Monday, February 14, 2011

Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Silva" Postscript

  • It was an epic show, and with the attendance figures just above 11,000, it’s the biggest non-UFC event in New Jersey’s history.  Cage Fury Fighting Championship 5, which featured Kimbo Slice vs. Ray Mercer and had an attendance of 7,300, ranks number two.
  • The Internet and WiFi connection was awful.  After attending some IFL events there and having had zero problems with getting online then, I have strong reason to believe Strikeforce was “jamming” us.
  • K-Rod was robbed – as usual.  The dude just cannot get a decision in the Garden State, no matter what.
  • Igor Gracie looked smooth, Sam Oropeza continues to show promise, and John Cholish looked like a complete beast.
  • The crowd loved Gina Carano.  They also loved Andrei Arlovski.  But damn, it approached outright “worship” when it came to Fedor.
  • The crowd was also very knowledgeable when it came to action on the ground.  There weren’t a lot of catcalls and booing from the usual malcontent demographic.
  • Gian Villante may have gone down, but damn did he go down swinging.
  • Same for Andrei Arlovski, although watching him fight now is like watching a fond friend walk into the lions’ cage at the zoo wearing a suit made out of Steak-Ums.  You just know he’s going to get eaten, and though it’ll be fascinating, it still hurts to watch.
  • Fedor took a serious beating and the stoppage was merited.  And when the Russian stated that he was going to retire, there were chants of “Thank you, Fedor!” in the arena.
  • At the post-fight presser, Scott Coker was having none of that retirement talk.  None.  And he was deadly serious about Fedor possibly coming back into the tournament as an alternate.  Screw that.  Fedor should only come in after Shane Del Rosario, Chad Griggs and Valentijn Overeem have been used up.