By MATT MOLGAARD
MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer

Last night proved to be one of Strikeforce’s most memorable and dynamic cards in recent memory. Underdogs prevailed, extreme finishes unraveled in stomach turning fashion, a title changed hands, and a new promotional welterweight proved his capabilities, and staked a convincing claim at the divisional title. With the exception of the co-main event, the card delivered absolute fireworks that should leave fans debating for weeks to come.

Rousey Destroys Tate

For a few brief minutes it looked as though Miesha Tate may be able to dictate the pace of the fight by utilizing sound striking and quality ground control. However, challenger Ronda Rousey had some other plans; remaining unbeaten as a professional, primarily. On the mat the challenger looked powerful, fluid and extremely comfortable. A high speed scramble spelled the end for the champion, as Rousey locked up a dangerously tight armbar. Resilient, and full of heart, Tate refused to succumb to the submission hold, and it cost her dearly. Tate’s arm was broken free, and Rousey yanked like no tomorrow, hyperextending the limb in grotesque fashion. If Tate exited with no broken bones it’s a miracle; Rousey walked away with a title and nary a mark on her body. While not competing in the same weight class, Rousey is quickly looking like the one woman who may be able to ensnare consensus number one female fighter, Cyborg Santos. Here’s hoping that’s a collision that can be inked sometime in the future.

Thomson Grinds Out Noons

It wasn’t particularly pretty, and it wasn’t particularly stimulating, but former champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson grounded K.J. Noons repeatedly, suffocating the striker, while peppering endlessly with ground and pound. Neither man ever looked particularly close to being finished, but by the time the final horn sounded, Thomson had clearly escaped with a somewhat “safe” unanimous decision victory. “The Punk” himself expressed displeasure with his performance, though the victory aligns a potential rubber match with dominant champion, Gil Melendez.

Kazuo Misaki Shocks Paul Daley

Heading into this featured 170 pound bout, many pundits predicted a violent affair, likely in favor of heavy handed Paul Daley. Oh how the experts can be wrong. Misaki turned in one of the finest performances of his career. Opting for a diversified attack, Kazuo battered Daley on the feet with crisp punches and loads of kicks. Daley, traditionally an eager brawler, wanted no part of the standup exchanges, as the Japanese veteran was too fast, too elusive, and too versatile for the brash Brit. While Daley was forced to rely on his wrestling, it was too little to sway the judges’ minds: who all awarded Misaki a rightful victory. The win could well line up a fight for the vacant welterweight strap with dominant wrestler Tyron Woodley.

Lumumba Sayers Drags Scott Smith Further Down the Rankings

There comes a time in the career of a fighter in which he must make the tough decision of exercising massive training differences, or hang the gloves up. Unfortunately for Scott Smith, who’s now lost five of his last six outings, the idea of exiting the sport may be the wisest decision he can make. The man’s apparently stalemated in regards to progress; we haven’t seen any improvement from the Northern Californian in years, and he looks to have completely lost the desire to compete. Scott looks like a man showing up to collect a paycheck and little more. Unheralded Lumumba Sayers locked up a fight finishing guillotine choke on Smith in just over 90 seconds, and truth be told, I’m not convinced Scott cared too much. Mr. Smith, you’ve given us some great shows, and delivered some beautiful knockouts; you’ve garnered the respect of fight fans. Please don’t tarnish that...