10-2 Bellator vet Joe Duarte.
The main card is terrific.
The top talent in Strikeforce moved over to the UFC, starting with welterweight champ Nick Diaz in June of 2011, and ending with three divisions without a champion, but Strikeforce is now turning it around.
Luke Rockhold is defending his middleweight title for the second time, tonight against Tim Kennedy, and Nate Marquardt fights Tyron Woodley for the vacant welterweight championship.
The A beat B and B beat C so A will beat C formula is famously wanting in fighting, as styles make fights. Although Rockhold beat Jacare Souza, and Jacare beat Kennedy by decision, Kennedy is a nasty striker both standing and on the ground and has never been crushed; that could yet carry the day for him.
Win streaks are huge in MMA, and Tyron Woodley is on a 10-fight streak. He faces the great Nate Marquardt, who would be in the mix among top UFC fighters were it not for TRT issues.
Roger Gracie at Middleweight is a scary prospect, and he faces the fearless and durable Keith Jardine. Lorenz Larkin too is dropping to middleweight, and likewise faces a fearless and durable fighter in veteran Robbie Lawler.
In short, watch this card tonight, it will be excellent.
