Strikeforce Challengers: Villasenor vs. Cyborg was a mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

 event held by the Strikeforce

Strikeforce

Strikeforce is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization based in San Jose, California. It is headed by CEO Scott Coker and owned by Zuffa, LLC...

. The second Challengers event took place on June 19, 2009, at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington

Kent, Washington

Kent is a city located in King County, Washington, United States, and is the third largest city in King County and the sixth largest in the state. An outlying suburb of Seattle, Kent is also the corporate home for companies such as REI and Oberto Sausage...

.

Background

The event was sanctioned by the Washington State Athletic Commission which, as opposed to other athletic commissions, did not use one-pound allowances during the weigh-ins. In response, Strikeforce made contracts which automatically defaulted into catchweights to allow fighters the extra pound.

Televised card

• Middleweight bout:   Joey Villasenor
  Joey Villasenor
  Joey Villaseñor is a Mexican American mixed martial arts fighter. He is a PRIDE Fighting Championships veteran, as well as the middleweight champion in King of the Cage. Joey has also fought in Showtime's EliteXC promotion and took part in PRIDE's welterweight grand prix. He currently trains...
  
   vs.   Evangelista Santos
  Evangelista Santos
  Evangelista Santos is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who is a member of the famous Chute Boxe Academy. He has fought in Strikeforce, Pride Fighting Championship, Cage Rage, International Vale Tudo Championships and Pancrase. He is currently fighting for World Victory Road and Strikeforce...
  
  

Villasenor defeated Santos via split decision.

• Middleweight bout:   Nick Thompson
  Nick Thompson
  Nicholas Delton Thompson is a retired American mixed martial artist. He retired with a professional mixed martial arts record of 38-14-1. He has fought professionally on both the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bodog Fight shows...
  
   vs.   Tim Kennedy
  Tim F Kennedy
  Timothy Fred Kennedy is an American mixed martial artist who currently fights for the MMA promotion Strikeforce. He is one of the only fighters to simultaneously serve full time in the United States Army while fighting professionally....
  
  

Kennedy defeated Thompson via submission (strikes) at 2:37 of round 2.

• Catchweight (160 lb) bout:   Jorge Gurgel
  Jorge Gurgel
  Jorge Valente Gurgel is a Brazilian-American Mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner who currently competes in Strikeforce's lightweight division.- Early life :...
  
   vs.   Conor Heun
  Conor Heun
  Conor Heun is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Lightweight division.-Mixed martial arts career:...
  
  

Gurgel defeated Heun via unanimous decision.

• Women's (135 lb) bout:   Shayna Baszler
  Shayna Baszler
  Shayna Baszler is an American mixed martial artist. She currently trains under former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett. She has a record of 14 wins and 6 losses, with 13 wins coming by way of submission....
  
   vs.   Sarah Kaufman

Kaufman defeated Baszler via unanimous decision.

• Middleweight bout:   Cory Devela
  Cory Devela
  "The One" Cory Devela is an American mixed martial artist from Bonney Lake, Washington.-School wrestling:Devela started wrestling in elementary school and continued through middle and high school. After graduation, Devela attended Yakima Valley Community College on a wrestling scholarship. Devela...
  
   vs.   Luke Rockhold
  Luke Rockhold
  Luke Rockhold is an American mixed martial artist. He is the current Strikeforce Middleweight Champion.Rockhold holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Dave Camarillo.-Early Life:...
  
  

Rockhold defeated Devela via submission (rear-naked choke) at 0:30 of round 1.

Non-televised card

• Catchweight (195 lb) bout:   Dennis Hallman
  Dennis Hallman
  Dennis Lloyd Hallman is an American professional mixed martial artist from the U.S. state of Washington. A former state champion wrestler, Hallman is known best for his expertise as a grappler. He has appeared in many fight organizations, including UFC, Strikeforce, IFL, Shooto, Rumble on the...
  
   vs.   Justin Davis

Hallman defeated Davis via submission (rear-naked choke) at 0:20 of round 1.

• Featherweight bout:   Brian Caraway vs.   Alex Zuniga

Caraway defeated Zuniga via unanimous decision.

• Catchweight (160 lb) bout:   Duane Ludwig
  Duane Ludwig
  Duane Paul Ludwig is an American Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He is the former Middleweight Muay Thai world champion, and currently fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championships in their welterweight and lightweight divisions...
  
   vs.   Lyle Beerbohm
  Lyle Beerbohm
  Lyle Beerbohm is an American professional mixed martial artist who has fought for Strikeforce, EliteXC and King of the Cage. He currently competes in the lightweight division.-Biography:...
  
  

Beerbohm defeated Ludwig via submission (bulldog choke) at 4:27 of round 1.

• Catchweight (186 lb) bout:   George Stork vs.   Landon Showalter

Showalter defeated Stork via unanimous decision.

• Catchweight (156 lb) bout:   Len Bentley vs.   Marques Daniels

Bentley defeated Daniels via unanimous decision.

• Catchweight (171 lb) bout:   Steve Hadsel vs.   Taylor Roberts

Hadsel defeated Roberts via TKO (punches) at 0:17 of round 1.

External links

• Official Strikeforce site