March 2011 MMA Recap: Zuffa Buys Strikeforce, Jon Jones & Dan Henderson Win Gold

by Josh Nason on Dec 27, 2011 11:00 AM EST in MMA History

Diego Sanchez didn't look like a winner, but he did defeat Martin Kampmann in March.

Competitors became companions, the youngest UFC champion in history was created while Strikeforce got one of their oldest and a California Kid made his presence felt in the Octagon. Let's look back at March 2011, one of the busiest and most important months in recent MMA history.

March 2011 - The Most Important Business Month Ever?

Most MMA fans will remember where they were when they got the news that Zuffa had purchased Strikeforce, putting the UFC's top competitor under their control. News broke unusually on a random Saturday afternoon, done via a video with MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani.

We all had more questions than answers. Would the UFC and Strikeforce immediately merge? What about the champions? Why did they buy them? Was this good for the industry? As the year would play out, we got our answers but still have a lot of questions as we cross into 2012.

But in many circles, that wasn't even the biggest story of the year. That would come later on in the year.

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Just a short time after the UFC/Strikeforce news, the UFC saw one of its power players complete his journey as Jon Jones became the youngest champion in UFC history with a dominant TKO victory over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128. Weeks after he had earned the shot due to a win over Ryan Bader and an injury to top contender Rashad Evans, Jones found himself with a shiny belt and an aura of invincibility.

Following the win, Dana White decreed that Jones would face Evans next and after hearing his friend say he would fight him, Evans was more than willing to step in against him. The Jones/Evans feud would play out throughout the year with everyone associated getting involved, including coaches. It turned out to be a sad situation and because of injuries, fans are still waiting for this rivalry to play out in the Octagon.

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After his crowd-pleasing KO win over Michael Bisping at UFC 100, Dan Henderson famously left the organization for Strikeforce. The move eventually paid off as he knocked out Rafael Cavalcante, giving him the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight title and a renewed vigor as a champion in the sport. But without any real divisional depth, Kid Nate wanted Hendo to fight Fedor Emelianenko...and he'd eventually get it.

Other Stuff That Happened

At UFC 128, Urijah Faber made his UFC debut count over Eddie Wineland and earned a shot at Bantamweight Champion and rival Dominick Cruz in the process...Phil Davis remained undefeated and Anthony Johnson ensured that Dan Hardy's struggles continued...Chan Sung Jung submitted Leonard Garcia with an awesome looking twister, which Eddie Bravo broke down.

Japan was hit by a massive earthquake, which affected the ailing Japanese scene and martial arts community as a whole...Thiago Silva admitted he cheated on his pre-UFC 125 drug test...Matt Lindland suffered some reefer madness...Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley was booked for Strikeforce's April show, even with Daley's tenuous standing with Dana White...Diego Sanchez got beat up by Martin Kampmann but still squeezed out a decision...it was announced the 14th season of TUF would feature 135 and 145'ers for the first time...Cristiane Santos was rumored to be in conversations with WWE.

March's full archive of stories

Past Monthly Recaps:

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Comments

they should have never let kampmann

in the octagon with that baseball bat.

i tried to change my username to 'big country fit' but the system wouldnt let me.

by gspmademegay on Dec 27, 2011 11:02 AM EST reply actions

if the ref didn't see it than it didn't happen

Twitter @MaZZM
http://www.mazzznet.com/

by MaZZacare on Dec 27, 2011 11:10 AM EST up reply actions

I remember being at the gf’s house for the whole weekend that strikeforce got purchased. When I came back I had like 30 different articles to work my way through

Always Remember, Don't Be A Sucker

by Our Bovine Public on Dec 27, 2011 11:38 AM EST reply actions

your gf

needs a computer.

i tried to change my username to 'big country fit' but the system wouldnt let me.

by gspmademegay on Dec 27, 2011 11:43 AM EST reply actions

does have one but her internet cuts out every 2 seconds so I usually dont bother

Always Remember, Don't Be A Sucker

by Our Bovine Public on Dec 27, 2011 11:47 AM EST up reply actions

glad you took that ok.

posted and immediately thought ‘that sounds pretty disrespectful.’
still, 2 days without mma news? thats fucked up, man.

i tried to change my username to 'big country fit' but the system wouldnt let me.

by gspmademegay on Dec 27, 2011 12:00 PM EST up reply actions

haa na its all good. Was fucked up. Especially when those two days contained basically the biggest story of the year

Always Remember, Don't Be A Sucker

by Our Bovine Public on Dec 27, 2011 12:04 PM EST up reply actions

Ha, do you guys not use your phones?

I use mine to check BE all the time if I’m away from a computer. Sad I know but fuck it, I found out about Marquardt being out of the Story fight in a queue to get a taxi after coming out of a club!

by Newman24 on Dec 27, 2011 12:23 PM EST reply actions

I have an ipod touch, but it requires a reliable wi-fi connection

Always Remember, Don't Be A Sucker

by Our Bovine Public on Dec 27, 2011 2:43 PM EST up reply actions

whats sad is

i cant afford a smartphone.

i tried to change my username to 'big country fit' but the system wouldnt let me.

by gspmademegay on Dec 27, 2011 12:31 PM EST reply actions

Just finished watching Pacquiao vs Marquez III . . . and thought about Whitaker vs De la Hoya

Unfortunately Kampmann’s coaching staff failed to remind him about a little known-unknown tidbit about judging fights.

If a fighter has the perception of being more aggressive . . . there’s a STRONG chance that he will get the decision. There have been many instances throughout boxing history where the sharp-shooter accurate puncher (Kampmann) lost a decision to they hyper-active, “aggressive” fighter.

I kind of feel sorry for Kampmann.

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"When I watched it, it's like I became a fan of myself, too" - Frankie Edgar on UFC 136
"I actually held public office and I left the only way a politician should, in handcuffs" - Chael Sonnen
"but if there's anyone who wants to finish fights it's me." - GSP

by VeeisAnimated on Dec 27, 2011 12:51 PM EST reply actions

oh yeah, go to badlefthook.com or HBO

HBO uploaded the entire fight Pacquiao vs Marquez III.

And I’m sure they will upload Margarito vs Cotto II pretty soon.

by VeeisAnimated on Dec 27, 2011 12:52 PM EST up reply actions

well, everyone knows he won.

plus, as a bonus, he wasnt left looking like the undead!

i tried to change my username to 'big country fit' but the system wouldnt let me.

by gspmademegay on Dec 27, 2011 1:05 PM EST up reply actions

Well hopefully he got the backstage-Dana-I thought you won treatment.

by VeeisAnimated on Dec 27, 2011 2:19 PM EST up reply actions

This is true. Unfortunately Pacquiao is probably going to walk away with the decision in a close fight because he is such an aggressive fighter.

by discoandherpes on Dec 27, 2011 2:27 PM EST up reply actions

Maybe you’re missing my point. I’m not taking shots at Pacquiao.
There was one round when both Pacquiao and Marquez both landed 17 strikes. As usual Manny threw more attempts. The HBO play-by-play squad talked ad nauseum about everything Pacquiao did, his aggression, his offense but they really do justice to Marquez defense and dare-I-say accuracy?

It made me think about De La Hoya vs Whitaker. Oscar was percieved to be the more aggressive fighter who landed mroe power shots, the judges awarded him the decision. Whitaker outpointed and simply outclassed De La Hoya. Oscar was swinging at the air through out the fight. Yeah, he landed some shots but we are probably talking about a very low percentage of strikes compared to attempts.

by VeeisAnimated on Dec 28, 2011 10:39 AM EST up reply actions

We all know MMA has bad decisions, but this fight barely qualifies

Diego landed the cleanest, hardest shots in the second round, and IMO that’s more than enough to make up for Kampmann’s 26-22 edge in strikes. The third has equal strikes landed with Sanchez landing way more power and also getting a takedown, so that was clearly his.

I don’t believe in rewarding accuracy. If a guy misses 100 more punches than his opponent but lands 10 more, then good for him.

Kampmann gave the fight away when he tried to brawl with Sanchez in the second. He also gave away his fight against Shields by trying to submit him in the third instead of continuing to outclass him on the feet.

It’s hard for me to feel sorry for Kampmann when he does that.

by paythefighters on Dec 27, 2011 3:16 PM EST up reply actions

Interesting thoughts . . .

Personally I think power shots are all about perception. A jab from Anderson Silva, Michael Bisping, GSP,etc. has some real sting to it. But, I guess the judges don’t think a jab is a power shot. Uhmm, and let’s not get into a discussion about low leg kicks.
Diego’s power shots didn’t really look like they hurt Kampmann. Well maybe I need to watch the fight again. My opinion may change.
In combat sports, I think accuracy reveals a lot. Chris Leben was the clear aggressor when he faced Anderson Silva. Too bad, he couldn’t overcome the reach disadvantage and Silva proved to be very accurate. Chris Leben, once again played the role of aggressor, then he lost to Michael Bisping. Once again, Bisping was far more accurate.

by VeeisAnimated on Dec 28, 2011 10:47 AM EST up reply actions

Watching that video of Ariel and Dana announcing that Zuffa bought Strikeforce was one of the strangest, most surreal moments in my time as an MMA fan. I was so happy.

"I have reached an age when, if someone tells me to wear socks, I don't have to."- Albert Einstein
Follow me on Twitter if you like MMA, baseball, and moderately funny people: @TimBernier

by Tim Bernier on Dec 27, 2011 1:42 PM EST reply actions