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Shane Del Rosario and Luke Rockhold score big Strikeforce wins Friday night
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Brandon Cash and Shane Del Rosario
Strikeforce got their big weekend rolling Friday night in Fresno, CA, with their Strikeforce Challengers series kicking of a big couple of days for the promotion. While the rest of the organization was in Chicago prepping for tonight’s CBS event, Strikeforce used Friday night to showcase a few fighters they hope to make a big impact in the very near future.
Luke Rockhold looked impressive in his submission victory of former TUF contestant Jesse Taylor. While the talk before the fight was of both wanting to stand and bang, the action hit the canvas within the first ten seconds of the fight, with Taylor scoring a takedown.
While Taylor actively worked to get Rockhold’s back, Rockhold showed great patience and never seemed in great trouble. The fight ended with Rockhold reversing the position, putting Taylor in a body triangle and eventually getting his arm under Taylor’s chin to sink in the rear-naked choke.
The fighter with the chance to really break out Friday night was Shane Del Rosario, who took on Brandon Cash. Del Rosario being the good sport he is, he apparently decided Cash should be allowed to make a name for himself as well.
From the opening bell, Cash charged forward and unloaded on Del Rosario. As much as anything, Del Rosario showed he can take a punch, though what would have been more impressive would be to actually see him throw one. Cash dropped him with a right, and in the ensuing minutes proceeded to land clean shots for every angle. At one point early on, the referee made a move towards the action to stop the fight, before Del Rosario started to scramble free.
Cash was so dominant, he ended up in a full mount position on Del Rosario, who somehow managed to wiggle his way out. It appeared it would only delay the inevitable, as Cash continued to pound away. Then as quickly as Cash had dropped him early on, Del Rosario, from his back, had his legs up high on Cash looking for a submission. Cash defended a triangle choke, only to have Del Rosario deftly transition to an omoplata and get a quick tap from flabbergasted Cash.
Clearly Cash got a bit ahead of himself, rushing to end things as opposed to methodically working to a finish. While Del Rosario showed big game in taking a number of shots, as well as pulling out a victory with such a submission, Cash won in the long run as well. Given his firepower, he’s a guy that will get another chance with Strikeforce, and with a bit more patience will produce a far better final outcome for himself.
All in all, it was a good start to the weekend for Strikeforce. Billy Evangelista kept his perfect record with a decision over Jorge Gurgel, and Cung Le made a cage side appearance to say he was fighting again in December. With the big event to come tonight, Strikeforce has at least one more day as the most talked about MMA organization in world.
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