Strikeforce Live Blog: Tarec Saffiedine vs. Roger Bowling

SAN DIEGO -- This is the Strikeforce live blog for Tarec Saffiedine vs. Roger Bowling, a welterweight bout at Saturday night's event at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.

Saffiedine, who has won two of his last three Strikeforce fights, will fight Bowling, who has won four of his six Strikeforce fights, on the main card.

Check out the live blog below.

Round 1: Jason Herzog is your referee. Bowling is known for swinging for the fences and as such, Saffiedine his holding his gloves high to his face at the start. Bowling with a high kick and two shots to the body. Saffiedine with a low kick. Saffiedine with a Muay Thai clinch and a knee. Bowling the more active of the two. Saffiedine tries for another clinch, can't get it. Goes for it again, but Bowling throws uppercuts in close. Two minutes left, Saffiedine body locks Bowling against the cage. Back to center. Bowling chases Saffiedine, hits him with a couple shots and the end up clinched along the cage again, with both throwing knees. Saffiedine with a knee off the break and a high kick. MMA Fighting scores the round for Tarec Saffiedine, 10-9.

Round 2: Bowling with a left hand and Saffiedine responds with a low kick. Time-out as Bowling is on the receiving end of an eye poke. They trade exchanges and keep moving. Both guys picking their spots. Bowling initiates an exchange but ends up taking a knee to the jaw. They grapple along the cage. Two minutes left. Saffiedine with a knee on the break, but Bowling scores a quick takedown. Back to their feet and once again they're clinching along the cage. Saffiedine with a kick to the body as Bowling moves in. They trade single strikes as the round comes to an end. MMA Fighting scores the round for Roger Bowling, 10-9 (19-19 overall).

Round 3: The slugfest continues early in the round, with both guys mixing up punches and kicks and responding in kind. Bowling throws a combo and Saffiedine responds with a knee. This continues in the second minute, someone's going to have to turn it up another level to take this one. Saffiedine throws a couple low kicks. Spinning back kick to the body by Saffiedine. Another clinch war breaks out. Bowling goes for a leg but can't get it. They break. Still anyone's fight as we hit the final minute. Bowling opens up with a four-punch combo. Goes for a takedown. Saffiedine sprawls it and gets Bowling's back. He's throwing punches as Bowling covers up. Gets a choke in the final seconds, the horn sounds. MMA Fighting scores the round for Tarec Saffiedine, 10-9 (29-28 Saffiedine overall).

Tarec Saffiedine wins via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)