Strikeforce: Los Angeles Parting Shots

With or without middleweight champ Jake Shields, Strikeforce looked to carry on this past week with a live event in Los Angeles, California that featured some pretty good fights on paper. Fortunately for Strikeforce, the fights delivered, even with a disappointing result for Robbie Lawler in the main event, as well as an underwhelming performance by KJ Noons.

Strikeforce’s Messy Title Pictures

While nothing is more of a mess than the heavyweight division’s title picture (with a nod to middleweight, where champ Jake Shields is likely UFC-bound), the light heavyweight title has a strange situation now, too. We have Renato “Babalu” Sobral, who recently lost to Gegard Mousasi by a devastating knockout, taking on the man who just beat Mousasi, “King Mo” Lawal.

This happens sometimes, and it’s not as if there are a lot better options for a light heavyweight title challenger. Of course, Babalu’s reluctance to face King Mo adds yet another wrinkle to the whole thing. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker will certainly do whatever he can to make this fight happen, since there just isn’t anyone else of note that can step in and challenge King Mo.

Babalu did put on a very good performance against Lawler, of course. The former UFC light heavyweight title contender showed a complete MMA game against his opponent, who was content just to stalk and box. I agree with Pat Miletich that Lawler made a big mistake by standing outside of boxing range, eating kicks while not being able to reach Babalu with his punches. If you’re going to straight-up box, you need to be all the way in or all the way out. It makes no sense to stand on the outside and absorb kicks.

Titles You Didn’t Know Cyborg Had

Er…male Cyborg, that is. You know, I could talk about how Cyborg looked quicker and more explosive at welterweight, seemingly without losing any of the power that made him so dangerous at middleweight. But I’d rather talk about something else.

I couldn’t help but notice that after Mr. Cyborg celebrated with Mrs. Cyborg in the cage, Mr. Cyborg seemed to be sporting a…I can’t even write it…a tongue ring.

There it was, an unmistakable little shiny ball just floating in the mouth of one of the scariest dudes on the planet. What does this mean? It’s one thing to see fighters with tramp stamps, or even the extra-unfortunate circular tattoo around the belly button, but a tongue ring?

Awwww. Come on, Cyborg. That’s so…feminine. But I wouldn’t say that to his face. Instead, I would simply crown him with the title that he undoubtedly wins by default: World’s Toughest Man With a Tongue Ring. He will definitely place it up on his mantle, among the heads of journalists who have made fun of his jewelry choices and his other title for World’s Toughest Man Named Evangelista.

Seriously, though: you can fight with one of those in? I can’t think of any specific reason why it shouldn’t be allowed, but there has to be a reason, right? I mean…a tongue ring? On a guy? In 2010?

Oh, and bad break for Marius Zaromskis, too. From up-and-coming, top ten welterweight to just an entertaining brawler with a cool nickname in a matter of two Strikeforce fights. And it doesn’t end there, either. Marius, you just got whooped by a dude with a tongue ring.

Tim Kennedy Moves Up, KJ Noons Moves Down

I can’t stress how impressed I was with Tim Kennedy after watching him dispatch a quality MMA veteran in Trevor Prangley. Even though Prangley took the fight on short notice, he looked to be in great shape and is a professional who is always ready to go, regardless of the situation. Kennedy’s grappling, control and strength will be hard for many in the middleweight division to deal with, for sure.

A middleweight tournament for what will surely be a vacated title due to the impending defection of Jake Shields to the UFC is looking better and better. With a wild card like Kennedy alongside Dan Henderson, Robbie Lawler, Cung Le, Scott Smith, or others, it would be a great way to crown a new champ. You can’t really count Kennedy out against anyone, at this point. I think Henderson is the toughest matchup of all of those fighters for him.

Meanwhile, KJ Noons did not look so good against his own short-notice opponent, the game Conor Heun. Noons may have fought the way that he did because he had no worries about his opponent’s standup, but against a fighter with rather sloppy and rudimentary kickboxing, he took way too many shots for my liking. Who knows…against a more dangerous striker, maybe Noons would be tighter with his strikes and take less chances. However, Noons could catch another loss like he did with journeyman slugger Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett if he doesn’t stop eating punches and kicks that he should be avoiding.

Noons could still make some waves in Strikeforce, as he has obviously been working hard on his takedown defense and other areas of his game. He just didn’t look to be in the best possible shape, and was not as sharp as someone should be with such a technical advantage on his opponent.

Obligatory Dumb Mauro Ranallo Quote

I have to (begrudgingly) admit that there were less quotes to choose from than normal. Of course, that’s like saying that oral surgery was a little less painful than expected. Here it is, folks. After Cyborg put Zaromskis down for good, Ranallo shouted excitedly that Cyborg “drops him like names at a Hollywood party!” Grooooaaaan.

Also, how awesome was it when Pat Miletich bristled at being backed into a corner about whether Bruce Lee would have been a good mixed martial arts fighter, after previously having noted diplomatically that he was sure Lee “would be a fan”? Miletich is the best thing that has happened to any Strikeforce MMA commentary team, and Ranallo is trolling him with hypothetical questions about Bruce Lee and MMA that are more frequently the territory of MMA forum “noobs”. Priceless.

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