Keep checking back for live results from Strikeforce in San Jose, CA! Keep checking back, as we’re reporting live from the HP Pavillion in San Jose, CA right now! Sorry for the delay…living five minutes away from the venue sometimes means you’re lazy about getting here on time! Right now the arena is about 1/3 full. Dennis Hallman vs. Jeremiah Metcalf Round 1: The savvy submission grappling and MMA veteran Dennis Hallman quickly submits Jeremiah Metcalf via Heel Hook at 1:29 of the opening round in a tournament alternate bout. If anyone is injured during the 4-man tournament and cannot continue, Hallman would step in as a replacement. Chris Drumm vs. Evan Esguerra At 2:35 of the second round of this match, Chris Drumm inadvertantly punched Evan Esguerra in the back of his head. Esguerra could not continue and this match was officially ruled a No Contest. Alex Crispim vs. Clint Coronel Bout is in the third round now. Crispim tried to finish the last two rounds with guillotine choke, but this round is on the feet. Judges Decision : Alex Crispim by Unanimous Decision Anthony Figueroa vs. Pete Sabala Up next. Pete is from the Unbreakable Gym. Anthony is from Cung Le’s Gym and enjoys hometown support as his hometown of San Jose is announced. Our good friend Paul “El Technico” Schriener is also in his corner. Scheduled for three 3 minute rounds. Round 1: Fighters touch glove, then circle. Pete initiates the clinch quickly and gets th fight to the ground, to Anthony’s guard. Interestingly, Pete spins so he faces the center of the cage and his feet are on the fence. Anthony gets to his feet, Pete tries a guilltotine and BIG slam from Anthony. Back to the feet and they exchange blows. Pete rushes Anthony to the fence, Anthony knocks him down, Pete forced to turtle as Anthony pounds away. Back to the feet, now Pete gets a big takedown! Reversed! Pete holds on to a guillotine choke as time expires. Round 2: Anthony knocks Pete down with a flurry, Pete looked stunned, but rolls on top as Anthony comes to meet him. Now Pete on top of Anthony’s guard. Anthony stands up and Pete applies a guilltoine. Looks to be from half guard only, and Anthony frees himslf. Anthony pounds away, thn the fight comes back to the feet. Not for long as another spectacular slam from Pete. To Anthony’s guard, this time Pete pushes him into the fence. More of a shoving match right now on th ground than any kind of strikes landed as time expires. Round 3: Big kick by Anthony to start off with, Pete responds, and the Anthony with a knee to the midsection the causes Pete to wince in pain. PEte goes down and Anthony tries to swarm him, but Pete recovers and roll on top to Anthony’s guard. nthony gets to the feet again and stuffs Pete’s attempts to bring the fight back to the mat. Once again Pete does manage to roll on top however, only to be reveresed again. Anthony opts to back out and let the fight go to the feet. The fighters circle now, with Pete doing most of the backpedaling now. Time expires on an exciting match that I’m glad I don’t have to call. Split Decision for Anthony Figueroa Gumby’s call: Like I said, I’m glad I’m not a judge. That really was a fight that could gone either way. Pete’s dancing away at the last minutes likely cost him this fight. Eric Lawson vs. Josh Neal This bout is an exhibition, scheduled for three 3 minute rounds. Round 1: Fighters touch gloves and circle. After a minimal feeling out period Eric takes the match to the ground, but Josh quickly applies a triangle choke. Slam from Eric to escape, but the choke remains. Still locked on as Eric tries to punch his way out now. THe triangle looks locked on, but the angle must be off as it’s been well over a minute. Eric twists and turns, Josh’s feet appear to be slipping. Time expires and Eric manages to hang on, but how much did that triangle take out of him? Round 2: They begin to trade blows, but Eric lands a crushing right. Josh goes down, Eric follows up with a few big shots, the Josh turns over. Eric takes the back and sinks in the RNC for the tapout! Stunning comeback! Bit of time before the main event card begins. Just noticed on the program I was handed: Melendez vs Thompson March 2008. Here we go! 1st round of the middlewight tournament up! Like all the tournament bouts, these next to bouts are scheduled for 2 five minute rounds. Delay after the fighters are announced for the paramedic to return onsite. Sean Salmon vs. Jorge Santiago Round 1: Fighters touch gloves and here we go. Santiago lands a flying knee and gets the KO! Wow! Official time in… One thing is for sure, Jorse will be very well rested for his next bout!! Still no official time, but Salmon is still down, and medical people and a board are not out to tend to the fighter. Let’s hope he’s ok. Official time of 24 seconds on that bout By the way, Sean Salmon eventually made it back to his feet but looked very wobbly, still being checked out by ringside doctors. The arena looks pretty full now. I wonder what the official attendence will be listed at? Also note, the main event (last bout) is not the tournament finale, but Cung Le vs. Sam Morgan. Believe me when I say you’ve never seen a hometown reception like when Cung Le fights in San Jose. Trevor Prangley vs. Niko Vitale Round 1: Fight begins with the fighters touching gloves. Turns into a slobberknocker early as both fighters are swinging for the fences. Clinch and a few takedown exchanges next. THe release and the fighters seem decidedly more cautious this time around. Clinch with Trevor pushing Niko into the fence. Boken up and the fighters are content to swing a bit more before Trevor enganges with the clinch again. Quickly broken up however. Now Trever seems to be getting the better of the exchanges, but he drops down an looks for the takedown. Niko’s back is against the fence and he defends well. Trevor backs off before wading back in swinging. Clinch on the fence again. Niko is giving as good as he gets, and trevor’s bleeding from his nose. Trevor tries the takedown, nothing doing as Niko stuffs it. Round ends in the clinch. Tough round to call, but based on actual damage I’m leaning towards Niko on that one, although Trevor did press most of the action (albit with mixed results). Round 2: Action starts slower as the fighters circle each other. Trevor lands a left and a tries a few knees which Niko blocks. Clinch with Trevor pushing Niko to the fence, but brought back to the center quickly. Trevor fires a one two combination and presses back into the fence. Back to the center, two circle, Trevor lands a nice shot to the body. Niko takes a thumb to he eye, complains, and the match is halted. Dr says something to the ref and the ref waves off, Niko looks upset! Waiting for the official word. The score was officially a majority draw, so the decision goes to the referee, who awards th bout to Trevor Pangley. Crowd reaction is decidedly mixed on this one. Note that Trevor is being announced from South Africa as opposed to his San Jose roots. He’s cornered by Javier Menedez, Bob Cook and Dave Camarillo of AKA, which may have swayed the crowd opinion. NOTE: Armando Garcia just dropped by the table to give us an update on Sean Salmon. Sean had a seizure in the ring and went to the hospital for a CRT. He is awake and alert, but tests will determine if he will EVER be allowed to fight again. Luke Stewart vs. Bryson “Kamaka” Monterde BOTH fighters are sponsorewd by OTM and I suddenly feel a bit awkward, but I’ll shre my bias, Luke is my teammate (Ralph Gracie) and friend. The crowd isn’t divided as they are going for Luke, the hometown boy. Round 1: Kamaka charges across the ring, seems to catch Luke, Luke recovers and answers with a series of knees that KO’s Kamaka! Bout is halted Luke wins by KO! NOTE: Armando Garcia with more news. First, Niko Vitale had an eye spasm which caused one eye to drift. He’s 100% recovered, but the doctor called the fight. Secondly, there was an unintentional foul ruled for Luke, but it did not affect the outcome of the bout. *The offical attendence is announced at 8233.* Bobby Southworth vs. Anthony “El Toro” Ruiz Round 1: Bobby knocks Anthony down, passes guard, takes mount secures the back in less time it takes me to type this. Anthony recovers and puts Bobby on his back. Fighters clinch before being broken up. Bobby misses a kick and falls, but recovers quickly, nthopny charges across the cage and pushes Bobby to the fence. Bobby reverses and gets the takedown, lands in Ruiz’s half guard. Round ends. Round 2: Flurry by both men, but Anthony seems to catch and and back up Bobby. Bobby to his guard now , Ruiz looking to pass and the ref halts action. Doctor looks at Bobby and the fight is waved off? Let’s see what happened? Looks like a TKO as Bobby has a nasty cut over his left eye. Brian Schwartz vs. Lemont Davis Brian Schawtz is a heavy crowd favorite as a section of the Arena literally erupts when he appears on screen. This bout is an exhibition scheduled for three 3 minute rounds. Round 1: Brian begins with a few nice side kicks. Lemont charges forwards and gets the takedwon, but Brian wraps up a guillotine. Lemont answers with rabbit punches to the body, and finally get out. Lemont continues with low posture and rabbit punches and the crowd turns. Back to the feet the match goes. Quick clinch but despite a long struggle no one goes to the mat. Crowd still goes wild however. Time expires on the round. Round 2: More side kicks from Brian, Lemont tries a few nice uppercuts. Fighters briefly clinch, with Lemont backing Brian to the fence. Reversal follows reversal. as the fighters trade who pushes who. Referee steps in and seperates them, but Lemont charges in and back to the same place. Lemont lands a few body blows, Brian responds with knees, one of which lands low and referee calls time to allow Lemont to recover. Bout is resumed and the fighter shake hands, but with only seconds left the round ends. Rounds 3: Brian lands a ook to the body and charges across the cage to the clinch. Takedown by Brian who lands in the half guard but Lemont tries a guillotine. Brian with some rabbit pnches, but the choke is still on. Referee warns Brian about punches to the back of the head, and finally Brian gets out. Brian tries to mount himself, Lemont comes forward, Brian almost tries his own guilltoine, but Lemont presses forward, lands in side control as time expires. Lemont Davis wins by Unanimous Decision. NOTE: Armando Garcia lets us know that the CT scan on Sean Salmon came bak negative. No fractures or bleeding. He does have a concussion and one hell of a headache I would suppose. Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello vs. Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem Strikeforce Heavyweight Title on the line. What do you think the chances are that this bout goes all five 5 minute rounds? Me neither. Overeem enters first to a mixed reaction with a shaved head. Round 1: Fighters touch gloves ands here we go. Overeem tries a flying knee to start off with, Paul stuffs it, but in the flurry Overeem gets the takedown to sidecontrol. Overeem busy on top, looking to tie Paul up and land some strikes. Big heavy handed strikes, curiously no elbows. Paul begins to turn away, turtle up, but Overeem shows his infamous guilltoine. Paul gets out and gets to the feet but Overeerm sticks to him like glue, looking for big knees from the clinch. Overeem remains on Paul’s back as he spins him to the ground. Paul is turtled up again a Overeem flirts with the guillotine and strikes. He settles on a Peruvian Necktie, but Paul weathers the storn and brings it back to the feet. Overeem continues to press however and the round ends in the clinch. -Armando Garcia swings by to let us know the first round was 10-8 Overeem on all scorecards. Round 2: The round begins with the fighter circling and exchanging blows which automatically means it going better for Paul. Overeem goes for the takedown and lands in Paul’s guard. Overeem looking to strike as Paul ties him up from the bottom. Crowd grows restless as this continues. Overeem lands a solid shot to Paul’s midsection. The referee stands them up to the relief of the crowd. Overeem goes for the takedown immediately and Paul turtles up. Overeem spins around and begins landing punches. Paul stands up, Overeem lands a big knee to Paul’s midsection, Paul crumples to a heap and taps out. Alistair Overeem is your new Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion. Josh Thompson and Gilbert Melendez come to the cage to hype their upcoming bout. They get along really well, so there’s no trash talking at all, but make no mistake, this fight is going to be a barn burner for sure! Middleweight Torunament Finale: -Remember, because this is a tournament this is two 5 minute rounds. Jorge Santiago vs. Trevor Prangley Round 1: Round begins as the fighters circle each other. Both bobbing and weaving, moving back and forth. Jorge swinging for the fences, Trevor a bit more cautious but not giving ground either. Jorge lands a big right that seems to wobble Trevor, but Trevor smiles. Trevor slips but recovers to his feet quickly. Big right kick from Jorge to Trevor who catches it and tries for a takedown but is shrugged off. Clinch Jorge lands some big knees and Trevor goes down, bout is called. Jorge Santiago wins the first MMA tournament in California in impressive fashion. Offical time is 2:31 in the first round by TKO, your winner Jorge Santiago. Main Event: Cung Le vs. Sam Morgan If you are wondering why this was the main event, well, you’ve never been to San Jose. Cung Le is arguably the most popular fighter in the area. However, Sam Morgan, a cast member on TUF 2, should prove a stiff test for him. Round 1: Cung Le fires and lands a patented side kick to begin things. Sam Morgan seems determined to get things to the ground, lands on his back, Cung Le lets him back up. Sam charges across again and goes to back. A little guard work but Cung Le let him up. A third time and Cung Le on top, but up again. Beautiful side kick by Cung Le gets it down, but Cung Le lets it back up. Cung Le get the takedwon again, lets him back up. Sam Morgan swings for the fences, awkwardly, Cung Le is definitely getting the better of these exchanges. Once again Cung Le gets it down, lands in side control but opts to get back up. Another flurry and back to the mat again and I’ve lost count. Come back up. Morgan more measured now, but backed against the fence, as Cung Le picks his strikes. Cung Le takedown, to the mount, Sam Morgan charges forward, and back to the feet. Cung Le tryng spinning kicks now. Sam Morgan catches one as Cung goes down, but he quickly sprawls as time expires. Round 2: Sam lands a glancing right as the crowd chants for Cung Le. Sammy continues to swing for the fences but Cung Le weathers the storm, and puts Sammy Morgan on his back again. Cung in side control and after a few punches lets Sam back up. Sammy charges for a takedown, has a single leg but Cung defends. This has the look of a schoolyard brawl. Nice takedown by Cung Le, to Sam Morgan’s side control again. Cung Le takes the mount briely, Sam rolls over Cung le loses hooks, lets him back up, takes him down again and lands in side control. Cung Le stays here for awghile peppering Sam Morgan with shots. Cung Le tries for a Kimura, releases it, ties up the near arm and sees what he can do. Cung Le look to stay on side control and stays busy as time expires. Round 3: Sam Morgan tries a jumping knee which is stuffed. An exchange and a looping right b Cung Le knocks Sam Morgan down, but Cung Le opts to let him back up, where Cung Le kicks as Sammy opts for a spinning back fist. More exchanges, until Cung Le finally lands the decisive blow that ends the fight. Frank Shamrock is set to interview the winner. THIS should be interesting. Cung Le challenges Frank Shamrock, Shamrock accepts, we have a SUPERFIGHT here in NorCal! Strikeforce – Tournament Series (November 16, 2007) Match Winner Loser Method Round Time 1 Dennis Hallman over Jeremiah Metcalf Submission (Heel Hook) Round 1, 1:39 2 Chris Drumm NC Evan Esguerra No Contest (Punch to back of Drumm’s Head) Round 2, 2:35 3 Alex Crispim over Clint Coronel Decision (Unanimous) Round 3, 5:00 4 Anthony Figueroa over Pete Sabala Decision (Split) Round 3, 5:00 5 Eric Lawson over Josh Neal Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Round 2, 0:20 6 Jorge Santiago over Sean Salmon KO (Flying Knee) Round 1, 0:24 7 Trevor Prangley over Falaniko Vitale Decision (Referee Decision) Round 2, 2:12 8 Luke Stewart over Bryson Kamaka KO (Knee) Round 1, 0:19 9 Anthony Ruiz over Bobby Southworth TKO (Cut) Round 2, 0:52 10 Lemont Davis over Brian Schwartz Decision (Unanimous) Round 3, 5:00 11 Alistair Overeem over Paul Buentello Submission (Knees to the Body) Round 2, 3:42 12 Jorge Santiago over Trevor Prangley TKO (Knee to the Body) Round 1, 2:31 13 Cung Le over Sam Morgan TKO (Liver Kick) Round 3, 1:58 That’s all from San Jose, thanks for joing us and as always, we’ll see you ON THE MAT!