clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Shane Del Rosario Submits Lavar Johnson

By Michael David Smith
Shane Del Rosario armbars Lavar JohnsonShane Del Rosario stayed undefeated on Saturday night with another impressive performance in the Strikeforce cage, submitting Lavar Johnson with a first-round arm bar.

Del Rosario is now 11-0, and he's finished all 11 of his opponents, with only one man ever even reaching the second round with Del Rosario. He's rapidly becoming one of the most exciting heavyweight prospects in MMA.

Johnson is a good story and an exciting fighter, but in falling to 15-4 he showed he's not on the same level as Del Rosario.


Johnson makes his way down the ramp to the sound of Dr. Dre's "The Next Episode." Meanwhile, Rosario steps out to Lil Wayne's "Right Above It."

Johnson took Del Rosario to the ground in the first minute of the first round and ended up in his guard, but Del Rosario had no trouble getting right back up. From there they traded strikes for a couple minutes before Del Rosario took Johnson down, and when they went to the ground a second time, Del Rosario showed a much more sophisticated ground game, achieving the full mount while Johnson couldn't do much but hold on. Del Rosario battered Johnson's head for more than a minute before finally going for an arm bar and getting Johnson to tap.

Del Rosario has a great muay Thai background, but he's now won two of his last three fights on the ground, and he's looking like an increasingly well rounded fighter.

"I knew he was going to come out pressuring me," Del Rosario said. "I came out with composure, looked for the submission and I got it."

Here's hoping Strikeforce gets Del Rosario back on Showtime again soon. He's an exciting heavyweight who deserves recognition.

Get the latest gear

More From MMA Fighting

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the MMA Fighting Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of all your fighting news from MMA Fighting