By Alex Mattis
Cedar Park, Texas was the host as Strikeforce presented the latest in the line of their Challengers series, live from Cedar Park Center. A solid turnout came to see the biggest MMA event to hit the Austin area since the UFC came through town last September.
The prelims that kicked off the evening saw several residents of Texas leaving their hearts in the cage:
-After appearing to have Carwin’d himself in the 1st round, Drew Pendleton submitted Dennis Dombrow via guillotine in the 2nd. (The Tapout-wearin’ dudes in front of the press table screamed for three minutes because of this)
-Aaron Franco avoided early aggressive striking to secure a takedown and eventually gain mount over opponent, Ousmane Thomas Diange. From there, Franco pounded out a definitive finish.
-After this fight, Randy Couture came out and sat down to assume the role of Celebrity Guest but was immediately mobbed by fans and returned backstage before the television show started.
This brings us to…. LIVE ON SHOWTIME
Starting off the evening, David ‘Tarzan’ Douglas squared off with Nick Gonzalez. ‘Tarzan’ came out clearly looking for an early finish and soon found it after he dropped Gonzalez with a left hook. Some frantic ground n’ pound lead to an opening for Douglas to sink in a rear naked choke. Gonzalez fought, but was ultimately put to sleep.
The second fight of the night, which delivered the only heated weigh-in stare down, delivered a heated battle. Ryan Larson was able to out grapple Erik Apple, en route to a 2nd round submission. Larson utilized an effective jab and superior grappling to win the contest. The crucifix (aka BIG COUNTRY) position is the main tool that aided Larson in his victory. Despite attempts at the Chris Lytle Special, an armbar transitioned into a triangle choke is what lead Larson to the win at 3:40 of round 2.
Ryan Couture (Yes, the son of Randy) took his record to 2-0 as he gained a submission victory over Lee Higgins. Couture kept firm control of the fight as he knocked down Higgins in both the 1st and 2nd round, while threatening many submissions. Higgins should be credited for fighting through everything that was thrown at him, but he eventually had no choice but to tap out at 4:41 of the final round due to a rear naked choke. This elicited the biggest pop of the night from the Texas crowd.
The card also featured a bout between Texas native – Carlo Prater and AKA product – Bryan Travers. This one didn’t last long… 38 seconds to be exact. A tight anaconda choke put Travers to sleep before he even knew what hit him. This is the 2011 start that Prater was hoping for.
The main event of the evening saw the, then, undefeated Lyle ‘Fancy Pants’ Beerbohm fighting Pat ‘Bam Bam’ Healy. The two struggled for position for two rounds; grappling like two made men. However, the third round was the decider as Healy displayed superior conditioning and was able to have his way with Beerbohm; nearly securing a rear naked choke. ‘Fancy Pants’ refused to quit and was swinging until the final bell. The final judges’ tally saw the bout 29-28 for Healy. The physical toll taken on both men was apparent as Beerbohm was immediately taken to the hospital for precautionary reason and Healy had the look of a man who had clearly been in a war.
Aside from some technical issues, the show seemed to go off well for Strikeforce. Congratulations to ‘Bam Bam’ for the win, and we’ve got to give props to ‘Fancy Pants’ for his tremendous display of heart.
