The fighters got way more attention than the usual Hollywood stars. My phone has been ringing off the hook all day here at the fight shop; everybody wants to know how was the mansion! The place was amazing we all arrived there via private buses and there was a red carpet walk with many of the fighters and the celebrities being hounded by the paparazzi. The fighters got way more attention than the usual Hollywood stars. Once inside Strike Force had a great set up. There was a huge Throwdown cage surrounded by two jumbotron TVs with a full lighting rigs and private seating around the whole cage. Before the fights even got started there were first class food and drinks everywhere. What ever your heart desired was there for the taking. Everyone was well taken care of and it was a list of who’s who in MMA and grappling there. There were just too many people to list the turn out was great. But who wouldn’t want to go see great fights at the playboy mansion! After getting our fill of food and drinks the fights got started! It was a great line up of fights with some old veterans shaking off the ring rust and some new up and comers in there too. For sure the fight of the night everyone was waiting for was Gilbert Melendez against Tetsuji Kato. Melendez coming off a 10-month hiatus was back and ready for action. Kato a long time Shooto veteran who dropped down to 155 for this non title match. This three round battle showed the heart and skill of Melendez was unstoppable! Fighting with a broken right hand he switched up his game and proved his left is just as deadly a weapon and left Kato a bloody mess at the fights end. Luke Stewart showed he is another of NorCal’s toughest fighters. Even after slipping off his own kick and being reversed to the bottom he swept, passed and mounted Sam Liera. Once on top of Sam Liera ate what seemed like never ending punches from Stewart from the full mount. Josh Thomson didn’t have too tough a fight against Adam Lynn. Lynn was very game and tried to tie up and bully Thomson around a little. But Thomson even after taking a nut shot knocked Lynn down to the mat and finished him barrage of strikes in the first round. Joe Riggs has been training some Jiu Jitsu! After smashing Eugene Jackson in the face and taking to the mat. He took mount, then the back it looked like the fihgt was over with Riggs trying to sink the RNC but instead he beautifully switched to an armlock. Somehow Jackson was able to get out of the armlock but he soon found him self in a crucifix with Riggs KO’ing him from strikes in the first round. Falaniko Vitale finished his fight in the same fashion as Riggs with a crucifix dropping elbows and punching Ron Fields until he gave up in the first round. Bobby Southworth had a quick fight. About a minute in to the fight his opponent Bill Mahood gave up due to some rib injury. Billy Evangelista had a slug fest with Clint Coronel and he won a three round unanimous decision. Jorge Masvidal beat Matt Lee by TKO due to strikes starting on the feet and finishing from the seatbelt. Daniel Puder went three rounds for the first time. He had what seemed like it could be a fight finishing guillotine in the very beginning of the fight. But Richard Dalton was able to withstand it and get out to keep fighting. Puder had some other sub attempts and won all three rounds for a unanimous decision. Dewey Cooper beat Adam Smith by decision. Daniel McWilliams beat Eddy Millis after Millis went for a failed footlock and McWilliams took the top position forcing Millis to his back where he was choked with a RNC. Anthony Figueroa started the night out with an action packed couple of minutes where he knocked the mouth piece right out of Miguel Linares’s mouth before finishing him off. Great fight to start the night. I really hope to see another Strike Force at the mansion. The event ran great and showcased that Strike Force is one of the top MMA events in the world with a great talent pool of fighters.