Strikeforce Challengers 9 Livens Up a Dull July

July may be the hottest month in many areas where MMA is most popular, but it certainly hasn’t been a hot month for the sport itself. Without a UFC, WEC, or major Strikeforce event, it’s been up to the likes of Dream and the Strikeforce Challengers series to give us something to talk about as we anticipate a busy August. Did Strikeforce Challengers 9 deliver? Read on to find out.

Depending on your perspective, the highlight of the night was likely either the main event between Shane del Rosario and Lolohea Mahe or the Strikeforce Women’s 135 lb. Championship bout between Sarah Kaufman and Roxanne Modafferi. Del Rosario is a decent enough prospect and remains undefeated, but I was more interested to see the Kaufman-Modafferi bout, in all honesty. For nearly three rounds, the two fought a grappling-intensive bout that seemed to be mostly evenly-matched, though Kaufman clearly had Modafferi outclassed whenever the two took to striking one another from a distance.

Modafferi showed little to no head movement and routinely made the mistake of simply pulling her head back (chin in the air) to avoid Kaufman’s straight punches before usually resorting to rushing Kaufman and clinching her to get out of trouble. Once, Kaufman even briefly brought vintage Vitor Belfort to mind as she showed off her hand speed while pinning Modafferi to the cage with shot after shot. Modafferi looked to be in serious trouble, but she was able to survive and close the distance yet again.

Though Kaufman enjoyed the clear advantage when it came to striking, she didn’t seem to mind the lengthy portions of the bout that took place in the clinch, where she used her strength advantage to nullify much of Modafferi’s technical abilities. Modafferi, who is experienced in both judo and jiu-jitsu, often tried for trips, throws and takedowns but Kaufman was able to shake most of them off. Modafferi was resourceful enough to try to pull guard, as well, but Kaufman’s strength bailed her out of that attempt as she simply picked Modafferi off of the mat and pinned her against the cage in a moment that foreshadowed the fight’s explosive finish.

With just over 15 seconds to go in the third round, Kaufman was posted up in Modafferi’s guard, and Modafferi appeared to be going for a triangle choke. Kaufman started to pick Modafferi up in response to the attempt, which Modafferi tried to counter by hooking her opponent’s leg with her right arm. However, she wasn’t able to keep Kaufman from lifting her up high, then slamming her down to the mat in a moment reminiscent of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s unforgettable slam of Ricardo Arona back in Pride. Modafferi was knocked out from the impact, and Kaufman immediately recognized that and began celebrating without following up on the slam while Modafferi was attended to.

Perhaps just as notable was Kaufman’s surprisingly bold comments before and after her fight. With a smile that only partially masked her frustration, Kaufman noted in a pre-fight interview that she wasn’t happy with being relegated to fighting on the Strikeforce Challengers series shows, and wanted to get on a high-profile card. She even went as far as to say that her fight against Modafferi would be her last on a Challengers show, and again brought up the subject in her post-fight interview. We’ll see if her campaigning will do any good soon enough, but it may depend on whether her fight with Modafferi did better in the ratings than her previous Challengers appearances.

The night’s other memorable moment came when Shane del Rosario stunned Lolohea Mahe with a sudden knee from the clinch that led to several unanswered blows and a referee stoppage in the first round of their heavyweight fight. Del Rosario had Mahe pinned against the cage in the clinch when Mahe leaned his head a little far towards del Rosario’s left shoulder. In an instant, del Rosario took advantage of the mistake by using his flexibility to land a knee to Mahe’s head which visibly rattled Mahe’s cage. Del Rosario recognized his opponent’s dazed state right away and pounced on the opportunity to keep the shots coming, while Mahe simply turned away and fell to his knees, prompting the referee stoppage.

It’s good to see that Strikeforce is trying to build up some prospects, though it is also clear that del Rosario will need to have a step up in difficulty for his next opponent. It is hard to really gauge how far he can go in the suddenly-stacked heavyweight division until he faces someone who can present him with a better challenge.

Other notable fights included UFC veteran Mike Kyle making his first Strikeforce appearance since last August’s loss against Fabricio Werdum, as he took on Ron Humphrey in the light heavyweight division. Kyle was able to take advantage of Humphrey’s difficulties in the striking department, firing away straight punches whenever he got the chance while Humphrey awkwardly ducked his head and extended his arms in response. However, it was Kyle’s grappling that would finish the fight, as he sunk in a rear naked choke midway through the second round to force Humphrey to tap.

Curiously enough, the commentary team took several opportunities to mention that the winner of the Kyle-Humphrey bout would be right in the mix for a title opportunity. Now, I know that Strikeforce treats their titles with about as much respect as Mel Gibson treats his dates, but really? So Kyle is in the running for a title shot because he won twice in King of the Cage (including a title bout against Tony Lopez that he won by split decision) and then against Humphrey? And Humphrey was in the mix because of his guillotine choke win over George Bush (yes, that’s his name) at Strikeforce Challengers 7, I presume? Surely the light heavyweight division isn’t that thin.

In other bouts, Bobby Voelker won a questionable split decision against Cory Devela and Caros Fodor defeated Ousmane Thomas Diagne by unanimous decision. The next Challengers show is scheduled to take place on August 13th.

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Tags: Mike Kyle, Roxanne Modafferi, Sarah Kaufman, Shane del Rosario, Strikeforce, Strikeforce Challengers, Strikeforce Challengers 9