Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman Preliminary Card Recap
Tonight’s Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman was obviously centered on the women’s 135 lbs. title fight main event, but there was another 135 lbs. women’s bout featured on the preliminary card. Former champion Miesha Tate looked to rebound from her loss to Ronda Rousey in which she lost the belt months ago when she took on Julie Kedzie.
The four fight Strikeforce preliminary card aired live on Showtime Extreme.
Bobby Green vs. Matt Ricehouse:
Our evening kicked off with a Lightweight tilt between well-travelled American fighter Bobby Green, facing Strikeforce prospect Matt Ricehouse, where both men leveled numerous power shots at the other. Ricehouse was able to use heavy leg kicks and his looping shots to keep Green at a relatively safe distance, but Green’s speed and power carried him through the early going, allowing him to badly hurt Ricehouse late in the 1st round, taking an easy 10-9 round due to the near fall and total control.
Ricehouse brought the fight hard in the early goings of the second round after sensing the badly shifting tide, but Green was having none of it, shrugging off Ricehouse’s takedown attempts and landing counters at will. While Ricehouse was able to land several power shots while circling towards the cage, Green walked through the sporadic offense and closed the round with taunts and a takedown for another 10-9 round.
The 3rd started with both men looking relatively fresh but Green was able to continue his dominance, adding a hearty amount of showboating into the fight as he closed out a clear-cut decision victory.
Bobby Green wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27×3)
Germaine De Randamie vs. Hiroko Yamanaka:
In a match of championship kickboxing vs. Shooto grappling, this fight played out to be just what you might expect, as De Randamie landed a volume of punches while Yamanaka hunted for the clinch to work her own game in this fight. While Yamanaka had minor success landing a long jab on De Randamie’s right eye, the power of the far more polished striker was able to find the mark with regularity in the first round of this fight, giving De Randamie the round.
Yamanaka came into the second with a game plan to frustrate the Dutch-style kick boxer using long-range low kicks and a suffocating clinch attack, all the while avoiding the majority of De Randamie’s sizzling punch attack. Those that did connect however threw Yamanka around the cage and took a closer second stanza on the scorecard.
The third started in a similar fashion as the larger Yamanaka appeared lost as to a method of victory, while de Randamie was content to wing power punches into the incoming fighter and avoid the ground game all together, taking yet another round on virtue of her well-timed offense.
Germaine De Randamie wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27×3)
Adlan Amagov vs. “The KO Kid” Keith Berry:
An exciting bout came to a very odd conclusion early as Amagov landed the only two standing strikes of the fight: A spinning back kick to the abdomen and a chopping front kick to the knee. The potentially illegal kick to the knee sent Berry to the mat followed by a flurrying Amagov as Berry screamed and thrashed underneath the Russian fighter. Misunderstanding Berry’s complaints, referee Herb Dean halted the bout thinking Berry was severely injured, which happened to not be the case. While the kick may of have been illegal, the referee didn’t catch the move, and as it stands Amagov was awarded the TKO win.
Adlan Amagov wins via 1st round TKO (ground and pound)
Julie Kedzie vs. Miesha “Cupcake” Tate:
A fight where Tate came in as a huge favorite turned into a spirited scrap. Looking to show off her stand-up skills, Tate immediately bit off more than she could chew as Kedzie displayed crisp boxing that rocked Tate early. Landing a stunning kick to the face, Kedzie forced Tate’s hand as the former champion started hunting for desperate takedowns that Kedzie was able to shrug off with ease as she continued her standing assault. The round ended in a spectacular exchange, as Kedzie dumped Tate with a kick to the chest, but found herself swept into a triangle and armbar, being saved from the submission as the bell rang.
The second round saw Tate trying to gain the upper hand in the clinch, but Kedzie was stronger standing and deceptively sound in her scrambles on the mat, threatening with a triangle and armbar of her own early. Tate’s patience paid off though, transitioning out of an omaplata and into a back ride and near choke submission where Kedzie was forced to prove her fortitude as she survived Tate’s grappling offense.
The third round saw both women looking a little worse for wear, yet it was Kedzie that proved to be the early aggressor as she blasted away at Tate’s lead leg with kicks and landed a sundering shin kick to the face, dropping Tate like a sack of potatoes. Showing meddle that would make most male fighters envious, Tate not only survived a crushing blow, but quickly found an armbar on the pursuing Kedzie. Gutting out the technique, Tate was ultimately able to flip Kedzie and force the tap on a badly injured arm, setting up a potential blockbuster rematch at 135 lbs. against female foe Ronda Rousey.
Miesha Tate wins via 3rd Round Submission (armbar)
Look for the Strikeforce: Rousey vs Kaufman Main Card Recap later tonight.
Powered by Max Banner Ads
Category: Featured, MMA, Results, Strikeforce
About the Author (Author Profile)
I'm a 20+ year veteran of martial arts and a fan of MMA since UFC 1, when my world was thrown on its head by the budding sport. I'm obsessive in the pursuit of martial abilities and have competed across the country in everything from Vale Tudo to archery to Scottish broadsword. Once my body broke down, I picked up a pen and went in the direction of writing. I specialize in betting advice, predictions, and I'm a walking encyclopedia of MMA trivia. I own a cafe in Exeter, NH called Hammersmith Sandwich Company and write out of my office between customers.Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
