Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy went down this past Saturday night in Portland, Oregon with the organization appearing on the Showtime network for the first time since the heavyweight grand prix came to a close this past May.
This time around the card featured middleweight champion Luke Rockhold defending the title for the second time since winning it over Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in September 2011.
He would come out a winner again in Portland with a unanimous decision victory over Austin, TX resident and Army Ranger Tim Kennedy. The champion would use his reach advantage to keep his dangerous opponent at bay for five rounds with Tim resorting to counter-punching but unable to get off on his feet or take the fight to the ground where he was perceived to have a slight advantage with his submission.
With speculation intimating that a move to the UFC would be all but impossible at this point due to the Zuffa-Showtime agreement, only time will tell what is next for the current champion but a rematch with the man he took it from, Jacare, is definitely not out of the question.
UFC vet Nate Marquardt would make his Strikeforce debut in style in the co-main event when he took on undefeated former All-American wrestler Tyron Woodley.
“The Great” would force Woodley out of his comfort zone in this one by taking the fight to him as opposed to falling prey to his wrestling throughout the contest as he’s done in his past fights. Woodley would come out strong early but Marquardt slowly but surely out-lasted him, captalizing in the fourth with a plethora of strikes against the fence that dropped Woodley. A few strikes on the ground later and Marquardt is the new Strikeforce welterweight champion.
Two highly-touted prospects would pick up convincing unanimous decision victories to round out the main card in Roger Gracie and Lorenz Larkin.
Roger Gracie would compete as a middleweight for the first time on this card against longtime vet Keith Jardine and look good at his new weight. He was able to deftly take the fight to the ground whenever the opportunity presented itself. Though Jardine managed to make it to the final bell, he was a bloody mess when all was said and done courtesy of some brutal elbows.
Last but not least was Lorenz Larkin who would pick up a well-earned win over another vet in Robbie Lawler. Unlike Roger, Lorenz was actually moving up in weight after previously fighting as a welterweight. Lawler came out strong in one but Larkin was able to weather the early storm and showcase his vaunted Muay Thai to outpoint Lawler for the clear win.
Below are full results from the entire night of action in Portland, Oregon.
Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy – Main Card Results
Luke Rockhold over Tim Kennedy by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
Nate Marquardt over Tyron Woodley by TKO via strikes (1:39, R4
Roger Gracie over Keith Jardine by unanimous decision (29-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Lorenz Larkin over Robbie Lawler by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy – Preliminary Card Results
Pat Healy over Mizuto Hirota by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Ryan Couture over Joe Duarte by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Jorge Masvidal over Justin Wilcox by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Jordan Mein over Tyler Stinson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Jason High over Nate Moore by submission via guillotine choke (0:26, R1)