 |
The performance earned him scores of 30-27 across the board from the judges, and likely set him up for a fight with Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker wouldn't set that fight as a guarantee after the event, but did reveal it's in the lead for potential matchups for Melendez.
"We're not making an official announcement, but I think that's going to be a frontrunner," Coker said.
The damage to Noons began early in the first round, when Masvidal unleashed a vicious knee to the forehead that opened a bad cut. Noons began bleeding profusely, but Masvidal wasn't done. He dropped Noons with a head kick and continued the beating on the ground, but a resilient Noons held on to survive to the horn.
Masvidal's attack let up a bit in the second and third rounds, but he mixed in some well-timed takedowns to keep Noons guessing. He controlled the pace, and furthered the damage he had already done by handing Noons a massive hematoma over his right eye.
It was an excellent overall performance from Masvidal, and for the second straight fight in Strikeforce he's been very impressive. Now it's likely onto a fight with Melendez, and what will be the biggest fight of his career.
Penick's Analysis: Heading into the event I wasn't all that interested in seeing Melendez take on anyone other than a top UFC contender, but Masvidal's performance against Noons swayed me in his favor. I don't know how well he'll perform in a massive step up against Melendez, but his domination of Noons made that fight a lot more appealing. On a night where the headlines will be all on the disappointment of the Alistair Overeem-Fabricio Werdum bout, Masvidal shined with a career best performance. Considering Nick Diaz didn't do anything near that to Noons in a welterweight fight, this was all the more impressive.
Per Eklund Jason Ellis Aleksander Emelianenko Fedor Emelianenko Yasubey Enomoto
No comments:
Post a Comment