| Strikeforce: Los Angeles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 The poster for Strikeforce: Los Angeles | ||||
| Promotion | Strikeforce | |||
| Date | June 16, 2010 | |||
| Venue | Nokia Theatre | |||
| City | Los Angeles, California, United States | |||
| Attendance | 5,259 [1] | |||
| Total gate | $418,000 [1] | |||
| Event chronology | ||||
| ||||
Strikeforce: Los Angeles, was a mixed martial arts event held by Strikeforce. The event took place on June 16, 2010, at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. [2]
The card took place on a Wednesday and coincided with the 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).
According to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, “The June 16 card will include some top-heavy main-event fighters, as well as some standout ‘Challenger’ prospects.” [3]
Jason Miller was targeted as Robbie Lawler's opponent for this event. However, Strikeforce officials believe the Tennessee Athletic Commission will have Miller suspended, so Renato Sobral ended up being Lawler's opponent in a 195-lb Catchweight bout.
Bobby Lashley was set to face Ron Sparks on this card, however, Lashley dropped out after injuring his knee in training. [4]
Charles Bennett was set to have a rematch against K. J. Noons but Bennett was forced to pull out for an undisclosed reason. He was replaced by Conor Heun. [5]
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed in an interview on June 9, 2010, that the winner of the Robbie Lawler vs. Renato Sobral fight would get a title shot in their respective division. [6] Sobral would fight Muhammed Lawal, or Lawler would fight Jake Shields, though he was later replaced by Ronaldo Souza in the proposed matchup after Shields signed with the UFC. [7] After winning the fight, Sobral announced that he wouldn't fight Lawal due to their friendship, and instead challenged Dan Henderson, who would defeat Sobral at Strikeforce: St. Louis on December 4, 2010, by TKO. The light heavyweight title shot would instead go to Rafael Cavalcante, who beat Lawal by TKO for the title at Strikeforce: Houston on August 21, 2010.
Strikeforce Challengers announcers Stephen Quadros and Pat Miletich handled commentary duties alongside Mauro Ranallo for this event, in lieu of the absent Gus Johnson & Frank Shamrock. [8]
The event drew an estimated 164,000 viewers, with a peak at 197,000 on Showtime. [9]
| Main card | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
| Catchweight (195 lb) | Renato Sobral | def. | Robbie Lawler | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Welterweight | Evangelista Santos | def. | Marius Žaromskis | TKO (head kick and punches) | 1 | 2:38 | |
| Middleweight | Tim Kennedy | def. | Trevor Prangley | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 1 | 3:35 | |
| Preliminary card | |||||||
| Catchweight (160 lb) | K. J. Noons | def. | Conor Heun | Decision (split) (27–30, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Bantamweight | Hugo Sandoval | def. | Marcus Kowal | TKO (strikes) | 2 | 0:43 | |
| Catchweight (160 lb) | Jeremy Umphries | def. | R.J. Clifford | Technical submission (rear-naked choke) | 2 | 2:27 | |
The following is a list of fighter salaries as provided by the California State Athletic Commission. The figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, which can often be a substantial portion of a fighter's income. [10]
Daniel Jeffery Henderson is an American retired mixed martial artist and Olympic wrestler, who last competed as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the last Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion and was the last Welterweight and Middleweight champion of Pride Fighting Championships. He was the only double champion in the history of Pride FC. Henderson was the Brazil Open '97 Tournament Champion, the UFC 17 Middleweight Tournament Champion, the Rings: King of Kings 1999 Tournament Champion and the Pride Welterweight Grand Prix Tournament Champion. Henderson also challenged for the UFC Middleweight Championship (2x), the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship and the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship. Henderson was the first mixed martial artist to hold two titles in two different weight classes concurrently in a major MMA promotion. At the time of his retirement after UFC 204, he was the oldest fighter on the UFC roster.
Renato Sobral da Cunha, also known as "Babalu", is a retired Brazilian Luta Livre submission grappler, mixed martial artist, and was the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion. Sobral previously fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he posted a 6–4 record and has also competed for Bellator, RINGS, Jungle Fight, Cage Rage, Affliction, and ONE Championship. He is the Head Instructor of Babalu's Iron Gym Cerritos and has a Luta Livre black belt under Marco Ruas and also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Carlos Gracie Jr.
Robert Glenn Lawler is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed between 2001 and 2023. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion, former EliteXC Middleweight Champion, and has formerly competed in Strikeforce, PRIDE, and the IFL. Nicknamed "Ruthless", he is known for his aggressive fighting style, and was considered a fan favorite. Three of Lawler's title bouts, against Johny Hendricks, Rory MacDonald, and Carlos Condit earned numerous awards for the Fight of the Year in their respective years.
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Rafael Cavalcante, often known by his nickname of Feijão, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who fights in the light heavyweight division. He is currently competing for Bellator MMA. He trains with Anderson Silva and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira as part of the Black House camp. He formerly competed in Strikeforce, where he was at one time Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion. His nickname means "bean" in Portuguese. He holds notable wins over Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal and Yoel Romero.
Tyron Lakent Woodley is an American former professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion who defended his title four times. A professional since 2009, Woodley also competed at Strikeforce and was an NCAA Division I collegiate wrestler for the Missouri Tigers, becoming a two-time All-American and Big 12 Conference champion.
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