Saturday, March 19, 2011

Masvidal kicks off Strikeforce with a decision over Evangelista

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson kicked off with a unanimous decision for Jorge Masvidal, as he won 30-27 on all three judges' cards over Billy Evangelista at Nationwide Arena on Saturday night. 

The fight started slow and didn't ever really improve. Masvidal and Evangelista drew boos from a close first round that saw the first two minutes filled with tentative stand-up. Masvidal took the edge with grappling, but then Evangelisa came out aggressively in the second round. He moved forward, exchanging strikes with Masvidal. They exchanged simultaneous strikes several times. Masvidal scored a takedown, but they quickly returned to their feet. Masvidal showed good movement near the end of the round to avoid Evangelista's strikes, just before eating a few punches.

Masvidal continued to elude Evangelista throughout the third. Evangelista threw several strikes, but had a hard time getting them to actually reach Masvidal. Masvidal used Evangelista's punches to move inside and land body shots.

The crowd in Columbus voiced their disapproval for the bout, as neither fighter really dominated or put on a show. Masvidal used his reach advantage to keep Evangelista at a distance instead of using it to get an overwhelming win. 

Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo 

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