Using up nearly the entirety of the first round, Nick Diaz and Paul Daley lived up to the most optimistic expectations with a thrilling main-event performance on Saturday’s Strikeforce card.
In what will be widely considered the best round of the year to date, Diaz and Daley delivered a dramatic, in-your-face striking war that ended in TKO fashion with just three seconds on the clock. Content to lower his hands to taunt Daley, Diaz put himself in serious danger twice–Daley’s power was enough to do some serious damage, and a second “rocking” midway through the round appeared to come very close to ending Diaz’s run as the Strikeforce Welterweight Champion.
But Diaz survived both of those scares, and when he offered a more composed, careful striking offense on his feet, he was too much for Daley to handle. He overwhelmed Daley with strikes at various points in the first round, and things finally came to a head with just seconds left in the frame. After wobbling Daley and causing him to hit the mat, Diaz pounced on top and scored a stoppage victory.
Also on the card: Gilbert Melendez destroyed Tatsuya Kawajiri with a first-round clinic that undoubtedly assured he belongs in the “best lightweight in the world” conversation. The three-minute onslaught ended with a TKO.
Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine, meanwhile, fought to a majority draw. While no judge gave Jardine the fight on the scorecards (although some critics are furious that Jardine even won a few rounds), the penalty from an illegal upkick evened the score on two cards and resulted in Mousasi’s dominance being for naught.
Full Strikeforce 4/9 Results
Casey Ryan b. Paul Song via submission (triangle) at 1:39 of Round One
Rolando Perez b. Edgar Cardenas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Herman Terrado b. AJ Matthews via TKO (punches) at 4:16 of Round One
Joe Duarte b. Saad Awad via submission (armbar) at 2:45 of Round Two
Virgil Swicker b. Brett Albee via TKO (strikes) at 1:46 of Round One
Robert Peralta def. Hiroyuki Takaya via split decision (30-27, 30-27, 28-29)
Shinya Aoki b. Lyle Beerbohm via submission (neck crank) at 1:32 of Round One
Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine fought to a majority draw (29-27 Mousasi, 28-28, 28-28)
Gilbert Melendez b. Tatsuya Kawajiri via TKO (strikes) at 3:14 of Round One to retain the Lightweight Championship
Nick Diaz b. Paul Daley via TKO (strikes) at 4:57 of Round One