Frank Shamrock defends his Middleweight title against Cung Le in both men’s hometown. Also, Gilbert Melendez puts his Lightweight title on the line plus three more fights. None of these go the distance.
Joey Villasenor vs. Ryan Jensen (Middleweight)
Referee: Mario Yamasaki
Villasenor is representing EliteXC while Jensen is from Strikeforce. The two start catiously. Villasenor slowly brings Jensen down and presses him up against the cage. Jensen uses his guard well and the crowd shows it has no appreciation for defense. Jensen tries to get up and Villasenor lands a couple of knees. Jensen gets up and they are striking again. Specifically from Villasenor who drops Jensen with a left hand. Villasenor tries to follow it up but Jensen avoids the attack. Jensen lands some shots of his own now. Villasenor regroups and lands a couple of good jabs. Villasenor comes with a double jab and follows with an overhand right that puts Jensen to sleep. Chalk one up for EliteXC.
Winner – Joey Villasenor by KO at 4:45 of round 1.
Mike Kyle vs. Wayne Cole (Heavyweight)
Referee: Herb Dean
Wayne Cole is a former All-American wreslter from Oklahoma. They quickly gloss over the fact that it was almost 20 years ago. Someone call Danny Hodge. Despite the wrestling background, Cole starts with punches. Kyle goes for a clinch and Cole scores a trip takedown. Cole moves into side control. Cole grabs the left arm and actually stands up to apply the armbar. Cole falls back with it and Kyle taps within seconds.
Winner – Wayne Cole by Submission (Armbar) at 0:42 of the first round.
Gilbert Melendez vs. Gabe Lemley (Strikeforce Lightweight Title Fight)
Referee: Herb Dean
Lemley is really active and Melendez stuns Lemley with a right hook ten seconds into the fight. Melendez follows with a takedown. Lemley is active from the bottom, squirming as if he has to pee. Melendez is having trouble controlling Lemley. Melendez resorts to hammerfists to the body and head. Strikeforce rules prohibit elbows to a downed opponent. Lemley is absorbing a lot of punches. That’s one of those traits that you don’t want to be forced to utilize. Melendez rains down punches and Lemley is saved by the bell.
Lemley starts the second with a high kick. Melendez rocks Lemley with a right, once again in the opening seconds of the round. So, Lemley can’t stand with Melendez and is dominated on the ground. Maybe Lemley should try to talk things out with Gilbert. Melendez takes it to the ground and is in side control. He rains punches again and there is no bell to save Lemley this time. Lemley covers up until the referee calls a stop to the punishment.
Winner – Gilbert Melendez by TKO at 2:18 of the second round.
Drew Fickett vs. Jae Suk Lim (Welterweight)
Referee: John Schorle
Fickett was supposed to fight Jake Shields tonight for the EliteXC Welterweight title. Lim was supposed to fight Nick Diaz. Shields suffered a back injury last week so he was out. Diaz got scammed by EliteXC officials so he was out. Hence the pairing of these two outcasts. Lim is wearing camouflage trunks. You can’t hit what you can’t see. Lim trips Fickett down but Fickett uses the momentum to end up on top and into half guard. Lim powers his way up to his feet but Fickett locks in a guillotine. He throws a body lock in there and Lim is in trouble. Lim attempts a desperation slam to escape but to no avail.
Winner – Drew Fickett by Submission (Guillotine) at 1:14 of the first round.
Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le (Strikeforce Middleweight Title Fight)
Referee: Mario Yamasaki
Both men claim San Jose as their home. The hometown fans give both fighters a nice reaction. Le is undefeated in anything he has ever done, according to the announce team. At the very least, Le has never lost in his kickboxing or MMA career. Le is a crazy striker while Shamrock is an all-around fighter. One would think Frank would want to take this to the mat but he claims he wants to bang with Le. The crowd is electric.
True to his word, Frank starts the fight standing with Le. That is until Le goes for a spin kick and Frank grabs a body lock. Your word is one thing, but when an opportunity presents itself in MMA you need to take advantage of it. Le escapes the body lock and Frank taunts a little bit. That just reminded me that I’m a Frank Shamrock fan. Lots of kicks to start as Shamrock lands a nice inside kick right hook combo. Le responds with a punch combination that reignites the crowd. More inside kicks as both men seem hesitant to get in too close to his opponent. Le lands another combination and Frank smiles. Shamrock makes a more valiant attempt to get in close but Le is catching him with some good shots. Le went for a spin kick and Shamrock trips him up. Le scrambles to his feet but Shamrock pushes him back down. Le wants nothing to do with being on his back and squirms his way up to his feet. Frank catches him with a right hand on the way up. Le misses a high spin kick but appears to land a backfist on the way around. Le throws a lot of kick jabs to Frank’s stomach and thighs. Frank taunts Le at the end of the round, telling Le he’s going to sleep. Shamrock is the most loveable dick in MMA.
The taunting was cool in the first round but now it is overshadowing the match. It reminds me of the Pete Sell/Scott Smith UFC fight, where they kept high-fiving during their fight. Frank is celebrating a landed punch and Le kicks Frank’s mouthpiece out. Shamrock is trying to close the distance but Le keeps landing good shots that keep Shamrock away. Le catches Shamrock’s kick and trips him down. Frank motions for Le to join him on the mat but Le declines. Frank gives a “Suit Yourself” reaction, momentarily making the taunting cool again. They trade more shots, with Le landing in higher volume. Shamrock lands a straight right and openly laughs about it. Le lands a side kick that backs Shamrock up. Le stuns Shamrock with a right hook but doesn’t follow up on it. More of this high-five bullshit instead.
Le starts the third by landing two high kicks. Now Le lands some punches. Spinning backfist from Le. Shamrock’s kick is again caught by Le and Le leg sweeps Frank down hard. Frank isn’t laughing anymore. He’s just getting his ass kicked. Le lets him up and Frank looks dejected. Le lands a left kick and Shamrock counters with a huge right hand. Le runs a bit and Frank tries to catch him. Le fights back but Frank is catching him with solid punches against the cage. Le circles and Frank finally grabs him in a clinch. Shamrock barely misses a high knee. Shamrock is trying to land a knockout shot and they both trade shots in the final ten seconds of the round. Specifically, Le landed two big left high kicks in the final ten seconds.
As Showtime recaps the highlights of round three, Goldberg interrupts with “The fight is over!” Frank Shamrock couldn’t continue and the fight was called off.
Winner – Cung Le by TKO at end of round 3.
Frank said that Cung Le broke his right arm with his kicks. Despite losing and being in pain, Frank was still able to quip that maybe Cung Le does know submissions.
Final Thoughts
I want to be an EliteXC judge. They never have to do anything. I used to think the easiest job in sports was Peyton Manning’s backup but now I see it is a judge in the EliteXC. Cung Le was impressive. He was powerful and his kicks were innovative. I wasn’t sold on him before this fight. But seriously, isn’t the point of being an all-around fighter to be able to expose your opponent’s weaknesses? Why play to his strengths? Melendez and Fickett looked good tonight as well. I’m looking forward to Fickett/Shields in June.
