Strikeforce Challengers Phx: Meisha Tate Steals the Show but Many Shine

Todd JacksonAug 14, 2010

It was a typical sweltering afternoon in downtown Phoenix, Arizona yesterday. For fight fans though, they found refuge from the blistering heat when they entered the Dodge Theater and took their seats under the air-conditioning and waited for an explosive night of fights to take place.

It was the latest installment of the Strikeforce Challengers event that brought them ranking and filing into the this classy venue found in the capital of AZ.

This event brought with it many flavors of mixed martial arts for enthusiasts to enjoy. It started with a handful of impressive performances by local up and comers. More than one local athlete showed great promise for their hometown family and friends.

Following a few under card tilts, was the opening of a four-way women’s 135-pound tournament. This very exciting and competitive tournament was sorted out over the course of the evening, which was one of the most exciting aspects of the night. Simply put, it was old school.

One of the biggest attractions of the evening was the Couture family. Randy, Kim, and Randy's son Ryan were in attendance. All three reputable fighters, but on this evening, Ryan was making his professional debut.

The aspect of a living legend cornering his son as he took his first steps as a pro MMA athlete was quite a compelling angle to the evening.

Joe Riggs and Louis Taylor capped off the evening with a scrap of their own in the main event. Riggs was obviously a heavy crowd favorite being a hometown AZ fighter.

All in all, it was an intriguing evening of fights, and as expected, one of the most star-studded and top-shelf events that AZ fight fans have ever had the pleasure of enjoying in their own backyard.

With names like Frank Trigg, Jamie Varner, Trevor Lally, Pat Miletich, Ben Henderson, Christiane “Cyborg” Santos, Sarah Kaufman, and of course, Randy Couture, in attendance, it was quite a powerful display of MMA royalty.

The evening started with an absolutely dominant performance by a local young man by the name of Frankie Sainz at 155 pounds. In only his second fight, he absolutely controlled and dictated the fight as he gritted out a unanimous decision over Jace Crawford of Las Vegas, NV.

He and his coaches from The Lion’s Den of Scottsdale were extremely proud of his performance.

Another team that had an extremely impressive showing was Tucson’s Apex MMA. Coach Joey Rivera was on cloud nine as both of the promising young fighters he has worked so closely with emerged victorious.

Andres Acuna showed once again why he is revered as one of the most promising young fighters in the state. A strong mix of aggression and technique led the 170 pounder to a hard-fought decision win over Edwin Louis.

Another Apex product, Joel Champion, put up what many would consider the knockout of the night over the Lion’s Den’s Sean Scott. Joel stopped Scott with a vicious straight kick to the liver and dropped him hard, leaving him helpless on the cage floor.

When the main card began it was ignited with a very back and forth war between Meisha Tate and Maiju Kujala to open the first round of the women’s tourney.

The athletic commission dictates that a fighter can fight not more than five rounds in one evening. With the finals slated for three rounds of combat, the openers were two three-minute rounds making scoring a virtual nightmare. There are no split decisions under such circumstances.

Tate and Kujala had the officials earning their money and really put up a very competitive match. Kujala was extremely impressive, but Tate was just more aggressive, swaying the decision in her favor and advancing herself to the next round.

In the second first-round match of the ladies' tourney, Hitomi Akano left a lasting impression on the crowd and current 135-pound champ, Sarah Kaufman. She put on a highly technical display of MMA as she submitted Carina Damm by modified triangle choke, mercifully letting the judges off the hook.

Her win was so impressive that Kaufman was quoted as calling her to win the entire tournament. Akano agreed and claimed she would submit Tate in the finals.

Before Akano would have her shot at Tate, the highly anticipated pro debut of Ryan Couture was at hand. As he made his way to the cage, all eyes were on young Couture.

While many expectations surround him because of the royal MMA name he carries, what many fight fans do not understand about Ryan is that he is not a blueprint of his father, he is a fingerprint. A very unique and extremely crafty submission specialist that is looking to make his own mark on MMA.

It took Ryan only a couple minutes to make short work of a powerful wrestler in Lucas Stark. Stark charged hard for a take down and fell right into what Ryan has made his signature move as an amateur, a deep triangle choke.

This victory ignited the crowd and the entire Couture family. It really was a special moment for everyone in attendance. It signifies a new generation of elite MMA blood that will surely carry the torch as Ryan becomes one of the new faces of the sport.

In the second round of the very exciting women’s 135-pound tourney, the gritty, scrappy Meisha Tate and extremely technical Hitomi Akano squared off for the tournament title and to become the No. 1 contender to Sarah Kaufman’s strap.

It was a gutsy battle by both ladies as they fought for dominance in some of the most complex grappling positions imaginable. Akano’s most promising moment of the fight came when she secured an absolutely filthy ankle lock on Tate.

Tate fought through the deep submission attempt with a little help from her rubber-like flexibility, and went on to dominate position for the entire fight. She made a couple attempts at the rear naked choke as she had Akano’s back for a majority of the fight.

Overall, her dominant wrestling and grappling against a much more seasoned fighter than herself were the ingredients for a hard-fought victory over Akano. Tate found her hand raised as the first-ever Strikeforce women’s 135 pound tournament champion.

This was easily the fight of the night.

Extremely impressive was Tate throughout the evening, and humble in victory was the champion. She told Sarah Kaufman that she was amazing but that she could not wait to fight her again. It is safe to say there is a small army of fight fans who can’t wait for that rematch also.

Strikeforce is capitalizing on the very compelling nature of the old school, tournament style format to engage their fans. Last night, it turned out to be a grand slam home run that captivated those looking on.

In the main event, veteran Joe Riggs looked to square off with dangerous striker Louis Taylor in what was shaping up to be counter climactic to a riveting night of fights. The two very obviously respected each other's power and really didn't push the pace too heavily in the opening two rounds.

In the third, when the fight seemed to have succumbed to the tone of brief counter-striking engagements, lightning struck with a powerful left hand by Riggs that found a home directly on Taylor’s temple.

Taylor grabbed the side of his head in agony and from there out it was all Riggs. “Diesel” went to work on Taylor as he got him to the ground and pounded him into submission before the close of the third round.

His fans appreciated him giving them what they came to see, which was the dangerous fighter they have been supporting for so many years over his MMA career.

As the evening came to a close, Strikeforce had left a strong and lasting impression on AZ mixed martial arts fans and fighters alike. Hopefully, for the sake of those fans and fighters they left a strong and lasting impression on Strikeforce as well.

They can't return to the desert soon enough.