HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- Gegard Mousasi is one of the emerging stars of mixed martial arts and one of the dominant forces in the light heavyweight division, as he showed once again by defeating Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou with a second-round TKO Saturday night at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers.
Give Sokoudjou credit: He came to fight. But Mousasi is a fighter with almost no flaws, and when he got on top of Sokoudjou on the ground in the second round, it was just a matter of time before he had landed enough punches to force the referee to stop it.
Mousasi opened the fight by raising his hands and practically begging Sokoudjou to take the fight to him, and for a couple of minutes they stood and traded strikes with neither one doing a lot of damage. Sokoudjou complained that Mousasi kicked him low a couple of times, and the fight stayed on the feet for about three minutes without a lot happening.
Later in the first round, however, Mousasi went on the attack, throwing punches against the cage, and Sokoudjou responded by showing off his judo skills and throwing Mousasi down. They had some good action on the ground, ending the round with Mousasi trying an upkick and then tripping Sokoudjou. The first round was fairly even, and a good showing for Sokoudjou in a fight few expected him to win.
And then came the second, and a brilliant display of power and technique by Mousasi, and the fight was over. At the end of 2008, I called Mousasi my fighter of the year. At the time he wasn't well known in the United States, but now that he's won a major fight on network television, he's becoming a star -- and he's going to be a star for years to come.
Fedor Emelianenko makes his way to the cage at his Strikeforce debut on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
Esther Lin, Strikeforce
Brett Rogers makes his way to the cage at the Strikeforce event on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
Esther Lin, Strikeforce
Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers grapple on the cage at the Strikeforce event on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
Esther Lin, Strikeforce
Fedor Emelianenko punches Brett Rogers in the head at the Strikeforce event on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
Esther Lin, Strikeforce
Fedor Emelianenko of Russia, right, fights Brett Rogers in the second round of the Heavyweight Main Event Strike Force Mixed Martial Arts match at The Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Il. Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009.
Paul Beaty, AP
Fedor Emelianenko of Russia, top, fights Brett Rogers in the second round of the Heavyweight Main Event StrikeForce Mixed Martial Arts match at The Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill. Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009. Emelianenko stopped Brett Rogers in the second round in a Strikeforce M-1 Global heavyweight bout.
Paul Beaty, AP
Fedor Emelianenko of Russia, right, fights Brett Rogers in the second round of the Heavyweight Main Event Strike Force Mixed Martial Arts match at The Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Il. Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009.
Paul Beaty, AP
Fedor Emelianenko attempts a submission against Brett Rogers at the Strikeforce event on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
Esther Lin, Strikeforce
Fedor Emelianenko connects with a punch against Brett Rogers at the Strikeforce event on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
Esther Lin, Strikeforce
Fedor Emelianenko winds up for another punch against Brett Rogers at the Strikeforce event on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
