SAN DIEGO --This is the Strikeforce live blog for all the preliminary bouts in support of tonight's Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley event at the Valley View Casino Center.
DREAM featherweight champion Hiroyuki Takaya (15-8-1) will make his Strikeforce debut coming off wins against Joachim Hansen, Chase Beebe and Bibiano Fernandes.
The first fight is scheduled to begin around 7:30 p.m. ET. The main card airs live on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET.
The undercard live blog is below.
Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Robert Peralta
Round 1: Peralta makes first contact with a leg kick, and Takaya charges forward off it and into the clinch. After a couple uneventful seconds there, they move back to the center of the cage, where Peralta lands a blistering leg kick. Head kick from Takaya, but it's mostly blocked by Peralta. They exchange hooks to no effect, then Peralta switches stances and lands a kick to the body that does little beside momentarily push Takaya back. Takaya stays on the attack, stalking Peralta. With ten seconds left Peralta drops him with a punch, but Takaya quickly scrambles up. Another right drops him again, but he finishes the round with a takedown to recover. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Peralta.
Round 2: Takaya tries to lock up a Thai clinch, but Peralta isn't having it. Moments later Takaya looks for a double-leg, only to end up mired in the clinch again. Peralta eventually turns him and puts Takaya's back against the fence, then knees his own way out. Takaya shoots off a right hand and this time succeeds in putting Peralta down. Takaya moves to half-guard, but he seems to have his hands full just keeping Peralta there. The ref has finally had enough, and he stands them up. Always a popular move with the crowd. Takaya's right eye is looking very swollen as they restart. Takaya ducks under a right hand and tries for a takedown, but it's Peralta who gets to go to work with knees to the thigh in the clinch. Takaya ducks under another right at the horn, then lands one of his own after it. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Takaya.
Round 3: Both fighters are more active to start the third, perhaps both sensing that this one is close. Peralta is keeping Takaya at a distance with his jab. Good right to the body and left hook to the head from Peralta. Takaya's eye is showing the evidence of those lefts. He shoots in for another takedown and Peralta defends, but eventually succumbs and ends up on his back again. After a few moments of inaction the referee stands them up again. Takaya is the one moving forward, which tends to make an impression on the judges, but Peralta is doing a decent job of countering even while moving backward. Takaya tries for another double-leg, but can't finish it. They end up in the clinch again with Peralta working short knee strikes to the legs and body. Somewhat fittingly, they end the fight in the clinch, with Takaya working for yet another takedown. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Peralta.
Robert Peralta def. Hiroyuki Takaya via split decision (30-27, 30-27, 28-29)
Virgil Zwicker vs. Brett Albee
Round 1: They trade leg kicks to start us off. Zwicker lunges after Albee with a left hook, but Albee has no trouble avoiding it. Strong crowd support for both local boys tonight. Zwicker lands a good right hand counter and a spinning kick that sends Albee reeling. He's hurt up against the cage, and Zwicker pounces with elbows and right uppercuts. Albee is crumpled up and waiting for the stoppage, which comes soon thereafter.
Virgil Zwicker def. Brett Albee via TKO (punches) at 1:46 of round 1
Joe Duarte vs. Saad Awad
Round 1: Duarte fires off two nice right hands that find a home on Awad's face to start the fight. Duarte shoots for a takedown but can't finish it, so he settles for the clinch against the fence. Awad lands a knee to Duarte's body on his way out of the clinch, then goes on the offensive with a flurry of his own. Duarte is slipping punches nicely, but even when he takes one it doesn't seem to bother him much. Duarte fires off a single right hand that rocks Awad. More blows and Awad goes down. Duarte is on him, pounding him with right hands. Awad does just enough to survive, but Duarte stays on him from the top. Duarte stands up and then flings himself back down behind a hard right hand. Duarte secures the full mount, then takes Awad's back in the final thirty seconds. Awad escapes and gets to his feet, finishing the round with an aggressive flurry that seems to have hurt Duarte just slightly. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Duarte.
Round 2: Duarte slips a left and lands a nice right. He's clearly the more technical fighter here tonight, but Awad is a little more active. Awad unloads with a flurry of looping hooks. Maybe only one in three is landing, but at the rate he's throwing them, that's enough. Duarte is reeling from one end of the cage to the other, and Awad is following him with more hooks. Awad grabs him in a Thai clinch and lands a knee to the head that jacks Duarte's jaw. Duarte finally shoots for a double-leg out of sheer desperation, and it works. Duarte moves to mount, then locks up an armbar. Awad tries to roll out, but nothing doing. He has to tap, and this one is over.
Joe Duarte def. Saad Awad via submission (armbar) at 2:45 of round 2
Herman Terrado vs. A.J. Matthews
Round 1: Terrado starts like a bat of hell, chasing Matthews around the cage but not landing much. Matthews gets a takedown that only manages to halt the pace for a moment or two. They're back up soon and Matthews is hammering Terrado with a multitude of knees that look and sound painful, but Terrado seems unfazed somehow. Terrado fires an uppercut during a lull between two knee strikes, then later drops Matthews with a right behind the ear. Matthews scrambles up and goes back on the attack, launching another series of knee strikes that Terrado eats up. Terrado throws a big right that drops Matthews. Matthews tries to recover and manages to get to his knees, but after a few more punches the ref jumps in to stop it.
Herman Terrado def. A.J. Matthews via TKO (punches) at 4:16 of round 1
Rolando Perez vs. Edgar Cardenas
Round 1: Cardenas comes out wearing some snazzy pink shorts emblazoned with Hello Kitty, which is something you don't see all that often in this sport. Perez goes for the clinch early on and presses Cardenas up against the fence, but after they stall in the position for too long referee Cecil Peoples breaks them up. Perez knocks Cardenas down off a kick attempt, then follows into his guard to work some ground-and-pound. After taking a few right hands, Cardenas decides it's in his best interest to get back to his feet, even if he has to take a knee for his trouble. Cardenas lands a nice punch and then a leg kick that gets the crowd into it, then takes a right hand in return. They finish the round with Perez trying unsuccessfully for a takedown. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Perez.
Round 2: Round 2: Perez gets a takedown right off the bat and works for an arm triangle from the mount. Cardenas defends, so Perez softens him up with a couple right hands and then tries again. Cardenas manages to sweep him over and they get back to their feet in the ensuing scramble. Cardenas is doing good work on Perez's right thigh with his kicks, but his punches are windmilling short of their target. Cardenas lands a good left hook in close, followed seconds later by a hard right that knocks Perez backwards. Perez has had enough of that, so he shoots in for a takedown off the next Cardenas leg kick and manages to put Cardenas down. Cardenas scrambles back up in the final minutes and looks for a single leg of his own, but only succeeds in eating a knee to the head. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Perez.
Round 3: They go directly into the clinch to start this round and take turns trying to take one another's backs, to no avail. They separate and Cardenas tries a head kick, followed by a takedown attempt, but Perez reverses and puts Perez on his back. Perez uses some short elbows from the top in Cardenas' guard, then moves to half-guard. Apparently unsatisfied with the work rate, referee Cecil Peoples stands the two up. Cardenas throws a wild three-punch combo that clips Perez, who responds by clinching up again. Perez has consistently countered Cardenas' superior striking with his own superior wrestling. Cardenas tries another single-leg in the final minute, but Perez uses a standing kimura to stop it, then reverses and puts Cardenas on his back. Perez gets mount and finishes the round with punches from the top before standing back up. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Perez.
Rolando Perez def. Edgar Cardenas via unanimous decision.
Casey Ryan vs. Paul Song
Round 1: Song comes charging across the cage throwing bombs, but his enthusiasm trumps his accuracy. Ryan gets some space and tags Song with a front kick to the face. Song presses forward into the clinch and takes Ryan down against the fence. Ryan tries for an armbar off his back and nearly gets it, but Song defends well and works some ground-and-pound after escaping. Next Ryan attempts a triangle choke, and this one is in there tight. He's broken Song's posture and sunk the choke in deep. Song has no choice but to tap. At cage side, Phil Davis celebrates his Alliance MMA teammate's victory.
Casey Ryan def. Paul Song via submission (triangle choke) 1:39 of round 1
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DREAM featherweight champion Hiroyuki Takaya (15-8-1) will make his Strikeforce debut coming off wins against Joachim Hansen, Chase Beebe and Bibiano Fernandes.
The first fight is scheduled to begin around 7:30 p.m. ET. The main card airs live on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET.
The undercard live blog is below.
Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Robert Peralta
Round 1: Peralta makes first contact with a leg kick, and Takaya charges forward off it and into the clinch. After a couple uneventful seconds there, they move back to the center of the cage, where Peralta lands a blistering leg kick. Head kick from Takaya, but it's mostly blocked by Peralta. They exchange hooks to no effect, then Peralta switches stances and lands a kick to the body that does little beside momentarily push Takaya back. Takaya stays on the attack, stalking Peralta. With ten seconds left Peralta drops him with a punch, but Takaya quickly scrambles up. Another right drops him again, but he finishes the round with a takedown to recover. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Peralta.
Round 2: Takaya tries to lock up a Thai clinch, but Peralta isn't having it. Moments later Takaya looks for a double-leg, only to end up mired in the clinch again. Peralta eventually turns him and puts Takaya's back against the fence, then knees his own way out. Takaya shoots off a right hand and this time succeeds in putting Peralta down. Takaya moves to half-guard, but he seems to have his hands full just keeping Peralta there. The ref has finally had enough, and he stands them up. Always a popular move with the crowd. Takaya's right eye is looking very swollen as they restart. Takaya ducks under a right hand and tries for a takedown, but it's Peralta who gets to go to work with knees to the thigh in the clinch. Takaya ducks under another right at the horn, then lands one of his own after it. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Takaya.
Round 3: Both fighters are more active to start the third, perhaps both sensing that this one is close. Peralta is keeping Takaya at a distance with his jab. Good right to the body and left hook to the head from Peralta. Takaya's eye is showing the evidence of those lefts. He shoots in for another takedown and Peralta defends, but eventually succumbs and ends up on his back again. After a few moments of inaction the referee stands them up again. Takaya is the one moving forward, which tends to make an impression on the judges, but Peralta is doing a decent job of countering even while moving backward. Takaya tries for another double-leg, but can't finish it. They end up in the clinch again with Peralta working short knee strikes to the legs and body. Somewhat fittingly, they end the fight in the clinch, with Takaya working for yet another takedown. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Peralta.
Robert Peralta def. Hiroyuki Takaya via split decision (30-27, 30-27, 28-29)
Virgil Zwicker vs. Brett Albee
Round 1: They trade leg kicks to start us off. Zwicker lunges after Albee with a left hook, but Albee has no trouble avoiding it. Strong crowd support for both local boys tonight. Zwicker lands a good right hand counter and a spinning kick that sends Albee reeling. He's hurt up against the cage, and Zwicker pounces with elbows and right uppercuts. Albee is crumpled up and waiting for the stoppage, which comes soon thereafter.
Virgil Zwicker def. Brett Albee via TKO (punches) at 1:46 of round 1
Joe Duarte vs. Saad Awad
Round 1: Duarte fires off two nice right hands that find a home on Awad's face to start the fight. Duarte shoots for a takedown but can't finish it, so he settles for the clinch against the fence. Awad lands a knee to Duarte's body on his way out of the clinch, then goes on the offensive with a flurry of his own. Duarte is slipping punches nicely, but even when he takes one it doesn't seem to bother him much. Duarte fires off a single right hand that rocks Awad. More blows and Awad goes down. Duarte is on him, pounding him with right hands. Awad does just enough to survive, but Duarte stays on him from the top. Duarte stands up and then flings himself back down behind a hard right hand. Duarte secures the full mount, then takes Awad's back in the final thirty seconds. Awad escapes and gets to his feet, finishing the round with an aggressive flurry that seems to have hurt Duarte just slightly. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Duarte.
Round 2: Duarte slips a left and lands a nice right. He's clearly the more technical fighter here tonight, but Awad is a little more active. Awad unloads with a flurry of looping hooks. Maybe only one in three is landing, but at the rate he's throwing them, that's enough. Duarte is reeling from one end of the cage to the other, and Awad is following him with more hooks. Awad grabs him in a Thai clinch and lands a knee to the head that jacks Duarte's jaw. Duarte finally shoots for a double-leg out of sheer desperation, and it works. Duarte moves to mount, then locks up an armbar. Awad tries to roll out, but nothing doing. He has to tap, and this one is over.
Joe Duarte def. Saad Awad via submission (armbar) at 2:45 of round 2
Herman Terrado vs. A.J. Matthews
Round 1: Terrado starts like a bat of hell, chasing Matthews around the cage but not landing much. Matthews gets a takedown that only manages to halt the pace for a moment or two. They're back up soon and Matthews is hammering Terrado with a multitude of knees that look and sound painful, but Terrado seems unfazed somehow. Terrado fires an uppercut during a lull between two knee strikes, then later drops Matthews with a right behind the ear. Matthews scrambles up and goes back on the attack, launching another series of knee strikes that Terrado eats up. Terrado throws a big right that drops Matthews. Matthews tries to recover and manages to get to his knees, but after a few more punches the ref jumps in to stop it.
Herman Terrado def. A.J. Matthews via TKO (punches) at 4:16 of round 1
Rolando Perez vs. Edgar Cardenas
Round 1: Cardenas comes out wearing some snazzy pink shorts emblazoned with Hello Kitty, which is something you don't see all that often in this sport. Perez goes for the clinch early on and presses Cardenas up against the fence, but after they stall in the position for too long referee Cecil Peoples breaks them up. Perez knocks Cardenas down off a kick attempt, then follows into his guard to work some ground-and-pound. After taking a few right hands, Cardenas decides it's in his best interest to get back to his feet, even if he has to take a knee for his trouble. Cardenas lands a nice punch and then a leg kick that gets the crowd into it, then takes a right hand in return. They finish the round with Perez trying unsuccessfully for a takedown. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Perez.
Round 2: Round 2: Perez gets a takedown right off the bat and works for an arm triangle from the mount. Cardenas defends, so Perez softens him up with a couple right hands and then tries again. Cardenas manages to sweep him over and they get back to their feet in the ensuing scramble. Cardenas is doing good work on Perez's right thigh with his kicks, but his punches are windmilling short of their target. Cardenas lands a good left hook in close, followed seconds later by a hard right that knocks Perez backwards. Perez has had enough of that, so he shoots in for a takedown off the next Cardenas leg kick and manages to put Cardenas down. Cardenas scrambles back up in the final minutes and looks for a single leg of his own, but only succeeds in eating a knee to the head. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Perez.
Round 3: They go directly into the clinch to start this round and take turns trying to take one another's backs, to no avail. They separate and Cardenas tries a head kick, followed by a takedown attempt, but Perez reverses and puts Perez on his back. Perez uses some short elbows from the top in Cardenas' guard, then moves to half-guard. Apparently unsatisfied with the work rate, referee Cecil Peoples stands the two up. Cardenas throws a wild three-punch combo that clips Perez, who responds by clinching up again. Perez has consistently countered Cardenas' superior striking with his own superior wrestling. Cardenas tries another single-leg in the final minute, but Perez uses a standing kimura to stop it, then reverses and puts Cardenas on his back. Perez gets mount and finishes the round with punches from the top before standing back up. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Perez.
Rolando Perez def. Edgar Cardenas via unanimous decision.
Casey Ryan vs. Paul Song
Round 1: Song comes charging across the cage throwing bombs, but his enthusiasm trumps his accuracy. Ryan gets some space and tags Song with a front kick to the face. Song presses forward into the clinch and takes Ryan down against the fence. Ryan tries for an armbar off his back and nearly gets it, but Song defends well and works some ground-and-pound after escaping. Next Ryan attempts a triangle choke, and this one is in there tight. He's broken Song's posture and sunk the choke in deep. Song has no choice but to tap. At cage side, Phil Davis celebrates his Alliance MMA teammate's victory.
Casey Ryan def. Paul Song via submission (triangle choke) 1:39 of round 1
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