STRIKEFORCE ended 2010 with an awesome show and some devastating knockouts.
Dan Henderson, Paul Daley, and Antonio “Big Foot” Silva destroyed their opponents in dramatic fashion at STRIKEFORCE’s show in St. Louis on Dec. 4.
But the truth is that 2010 was rich with spectacular finishes – both knockouts and submissions.
Before you vote in the STRIKEFORCE Best of 2010 Fan Voted Awards, here’s a look at STRIKEFORCE’s Top 10 most explosive, shocking and stunning finishes of 2010.
Paul Daley vs. Scott Smith
Let’s start off with the STRIKEFORCE debut of Paul “Semtex” Daley. The Englishman is one of the sport’s most exciting fighters. Daley has ridiculous power in both hands, and no one knows this better than Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith.
On Dec. 4, Daley knocked Smith into oblivion with a wicked left hand – an impressive feat, considering that Smith is regarded as a guy who can take a good punch.
After a good exchange between the two fighters, Smith led with his jaw – never a good idea – and Daley dropped him, scoring an impressive debut. Is master striker KJ Noons next? Or will Daley get a shot at the seemingly unbeatable Welterweight Champion, Nick Diaz?
Roger Gracie vs. Kevin Randleman
The name Gracie is synonymous with submission.
And Roger Gracie is keeping that legacy alive in STRIKEFORCE.
The 6-foot-4 inch Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master just might have a claim as the future of the light heavyweight division.
In May, Gracie put on a proverbial clinic in his performance against former UFC Heavyweight Champion and two-time NCAA National Wrestling Champion Randleman.
Gracie dominated the first round with his mat wrestling skills. Going into the fight, Randleman knew that it would be a deadly mistake to go to the ground with Gracie.
But he just couldn’t avoid Gracie’s grip.
Gracie controlled the entire fight with his Jiu-Jitsu. In round two, Randleman couldn’t escape. With a boa constrictor-like leg lock around the smaller Randleman, Gracie sunk in a textbook rear naked choke.
Randleman tapped. And then he went to sleep.
Gracie is now 3-0, and with his pedigree and opportunities that come with the Gracie name, he could emerge as a big player in 2011.
8. Cris Cyborg vs. Jan Finney
Who doesn’t love the women of STRIKEFORCE?
This year saw Cris Cyborg continue her reign as Middleweight champion and the number one pound for pound female fighter in MMA.
Cyborg fights with the fury of Manny Pacquiao, and the power of Dan Henderson. When Cyborg faced Jan Finney on June 26 in San Jose, well, it was less than pretty.
Cyborg clobbered Finney with lefts, rights, hooks, crosses and powerful combinations. Finally, at 2:56 of the 2nd round, a Cyborg knee to Finney’s mid-section left referee Kim Winslow no choice but to stop the fight.
“Ruthless” Robbie Lawler vs. Melvin Manhoef
Robbie Lawler can knock you out at any moment in any fight – even when he’s being victimized by a sharpshooting leg striker like Melvin Manhoef.
Manhoef dissected Lawler for about three minutes in their January Florida fight that kicked off 2010. With every kick, Lawler winced in pain.
Halfway through the first round, he began to limp. The outcome looked inevitable.
But Lawler proved why he’s always dangerous. With desperation setting in, Lawler landed a right hand that knocked Manhoef into the middle of next week at 3:33 of the first round.
Manhoef laid flat on his back, his eyes bulging out, and in serious pain.
One punch.
“Ruthless” Robbie Lawler vs. Matt Lindland
Lawler just can’t help himself. On December 4, he needed all of 50 seconds to dismantle former Olympic wrestling silver medalist Matt Lindland.
Lawler has devastating knockout power in both hands, but it was his overhand right to the side of the Lindland’s head that scrambled the 40-year-old.
Sporting a full beard, the rugged Lawler managed to look even more intense than usual. Lindland chose to stand up with Lawler and paid the price.
The victory, after a June loss to Renato “Babalu” Sobral, put Lawler back into the middleweight title picture.
5. Alistair Overeem vs. Brett Rogers
Some fighters peak early in the career. For others, like fine wine, they get better with time.
That’s the case with Alistair, “The Demolition Man” Overeem, who is probably the baddest heavyweight on the planet.
Overeem’s annihilation of Brett “The Grim” Rogers in May was pure brutality. Rogers, coming off of an impressive losing performance against Fedor Emelianenko, appeared concerned about Overeem’s power from the opening bell.
Rogers, tentative, backed up and never went on the offensive. For a guy like Rogers, whose main claim to fame is his heavy hands, that’s not a good strategy. Overeem tossed Rogers across the ring like a sack of potatoes, then laid on top of him, wearing him down.
Finally, a series of rights and lefts put an end to Rogers in the first round. Rogers never seemed into the fight.
Just last week, Overeem continued his rampage, winning the K-1 World Grand Prix Championship, thus becoming the only fighter to ever hold a K-1 and major MMA title.
Sarah Kaufman vs. Roxanne Modafferi
We all love a good body slam. Remember when Hulk Hogan slammed Andre the Giant at the Pontiac Silverdome at WrestleMania? Well, that was nothing, compared to Sarah Kaufman’s thump of Roxanne Modafferi at STRIKEFORCE Challengers in July.
Kaufman, who once dreamed of being a heart surgeon, was defending her STRIKEFORCE welterweight (135 pounds) championship in a close fight with Modafferi when Kaufman decided to put an end to it all.
Modafferi had Kaufman in her guard while looking to place Kaufman in a triangle. Once the triangle is applied properly, it’s tough to escape (ask Fedor, but more on that later).
So what did Kaufman do? She picked Modafferi up from the floor and slammed her straight back down on her back, like a good, old-fashion pro wrestling power bomb.
Modafferi was done. Kaufman was triumphant. And once again, the women of STRIKEFORCE dazzled the crowd.
“That may be one of the best female finishes in history,” screamed Mauro Ranallo, on the live SHOWTIME telecast of the fight.
Ryan Couture vs. Lucas Stark
Like father, like son.
Ryan Couture needed 1:15 to defeat Lucas Stark and emerge victorious in his professional MMA debut.
The son of the legendary Randy “The Natural” Couture, Ryan took the fight quickly to Stark. He took him down with a side throw and then established control on the mat.
From his back, the quick Couture applied the triangle choke with a vicious intensity.
Stark tapped and Couture made his father and MMA fans proud. Who’s next?
Sarah Kaufman vs. Marloes Coenen
Both STRIKEFORCE superstars were coming off of tremendous performances in their previous fights. Kaufman crushed Roxanne Modafferi with an epic power bomb. Coenen gave Cyborg a run for her money, going toe-to-with her for nearly three rounds.
So when the two collided in San Jose in October, even though Kaufman was the champ, the fight could have gone either way.
The two were tentative during the first round, neither one wanting to open up too much. They traded light punches and danced around for a majority of the first round.
Round two was much of the same, but Coenen seemed to step up her aggression, landing a good kick and taking her to the ground. The two wrestled to end the second round, with Coenen attempting to submit Kaufman with a triangle armbar, but Kaufman threw several strikes to break free.
In round three, Kaufman wouldn’t be so lucky.
Kaufman immediately took her down, and Coenen spent most of the next two minutes on her back, the recipient of Kaufman’s blows to the head.
But like a spider waiting for its prey, Coenen snagged Kaufman’s arm and locked her up in a triangle armbar.
It was over right then and there.
Coenen pulled back the arm and didn’t let go, winning welterweight gold. Kaufman is hungry in 2011 for revenge.
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Fabricio Werdum
“The Last Emperor” went a decade without losing a fight. Fedor Emelianenko always seemed to find a way to win. Either by crushing knockout, quick submission, or a sensational come from behind victory.
If anybody in MMA deserves the title of “Human Highlight Reel,” it’s Fedor.
So when he stepped into the cage June 26 in San Jose against Fabricio Werdum, no one really expected Fedor to lose.
With a ring entrance that was almost eerie because of the 12,000 plus people chanting “Fedor,” in unison, it was supposed to be a triumphant night for the humble Russian.
Fedor knocked Werdum down seconds into the fight, hammering him with right hands. Werdum looked done.
But you can never count out someone with a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
As Fedor pounded away, Werdum grabbed his arm and slapped on the triangle choke.
Impressively, Fedor actually stayed in the hold several seconds longer than most other fighters would have. But it ended the same way.
Fedor tapped. The crowd was in shock. The Last Emperor had finally lost.
Fedor uncharacteristically made a couple of tactical mistakes. He should have let Werdum get back on his feet, rather than follow the Brazilian into his guard.
And because Fedor knocked him down so early, neither fighter was sweaty, so it was hard for Fedor to slip out of the move.
Had the same exchange happened in the later rounds, Fedor likely would have escaped.
Still, even in defeat, Fedor managed to maintain a certain aura of superiority.
Fans and pundits saw it for what it was; he got caught in a submission hold early, and couldn’t escape. It’s not like he got brutally knocked out.