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Strikeforce: Rockhold vs Jardine

10K views 124 replies 38 participants last post by  kantowrestler 
#1 ·
Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine
Date: Jan 07, 2012
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Venue: The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Broadcast: Showtime



MAIN CARD (Showtime)

Champ Luke Rockhold vs. Keith Jardine
Adlan Amagov vs. Robbie Lawler
Lorenz Larkin vs. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal
Jordan Mein vs. Tyron Woodley
Tarec Saffiedine vs. Tyler Stinson

PRELIMINARY CARD (Showtime Extreme)

Bobby Green vs. Alonzo Martinez
Nah-Shon Burrell vs. James Terry
Trevor Smith vs. Gian Villante


Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is slated to defend his belt against former UFC veteran Keith Jardine on Jan. 7, MMA Fighting has confirmed with sources close to the fight. The title fight is expected to headline the organization's first event at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Strikeforce has yet to officially announce the card or any fights signed for it as of Thursday evening.

Rockhold was expected to meet Tim Kennedy in his first title defense, but according to sources, Kennedy couldn't commit to the fight due to an undisclosed injury.

Rockhold (8-1) won the title in September when he defeated Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza via unanimous decision. The American Kickboxing Academy member has won his last seven fights in a row.

Jardine (17-9-2) fought Gegard Mousasi to a draw in his Strikeforce debut in April. This fight would mark his first at 185 pounds. "The Dean of Mean" is 2-1-1 since his release from the UFC in June 2010.
http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/12/...-to-defend-strikeforce-middleweight-title-ag/

There's been a bit of a change of plan in Strikeforce with Luke Rockhold now slated to face Keith Jardine on January 7, 2012 according to MMA Fighting. The original rumored plans were for Rockhold to face Tim Kennedy but Kennedy is unable to take the bout as he has an undisclosed injury.

This is a shame as Keith Jardine has gone 3-6-1 since 2008, has never fought at 185 pounds and his only win of note during that span was over Brandon Vera at UFC 89.

It's hard for me to not see this as a reason that Strikeforce has very limited value in its current form. Kennedy being unavailable leaves the promotion as seeing no better option than Keith Jardine? Maybe a rematch with Jacare is too much to ask on only 5 weeks notice.

I'd just as soon see them pay Paul Daley to take a middleweight fight (a weight where he is 3-0) or give a young guy from the Strikeforce Challengers stage a shot, Adlan Amagov springs to mind as someone who would have a "it was fun while it lasted" fight. And it's not as though Keith Jardine's name carries any weight in terms of being a draw.

I also can't help but wonder if Zuffa couldn't find a mid-tier current middleweight in the UFC to send over for a brief Strikeforce run. Maybe it's a bit too deep of water for a guy like Chris Weidman, but that'd be a hell of an interesting fight.

In the end, fantasy matchmaking does nothing. Jardine is getting the shot and we'll see if he can make the most of it.
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/12/...rockhold-planned-for-strikeforce-middleweight
 
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#2 ·
I agree Jardine doesn't deserve a shot yet, I love the guy and am a huge fan. But the article says it all, never fought at 185lbs, beat no one of note in the last couple of years. The guy needs to re-establish himself. Shouldn't be hard in a 'feeder-organisation' like SF, but now is not the time.
 
#4 ·
At this point Strikeforce belts are a huge joke.

Ever since Jardine left the UFC he has gone 2-1-1 with wins over no named guy's, fighting in places where they used stop watches to take times and not to mention his last gifted draw against Mousasi.
 
#9 ·
The Dean clearly doesn't deserve this shot, but I'm always excited to see him fight. He does bring it, regardless of the outcome. And I'm even going to go out on a limb and predict him to win. Though that's purely because I don't know all that much about Luke Rockhold, having seen very few of his fights.
 
#11 ·
...A first time weight cut and an instant title shot for Jardine? He should have tested the MW waters with at least one fight to see how he fairs. Maybe he will do well. The poor guy has been on the losing end of some vicious, memorable knockout highlight reels in the UFC. I would like to see Keith get a piece of some glory in his career. It's still hard to believe he's the same guy who beat Chuck Liddell convincingly. I wish him luck...
 
#24 ·
...It seems pretty obvious that King Mo & Robbie Lawler need to get in the W column. I'm rooting for Jardine cause he's been the victim of some unforgettable nasty beatdowns and I would like to see him have a taste of glory. His unorthodox striking with very good leg/body kicks and experience against more top flight competition are his biggest advantages over Rockhold. Should be a good night of fights...
 
#25 ·
Weigh in results from Vegas:

LAS VEGAS – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) was on scene and reporting live from today's official "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" fighter weigh-ins.

Today's festivities took place at HRH Lounge at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Strikeforce middleweight champ Luke Rockhold weighed 185 pounds, and despite some concerns about his opponent's to make weight, challenger and fellow headliner Keith Jardine had no problems on the scale.

In fact, Jardine, a UFC vet and longtime light heavyweight making his middleweight debut, weighed in while donning full shorts and a hat, and he still weighed 185 pounds with ease.

The only fighter who initially missed weight was preliminary-card competitor Nah-Shon Burrell (172), who was a pound heavy for his welterweight bout. He was given an additional hour to make weight and registered 171 pounds one hour after the official proceedings.

The Joint, also located inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, hosts Saturday's event, which includes a Showtime-broadcast main card and a Showtime Extreme-aired preliminary card.

The official weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (Showtime)

Champ Luke Rockhold (185) vs. Keith Jardine (185)
Adlan Amagov (186) vs. Robbie Lawler (186)
Lorenz Larkin (206) vs. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (205)
Jordan Mein (169) vs. Tyron Woodley (171)
Tarec Saffiedine (170) vs. Tyler Stinson (170)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Showtime Extreme)

Nah-Shon Burrell (171)* vs. James Terry (171)
Trevor Smith (205) vs. Gian Villante (206)
Ricky Legere (171) vs. Chris Spang (171)
Alonzo Martinez (160.5) vs. Estevan Payan (160) - 160-pound catchweight

* - Initially weighed 172 pounds but made weight one hour later
http://mmajunkie.com/news/26839/str...ardine-live-and-official-weigh-in-results.mma
 
#29 ·
I think he looks alot better here than he did at LHW. He's got a good chance in this fight and I hope he gets the win.
 
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