Strikeforce: Evolution

[FaceSmashingFu]

http://www.411mania.com/siteimages/strikeforcemma_30945.jpg

This dynasty with the incredibly original name has no backstory. It's just me running Strikeforce in WMMA and most of the fight cards and news stories will be presented as internet articles and stuff like that.

Notes:
1. I am a big fan of female MMA and would like to use it in this game, but there are just not enough women in the Tap or Snap #2 database to successfully run the division so I axed it. This takes away two of my biggest stars in Gina Carano and Cristiane Cyborg, but I'll figure it out. With that said, here we go...
2. I added the WAMMA Heavyweight Title to Strikeforce because of Fedor defending it on tonights card, I have updated all of the records from the fight cards this weekend: ShoMMA 4, Sengoku 11, Fedor vs. Rogers...
3. I added Daniel Cormier to the database and gave him a Strikeforce contract, changed the Strikeforce: Insert Main Event TV show to CBS, and booked the first two cards.
4. The first two cards will not have prelim fights because of the small roster, but by the time they are both done I'll have signed enough fighters to do 5 Main Card fights and 5 Preliminary fights.

Strikeforce's Current Weight Classes:
136 - 145: Featherweight
146 - 155: Lightweight
156 - 170: Welterweight
171 - 185: Middleweight
186 - 205: Light Heavyweight
206 - 265: Heavyweight

Strikeforce has signed a PPV deal with DirecTV 2. The deal puts Strikeforce cards on the air in America, Canada, and Mexico.

Strikeforce Challenger Series 4: Woodley vs. Ghosn on Showtime
Tyrone Woodley vs. Tiki Ghosn
Benji Radach vs. Evangelista Santos
Rodrigo Damn vs. Bryan Travers
Daniel Cormier vs. James Thompson
Aaron Rosa vs. Anthony Ruiz

Strikeforce: Evolution on PPV
Scott Smith vs. Cung Le
Robbie Lawler vs. Kazuo Misaki
Matt Lindland vs. Ronaldo de Souza
Muhammad Lawal vs. Mike Whitehead
Mike Aina vs. Lyle Beerbohm

[FaceSmashingFu]

Strikeforce History:

Strikeforce Challenger Series 4: Woodley vs. Ghosn - Saturday Week 3 of December - Kansas City, Kansas (http://www.greydogsoftware.com/forum/showpost.php?p=736397&postcount=5)

[FaceSmashingFu]

Strikeforce has been actively signing fighters to contracts over the past few weeks. Although most are too fill out the gaps in the small Featherweight and Heavyweight divisions, some are major signings of big names in MMA and are being reported here:

KJ Noons (7-2) - The first and only EliteXC Lightweight champion makes his MMA return in Strikeforce, he hasn't competed since starching Yves Edwards last year.
Santino DeFranco (13-4) - TUF veteran.
Takeshi Inoue (17-3) - Japanese featherweight star. Inoue has dominated Shooto for years and will make his debut in America with Strikeforce.
Ricardo Arona (14-5) - One of the best fighters in the history of the PRIDE organization, Arona had a two year layoff following a stunning upset KO loss to Sokoudjou. He returned recently with a decision win over Marvin Eastman.
Thales Leites (14-3) - UFC veteran, Leites was released following back-to-back losses to Anderson Silva and Alessio Sakara. Leites is one of the best fighters in the world on the ground.
Bobby Lashley (4-0) - WWE superstar turned MMA up-and-comer, Lashley has established himself as a fighter to watch with wins over Jason Guida and Bob Sapp. He will be taking a big step up in competition in Strikeforce.
Seth Petruzelli (10-4) - The man who slayed Kimbo Slice on network television, Seth Petruzelli has fought once since his upset of Slice - a first round TKO. He makes his return to a major organization in Strikeforce.
Josh Neer (25-9-1) - A longtime fight veteran, Neer is one of the most exciting fighters around and was recently released by the UFC following back-to-back losses that were the result of his lacking takedown defense. Neer will look to bounce back in Strikeforce.
Din Thomas (24-8) - With over 30 fights, Din Thomas was widely regarded as one of the top Lightweights in the UFC before dropping down to Featherweight. He is 2-0 since the drop.
Yves Edwards (36-15-1) - Yves Edwards has long been one of the most exciting and inconsistent fighters in the game. He will be making one of his many runs at becoming a top 10 Lightweight again when he makes his Strikeforce debut.

[FaceSmashingFu]

Strikeforce Challenger Series 4: Woodley vs. Ghosn Preview & Predictions:
One of the premier prospects in MMA, Tyron "T-Wood" Woodley is quickly climbing the ranks and furthering his undefeated record with each and every fight. Following a dominant display of takedowns and ground and pound against Zack Light, he makes his Challenger Series return in a headline position. Woodley will meet his toughest test to date though as he takes on the experienced and dangerous Tiki Ghosn who trains in England with the likes of Rampage Jackson and Michael Bisping! Plus in the evenings co-main event two dangerous strikers promise to light up the arena when Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos battles Benji Radach. Both men are coming off of losses in highly entertaining fights and will be desperate to get back in the win column and attempt to establish themselves as a top contender in the stacked middleweight division! With a stacked undercard featuring Daniel Cormier's second MMA bout is not a card you want to miss!

Also Strikeforce promises to make a huge announcement regarding the future of the heavyweight division!

Tiki Ghosn vs. Tyron Woodley - RD1 TKO
Benji Radach vs. Evangelista Santos - SD
Rodrigo Damn vs. Bryan Travers - UD
James Thompson vs. Daniel Cormier - RD1 TKO
Aaron Rosa vs. Anthony Ruiz - UD

I'll probably put this card up tonight, if anyone wants to do predictions go ahead, but I'm doing this more for my own entertainment so I'm not worried about it. :p

[FaceSmashingFu]

Bah, I got bored and decided to just do it right now.

Strikeforce Challenger Series 4: Woodley vs. Ghosn

Aaron Rosa (12-2) vs. Anthony "El Toro" Ruiz (22-13)

Round 1:
Both fighters are throwing combinations but nothing is landing cleanly, Rosa shoots in for a takedown but Ruiz counters with a punch that Rosa deflects with his glove. Ruiz lands a very nice counter. Ruiz aggressively chasing down Rosa now. Rosa throws a jab but Ruiz counters with a flurry of punches. Rosa is not doing well standing up and tries to clinch with Ruiz, but Ruiz shrugs him off. Rosa shoots for a takedown again but Ruiz easily stuffs it. Rosa lands his first meaningful strike of the round as he counters Ruiz with a solid punch. And again Rosa shoots, but again it is denied by Ruiz. Ruiz lands a crisp counter punch, but Rosa shoots again. Ruiz stuffs it as the round ends. 10-9 Ruiz

Round 2:
Ruiz opens with a one-two combination that Rosa blocks with his gloves. Rosa shoots in for a takedown but Ruiz easily gets away from it. Rosa tries to clinch but Ruiz lands a punch and ducks away. Ruiz with a right hand to the ribs. Rosa with another crisp counter. Rosa throws a right hand with bad intentions but Ruiz easily avoids it. Ruiz ducks a jab just before Rosa goes for a double leg takedown. Once again Ruiz easily avoids the takedown, Rosa starting to look desperate as Ruiz avoids a combination. Rosa chasing him down and winging punches that are missing by a mile as the round ends. 10-9 Ruiz

Round 3:
Familiar happenings as the round begins, Ruiz stuffs a Rosa takedown attempt. Both fighters throw strikes that don't landbut Ruiz is breathing very heavily now. Rosa tries to clinch but Ruiz avoids it. Both fighters step in and trade ineffective strikes. Rosa shoots again, but even a tired Ruiz can stuff his takedown. Rosa throws a jab that misses, and he throws another jab that misses too. Rosa swings a wild punch but Ruiz counters it with a crisp jab of his own. Rosa shoots, annnd it's stuffed. One minute left in the fight and Aaron Rosa is looking desperate, he throws a body kick that misses. Both men are tired and circle around each other until the fight ends. 10-9 Ruiz

Jimmy Lennon Jr. with the call

"Ladies and gentlemen after three rounds of intense action we go to the judges scorecards for a Unanimous Decision! All three judges score the contest 29 to 28 in favor of the winner... Aaron Rosa!"

The fans are not happy with the decision and loudly boo Rosa in his post-fight interview. Ruiz walks out of the cage in disbelief.

James "The Colossus" Thompson (14-11) vs. Daniel Cormier (1-0)

Round 1:
Thompson in his usual fashion sprints across the cage as the horn sounds. Bad idea as Cormier easily ducks and takes him down right into half-guard. Cormier postures up from half-guard and begins throwing bombs! Thompson is in big trouble, three nasty punches separate Thompson from his senses and the referee has seen enough. Impressive display by Daniel Cormier as it takes him just 41 seconds to dispatch the seasoned veteran.

The preview for Strikeforce's next major event "Evolution" that will air live on PPV plays.

"Cung Le has the most dangerous kicks on the planet, and he wants his title back! But standing in his way is tough-as-nails knockout artist Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith, whose last 5 bouts in the cage have been fight of the year candidates! Also another knockout artist wants back in the mix at 185 pounds, Robbie Lawler returns to the cage to battle Japanese superstar Kazuo Misaki in a fight where both men promise fireworks! Plus Matt Lindland and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza battle in the cage and the Strikeforce debut of King Mo!"

Rodrigo Damn (8-3) vs. Bryan Travers (13-1)

Round 1:
Damm shoots for a takedown but Travers avoids it. Travers throws a weak leg kick and pays for it as Damm catches it and puts him on his back in the full guard. Damm is controlling Travers but not doing much in the damage department as a full minute of inactivity passes the fans are getting restless and booing. The referee inexplicably has not stood the fighters back to there feet after nearly two minutes of inactivity. Damm finally does something as he throws a few weak punches to the head and body but the fans are relentlessly booing his display so far. Finally the referee stands the two lightweights back up. Damm lands a nice punch before the two exchange punches that miss. Damm shoots but gets stuffed as the round ends. 10-9 Damm

Round 2:
Damm throws a jab and a body kick, both miss. Damm throwing wild punches that Travers easily avoids, but set up a shot from Damm. Travers manages to stay on his feet but Damm presses him up against the cage. Damm manages to sit Travers up against the cage. This is starting to look like the first round as Damm is holding position and not doing much else. Damm tries to move to mount but Travers isn't having it. Travers trying to sweep but Damm is on him tight. Referee stands them up with a minute remaining. Travers avoids a body kick and lands a crisp punch as the horn sounds. 10-9 Damm

Round 3:
Both fighters throw ineffective combinations to start off the final round. Damm throws a barrage of wild punches but Travers easily avoids them, Damm still coming in but he leaves himself wide open and Travers lands three punches right on the chin that put Damm down! Damm doesn't look too hurt though as he waits for Travers to make a move. Travers backs off and allows Damm to stand back up. Damm quickly shoots for a takedown but eats a big punch that rocks him! They exchange punches but nothing comes of it. They clinch and Damm takes Travers down. Damm throwing weak punches and controlling position again. And thats what happens for the remainder of the round. 10-9 Travers

Jimmy Lennon Jr. with the call

"Ladies and gentlemen after three rounds of back-and-forth MMA action we go to the judges scorecards... all three judges score this bout 29-28 in favor of the winner by unanimous decision... Rodrigo Damm!"

Mauro Ranallo is standing cageside, to make a huge announcement regarding the future of the Strikeforce heavyweight division.

"Mauro Ranallo here and I have major, major news for Strikeforce. Anyone who watched the recent Strikeforce card on CBS featuring Brett Rogers vs. Fedor Emelianenko knows what true Mixed Martial Arts is all about. Well in February, Strikeforce will make its second showing on CBS. Not only that but we will also be making our debut in the great state of Texas as Strikeforce is coming to Dallas, Texas. Now we all know that Fedor Emelianenko is not only the greatest heavyweight fighter on the planet but simply the greatest fighter of any weight division! He is also the WAMMA Heavyweight champion, a title he won when he submitted Tim Sylvia and defended when he knocked out Andrei Arlovski and Brett Rogers. It was two years ago when Alistair Overeem became the Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion of the world, since winning that title he has not defended it once, opting for fights in Japan and for the K-1 organization. Well he will finally put that belt up for grabs as live on CBS Alistair Overeem will fight Fedor Emelianenko for the Strikeforce Heavyweight title... and the WAMMA heavyweight title as well. The winner will be MMA's first Unified Heavyweight Champion of the world!"

"Razor" Benji Radach (19-5) vs. Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos (16-13)

Round 1:
Radach opens the proceedings with a vicious uppercut that "Cyborg" just avoids. Radach with another knock out punch attempt, he is head hunting early! Or not, as Radach grabs "Cyborg" in a clinch. Radach using effective dirty boxing before sweeping the legs and putting "Cyborg" on his back. Radach almost immediately moves to side control and then quickly to the mount! "Cyborg" is in a very bad position. Radach opens up with punches and lands several big ones but "Cyborg" is game and is surviving. Radach trying to set up an armbar but "Cyborg" defends well and tries to get a sweep out of it! But he gives up his back and Radach quickly hooks in a rear naked choke! "Cyborg" in major trouble, after a few seconds though he is forced to submit at the 4:12 mark.

The main event of the evening is up next and these two don't seem to like each other much. The two men trash talk each other in the pre-fight interviews, a clip is shown of the weigh-ins yesterday where during the faceoff Ghosn pushed Woodley. Woodley guarantees that Tiki will not see the end of the first round.

Tiki Ghosn (11-7) vs. Tyron "T-Wood" Woodley (4-0)

Round 1:
Tiki throws an uppercut that just misses Woodley. Woodley shoots in for a takedown and Tiki has no answers, he doesn't manage to get full guard either as Woodley takes half-guard immediately. Woodley looks for an arm triangle but Ghosn defends it well. Tiki tries to sweep but it isn't happening. Woodley takes advantage of the shift in position and moves to the mount! Woodley rolls for an armbar, and its deep! Tiki submits from the armbar at the 3:02 mark. Dominant performance by Tyron Woodley who didn't need to throw a single punch to defeat Tiki.

The Strikeforce: Evolution preview airs again as the card ends.


Quick Results:
Tyron Woodley beat Tiki Ghosn by Submission (Armbar) at 3:02 0f Round 1
Benji Radach beat Evangelista Santos by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:12 of Round 1
Rodrigo Damm beat Bryan Travers by Unanimous Decision
Daniel Cormier beat James Thompson by TKO (Ground Strikes) at 0:41 of Round 1
Aaron Rosa beat Anthony Ruiz by Unanimous Decision


Fight of the Night: Benji Radach vs. Evangelista Santos
KO of the Night: Daniel Cormier
Submission of the Night: Tyron Woodley

2,095 was the official attendance
The live broadcast on Showtime drew 525,000 viewers

[Quick Trick]

I knew someone would do a Strikeforce diary after Saturday night. It looks great so far and I like the talent you hired. I would like you to hire Shinya Aoki because it looks like he will work for the company at some point in the new year. Keep up the good work though, this looks great. I'll go ahead and predict for Evolution.

Strikeforce: Evolution on PPV
Scott Smith vs. Cung Le
Robbie Lawler vs. Kazuo Misaki
Matt Lindland vs. Ronaldo de Souza
Muhammad Lawal vs. Mike Whitehead
Mike Aina vs. Lyle Beerbohm

[FaceSmashingFu]

Thanks for the comment amigo.

Strikeforce: Evolution Preview & Predictions:
"Strikeforce returns to PPV with a stacked card! Cung Le has the most dangerous kicks on the planet, and he wants his title back! But standing in his way is tough-as-nails knockout artist Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith, whose last 5 bouts in the cage have been fight of the year candidates! Also another knockout artist wants back in the mix at 185 pounds, Robbie Lawler returns to the cage to battle Japanese superstar Kazuo Misaki in a fight where both men promise fireworks! Plus Matt Lindland and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza battle in the cage and the Strikeforce debut of King Mo!"

Also Strikeforce will reveal the full card for the upcoming Fedor vs. Overeem card on CBS!

Scott Smith vs. Cung Le - UD
Robbie Lawler vs. Kazuo Misaki - 1RD KO
Matt Lindland vs. Ronaldo de Souza - 1RD SUB
Muhammad Lawal vs. Mike Whitehead - 1RD TKO
Mike Aina vs. Lyle Beerbohm - UD

Will put this card up tonight or tomorrow.

[Dublin Sky]

Strikeforce: Evolution on PPV
Scott Smith vs. Cung Le
Robbie Lawler vs. Kazuo Misaki
Matt Lindland vs. Ronaldo de Souza
Muhammad Lawal vs. Mike Whitehead
Mike Aina vs. Lyle Beerbohm

[RennikKain076]

Scott Smith vs. Cung Le
Robbie Lawler vs. Kazuo Misaki
Matt Lindland vs. Ronaldo de Souza
Muhammad Lawal vs. Mike Whitehead
Mike Aina vs. Lyle Beerbohm

[Cro_Cop45]

Strikeforce: Evolution on PPV
Scott Smith vs. Cung Le
Robbie Lawler vs. Kazuo Misaki
Matt Lindland vs. Ronaldo de Souza
Muhammad Lawal vs. Mike Whitehead
Mike Aina vs. Lyle Beerbohm