Strikeforce at the Playboy Mansion
By Michael Afromowitz Amid the splendor of the iconic Playboy Mansion, the MMA action was world class, and atmosphere was electric as Playboy Enterprises founder Hugh Hefner looked on along with a host of Hollywood celebrities. ISKA President and Strikeforce Rules Director Cory Schafer was in attendance coordinating with the California State Athletic Commission to regulate the event.
Kazuo Misaki v Joe Riggs
Middleweight sensation Kazuo “The Grabaka Hitman” Misaki (21-8-2) finished Joe “Diesel” Riggs (28-11) with a series of strikes in the second round of the main event at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, California on Saturday, September 20th. Strikeforce World Lightweight (155 lb. limit) Champion, Josh “The Punk” Thomson (16-2) finished Ashe “The Archer” Bowman (9-5) in similar fashion, in the first round of a non-title bout, while Mitsuhiro “The Endless Fighter” Ishida (17-4) pulled off a dynamic armbar submission of Justin “The Silverback” Wilcox (5-3) in the first round of their lightweight matchup.
Misaki and Riggs showed their respect for one another throughout the first round, both circling the cage and throwing jabs from a distance.
Round two began similarly. Misaki tagged Riggs with a few sporadic body shots until the American fighter exploded with a hard left hand that sent Misaki reeling back. Riggs followed up with a kick, but Misaki countered with a straight right hand that sent to the canvas on his back.
Misaki pounced on the downed fighter with an onslaught of punches, the majority of which Riggs defended successfully, but referee Josh Rosenthal felt Riggs had sustained enough punishment to warrant a stoppage at the 2:29 mark of the second round.
Riggs, seemingly fit to continue fighting, bounced to his feet immediately after Rosenthal ordered the bout to be halted, and protested the referee’s decision. Riggs’ pleas were to no avail.
Thomson, who celebrated his 30th birthday one day later, needed only a minute and 14 seconds to complete his eighth straight conquest. The Strikeforce champion connected with a healthy dose of leg kicks early in the opening stanza before scoring a hard right hand that sent Bowman into the cage fence and down to the canvas. Thomson quickly jumped on his opponent and connected with a flurry of punches that prompted the referee to wave off the fight.
Ishida, whose appearance marked his debut on United States mainland, began his effort similar to Thomson, throwing leg kicks that found their way to the front thigh of Wilcox.
Wilcox waited for his moment before shooting in for a takedown that Ishida avoided and used as an opportunity to grab hold of the former NCAA wrestling star’s arm. Ishida quickly flipped Wilcox onto his back and locked in an armbar from Wilcox was forced to immediately tap.
In other action, 24 year old rising star, Cory “The One” Devela (9-2) suffered a surprise defeat, his first in over four years, at the hands of heavy-handed puncher, Terry Martin (18-5).
Devela successfully used a push kick to fend off Martin for the majority of the bout and scored a head kick on Martin in the second. In the third round, though, Martin unleashed a left hook that dropped Devela. After Martin followed up with a punishing right hand, the referee quickly stopped the fight at the 2:08 mark of the round.
Complete “Strikeforce At The Mansion II” Results:
-Kazuo Misaki def. Joe Riggs - TKO at 2:29, Round 2
-Josh Thompson def. Ashe Bowman - TKO at 1:14, Round 1
-Terry Martin def. Cory Devela - TKO (Strikes) at 2:08, Round 3
-Mitsuhiro Ishida def. Justin Wilcox - Submission (Armbar) at 1:21, Round 1
-Trevor Prangley def. Anthony Ruiz - Unanimous Decision, 3 Rounds (29-28, 30-27, 30-26)
-Luke Stewart def. Jesse Juarez - Submission (Armbar) at 4:55, Round 1
-Eric Lawson def. Kenneth Seegrist - Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:07, Round 1
-Brandon Magana def. Brandon Thatch - Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28), Round 3
-Jesse Gillespe def. Dave Martin - Split Decision, 3 Rounds (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
22 September 2008
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