Strikeforce: Diaz Vs Noons II—Live Blogging, Results, Analysis from San Jose

Coming to you live from the HP Pavilion in San Jose where a surreal scene is unfolding as we await the rematch between Nick Diaz and K.J. Noons for Diaz' welterweight championship belt.

Although Noons defeated the Stockton Bad Boy when their first bout was stopped due to cuts on Diaz' forehead, that title contest was at 155 pounds. Subsequently, KJ and management refused to participate in a rematch at lightweight which resulted in the title being stripped by EliteXC before it folded.

Additionally, Diaz had his forehead "filed down" to reduce his propensity to open up and poor blood.

In other words, enough has changed that you might as well chuck the first confrontation.

However, none of that has to do with the current surreality. That's all thanks to the California Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Organization exhibition that's going on inside the cage.

It's always a little odd when fighters are wearing the skin-tight shirts. Then there's the matter of a virtually empty HP Pavilion except for pockets of fans who either couldn't care less about what's happening in the cage or are about to burst blood vessels cheering for who I can only assume are friends/family. Finally, the scraps themselves are a little bizarre.

Meanwhile, the guys from two MMA sites are bitterly grousing about cyber-politics and etiquette inside the sports journalism community.

It feels more than a little like a high-school basketball game at the moment. My guess is that changes once the pros take center stage.

But first let's revel in the amateur highlights...

California Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Organization—Fight Highlights

With all due respect, I'm saving my live-blogging strength for the pro fights because—let's be honest here—there's a reason media credential pick-ups started about 20 minutes before the first CAMO contest.

The evening's opener was an uneventful featherweight tilt between David Blanco and Christian Buron, which Blanco took by split decision. I'm not sure how anyone waded through the sludge to pick a winner, but once remote alcove of the arena was ecstatic about the result.

Next up were lightweights Alex Francis Perez and Johnathan Del Rosario, a matchup that was far more amusing for the beginning than the end. The fighters entered the ring and took their ready stances as minutes passed. Soon, Perez dropped the game and just fidgeted, but Del Rosario was having none of it.

He stood crouched with an attempt at intimidation slathered on his face for a good five to 10 minutes before the festivities kicked off. Good thing for Johnathan that he won with a knockout.

The next pairing would also end with a stoppage when welterweight Jared Hess forced a tap out from Eric Faria with a triangle choke following some very uneventful "action." The middleweights weren't so accommodating as Jonathan Chaplin scored an inexplicable unanimous decision over Ben Ernest.

Neither Justin Bronson and Robert Johnson could muster a finish either, the cruiserweights fought to a standstill (at times, literally) until both men gassed badly early in the third round. Johnson took advantage of Bronson's inability to anything but back up and cover his head, earning a strange technical knockout that resulted in a shell-shocked Bronson standing and a totally spent Johnson on his back.

And now for the real thing.

Jess Bouscal Vs. Luis Mendoza—Lightweights

Round 1

The two fighters waste no time getting right into the action on their feet, but the flurry of activity doesn't seem to be to either man's liking so the hostilities go quickly to the mat. Mendoza works for a submission and Bouscal looks to be in deep trouble as he thrashes to throw the hold.

Finally, he manages to do just that and he momentarily escapes to his feet where Mendoza continues to tee off on his retreating opponent. The duo go back to the ground where Luis gets close to another sub before Jess reverses course and rides out the end of the round with a little ground 'n' pound.

Call it a 10-9 for Mendoza.

Round 2

The second starts similarly to the first except with more violence.

Bouscal comes across early and has to be sent back to his "corner" and, when the restart comes, Mendoza loads up a massive uppercut that almost finds its mark. Instead, it misses and a head kick/knee from Jess staggers Mendoza.

The American (possibly?) pounces and drags the fight to the ground where it appears he hits with a flash knockout, but Mendoza snaps right back to attention in time for the ref to let the massacre continue.

For the moment.

Bouscal takes full mount and pounds away until he sees an opening for a triangle choke, which produces the desired tap out.

Jess Bouscal wins by submission (triangle choke) at 3:00 of the second round.

Ron Keslar Vs. Josh McDonald—Middleweights

Round 1

You can't really call this card a who's who of the MMA community and I'm not sure you'll ever see either Keslar or McDonald challenging for a championship anytime soon, but you never know.

And, yes, I'm stalling to cover for an entirely boring bout.

It's almost like both entrants are throwing everything with one foot in the bucket i.e. going backwards, away from the target. The ultimate result is that, although strikes are landing, nothing looks to be doing so with any power.

As I say that, McDonald scores with the first serious damage, a flurry that ends in a nice head kick.

Keslar decides it might be time for some wrestling so he drops levels and cinches in a body lock, but McDonald escapes danger despite being briefly lifted off his feet.

It's too bad Keslar doesn't seem totally committed to the attack because the dude is built like a brick outhouse.

Horn ends a 10-9 round for McDonald.

Round 2

The second stanza starts off on snooze for about 60 seconds before a ferocious clinch breaks with at least two or three actual strikes landing.

Keslar disengages and a high kick seems to miss, but Ron cowers as if it connected and McDonald rushes in without gaining significant advantage.

The momentary threat of a ground battle passes as space opens and the one-fist forward, one-foot backward resumes. This goes on for a couple minutes until Keslar screws up his courage and shoots in for a genuine takedown.

He scores it and lays 'n' prays for the final 40 seconds, but it's probably enough to give him the round 10-9.

Round 3

Keslar tries a tentative leg kick to open the third, but I'm not sure it's got McDonald too worried. In fact, it might have been a ploy to get Josh to throw one in order to create a takedown opportunity. Whichever it was, it doesn't do much of anything.

Another leg kick connects, but more just for show than anything else.

McDonald's had enough of the cat and mouse so he pushes forward, but can't catch his prey. The flirtation continues as Josh's min-combinations and superior range are keeping Keslar at bay. With about 120 seconds left, Keslar's gonna have to engage otherwise McDonald will win the fight based on aggression and little else.

This is absurd, Keslar's been in reverse all night and it doesn't seem the last 60 seconds are going to be any different despite the reality of the scorecards. His coaches are desperately waving him into the fray, but all they get are a couple stutter steps and wild strikes that do nothing.

Call it 10-9 for McDonald and an enormously blah unanimous decision.

Josh McDonald wins by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

James Terry Vs. David Marshall—Welterweights

Round 1

The feeling out period lasts about a minute before Terry, who seems to be the crowd favorite, opens up the scoring with a nice jab. He lands a slightly firmer shot and throws a solid leg kick that lands. I don't know anything about Marshall, but he looks like this might be his first or second bout because he looks exceptionally hesitant to let his game go.

He's not throwing much compared to the shorter Terry and his one attempt to clinch was done with about as much enthusiasm as he might show on a trip to the dentist. Terry is looking much looser, much more confident, and is mixing up his strikes infinitely better than his opponent.

He's also faster—altogether, not a whole lot to feel good about if you're Marshall or in his corner.

The lankier warrior is definitely game, though, he's not adopting a strictly defensive posture and is even managing to sneak some of his combos through Terry's defense. Nevertheless, it's an easy 10-9 for Terry as the horn sounds.

Round 2

No toe-dipping in the second as both men come out with fists blazing.

Terry is the first to mix in a foot to nobody's surprise, but Marshall seems more comfortable as he answers with a low kick of his own. He then eats a barrage of shots, including a stiff straight to the body, and seems to gesture on the attack despite the damage.

Now, Terry is showing almost no concern for his defense as he edges in with hands low and relies on head movement to slip his antagonist's advances. It's working like a charm at the moment as he keeps scoring with strike after strike, but it seems like a good way to lose a fight you shouldn't.

A nice overhand right snaps Marshall's head around, but the dominated warrior isn't giving up and returns fire. The problem is, the replies aren't strong or numerous enough.

Yikes, just as David is finding his range for the first time, Terry floors him with an overhand right and is about to finish the matter when the horn sounds. Call that another 10-9 for Terry, maybe even 10-8.

Round 3

This one might be a mere formality at this point. As long as Terry avoids falling into a stoppage, he's got the bout sewn up. The question is whether that will temper his aggression—so far, not so much.

He's dominating the third stanza as he has the first two, with a nice left jab that Marshall can't solve and a seldom throwing punches in isolation.

Marshall momentarily pulls guard and breaks out the palm strike, but Terry easily escapes and resumes the display for the fans. A stinging head kick is partially blocked, but the crowd roars as if it's Gonzaga/Cro Cop all over again.

It's not as Terry and Marshall keep trading to the final horn. Another 10-9 round for Terry and a clear unanimous decision. The only question is whether it's a trio of 30-27 scores or if anyone gives him credit for a 10-8.

James Terry wins by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26).

Tyron Woodley Vs. Andre Galvao—Welterweights

We must be a little ahead of schedule after being a little behind schedule because another amateur bout is taking place between local heavyweights, one from East Palo Alto and one from San Jose. It's been a lot of big men grunting without a whole lot to show for it.

So, instead of reporting on that, I'll let you know the serious card must be about to start because Fabricio Werdum just took his seat cageside and Jon Fitch is circulating around the floor with a very pretty Asian girl at his side.

She's dressed like a comparative nun, but that's more a statement about all the skin shared for public consumption in an MMA crowd than her conservatism.

Incidentally, Justin Griffin from EPA wins the bout and isn't what you would call a gracious winner—skipping the post-fight word with his victim and opting instead to go straight to showboating.

In his defense, it was his amateur debut.

OK, on with it.

It's probably not a ringing endorsement of your prospects when Gilbert Melendez working the floor upstages your entrance to the cage, but such is life for Galvao. Woodley gets considerably more attention because Gilbert sits down.

Still, the buzz in the HP Pavilion seems much more to do with the fight celebrities sitting in the first row—Werdum, Fitch, Dan Henderson, what looks like Herschel Walker, and I swear Randy Couture.

I also think I heard someone mention Lyoto Machida, which would make three UFC stars at a Strikeforce event. Maybe Dana White's losing (or loosening) his touch.

Round 1

Woodley's undefeated and out of St. Louis while Galvao fits neither description. Tyron opens up the scoring with a nice blow that draws a collective "ooh" from the crowd. The American advances with the Brazilian back-pedaling.

Andre flops to the ground despite an unclean connection from Woodley and press row begins to grumble.

Galvao shoots half-heartedly for a single leg and absorbs a couple heavy shots for his trouble. Tyron backs away and the ref ushers Andre to his feet where he stumbles and wobbles before shooting/falling for another takedown attempt.

He ends up face first in the canvas with Woodley punching through the necessary motions to draw the stoppage.

Tyron Woodley wins by technical knockout at 1:48 of the first round.

It always surprises me when a professional fighter doesn't appear to have much fight in him, but that's the impression I'm left with after Galvao's "performance." Tough to know what to make of Woodley in the wake of that awkward collision.

Sarah Kaufman Vs. Marloes Coenen—Women's Welterweight Championship

Wow, Strikeforce is rolling out a serious cageside lineup for this bad rider—in addition to the names already mentioned, the camera pans the front row and reveals Cung Le, Ronaldo Souza, Luke Rockhold, Renato Sobral, and others.

The women's title fight is upon us and I'm a little skeptical about this new influx of attractive-to-gorgeous female mixed martial artists. I guess that's an unfair bias, but—so what—pretty girls get enough of the breaks as is.

Regardless, the skepticism is rooted in the sport's penchant for promotion. Few things sell tickets like the ladies so it's in any organization's financial interest to get girls who are easy on the eyes in bigger fights.

We'll have to see what this Coenen can do because she sure is purdy...

Round 1

And they're off.

Coenen is the taller, thinner fighter and she takes the center of the cage to open the scrap. She's looking pretty legit so far with some nice, tight jabs followed by a little blur of punches. But Kaufman isn't perturbed as she works on closing the distance to her more rangy adversary.

Leg kick lands for the taller Dutch athlete and the Canadian champ's had enough; she clinches and pushes Marloes up against the cage where the movement stagnates so the ref separates them.

Coenen closes the newly established distance and wings a hook at Kaufman that is partially blocked, but still looked perilous.

Seems like the champion might agree as we're back in the clinch against the fence much to the crowd's booing displeasure.

Another separation comes from Mr. Referee and the space elicits the same response—combos from Holland as Canada retreats.

The horn sounds with Coenen still on the offensive. Give her the round, 10-9.

Round 2

The second rounds starts with Marloes getting the better of the standing exchanges, but Kaufman moves for the clinch almost immediately and the crowd has no patience for the maneuver. Boos rain down as the ref pleas for progress, but he gets none so he pries the women apart and restarts in the middle of the cage.

The Dutch challenger scores with a body kick, but Kaufman catches it and forces another clinch. This one produces a few nice knees, but that's it so the ref earns his money again by setting the clock back to zero.

High kick from Coenen misses, but she pulls a nice trip/throw as Kaufman moves in for another clinch. It doesn't quite work as the Canadian shows her tenacity by managing to end up on top and the ends the round with her first offense of the bout.

Even then, she narrowly escapes an armbar attempt as the horn sounds on what was probably a 10-9 round for the champ due to the finish.

Round 3

Despite the success on her feet, Coenen apparently liked the feel of that almost-armbar so she shoots in and takes the fight to the ground. A brief rolling battle ends up with Kaufman on top again. She powers through a sub attempt and begins pounding away from the top before the Dutch challenger sinks in an armbar.

A panicked few moments end in disarray as the ref stops the bout due to a tap from Kaufman. The champ seems to be claiming she didn't tap, but replays show her tapping conclusively and emphatically.

The crowd hasn't gotten the message quite yet because of the confused stoppage, but there's a new Women's Welterweight Champion and her name is Marloes Coenen.

Marloes Coenen wins by submission (armbar) at 1:59 of the third round.

That's Coenen's eighth win by armbar in 18 victories and 13 submissions—you'd think Kaufman might've been more careful considering that's a ridiculous percentage. I'm gonna go on a record and say Coenen's first defense against Miesha Tate will be highly anticipated.

And not necessarily for purist reasons.

Josh Thomson Vs. Gesias Cavalcante—Lightweights

The fights are flying by so we've got another little intermission.

No pseudo-celebs on which to report, so I'll pick on the average Joes.

Dude just walked by in a cowboy hat, skin-tight jeans with fashion rips all up and down the legs, and a clearly designer-but-still-flannel shirt. In other words, my man was roughing it like a real cowboy if said wrangler were confined to the pages of a Calvin Klein catalogue.

If you spend that much time in front of a mirror at home or in a department store, pretty sure it means you don't ever get to wear a Stetson or any of its cousins.

But maybe that's what western formal-wear looks like.

Either way, the next guys are already in the cage and the crowd is all in behind the local boy Thomson. San Jo loves its own.

I was remiss in omitting Josh Rosenthal's first appearance as referee so I'll not make the mistake again with another respected ref; Big John McCarthy gets the call.

Round 1

The 155-pounders keep the gas pedal off the floor for the first couple minutes as some short clashes yield no advantage for either fighters. Cavalcante wades in behind a leg kick and forces a clinch with Thomson's back against the fence.

Knees seem to catch Josh in the junk, but—aside from a grimace or two—nothing else comes from the questionable blows. Thomson opens up space by pushing his antagonist off him and then ducks under a wild pseudo-hook from Cavalcante.

The San Jose favorite scores his first real points with a leg kick and then gets winged by a heavy hand from Gesias that appears to put the local boy on Queer Street. He comes recklessly in for a takedown and ends up in a severe guillotine choke.

There's a couple breathless moments for the crowd and Thomson, but he manages to squeeze himself out of danger and then score some more points with shots from above. Another sub attempt has Josh in a little trouble, but he guts his way through it and slaps on a side choke that would've probably ended things had the horn not saved the Brazilian.

Tough round to score since Thomson was dominated early, but I'll still give him a 10-9 edge due to the thorough finish and escapes.

Round 2

Both gladiators are a little more careful to start the second round, but the discretion doesn't last a full 60 seconds before Cavalcante comes barreling in and catches Thomson with another unpleasant shot. The American shakes it off quickly and reverses the clinch to put Gesias' back against the cage.

He can't muster any points from the position and soon gets reversed himself. Now, they're taking turns with their backs against the fence as all focus seems to be on exchanging knees and battling for vertical leverage.

Thomson wins the battle and tosses Cavalcante to the ground where he quickly takes the Brazilian's back. The polished grappler has one hook in and is using some tenderizing half-strikes to slip the second one in.

But Gesias isn't cooperating.

After some thrashing, Thomson ends up in side mount and rides the position until the second horn delivers another 10-9 round to the fan favorite. A finishing flurry of bombs from above clarify the matter.

Round 3

The third starts with a much slower pace and it seems like one or both might be gassed. That's more of a problem for Cavalcante since he's behind on my scorecards.

Regardless, the action goes to the ground and Gesias is on top with Josh in a little trouble, but the crowd's golden boy escapes and then plays to his people from full guard. The action finally returns to the feet where Thomson might be regretting his showmanship.

The Brazilian crumples him with another crusher and explodes in with ideas of finishing the contest. Thomson isn't hurt that badly, however, so he eludes trouble by clinging to Cavalcante. Gesias is ferociously trying to keep the issue from the judges hands as he stays active with offense from a dominant position, but he can't.

The horn stops the bout and, though Cavalcante took the last round 10-9, I have him losing by unanimous decision. We shall see.

Josh Thomson wins by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).

The crowd is mildly pleased.

Thomson gives Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez a little razzing, saying, "knock, knock Gilbert. Knock, knock." He then reassures the dubious crowd that Melendez is a good friend and it's all in respectful good fun.

We'll have to wait to see if Melendez agrees because the camera can't find him.

Or maybe it did.

Miesha Tate is currently posing for a photograph that won't take, which means she's been standing in front of me for about 30 seconds. Forgive me for being a tad distracted.

Nick Diaz Vs. K.J. Noons—Welterweight Championship

Alright, time for the main event, the one for all the welterweight marbles.

For the record, Hawaii usually travels well, but Noons' support is severely outgunned inside the HP Pavilion. Even toss in a few hundred screaming female fans who swoon for his good looks and Diaz is still the prohibitive fan favorite.

The Stockton Bad Boy comes running down the walkway to his usual gaggle of homies including the cageside Melendez. Brother Nate and Jake Shields are there giving encouragement.

The house lights are down and we're an official announcement away from the title bout.

As anticipated, K.J. gets nothing but a lustful round of negativity. Conversely, Diaz gets showered with love—tough to believe my man can stay so angry in the face of such popularity.

Round 1

Nick looks to be in his usual good shape while Noons looks more than a little soft.

The Stockton Bad Boy wastes no time living up to his name and reputation as he's already talking to his opponent and delivering his strikes with the usual flourish. Leg kicks land followed by a few paws before a wild shot goes wanting from K.J.

The former professional boxer catches Diaz with a stiff left that causes the fan favorite to cover up and hold the cover for a tad too long. Noons comes haphazardly in and gets dropped by a crisp, short right hand and the Gracie black belt follows him to the ground.

A minute or so in the superior position draws no blood and a scramble results in more standing animosity.

The Stockton native is showing his Hawaiian counterpart NO respect with hands alternately handing at by his thighs or making the "let's go/what do you want" gesture.

To his credit, Noons is buying none of the antics and is sticking in the pocket, but he's getting the worst of the trades. He's also having a little issue with his hair as he keeps brushing it out of his eyes.

Diaz. resumes his trash-talking, but K.J. ends the round on a roll. His fast finish notwithstanding, call it 10-9 for Diaz.

Round 2

The second opens a little more tentatively until Noons lands the first big punch of the round and stuns Diaz a bit. He might've even opened up Nick's face, but it's tough to tell. Regardless, the stand-up isn't going so well in Round 2 for the Stockton Bad Boy and he acknowledges it by shooting for his first takedown of the evening.

It's unsuccessful so we're back on the feet and Diaz has stabilized the exchanges for the moment finding his rang with the jab. Noons answers, however, with a big body blow that continues a pattern that's emerging.

K.J. is beginning to let his hands go and a big part of his comfort zone seems to be winging hooks to Nick's body.

The Stockton Bad Boy seems to be reassessing the game plan as Noons grabs more and more control of the standing back-and-forth. K.J. even mixes in some nice knees and high kicks as the last seconds tick off the clock.

That was definitely a 10-9 for Noons.

Round 3

No more showboating from Diaz or playing to the crowd, we've got a genuine boxing match on our hands. The Stockton Bad Boy follows Noons' lead and goes to his adversary's body with a couple scores. That loosens up his jaw as the chatter returns.

Noons is back pawing at his bands while Diaz snipes away from outside the shorter fighter's range.

Nick is staving off attack with his quick left jab, but K.J. is picking his moments and leaping right through it to score—variously to the body and head. The crowd's pick answers with a gentle high kick just to keep the Hawaiian honest.

We'll see if there's any truth in advertising and whether K.J.'s comparably cushier physique will play a role as we enter the championship rounds. He certainly looked to lose some steam in an uninspired third round.

Another 10-9 for Diaz.

Round 4

I get that he can be a jackass, but how do you not enjoy Nick Diaz?

He opens up the fourth rounds with some sort of karate exhibition—a sort of spinning back kick is followed by a hopelessly distant, extravagant front chop kick that draws a chuckle from the media to my right. It's a good thing he gave us that bit of flavor because the rest of the round has been BLAND>

Peppering shots from the Stockton product continue to harass Noons who tries to respond with vicious hooks, but they miss. The crowd is smelling blood as Diaz lands with a left-right combo to the body and shakes things up with a little Muay Thai.

A very little Muay Thais as we're back to boxing.

K.J. tries to steal the round after landing a big bomb on the California, but Diaz finds his composure and recovers with shots of his own. That's an even tougher one to score, but it says here Diaz was on top, 10-9.

Round 5

If my card is right, Noons is gonna need a stoppage to win or a superlatively dominant round to screw things up and earn a draw.

Perhaps Diaz and his corner think the same thing because the Stockton Bad Boy explores a takedown for only the second time soon after the fifth begins. He narrowly misses it as Noons uses his sweaty-slick legs to move out of trouble.

The Hawaiian's mouth is ajar and he looks like he's lost far more quickness than Nick as the 25-minute limit might be taking its toll. The Californian doesn't look daisy fresh, but he's still moving more or less like he was in the earlier rounds.

Granted, he never moves all that much so...

Either way, this one's going to the scorecards despite the customary furious finish as the final 10 seconds bleed out of the bout. I've got Diaz winning by unanimous decision, but official word is still to come.

Yep.

Nick Diaz wins by unanimous decision (48-47, 49-47, 49-46).

Holy hyperbole, Mauro Ranallo just called that fight one of the best five-round title fights in the history of the sport.

Bold, very bold.

And blatantly false—it was a good, entertaining contest. But "one of the best?"

Uh, no.

Diaz backs of a little of the pre-fight hype while Noons firmly plants both feet on the high ground, saying:

"He beat me fair and square."

Classy and true, which seems like a good note on which to end the evening.

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