The Strikeforce Middleweight Championship fight delivered with sustained back and forth action on the ground and standing in five tough rounds. Jake Shields took a unanimous decision despite having been saved by the bell while trapped in a rear naked choke at the end of the third round.

Jason "Mayhem" Miller made a very dramatic entrance with multiple dancers and a costume change, but Referee "Big" John McCarthy got the biggest pop of the night thus far when he was announced.

Shields took the fight down within seconds but Mayhem sat up against the cage and stymied him for thirty seconds before Shields took him all the way down and took his back then rolled to mount. But Miller got the fight back to the feet by the three minute mark in the round with a very impressive sweep. But Shields managed to get the fight down to the ground again quickly. Miller reversed and then slammed Shields down. Miller suplexed Shields twice more before the end of the round.

Round 2 saw Miller open with a hard left hook that bloodied Shields' nose. But soon Shields was attaining dominant position and regaining dominant position everytime Miller reversed or escaped. Several times Shields used positions familiar to MMA students from Eddie Bravo's Twister system. With a minute left, Shields threatened a rear naked choke but Miller escaped and ended the round on top with Shields threatening a heel hook. 

Miller came out on punching in the third and took Shields down with authority. But again Miller found himself reversed and once again on his back. Shields transitioned from one dominant position to another but couldn't score a submission or do much damage. Miller ended the round with Shields' back, a figure four body lock and and a locked on rear naked choke but the bell rang and saved Shields.

Entering the championship rounds, Miller had clearly sent Shields a message by not only surviving but come the closest to scoring a submission. After a standup from McCarthy, Miller attacked aggressively but Shields quickly got a takedown and was in side control. Many transitions ensued, but Miller never managed to escape Shields' smothering control in the fourth.

In the final round, Miller came out swinging but Shields quickly worked for a takedown and Miller found himself on his back once again. Shields took his back with the figure four leglock but never seriously threatened a submission. Shields survived a reversal and a threatened guillotine to ice the decision.