Strikeforce Challenger results: Cole Escovedo, Casey Olson and Ben Holscher win at home

November 6, 7:44 PMMixed Martial Arts ExaminerEddie Graveline

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Cole Escovedo provided one of the most impressive finishes (photo: Sherdog.com)

Most people would probably say that the Strikeforce Challenger Series is one for the connoisseurs, but I think the shows offer something for everyone. The under cards generally feature a lot of talent from whatever local area the fight is being promoted in, while the main cards air on Showtime and usually feature some bigger names. Such was the case as the series resumed at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California in front of an enthusiastic live crowd. Several local fighters made appearances before the fight went live on Showtime and put the hometown fans in a great mood. 

Bantamweights--Cole Escovedo vs. Maurice Eazel: Being a local Fresno fighter, Escovedo had the advantage of the crowd to go along with experience in this fight. Eazel was a late replacement opponent for the "Apache Kid," but that's not to say that Escovedo didn't face any adversity. He suffered severe complications from Staph that kept him out of the cage for nearly three years. He came back with a couple of fights over the summer, though, and the WEC veteran was eager to make a splash in a big show once again. Eazel was noticeably smaller than Escovedo and that didn't help in the striking department. Escovedo landed a left high kick that dropped Eazel, then unloaded with punches to the head once he was down. The referee stepped in and called it a TKO, giving Escovedo exactly what he was looking for. 

Featherweights--Casey Olson vs. Chris Culley: Another Fresno-bred fighter, Olson had the better record (10-3) coming into this fight, but had lost in his last appearance, so motivation wasn't going to be a problem. Culley (4-5) was also coming off of a loss, but wasn't under nearly the same amount of pressure as Olson, who was fighting on the Fresno State campus, where he used to wrestle. Speaking of wrestling, that's definitely Olson's base and the smart money said that he would be looking to take Smitley down and finish him off from top position. That's exactly what he did. After a huge slam early in the first round, Olson mounted Culley, who promptly gave up his back. Olson blasted away with unanswered shots to the side of Culley's head and got the second quick TKO of the night for a Fresno fighter. 

Lightweights--Ben Holscher vs. Johnny Goh: The local fighters kept rolling out. Holscher is a local high school teacher and wrestling coach. While he was looking to perform well in front of many of his students, he also had an undefeated (3-0) record to protect. Goh was just hoping to bring his 1-2 record back to even. As his day job suggests, Holscher is a strong wrestler and that's what his MMA game is based on and being affiliated with top fighters like Josh Koscheck is a perfect fit. After figuring out that Goh was pretty game on his feet, Holscher got a double-leg take down and started working from inside the guard. He wasn't able to finish, but got an earlier take down in the second round. After yet another take down, he got side mount for a while and was working some decent ground-and-pound. The third round brought more of the same. Holscher was controlling the fight, but not posing much of a threat to actually finish it. Just as I was about to fall asleep, Goh caught Holscher with an up-kick that put him on his back and into a little bit of trouble. Holscher was able to hold it together, though and actually finished the round in top position. He earned a unanimous decision, earning 30-27 scores on all three judges' score cards.