Strikeforce Miami Fight by Fight Coverage: Bobby Lashley Runs Over Wes Sims
by Michael Rome on Jan 30, 2010 10:58 PM EST
in MMA News
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The result was never in doubt as Bobby Lashley simply ran over Wes Sims in a few minutes, winning via TKO in the first round. Sims didn't really come to fight, and collapsed to his stomach without taking a shot. Lashley got him down early, pounded him from guard, and eventually got Sims' back and stopped him with strikes. Sims complained about the finish, but it was a good stoppage.
After the fight, one announcer asked what the win proved. Nobody said anything, because it didn't prove a thing. The outcome was never in doubt, and it's about time Lashley fought someone at or near his level.
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Wes seemed to just be there to pick up a check but he still looked better than Nagy did. Maybe if this had been booked as a regular bout instead of a last minute thing Sims would of done something but Lashley should already be beyond this level of opponent in MMA. It’s time for Lashley to fight someone who’s at least decent.
by who me on Jan 30, 2010 11:28 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
according to what he said at the end he wants 8 or 9 gimme fights and then go BIG. aka Fedor. He will be crushed and return to which he came. Lashley doesn’t seem to have the heart and desire to be a true force in MMA.
"Frank Mir had a horseshoe up his ass. I told him a year ago. I pulled it out of him and I beat him over the head with it." Brock Lesnar
he got $30,000.
so I guess he’s happy. Plus he has a fight against Sylvia set up next, hopefully he trains for that one.
by Anton Tabuena on Jan 31, 2010 12:25 AM EST up reply actions
To be honest on a weeks notice I wouldn’t of expected much out of anyone. It’s good for Sims to get paid but that was about all there was to that “performance”.
yup.
I don’t think anyone expected him to win coming in on that short notice… SF probably gets a pass on this one, but if they still have crappy matchmaking like this on his next bout, then…
by Anton Tabuena on Jan 31, 2010 12:48 AM EST up reply actions
I don’t give them a pass, it was a waste of a fight, and it went exactly the way the first fight they “planned” would have gone, takedown, gnp, stoppage.
We know lashley can do that, there’s no point in letting him do it again. They should have found someone that could have kept it standing long enough to get ko’d on the feet.
I guess I cannot blame Strikeforce too much for protecting an asset, they don’t have too many. If they are going to risk a potential sell able asset in Lashley than there needs to be some benefit to the promotion he he loses.
That fight wasn’t protecting an asset it was wasting time. They would of been better off just saving Lashley for another card and getting a palatable opponent with a chance to actually have a training camp for the fight. For Lashley to be a company asset he actually has to prove he can win fights for the company not just crush cans who took the fight on a weeks notice. Having name value is important but this is a sport, you need to excel at both aspects to help a company long term.
I sorta agree with this analysis that this approach pisses me off. However, UFC uses this playbook all the time and it generally works. They usually build up their TUF champions slowly giving them a lot of easy fights in the main card of PPVs. After awhile the audience is familiar with the fighter but have forgotten that the 5 fight winning streak has been built up against a low level of competition. Nevertheless they can eventually promote the fighter in a significant, more competitive fight and it’s a win-win for the promotion no matter the outcome.
Really? What I normally see is the TUF winners getting thrown right out against competitive opponents and many of them have a real tough time. For the most part the guys who win Tough are still really development projects in a lot of ways, the fights they get are very competitive and get tougher quick if these guys win. Hell Ryan Bader is set to fight Keith Jardine in his 4th UFC fight, Efrain Escudero just lost to 10-0 Evan Dunham, Nate Diaz has run a freaking gauntlet of tough lightweights, Amir Sadollah has only had 4 pro fights so far, Kendall Grove is lucky to still be in the UFC and just look at who Mac Danzig has been fighting for the last year. These guys aren’t getting an easy road at all. If you really go back and look most TUF winners end up with a pretty hard road to follow.
With the exception of sometimes having top guys come in and getting warm up fights(Cro Cop vs Eddie Sanchez for example) the UFC seems to book things where there are no easy fights and I don’t think I’ve ever seen as crappy of booking as Lashley vs Sims on one weeks notice in the UFC, heck even Affliction wouldn’t of done that.
The one week booking is Strikeforce thing.
However you are comparing TUF fighters 4th booked fight with Lashley’s first booked fight at Strikeforce. Most of those guys get a few easy fights to get their feet week. UFC learned it’s lesson early on with Nate Quarry.
There’s a fight that a fighter should win, and a fight that would have to be considered a massive improbability and major upset if they lose. There is no one – NO ONE – on the UFC roster at HW (and a few LHWs, even some MWs) who wouldn’t have annihilated the Wes Sims that stepped into the cage last night. Bader’s first UFC fight is a prime example: he was 8-0 at the time, and with the exception of the fight that one him TUF, all wins over people no one has heard of. Who did he get for his first fight? Carmelo Marrero, who while not a world beater, was on a four fight win streak, had beaten guys like Kongo, and was a known quantity coming from WEC (as well as actively fighting). Bader decisioned him, just like he should have, but it was far from a squash match or an easy fight for Bader. Yes, he needed to win that fight and should have.
Wes Sims had been sitting on his couch fighting no one after looking REALLY BAD on TUF, fighting guys no one has heard of (Clifford Coon?), and losing to former hockey players. Then consider that he wouldn’t have been any more or less likely to lose than, say…. Ambriz.
Lashley was not going to be allowed to lose this fight short of an absolutely epic collapse. He would have had to TKO himself by headbutting the cage or something. THAT is why is stinks. There’s a difference between TUF winners getting fights where they are heavy favourites, and Lashley getting guys who stretch the definition of the “professional” part of “professinal fighter”.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
I wasn’t comparing a 4th fight against a 1st fight I was pointing out that you were just flat out wrong is saying that TUF guys get lots of easy fights starting out. TUF guys get competitive fights and build up fast, just go look at their records.
The Lashley booking was extremely bad and made worse by the fact that they had to keep going through guys to find one easy enough and willing to fight on no notice at all. Strikeforce has guys already signed and looking for fights that would of made for interesting and competitive opponents but they went outside of the company to find guys poor enough to insure Lashley got a quick and easy win. It doesn’t matter if you blame it on Lashley’s management of Showtime or Strikeforce’s booking this shouldn’t happen in a professional sport.
Id like to see Lashley vs Velasquez
I'm the best ever. You're the most average in a minute.
And NEW UFC Welterweight Champion of the World.....Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy!
by slapjaw ackrite on Jan 31, 2010 12:15 PM EST reply actions
Man, Lashley beat a Can*?
I.
AM.
SHOCKED.
- Wes only gets the can label because of a) taking the fight on such short notice, and b) sucking so bad on TUF. Luckily, he still won this fight if you ask him.
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
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