Posted by Jake Rossen
A Frankenstein monster of outcast ProElite talent, slightly irritating 182-pound fights and two Hammer House alum who never fail to disappoint, Strikeforce's live broadcast from St. Louis, Mo., is set to kick off. Keep checking back here for updates and highly subjective commentary.
12:19 a.m. ET -- Shields calls out Cung Le, who is slowly morphing into Don Wilson. An interim title seems inevitable at this point. And that's all. Mauro Renallo says, "Buenas noches."
12:13 a.m. ET -- Shields locks a guillotine. Lawler considers slamming him, but decides he's had enough and taps. Surprising win for Shields. Matt Hughes -- who's in Lawler's corner -- looks depressed.
12:12 a.m. ET -- McCarthy's marathon officiating continues. Shields appears nervous, but I might just be projecting. Shields goes for a leg, but Lawler muscles out of it.
12:06 a.m. ET -- Lawler enters looking slightly sleepy. Of Lawler's quiet demeanor, "There's another man living inside of this man," Shamrock says. I will attribute it to Renallo anyway.
Midnight ET -- Main event: tactician Jake Shields versus caveman Robbie Lawler. Shields is the better all-around fighter, but Lawler can impose his one dimension. You see how surgical I've been with my predictions already.
11:55 p.m ET -- OK, maybe one: "Brett Rogers knocked Arlovski out faster than you. What do you think about that?" Renallo can now turn his head a full 360 degrees.
11:54 p.m. ET -- Renallo interviews Emelianenko. None of the questions or answers would surprise you.
11:52 p.m. ET -- Fedor smiles from ringside. "These silly mens who thinks they have chances. Is no true."
11:51 p.m. ET -- Rogers expresses frustration at not being respected. I've been behind you from Day 1, buddy.
11:46 p.m. ET -- And it's already over. Rogers touches Arlovski's chin and drops him. There will be some debate about an early stoppage, but Arlovski was out. I blinked, and it was over. First time that literally happened.
11:46 p.m. ET -- Round 1. McCarthy appears to be making up for lost time by refereeing his fourth fight in a row.
11:45 p.m. ET -- Arlovski is sporting an evenly trimmed Just for Men beard and a buzz cut. He only has time for the bare minimum grooming now, which is a good sign.
11:38 p.m ET -- "Brett Rogers? [Chuckle.] He tough guy." Arlovski might realize this is his fight to lose. Rogers hits hard, but there's a Butterbean's worth of talent disparity here. It's worth mentioning that Arlovski is stepping in for Alistair Overeem, who injured his hand during a dispute over a coin-operated lavatory in Holland. It's also worth noting that maybe you should let Overeem urinate wherever he wants.
11:36 p.m. ET -- Andrei Arlovski versus Brett Rogers is in the queue. It should be a fun two minutes.
11:30 p.m. ET -- Round 3: Diaz comes out swinging. Smith is trying to land a big shot, but Diaz sees them coming. As if things weren't bad enough, Smith is now on the ground with Diaz on his back. Smith taps to a choke. Masterful performance by Diaz.
11:27 p.m. ET -- Poppopoppoppoppoppop. Smith looks inebriated. He falls down just as the round expires.
11:26 p.m. ET -- Smith is hanging in because that's what he does, but it's looking grim. He tries tying up Diaz to get a breather.
11:24 p.m. ET -- Smith tries a suplex. Probably not going to happen.
Dave Mandel for Sherdog.com
Nick Diaz's body attack paid dividends against Scott Smith.
Diaz lands a nice combination, including a body shot that has Smith doubled over. The punches just don't stop coming. Smith looks damaged.
11:23 p.m ET -- Diaz gets a trip takedown just as the round expires. Best round of the night thus far.
11:21 p.m ET -- Diaz eats another power punch. His middleweight chin is solid. Smith takes him down, but I'm not sure that's a good thing.
11:20 p.m. ET -- Smith lands a stiff right to Diaz' chin, but it doesn't rock Diaz in the slightest. Three minutes in and Diaz is becoming a real problem in this division.
11:16 p.m. ET -- They do not touch gloves. Smith may fear a contact high. Round 1: Diaz is already taunting him. Smith bullies him against the cage. Diaz sticks his chin way out and eggs Smith to clock him. Diaz lands some very unorthodox punches that seem to land fingers first. Smith is looking lost.
11:13 p.m. ET -- Diaz enters the arena. From a script, Shamrock says that Diaz "lacks KO power." An interesting observation.
11:11 p.m. ET -- The reappearance of the creepy, skinless animated models to display technique with. Smith's "keys to winning the fight" appear to include summoning Pinhead.
11:09 p.m. ET -- Nick Diaz and Scott Smith exchange words. If Diaz can feed Smith some body shots and slow him down a bit, he can stay inside without fear of being decapitated.
11:04 p.m. ET -- Gina Carano versus Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos and Josh Thomson versus Gilbert Melendez are announced for Aug. 15. "Carpenter and dentist -- they went at it tooth and nail!" Renallo says of their first fight. I immediately switch to the second audio program. "Peso ligero titulo!" Renallo says. Much better.
11 p.m. ET -- The official word is 30-27 in favor of Riggs. The day Baroni comes in with some love handles is the day I probably bet on him. Johnson gets Riggs' thoughts on the fight. "I broke both of my hands," he says.
10:58 p.m. ET -- Fight's over. Decision for Riggs.
10:55 p.m. ET -- Riggs is cautious about overcommitting, but Baroni is pretty well cooked. Shamrock observes that Baroni's lack of body fat means he has no energy stores to draw from. I'm not sure if that's right, but it sure sounds good.
10:53 p.m. ET -- Riggs lands a knee to Baroni's midsection that freezes him. Baroni looks like he's fighting in a sauna.
10:51 p.m. ET -- End of Round 2. Riggs with damage and a decent submission attempt.
10:50 p.m. ET -- Baroni back inside Riggs' guard. Several months' worth of talking trash weighs heavily on both men's minds.
10:46 pm. ET -- Round 2: Riggs lands another takedown. Then Baroni lands a takedown. Baroni has expended a lot of energy fighting off shots.
10:44 p.m. ET -- McCarthy stands them up after Baroni can't do anything from within Riggs' guard. Riggs is working hard for an ankle pick. End of the round. Riggs via control. And not needing as much oxygen.
Dave Mandel for Sherdog.com
Phil Baroni, top, had his moments, but they were few and far between against Joe Riggs.
10:44 pm. ET -- Riggs continues the control, but hasn't mounted much of an offense yet. He's too busy trying to contain a squirming Baroni.
10:40 p.m. ET -- Round 1: Riggs tosses Baroni down. He works a rear-naked choke. Back mount to mount to side control -- Riggs is not encountering a lot of resistance here.
10:38 p.m. ET -- Shamrock comments that Riggs' 5-foot-11 frame could be trouble for the shorter Baroni. Renallo points out that it's Baroni who has the 1" reach advantage. And that just quiets Frank right down.
10:36 pm. ET -- Baroni is amazing competition shape. If he hits a double-biceps pose while simultaneously flexing the latissimus dorsi, it could be over quickly.
10:33 p.m. ET -- Phil Baroni and Joe Riggs are due up. Riggs says he used to watch Baroni fight while he was in seventh grade. That makes me feel as old as it would Phil.
10:32 p.m. ET -- A half-dozen fighters are shown ringside, but only Fedor Emelianenko gets a crowd reaction. If Missourians know this guy, I've been seriously underestimating Affliction's market share. Tim Sylvia, who fights Ray Mercer in one week, looks to be flirting with 300 pounds. The guy seems intent on playing out "Requiem for a Heavyweight."
10:30 p.m. ET -- 29-28 across the board for Whitehead. Whitehead nailed six takedowns total to Randleman's one. A frustrated Randleman rips a spectator in half, then exits the arena.
10:28 p.m. ET -- Randleman gets up. Both men are very tired. Whitehead lands a nice right hook. Randleman missed a left that would've knocked an eyeball out. Fight's over. Likely decision for Whitehead.
Dave Mandel for Sherdog.com
Kevin Randleman's late surge nearly stole the fight from Mike Whitehead.
10:26 p.m. ET -- Remembering that Randleman's submission defense consists of biceps curls, Whitehead tries a kimura from side control.
10:23 p.m. ET -- Round 3: Randleman lands a nice shot. Coleman shouts encouragement, which sounds like, "[inaudible growl], Kev!"
Randleman lands a huge shot that drops Whitehead, but Kevin is unable to finish with hammerfists. They're back standing. Third wheel Mauro Renallo makes the inevitable mention of Randleman dropping Fedor Emelianenko on his head. That one time. You remember.
10:21 p.m. ET -- Johnson observes a weary Randleman is 37. "But I'm 36!" Shamrock says. In fight years, he's more like 63.
10:19 p.m. ET -- The crowd politely expresses their dissatisfaction with the slowed pace of the fight: the beer cup was tastefully hurled through the air and mostly empty. Whitehead gets full mount, but Randleman gets out. The two stand and breathe at one another.
10:16 p.m. ET -- Round 2, and still no sign of McCam footage. Whitehead gets a double-leg and realizes that, despite being handicapped by oddsmakers for not having veins in his thighs, he stands an excellent chance of winning this fight.
10:15 p.m. ET -- Round 1 ends with Whitehead on top. It was by no means a blowout, but he should take the scorecards with ease.
10:13 p.m. ET -- Whitehead works from side control. Randleman explodes out from underneath. Shamrock and Johnson observe Randleman looks exhausted. But he has abs! And that means he's in phenomenal, fight-ready condition!
10:12 p.m. ET -- Randleman fights off a takedown attempt. Whitehead tries again and gets it.
10:10 p.m. ET -- Randleman is the most intimidating guy in the sport immediately prior to the fight starting. Things tend to go downhill from there. He and Whitehead touch up. Referee John McCarthy is wearing an ear camera. Whitehead finds a home for several inside leg kicks. He misses a high head kick. Randleman gets a clinch, but can't get Whitehead down.
10:06 p.m. ET -- Kevin Randleman and Mike Whitehead are already in the ring. Apparently, no one felt their entrances were worth televising.
Expect cornerman Mark Coleman to scream instructions and for Randleman to do the exact opposite. Naturally, Randleman looks shredded. Naturally.
10:02 p.m. ET -- Highly competent Gus Johnson is on the lead mic.
Color commentator Frank Shamrock tries to explain the awkwardness of "catch weight" 182-pound fights. He challenges Nick Diaz to a rematch at 178.95 pounds divided by pi.
10:01 p.m. ET -- In the promo reel intro, a massively obese man performs a Superman punch. The shaking of adipose tissue is hypnotic. Since when is Crisco considered a post-workout recovery drink?
10 p.m. ET -- "The following is a presentation of Showtime Sports." Hey, it's a sport now? Excellent.
ESPN.com Mixed Martial Arts blog
