Strikeforce Results: Ovince St. Preux Knocks Out T.J. Cook

After two rounds of grinding action, Ovince St. Preux found swift resolution to his Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman fight.

St. Preux knocked T.J. Cook out with his first punch of the third round, a crushing left cross that sent Cook crashing to his back unconscious. The time of the stoppage was :20.

Cook certainly fought competitively up until that point.

St. Preux nearly finished Cook in the first, dropping him with a left hand across the top of the head. He pounded Cook on the ground and ref Mike Beltran took a long look, considering a stoppage at several points. But Cook defended, got back to his feet and then unleashed a swarm of his own, with a big right hook hurting St. Preux. The wild series tired out both men, and St. Preux was able to secure a takedown and score with punches for most of the rest of the frame.

The second got off to a slow start, with both men looking for a bit of a breather early on. St. Preux scored a takedown with two minutes left and scored the most significant strikes of the fight with stinging left hands from full mount. That forced Cook to give up his back, and while St. Preux didn't have enough time to lock in the choke, the flurry likely gave him the round.

"In the first round I kind of exhausted myself trying to finish him," he said. "In the second I was trying to put the pressure on, but in the third, I felt real good."

For St. Preux, it was his first win since losing to Gegard Mousasi last December. He improved to 12-5.

It was the second straight loss for Cook, who is now 12-5.