(Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images for IFL)
The Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis, Missouri is playing host tonight to the much anticipated Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields event. The crowd has begun to file in and the undercard fights are currently underway.
Will the man in the picture (Robbie Lawler) be raising his hand in victory or will jiu-jitsu ace Jake Shields be able to submit the hard hitting former champion?
As the night wears on I will post results in real time as they happen, along with my immediate thoughts and impressions on how the night is unfolding.
Check back periodically to see live event updates.
7:55 pm: The featured undercard fight between Mike "MAK" Kyle and Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante just concluded in dramatic fashion. Kyle may have secured upset of the night by knocking the Brazillian phenom unconscious. He put Cavalcante on the mat with some vicious strikes, followed him to the ground, and secured the win via TKO stoppage.
UFC superstars Anderson Silva and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira came into the cage to console their wounded teammate who laid motionless for over a minute. For those that recall, Cavalcante was supposed to fight current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Renato Sobral, but Sobral had to pull out of the fight after his wife gave birth to their new child. Perhaps the 7-1 Brazilian was not ready for primetime after all.
8:01pm: Fedor has enterered the building. He is sitting in between Affliction VP Tom Atencio and former UFC Heavyweight champion Josh Barnett. Fedor and Barnett will finally fight at Affliction: Trilogy scheduled for August 1. In an interview with Tom Atencio at the NYC press conference, Atencio said that Affliction and Strikeforce will be working more closely together, which should lead to some interesting cross-promotional fights.
8:09 pm: Local MMA hero Jesse Finney submits his opponent at 1:55 of the first round and the St. Louis crowd goes crazy. The undercard is over and the stadium staff is setting up for the main card. I am going to roam around the arena with my camera and see what celebrities or other fighters in attendance I can spot. This should be fun.
8:15 pm: I am still looking for Gina Carano. If you don't hear back from me in the next 30 minutes it's because her and I have developed a deep friendship.
8:19 pm: I spotted Mike Kyle talking his beautifal girlfriend sitting in the stands. She was very proud. I cautiously approached Mike Kyle and said I should interview him, coming off his huge upset win. He graciously agreed and I handed my business card to his girlfriend.
8:22 pm: I just spotted former UFC Heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia hugging it out with Fedor. For those who recall, Fedor submitted Tim Sylvia in 36 seconds back at Affliction's first show. There are obviously no hard feelings between the two which is great to see. Sylvia will be back in action when he takes on Pual Buentello at Affliction: Trilogy. Still looking for Gina Carano...I have a feeling she won't show up until the main card starts.
8:50 pm: I just shook hands with Affliction VP Tom Atencio. He seems like a pretty approachable and decent guy. Affliction's young light heavyweight stud Gegard Mousasi is now sitting in between Fedor and Josh Barnett. He will take on the aforementioned Sobral on August 1.
8:53 pm: Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" blares over the speakers on the arena as the main card is officially announced to the anxious crowd who appears to have filled in the entire arena. This has to be close to a sellout if it isn't one.
8:58 pm: The ring announcer acknowledges all the celebrities in the crowd including those previously mentioned along with former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion Frank Shamrock and former UFC welterweight champion Pat Miletich.
Miletich was once Robbie La
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