In other main card action, Shane Del Rosario, Luke Rockhold, Merrit Warren, and Zoila Frausto all earned victories.

The event’s official results were:

MAIN CARD

• Billy Evangelista def. Jorge Gurgel via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Shane Del Rosario def. Brandon Cash via submission (omoplata) — Round 1, 2:57
• Luke Rockhold def Jesse Taylor via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1, 3:42
• Merritt Warren def. Thomas Diagne via submission (heel hook) — Round 1, 3:49
• Zoila Frausto def. Elisha Helsper via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Ben Holscher def Johnny Goh via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Casey Olson def. Chris Culley via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 2:36
• Cole Escovido def. Maurice Eazel via TKO (strikes) –Round 1, 1: 47
• Rico Altamirano def. Alex Trevino via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

PHOTOS (courtesy Tom Casino/Showtime)

All 18 fighters scheduled to be in action at the event weighed-in yesterday for their bouts and the weigh-in results were:

MAIN CARD

• Billy Evangelista (159) vs. Jorge Gurgel (159)
• Brandon Cash (256) vs. Shane del Rosario (240)
• Luke Rockhold (185.5) vs. Jesse Taylor (186)
• Thomas Diagne (155.5) vs. Merrit Warren (154)
• Elisha Hellspur (134.5) vs. Zoila Frausto (132.5)

PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)

• Johnny Goh (154) vs. Ben Holscher (155.5)
• Chris Culley (148.5) vs. Casey Olson (145.5)
• Cole Escovedo (135.5) vs. Maurice Eazel (133)
• Rico Altamirano (171) vs. Alex Trevino (170.5)

Stop back to MMAFrenzy.com later tonight for results from the event and check out quotes and photos from the main card below.

QUOTES:

BILLY EVANGELISTA:

• “He’s (Gurgel) an explosive, tough guy. He’s aggressive and experienced on the ground.
• “I don’t have much of a game plan. I’ll adjust as I get in there.
• “I need to be focused on the fight and be ready for any openings that come. I’ve trained for every aspect and I’m expecting everything in there. I just have to fight my fight.”

JORGE GURGEL:

• “I respect him (Evangelista) as a fighter. He’s well rounded and he has a lot of heart. He’d not going to give up.
• “He’s well rounded, but I think I’m a better fighter and have more experience.
• “It’s going to be a tough fight. I’m really looking forward to it.
• “I’m excited to be booed for the first time in my career. They’ll boo me when I get in there, but they won’t be booing me when it’s over.”

BRANDON CASH “MONEY”:

• “I don’t think he’s fought someone as hungry as me or as powerful as me. This is my backyard, so he’ll have to do a lot to take me out.
• “I don’t see this going past the first round, not the way I fight. There won’t be much feeling out, we’ll just go out there and fight.
• “As long as I get the win, I’ll be happy.
• “I want him to quit. Once I hit him really hard, he’s not going to want to come back at me.
• “I’m a little more nervous than usual fighting at home, but I think that will keep me on my toes.
• “I’ve trained a lot harder and I’ve gotten a lot better. I can’t wait to show everyone on SHOWTIME how much I’ve progressed.”

SHANE DEL ROSARIO:

• “I don’t think he’s fought anyone like me before.
• “The first round is going to be pretty wild, but I need to stay relaxed in there.
• “I’m not concerned with his size, I’m ready for everything.
• “My cardio is really good right now. I’ve been in the gym since my last fight, so I’ve had a great training camp.”

LUKE ROCKHOLD:

• “I’ll be ready for whatever happens in there. I’m comfortable for any direction the fight goes.
• “I’ll take a KO if I can get it, but I’m ready for anything.
• “I’m in great shape right now. I just need to stay relaxed in there.”

JESSE TAYLOR:

• “I always gauge my opponents as future world champions or current world champs, that way I’m always prepared. But, I’m ready for anything in there.
• “I learned a lot from my last fight. I took it on short notice and it didn’t go my way, but it (the loss) wasn’t a set back.”
• “I want to continue to prove myself in there. A win on Friday night will be huge.”

THOMAS DIAGNE:

• “He’s an explosive fighter, so I know I have to be ready for that.
• “I really want to go to the top; I just want to be No. 1. I’m used to being a champion. I’ve been a champ in San Shou, now I’m ready for MMA.
• “My experience in San Shou has really helped me with starting my career in MMA.”

MERRITT WARREN:

• “I need to stick to my game plan with him.
• “Being in the ring or the cage is like second nature to me. It’s a switch that just goes off for me. I’ll be ready.
• “There’s going to be fireworks in the cage. It’s going to be a great fight.”

ZOILA FRAUSTO:

• “I know she’s (Helsper) going to come out swinging, I just have to be able to weather the storm.
• “I’d love to get a knockout on Friday night. I haven’t had one yet, so it’s about my time.
• “The audience gets me a little nervous. But, as soon as I get in there, the crowd isn’t there.
• “I have to bring it. There are no ifs, ands or buts, have to end this fight.”

ELISHA HELSPER:

• “I’ve been training for two months steady for this fight.
• “I need to give it my all and not give up. I’ve got the skills to win, I just need to put it all together.
• “I think I’ll be able to shake off the cage rust. If anything, I think it will make me more aggressive.”

PHOTOS:

Photos courtesy Tom Casino/Showtime

A lightweight matchup between UFC veteran Jorge Gurgel and undefeated prospect Billy Evangelista will headline a November 6 “Strikeforce Challengers” event, which airs live on Showtime from the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.

Pictured: Jorge Gurgel

Jeff Monson plead guilty to charges related to spray-painting graffiti on the Washington state Capitol on Tuesday, and was forced to surrender his passport as part of a plea deal, which may force his to withdraw from several upcoming bouts abroad. [The Olympian]

Pictured: Jeff Monson

[Kris Karkoski contributed to this post]

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.

Riley and Gurgel took home “Fight of the Night” honors for their standup brawl that saw Riley unanimously edge Gurgel 29-28 on the judge’s score cards.

Hazelett earned “Submission of the Night” by transitioning from an omoplata to an armbar to force opponent Tamdan McCrory to tap in the opening round of their welterweight bout.

Stephens received the “Knockout of the Night” bonus for his vicious uppercut KO of newcomer Rafael dos Anjos.

Both Riley-Gurgel and Stephens-dos Anjos took place on the unaired preliminary card but, like the entire fight card, made the pay-per-view broadcast as all but the “Fight of the Night” failed to go the distance.

Tested by the NSAC were Randy Couture, Brock Lesnar, Nick Catone, Amir Sadollah, Aaron Riley and Jorge Gurgel.

Traditionally, random fighters are tested for drugs and steroids immediately following the completion of their bouts, however, Nevada became one of the first states earlier this year to approve random preliminary drug screenings of fighters prior to fight night.

Check out the MMAFrenzy.com MMA rumors section for the latest UFC rumors.

After earning "Fight of the Night" honors for his unanimous decision win over Diego Saraiva at UFC 73 last July, Gurgel, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and cast member on The Ultimate Fighter 2, has dropped two of his last three fights, sandwiching a win over John Halverson with losses to Alvin Robinson and Cole Miller.

Riley returns to the UFC after being out of the octagon for nearly three years, last appearing at UFC Fight Night 3 in early-2006 losing to Spencer Fisher. After leaving, Riley lost back-to-back matchups with notables Eddie Alvarez and Ryan Schultz, but most-recently earned unanimous decision victories over Thiago Minu and Steve Claveau.

UFC 91 takes place on November 15th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and features a heavyweight championship main event as Randy Couture returns to the octagon to face Brock Lesnar. The rumored card for the pay-per-view event also includes Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson, Demian Maia vs. Nate Quarry, Dustin Hazelett vs. Tamdan McCrory, Nick Catone vs. Amir Sadollah, Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Josh Hendricks, and Jeremy Stephens vs. Rafael dos Anjos.

For more on UFC 91 check out the MMAFrenzy.com MMA rumors section.