The official weigh-in results for the Showtime-televised event were:

MAIN CARD

• 185: Joey Villasenor (184.5) vs. Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos (185)
• 185: Tim Kennedy (184) vs. Nick Thompson (185)
• 160: Jorge Gurgel (157.5) vs. Conor Huen (158.5)
• 135: Shayna Baszler (134.5) vs. Sarah Kaufman (134.5)
• 185: Cory Devela (184) vs. Luke Rockhold (183.5)

PRELIMINARY CARD (un-televised)

• 195: Justin Davis (200) vs. Dennis Hallman (191.5)
• 145: Brian Caraway (145) vs. Alex Zuniga (144)
• 160: Lyle Beerbohm (160) vs. Duane Ludwig (159.5)
• 186: Travis Doerge (184) vs. Landon Showalter (185.5)
• 156: Len Bentley (155.5) vs. Marques Daniels (154.5)
• 171: Steve Hadsel (170) vs. Taylor Roberts (170.5)

* Davis was not penalized for missing weight as he was a late replacement

[Pictured: Joey Villasenor]

Joey Villasenor

Strikeforce has finalized the card for it’s next event, a “Strikeforce Challengers” set for June 19 in Kent, Washington. Headlining will be “Smokin” Joey Villasenor taking on Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos in a middleweight bout, with possible future title implications.

The bout’s winner will place themselves in contention for the Strikeforce interim middleweight belt, which executive Mike Afromowitz has told MMAJunkie the promotion will issue.

Villasenor was last in action in May of 2008 with a TKO victory over Phil Baroni in the now defunct EliteXC. He was later scheduled to take on Robbie Lawler for the EliteXC middleweight belt, but that bout was canceled just before the promotion closed up shop.

Santos will also be looking to knock off some ring rust, since he last fought in September of 2008, in a TKO loss to Siyar Bahadurzada due to injury at Sengoku 5.

Other prominent names to be included in the card are Jorge Gurgel, Nick Thompson, and Sarah Kaufman. To view the full fight card, visit our Strikeforce Challengers Rumors page.

The event, which will be broadcast live on Showtime, will be headlined by a middleweight matchup between Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos (16-12) and Joey Villasenor (26-6).

Jorge Gurgel, Dennis Hallman, and Cory Devela have also been announced for the card.

For the latest Strikeforce news stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

Carmichael Dave at Sports 1140 and MMAjunkie respectively reported the bouts on Monday.

Alistair Overeem

Since claiming the belt in late-2007 Overeem (29-11) has won three-straight bouts but has not yet defended the title. Rogers (9-0) earned the championship opportunity by winning all nine of his professional fights, including a victory over Abongo Humphrey earlier this month.

Villasenor (26-6), a King of the Cage, PRIDE, and EliteXC veteran, has not been in action since a May 2008 victory over Phil Baroni. Santos (16-12) has lost three of his last four fights, most recently falling to Siyar Bahadurzada due to injury at Sengoku 5 in September.

Both matchups are expected to be televised on the Showtime-broadcast main card.

Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields is scheduled to take place on June 6th at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The event is headlined by Robbie Lawler vs. Jake Shields and is also slated to include Nick Diaz vs. Scott Smith.

The long-rumored matchup was announced during Friday’s Showtime broadcast of ShoXC “Reis vs. Cullum”, though a location for the event has not yet been announced.

Lawler, a UFC and PRIDE veteran, won the EliteXC title with a third-round technical knockout of Murilo “Ninja” Rua last September. After retaining the title by way of a no contest in his first bout with Scott Smith, Lawler successfully defended the title with a second-round TKO of Smith in July.

Following a 22-second knockout loss to Lawler at PRIDE 32, Villasenor has won four of his last five fights, losing only to former middleweight champion Rua over the span while earning victories over David Loiseau, Riki Fukuda, Ryan Jensen, and most-recently Phil Baroni.

The November 8th event is also slated to include Nick Diaz, Brett Rogers, and Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante against opponents to-be-determined.

For the latest on upcoming EliteXC events check out the MMAFrenzy.com MMA rumors section.

No location or venue have yet been announced for the event, which will air live on Showtime.

MMA Junkie reported the additions to the lineup on Tuesday.

Villasenor may take on EliteXC middleweight champion Robbie Lawler in the main event of the card while opponents have not yet been determined for Rogers, Diaz, and Feijao, all of whom are positioned near the top of their respective divisions.

For more on upcoming MMA events check out the MMAFrenzy.com MMA rumors section.

The classy young man doing the talking is popular Joey Villasenor, aka “Smokin’ Joe,” who’ll be featured against an opponent to be announced on Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Pit in Albuquerque, N.M.

“I have heard a few names being tossed around, but I do not care who I fight,” said the talented, world-ranked middleweight, who will be making his first appearance in Albuquerque since he registered a first-round TKO over Joe Merit on June 14, 2003.

Villasenor, who registered a 1:11, first-round TKO (strikes) over Phil Baroni in his last start on May 31, has won three straight and four of five. Villasenor (26-6) has lived in New Mexico the last 25 years (first in Albuquerque, then Farmington and, for the last seven years or so, back in Albuquerque).

“For sure, the Pit will be rocking on Sept. 20,” Villasenor said. “Seriously, I can’t wait.”

A limited number of $20 tickets are available for UNM attendees (first come, first served), who will sit in a special “student section.”

Other tickets, priced at $30, $50, $65, $100, $150, $200 and $500 (VIP) can be purchased at the UNM/PIT box office (8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday), online at http://www.unmtickets.com/ and by phone at (877) 664-8661 or (505) 925-5858. The pre-sale for tickets began Wednesday, Aug. 6.

The event is presented by Los Angeles-based ProElite, Inc.’s live fight division, EliteXC. The remainder of the card, including the fights to be televised on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast), will be announced in the near future. The first live fight will begin at 6 p.m. MST.

No location or venue has been determined for the event, though New Mexico is a rumored possibility.

ProElite, the parent company of the MMA promotion, first mentioned the event during a recent media conference call for Saturday’s “Unfinished Business” event, which will air on CBS and Showtime.

An official announcement is expected in the coming days, possibly during Saturday’s broadcast.

Rumored fighters for the event include Joey Villasenor, Paul Daley, and Dave Herman.

The thing is, in mixed martial arts you have to let fighters take a bit of damage before calling the fight. Gees that sounds barbaric and awful. But its really not, and even the most noob of MMA aficionados knows it- because that is just how the sport is played. Regardless of who is watching and what they might think, the nature of the MMA beast cannot be tampered with without having some serious backlash from all avenues of the fight community. In my opinion, all televised bouts save for maybe Phil Baroni vs. Joey Villasenor were absolutely stopped prematurely. Was a fix in? Doubtful. But were the referees (cough Dan Miragliotta cough) instructed to step in before anything too gory or “morally horrifying” could happen? Oh yes. That is my contention and I’m sticking to it after watching the broadcast over and over again on my DVR.

The most suspicious of matches stopped last night was the heavyweight headliner Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson. The question I now ask is, was the bout stopped simply because Thompson’s ear looked uncomfortably sanguinary for network America? Or because EliteXC (Gary Shaw, cough) really did attempt to do everything possible short of a fix to help Kimbo cruise back into victory lane.

First, let me just state that I would never suggest that MMA get taken off of network airwaves. It’s such a huge step in the right direction for the sport and I will always be there to watch (or at least DVR) some free mixed martial arts. That being said, here is my official like/dislike list for EliteXC-CBS Saturday Night Fights.

Dislike: Frank Shamrock, who was very good during the fight commentary, seemed very awkward and robot-like when talking into the camera. At some point I was expecting him to say “I am currently reading copy from a tele-prompter, please look at my face.”

Dislike: Mauro Ranallo. I know Mauro has over a decade of MMA calling under his belt, but it doesn’t make his antics any more tolerable. Occasionally I will get a kick out of a Mauro zinger, but generally I think he either needs to tone it down or go back to calling professional wrestling.

Dislike: The gratuitous dancers. Yes, EliteXC, they are hot and it always helps to have eye candy when your audience is primarily male ages 16-34. However these ladies bring little, if nothing to the entertainment table and are still an unnecessary feature. Why not save the money you would spend on the dancers and maybe next year you wont have to file for bankruptcy.

Dislike: The ongoing mention of the phrase “This is Mixed Martial Arts” or “Well this is MMA you know.” We get it. There just might be some people out there watching who do not know what MMA is all about, and they just might not understand as much about the sport as some. But to keep stating “well, this is MMA” after every takedown or submission attempt is just annoying. When I watch football I don’t hear John Madden chime in after someone intercepts a pass “Well this is football you know, anything can happen Pat!”

Dislike: From a broadcast angle, I did not enjoy the two commercial breaks I was forced to endure before finally getting to the fights. I think CBS spent a little too much time introducing the show while forgetting that above all else, viewers are tuning in to watch fights. Not packages or montages, but fights. Lets keep them the focus of the program.

Dislike: Gus Johnson did not speak with the loser in certain bouts, namely Kaitlin Young or James Thompson. What in the world is that about? Would it not be helpful to get their take on the fight? I mean gee whiz, Thompson looked awfully sour and even took a semi-shot at the referee upon the stoppage, don’t you think we might want to hear what he has to say? Especially since Kimbo was gassed out and could hardly mutter a word with Gus. Give me a break.

Like: I found it very cool that on national television, the announcing team had no issue liberally mentioning the UFC or fighters in the UFC. See Dana, its not the worst thing in the world to acknowledge that another brand exists.

Like: Gus Johnson. Thank the lord, Bill Goldberg was replaced by someone competent for the big show. Johnson was spot on and did not seem to show much weakness regarding MMA knowledge. Way to go, Gus.

Like: Not breaking for commercial between rounds. Definitely a smart move, I don’t think I have to explain how annoying it is to have to sit through ad’s for second rate local MMA schools when I’m trying to watch a real MMA fight.

Like: The pre-fight packages. They look to have some legitimate production value and I enjoyed the little sparring sequences thrown in.

Like: Though it definitely felt a bit cheesy, I still liked how Gary Shaw got on the mic and stated that both Smith and Lawler would be getting their fight bonuses. Smart move on Shaw’s part to help create a positive public image of himself.

The fights:

I will try to keep this brief. As I said earlier I think almost all of the fights were questionably stopped, starting with:

Brett Rogers vs. Jon Murphy

Rogers put Murphy to the canvas but was not given the opportunity to go in for the kill. Was Murphy completely K.O.’d when he fell? Perhaps, but…

Of course it’s doubtful, but Murphy could have caught Rogers in a submission from the bottom if in fact Rogers were allowed to continue attacking. Yes it is extremely unlikely, but that’s what those extra seconds are for. Look at a few of Minotauro Nogueira’s fights. How many times has he looked to be down for the count before going on to survive a decision or even secure a sub?

Joey Villasenor vs. Phil Baroni

Probably the least questionable bout of the evening. However once again I feel that Baroni should have been given a few more seconds to try to defend himself. Yes, Villasenor was brutalizing Baroni but lets let the man lose without a doubt, okay? Is that too much to ask? I’m all for fighters safety but in the words of Frank and Mauro “This is Mixed Martial Arts People!”

Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young

Carano probably would have won her fight as well even if it weren’t stopped after the second round. BUT, what about this fight stopping cut of Kaitlin Young’s? Was it not responding to coagulant? Was it obstructing an eye? Did Kaitlin herself say that she could not continue? Because to me the cut looked okay and Kaitlin seemed game. Of course it’s difficult to tell since the camera did not show any footage of Young’s face once the bout was called, nor was she spoken to in the post fight. Maybe CBS just didn’t want a female fighter to continue and look a mess, even though she would be willing to do so. I give credit to Gina for kicking ass, but her victory is still just a bit tainted in my opinion. I’m also kind of waiting for Kaitlin Young to come out and say that the stop was B.S.

Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith-middleweight championship bout

Why was this fight not the main event? I don’t know. Okay I do, and that’s because of the attraction that is Kimbo Slice which EliteXC feels the need to spotlight. But I still disagree with not making Lawler-Smith the main event since they were the only championship fight on the card, not to mention that Smith and Lawler are much better fighters than Slice and Thompson.

As for the stop, well you can almost blame Scott Smith for not lying to the doctor, and twice stating that he could not see out of his right eye. Scott assumed he would get the five minutes to regain some vision, and was painfully denied. So what did happen to the five minute to recovery rule? Is that no longer in play? All I can say is way to delay another title fight and disappoint fans, EliteXC.

Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson

What did we learn from this fight? Well for one, Kimbo Slice is not the wrecking machine some would have you believe he is. Kimbo is in fact highly inexperienced and seriously susceptible to cardio crash. James Thompson proved that even if you aren’t that great of a fighter in general, if you are bigger and can get Kimbo to the ground, you can keep him there and hurt him.

I am going to come right out and say it. James Thompson got robbed. Not so much when the fight was called, but when he was forced to stand up from the ground position where he had Slice. I couldn’t believe referee Dan Miragliotta actually stated twice “nothing happening, I’m going to stand you up.” Whoa there Dan, but there was actually a hell of a lot happening, and you know it. Problem is the guy EliteXC wanted to win was on the receiving end of some ground and pound and likely would not have survived very long in that position. Inside any other cage or ring in the world, and Thompson would have been allowed to continue his ground domination of Kimbo…but not on Saturday night. Now Kimbo was able to roll out and reverse once or twice, but as soon as he started to get winded and battered there was no way he was going to shake off Thompson’s top control.

As for the end of the fight, I couldn’t agree more with those who think Kimbo didn’t earn the victory. Sure Thompson could have been out on his feet after absorbing those unanswered Kimbo blows, and sure his ear looked about ready to fall off. Problem is Thompson was still standing, moving, and willing to engage.

Bottom line: Thompson still had some fight left in him when the fight was stopped. Not to mention that Kimbo was gassing so hard by this point that his punches weren’t landing nearly as hard as they were in the beginning of the fight. Would Kimbo have knocked Thompson to the canvas if Miragliotta didn’t step in when he did? Once again it’s entirely possible, but because we were not able to find out what could have been if only a few more moments were allowed to pass, the victory remains far from cemented for one Kimbo Slice.

The Final Word:

Kimbo truly was broken last night. He gassed, got outclassed on the ground, and was proven to be a fighter with much to learn, as he did humbly state in the post fight. Try as they might, I don’t think EliteXC will be able to cover the fact that Kimbo got pretty much beat down by a not so great mixed martial artist. I truly believe that Kimbo has the potential to be a great fighter, but that doesn’t mean that EliteXC should tailor-make victories for him either. Good effort Kimbo, shame on you EliteXC.