Strikeforce Results: Questions Answered and Lessons Learned

Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal is over. Gilbert Melendez proved his dominance over Jorge Masvidal, and Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos steamrolled over her Japanese opponent. 

There were other fights on the card that taught important lessons and answered lingering questions the MMA world had about certain fighters. 

What was revealed inside Strikeforce's Octagon? Read and find out!

K.J. Noons Is Alright but Just Alright

Boxer turned MMA fighter K.J. Noons beat Billy Evangelista by decision, but it wasn't pretty. 

His striking defense was sub-par and he was tagged with big shots on multiple occasions. Had Evangelista had more power or a little more killer instinct, he'd have finished Noons. 

However, it wasn't all bad for Noons. His striking was more diverse (he actually threw some kicks) and his wrestling showed improvement. He's finally becoming a proper mixed martial artist but unfortunately, he may have a low ceiling. He's alright, but that's about it.

OSP Is Not the Next GSP

Ovince St.Preux's nickname of "OSP" is only one letter away from UFC welterweight champion Georges St.Pierre's nickname of "GSP," but that's the closest the two fighters will ever get. 

St.Preux showed against Gegard Mousasi that he's simply an average fighter at best. He had almost no offense off his back and his standup was lacking (but he did have some good transitions on the ground as well as a fighting spirit and a solid chin).

Gegard Mousasi's Wrestling Has Improved

Gegard Mousasi's Achilles heel was his wrestling (or lack thereof).

His lack of wrestling lost him his fight to "King" Mo Lawal as well as Keith Jardine, who both managed to use takedowns to stymie the offense of Mousasi. 

Against Ovince St.Preux, Mousasi looked like a different fighter. He was able to stuff shots and hit several great takedowns of his own. 

The sky is the limit for Mousasi if he can continue to improve his wrestling.

Officials Are Still Learning the Game

The official during the Mousasi-OSP fight was far too standup happy when the fighters were on the ground.

He constantly threatened standing the fighters up even when one had a dominant position over the other and even stood them up when Mousasi was landing some good ground and pound from half guard. 

Some referees still need to learn to appreciate the ground game.

145 Is Cyborg's Division

Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos ran through another opponent without breaking a sweat, proving that she is simply an unstoppable force at the women's featherweight division. No one can hold a candle to her. 

Not Everybody Has a Clichéd Reason for Entering MMA

Cyborg's opponent was a Japanese fighter by the name of Hiroko Yamanaka. She didn't get into MMA for any of the usual reasons (self-defense, seeing Royce Gracie or some other star). 

If you listened to Mauro Renallo's commentary, then you'd remember that he said Yamanaka got into the sport because she felt learning MMA would help make her a better dominatrix at the BDSM club she worked at (never thought I'd have to type those words here).

Gilbert Melendez's Striking Is Very Polished; He's Not Just a Wrestler

If there was any place where Jorge Masvidal was supposed to have the advantage, it was in the striking. 

Unfortunately for him, this didn't exactly pan out. 

Melendez's striking was far more crisp and powerful. Masvidal practically had no answer for the right hand of Melendez and got tagged with it and many other shots throughout the night. 

The champ outclassed Masvidal on the feet to such a degree that he didn't try to force the fight to the ground despite being the superior grappler on paper. 

Thus, Gilbert Melendez proved that he's a true mixed martial artist and a threat to anyone at lightweight, even UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.

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