Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg Results: Gegard Mousasi Flattens Babalu in One
by Luke Thomas on Aug 15, 2009 11:38 PM EDT
in News
63 comments
Gegard Mousasi defeated Renato Sobral by TKO/ref stoppage at 1:00 of round one.
The Armenian light heavyweight cemented his position as a legitimate, elite light heavyweight fighter and the new Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion.
Mousasi opened the bout with a takedown on Sobral, landing immediately in side control. From there Mousasi was able to work from that position against the fence while he rained well distanced, accurate punches from a modified knee on belly.
Sobral was never in the fight. Except for less than a handful of leg kicks, jabs and feints, "Babalu" was never in the fight.
This win could very well land M-1's star light heavyweight in the top rankings of the division.
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Quality well-rounded game as expected.
What’s next for Mousasi?
Also, nice statboard by Showtime.
by bigweeze on Aug 15, 2009 11:41 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I don’t get how people keep doubting this man. How can anyone even pick against him? His skills are top notch. He’s damn close to scary level.
by FlyByKnight on Aug 15, 2009 11:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Agreed, he is a bad motha.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Aug 16, 2009 12:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well
some people saw him as an unproven commodity.
This makes 3 great quality wins though- Kang, Jacare, and now Babalu.
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
by ElliotMatheny on Aug 16, 2009 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It’s the third win that separates you from Sokoudjou status.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Aug 16, 2009 7:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So what happens if he loses to Soko?
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Aug 16, 2009 9:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i thought it would go longer but hey it was a good result.
Mousasi the new light heavyweight champion
by SHOWMAN 56 on Aug 15, 2009 11:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
He was #2 at MW and he is #2 at LHW now in my mind. Mousasi vs. Machida is my dream fight right now at this division. *cross fingers
by Sjamaan on Aug 16, 2009 12:15 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
keep doubting
I guess only time will tell.
by Sjamaan on Aug 16, 2009 12:20 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i don't doubt his skills
but you can’t just say a guy is #2 in a weight class if he hasn’t even fought any top 5 opponents
by yngjzy on Aug 16, 2009 12:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I had mousasi at #2 or #3 MW and now #2 or #3 LHW too. Sjamaans post seems reasonable.
by GeeDub on Aug 16, 2009 12:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
come on
a win over renato makes him #2?! I respectfully disagree
by cagefightonacid on Aug 16, 2009 3:24 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
Machida at #1 is a given, and I can easily accept rampage at #2, but then who? Shogun? Rashad? A 13 fight win streak over the last 3 years with wins over Manhoef, Jacare, Hunt and now Babalu in the last 12 months is at least as impressive and more active that anybody elses record.
by GeeDub on Aug 17, 2009 6:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i still disagree
i like mousasi! but his best win is over babalu at LHW….i have him high at MW!! for sure! but manhoef, jacare and his other MW wins shouldn’t boost his LHW ranking, ya know what i’m saying?? how about dan henderson?
by cagefightonacid on Aug 20, 2009 3:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dan is a beast and up there in both MW and LHW divisions. But Dan has lost 2 of his last 5 fights. Sure, losses to rampage and anderson are nothing to be ashamed of, but a loss is a loss. If Mousasis next 2 fights were losses against anderson and rampage I wouldnt have him at #2. But we cant rank Mousasi lower coz we ‘think’ he would lose to anderson or rampage.
And I disagree with his MW wins not impacting his LHW rankings. Fighters get the benefit of the doubt as far as I am concerned. ie……if you move up a division, you maintain your ‘points’, as per mma-elo and if you suck at that division, you will lose fights and quickly fall to a more appropriate spot….or, like mousasi, win against solid opposition and maintain.
But this is certainly an issue where there are multiple valid opinions and I can definately see and understand why people dont give fighters credit for wins/losses at different weight classes.
by GeeDub on Aug 21, 2009 6:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Too early to decide whether he’s top 5 LHW, but he’s certainly got what it takes.
I like that he pretends to be on the verge of spitting up before the match. It must be confusing for his opponent.
by Dooda on Aug 16, 2009 12:32 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
lol my buddy said he looked like he needed to fart.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Aug 16, 2009 12:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Or that he just found out that his girlfriend was a man only a few years ago.
I could go on forever on this.
by Dooda on Aug 16, 2009 12:34 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hmm, pretty soon Strikeforce’s titles will look like this.
Fedor – HW Champ
Mousasi – LHW
Shields – MW
Diaz – WW
Melendez – LW
Cyborg – WM
Not bad, not bad at all.
Good show overall but SF still needs work. “Keys to Victory” aka freaky skeletal muscle people still suck. Frank need less camera time. Ramp and pyro needs to go. Generic music ftl. They should have gave Brett Rogers some camera time. They should have invited Fedor to be there in person.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Aug 16, 2009 12:32 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
diaz?
i’m not so sure about his future in mma, and mousasi and shieldw will bolt asap. :)
by bdw on Aug 16, 2009 12:54 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
According to other posters here Shields should have been in the UFC 2 years ago lol.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Aug 16, 2009 1:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
"Keys to Victory" aka freaky skeletal muscle people still suck.
True. And Im not sure how they figured that the short elbow was gonna be Babalus big weapon against mousasi. Very odd choice.
by GeeDub on Aug 16, 2009 4:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Edor is busy preparing for his big exhibition with mousasi in 2 weeks.
by Phildo on Aug 16, 2009 7:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Whats up Fenix ....
Haven’t seem you are Joystiq or on PSN in a while now … Mousasi is a BAD BAD man … I’m not sure about Shields over Cung Le or Melendez over Thompson but other than that I pretty much agree with your list. Also, Nick Diaz is too busy getting stoned and missing drig tests to get a title fight. heh.
by Johnnynumber5 on Aug 16, 2009 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The problem is…who does Mousasi get next? Southworth? Feijao? Lil Nog? It sucks that it’s such a weak division for SF.
http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com
by Beer Monster on Aug 16, 2009 12:33 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
lil nog
bobby southworth
mike kyle
alexandre ribeiro
jared hamman
king mo
travis wuiff
ricardo arona
sokoudjou
daniel puder
rafael calvancante
cristiano kaminishi
houston alexander..
just a few guys out side the UFC’s who fight at LHW i would love to see mousasi try and beat
by buttters on Aug 16, 2009 5:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Houston is still in the UFC, he said so as of Friday. They haven’t had any opponents available for him after he broke his hand.
by Screwface on Aug 16, 2009 5:36 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
Isn’t he scheduled to fight on the next Adrenaline card?
by FRANKIE on Aug 16, 2009 11:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Who on that list is interesting, though? Nogueira and I guess Lawal.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Aug 16, 2009 7:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That looks like Rashad beating Forrest, making me wonder where the hell was the defense from the guy on the bottom.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Aug 16, 2009 2:26 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i think its funny how people are all over mousasi’s nuts riding his extremely over hyped band wagon giving him all this credit and what not…. like has been said mousasi litterally landed in side mount after what a couple jabs were thrown and litterally ONLY seconds went by… yes babalu is a more experienced veteran and bjj black belt… people can say oh babalu could have done this or that and not gotten KO’d but the reality is mousasi landed in an extremely lucky position and given his skill set took advantage of this and exploded with everything he had. mousasi is good he is definetely top 5 MW. at LHW its comical people are talking about ranking him in the top ten world wide. really swear its hilarious how many people on this site are actually trying to say he didnt get lucky at all
by buttters on Aug 16, 2009 4:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Just like how that upkick against Jacare was lucky? Or the triangle he got against Kang? You can only get lucky so many times.
by Zack Gobie on Aug 16, 2009 6:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think the upkick was more Jacare being stupid. Mousasi does have the skill to take advantage of the opportunities luck provides him when it does though.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Aug 16, 2009 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
the submission over kang was not luck. he had timed everything and made that position for himself.. training multiple times a day every day you gain a perspective on how positions work in a real fight. every fight has a different pace and tone and mousasi like has been said has the skill set to take advantage of opportunities luck provides him. i would love to see mousasi become the next big thing but i think people found some new fighter not many people but hard core hard core fans know, and now jumping at the chance to follow his band wagon. and by the way. submitting an over the hill mark hunt who looked like he was having trouble even breathing walking to the ring. when was the last time mark hunt won a fight?
by buttters on Aug 16, 2009 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The whole point is to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves. Can’t fault him for that.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Aug 16, 2009 7:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I praise him for it. But people ignore how luck affects fights a lot of times.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Aug 16, 2009 9:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Lucky?
You take Babalu down and see how many times you get “lucky” and land in side control.
by Shaun32887 on Aug 16, 2009 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
im suprised no one has mentioned it yet...
but id like to see mousasi fight anderson in the ufc, at 185. i think saying hes #2 at middleweight is reasonable.
by bluejitz on Aug 16, 2009 2:26 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
- based on? Not arguing, just would like to see some reasoning. I am personally a fan of the tier style rankings.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Aug 16, 2009 2:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
well going 6-0 in 2008 including submitting kang, ko’ing jacare, and submitting manhoef.
i guess u can only include his wins over babalu and mark hunt in P4P rankings and not at middleweight? or how does that work. because if you can, i think he has a pretty good case to be the best MW who isnt named anderson
by bluejitz on Aug 16, 2009 2:34 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Jacare and Babalu are his best wins, and good ones. Fair enough analysis.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Aug 16, 2009 2:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
lol before he won by a phenomenal and EXTREMELY lucky up kick KO (which by the way you rarely EVER see in that fashion) was NOT doing anything “spectacular” or “dominating”
by buttters on Aug 16, 2009 5:08 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Keep hating Butters
How many times can a guy get “lucky” before you give him credit for winning? He has pretty much destroyed his last six opponents.
So, he is “lucky” that he knocked out Jacare with an up kick? He is “lucky” that he beat the brains out of Babalu’s head? He is lucky that he submitted Kang with a triangle choke?
I’m sure you will say he is lucky when he beats Sokoudjou in the Super Hulk Tournament as well.
Winning the Dream Grand Prix has nothing to do with luck. Winning the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight title has nothing to with luck. Having 26 professional MMA wins, 2 losses at the age of 24 has nothing to do with luck.
I’ve been saying for the last year that Mousasi is a top 10 P4P fighter and he is validating that with wins at MW, LHW and HW.
Silly little Butters … aw shucks you was wrong again.
by Johnnynumber5 on Aug 16, 2009 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
based on how dominant his victories are.
"I’m not going to stop yelling because that would mean, I lost the fight!"-Kenny Powers
shooter/cutter for AllElbows.com
by ekc on Aug 16, 2009 4:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe I'm wrong,
But i thought Mousasi said he was having trouble making the cut to 185, and he wouldn’t be fighting at MW anymore.
by WanderleiNoooooo! on Aug 16, 2009 9:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I love Mousasi's demeanor
It’s Emelianenkoesque.
by FRANKIE on Aug 16, 2009 3:16 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Man easy money with a bet on mousasi.. i was confused why people kept saying babalu was a steal as an underdog.. mousasi wins that fight 10 out of 10 times no matter wat the money line is
by pandaboy99 on Aug 16, 2009 4:49 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Babalu was the smart bet.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Aug 16, 2009 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Mousasi actually stopped punching before John stepped in :)
oooh im happy :D
by CVD on Aug 16, 2009 4:53 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
He did the same think when he upkicked Jacare—he stopped punching and that helped alert the ref that Jacare was out.
Mousasi is a very respectful fighter, and he doesn’t take cheap shots.
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who
by thetakeover on Aug 16, 2009 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
for some reason
he won me over for good when he stopped himself after the babalu ko
by cagefightonacid on Aug 16, 2009 3:52 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
Why did Babalu look so bad?
Mousasi looked great! Is that why Babalu look so bad or is Babalu done?
"Stop smiling you are about to be punched in the face !"
by Warhand on Aug 16, 2009 11:57 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
He just didn´t get a chance, they landed in a very bad position for him and it was over. I think this fight says a lot more about Mousasi than it does about Babalu.
by David_ on Aug 16, 2009 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I agree. He’s still one of my favourite fighters, this fight keeps him in a sort of position he’s been in for a while: he’s a crafty veteran who will beat most LHWs but has come up short against the elite. I thought the fight would have been more competitive, but I guess Mousasi is pretty good. I’d still say Babalu beats the rest of the LHWs in Strikeforce, so perhaps in the future there could be a rematch if he isn’t back in the UFC
by StevenGiles on Aug 16, 2009 6:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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