KENT, Wash. (June 19, 2009) - Thirty-year-old Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm (10-0) continued his miracle transformation from drug addicted felon to undefeated mixed martial arts (MMA) hopeful and elevated his status to certified star by choking out seasoned knockout artist Duane “Bang” Ludwig (18-9) in the first round (4:27) of battle in an electric, non-televised Strikeforce Challengers 160 pound catch weight fight at ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington on Friday, June 19.


“I did exactly what I wanted to do - beat him up a bit on the ground and choke him out,” said Beerbohm a native of Spokane, Washington.


From the outset of the first round, Beerbohm gave the far more experienced Ludwig little opportunity to create any distance between the two competitors, space that Ludwig needed in order to execute his world class kicking and punching skills.


Beerbohm secured a takedown. Ludwig scrambled to his feet, but was dealt a point penalty by the referee in charge of the bout after tagging Beerbohm with a kick to the side of the face while Beerbohm was still on the ground (Striking a downed opponent while standing is illegal.).


Rather than take advantage of the rule that allows a fouled fighter to rest for as long as five minutes, Beerbohm immediately shook off any damage he sustained from the illegal blow and signaled to the referee that he was ready to return to work.


“That’s not me - I always want to go,” said Beerbohm of his decision to immediately re-engage. “I always want to push the pace. That’s how I beat people - I push them and I break them. If I take a break, that means he’s taking a break and I don’t want that.”


Beerbohm tossed Ludwig to the mat and, shortly thereafter, began hammering Ludwig with a flurry of punches. Ludwig broke free, but the unrelenting Beerbohm secured a choke hold from side position.


Once again, Ludwig tried to fend his opponent off, but Beerbohm’s tight hold forced Ludwig to tap.


In the weeks leading up to the fight, Seattle was buzzing about Beerbohm as local radio and TV revealed the fighter’s former addiction to crystal meth, a lifestyle that landed him an 18 month sentence in Walla Wall state prison three years ago. Beerbohm, who insists he was never beaten over the course of numerous street fights and a handful of prison scuffles, learned of MMA while tuning into Spike TV’s smash-hit reality series The Ultimate Fighter from the prison lounge.


“When I was sitting in prison and watching the show,” he said, “I was like ‘Are you serious? Those guys are on TV, making money?’ I knew I could take those guys so, right then and there, I made up my mind and haven’t looked back since.”


Beerbohm’s back story also landed him on the front page of The Seattle Times’s sports section today.


With his 10th professional win under his belt, Beerbohm has his mind set on one thing.


“I want to be the Strikeforce champ,” he said. “I want the belt. That’s my only goal.”

Strikeforce Challengers MMA event at Kent, Washington’s brand new ShoWare Center on Friday, June 19 will be out of control. First, we get to enjoy what should be a great match-up between “Cyborg” Santos and “Smokin” Joey Villasenor as our headline attraction then they let us know we’re also being treated to Lyle Beerbohm’s possibly toughest fight yet when he steps up to face “Bang” Ludwig.


This card is free on Showtime which means more money for po..pcorn, and sodas….or just strippers and drugs, oh yeah, you’re training.


Here’s the full card, including Strikeforce’s fancy fighter descriptions:


Middleweight (185 pound) powerhouses “Smokin” Joey Villasenor (26-6) and Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos (16-12) will face off in the card’s main event.


Decorated United States Army Ranger Tim Kennedy (9-2) will square off with seasoned veteran Nick “The Goat” Thompson (38-10-1) in a middleweight contest.


Rising stars Cory “The One” Devela (9-2) and Luke Rockhold (4-1) will face off with each other in yet another middleweight battle.


Jorge Gurgel (12-5) will battle Conor “Hurricane” Heun (8-2) in a lightweight (155 pound) battle and welterweight (170 pound) submission ace Dennis “Superman” Hallman (40-12-2) will lock horns with Cedric Marks (26-18).


In women’s action, undefeated power puncher Sarah Kaufman (9-0) will meet Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler (11-5).


ShoWare Center doors will open for the Strikeforce Challengers event at 5:30 p.m. PT on June 19 and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m. PT.


Strikeforce’s affair at the Tacoma Dome on February 28, 2008 marked the largest live gate in the history of any boxing, MMA, or kickboxing event in Washington State.


Strikeforce Challengers is a proving ground for up-and-coming MMA fighters. It provides today’s top prospects with the opportunity to step-up their level of competition and demonstrate their ability in a nationally televised event.

NEW YORK (June 12, 2009)—Two years ago, Lyle Beerbohm was sitting in a prison cell, serving an 18 month sentence. A crystal meth addict, he had stolen from his loved ones and committed multiple felonies during a dreadful, downward spiral.


On June 19, the reborn 30-year-old native of Spokane, Washington will attempt to continue his miraculous and inspiring transformation into an undefeated athlete in the world’s fastest growing sport – mixed martial arts (MMA).


“This is the biggest fight of my life,” said Beerbohm (9-0), who will face his most difficult test to date in the cage when he squares off with seasoned knockout artist, Duane “Bang” Ludwig (18-8) in a lightweight (155 pound) matchup during the Strikeforce Challengers MMA event at Kent, Washington’s brand new ShoWare Center on Friday, June 19. “Once I beat him, I’ll be a superstar – where I need to be. I have full confidence that I will win this fight.”


Beerbohm enjoyed a stint in high school wrestling and claims to have been unbeaten over the course of numerous street fights as well as three scuffles in Walla Walla state prison, but it was only after he tuned into The Ultimate Fighter, Spike TV’s smash-hit MMA reality series, that he decided he would make combat his livelihood and his path to redemption.


“When I was sitting in prison and watching The Ultimate Fighter show,” he said, “I was like ‘Are you serious? Those guys are on TV, making money?’ I knew I could take those guys so, right then and there, I made up my mind and haven’t looked back since.”


So determined was Beerbohm to get the ball rolling immediately after his release that he ordered his father to stop driving after they passed by a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy on the ride home from prison. Beerbohm quickly introduced himself to the school owner and explained his intentions.


Just eight days after his first lesson, Beerbohm stepped in the cage where he won his first amateur bout. After amassing a 12-0 record under amateur status in only nine months, he decided the time was right to turn professional. He has since finished all but one of his nine victims.


“I traded one addiction for another,” said Beerbohm, who has also earned the nickname “Fancy Pants” due to his flashy looking fight shorts that his mother designed for him. “I had put all my time and focus into that drug, unfortunately, so I needed something else to put my time and effort into and that’s why I’ve done what I have so far in MMA.”


Beerbohm no longer has a trainer – only training partners at the Spokane based Sik Jitsu club whom he claims have been the key to helping him learn on the job. He has visited a number of prominent training centers including submission expert Dennis Hallman’s Seattle-based Victory Athletics and former Olympic wrestler Matt Lindland’s Team Quest, but prefers doing things his own way.


“(The other camps) are pretty good, but we’ve got the best thing in Spokane,” said Beerbohm. “When I was at other camps, I wasn’t in charge. In Spokane, I’m in charge. The guys do what I want to do and that’s the way I want it.”


Beerbohm’s next opponent boasts far more formal training than him. A native of Denver, Colorado Ludwig, also 30 years of age, immersed himself in the world of Muay Thai kickboxing as a teenager and has gone on to become a star in the sport of MMA. He also holds the record for the quickest knockout in UFC history (Ludwig stopped Jonathan Goulet in 11 seconds on January 16, 2006). That doesn’t intimidate Beerbohm one bit, though.


“His stand up (skills) is pretty good, but my style is breaking people. The way I pace myself, people can’t handle it,” stated Beerbohm. “I’ll break him by the third round. If he gets to the 3rd round, he’s not going to get out of the third round.”


“When you see me get in the cage with Ludwig, I will be a different fighter and a step above where I was from my last appearance. I’m a brand new fighter and can’t wait to show the world.”



Tickets for the Strikeforce Challengers event, priced from $32, are on sale at the ShoWare Center Box Office (253-856-6999 or 877-840-0457), online at ShoWareCenter.com, and at www.strikeforce.com.


The live SHOWTIME® telecast of the event will begin at 11 p.m. ET/PT (tape delayed on the west coast) and will include up to five bouts.

Carano has soared to super stardom over the last two years while dominating opponents live on CBS and SHOWTIME. She raised her profile further during a stint as “Crush” on NBC’s athletic competition series American Gladiators. Carano is represented by Wasserman Media Group.


The matchup with Cyborg will be the second start of Carano’s career under the STRIKEFORCE banner. On December 8, 2006, she turned the tides on a determined Elaina Maxwell, a protégé of Cung Le, and pulled out a unanimous judges’ decision at STRIKEFORCE: “Triple Threat.”


The media has emphatically shown its appreciation for Carano’s individuality. She has been prominently featured in a number of national magazines including Muscle And Fitness and Maxim. Big Biz Magazine voted her “The Hottest Woman In America” in its Spring 2008 issue and Maxim ranked her number 16 in its Hot 100 list published in May 2009. Carano has also been profiled in the popular ESPN documentary series E:60.


The 23-year-old Cyborg, who hails from Brazil, has established herself as Carano’s top rival by leveraging her superior strength and striking skills to pummel opponents. In her last start, also her Strikeforce debut, Cyborg manhandled Hitomi Akano on April 11, stalking and battering the Japanese fighter before finishing Akano at the 35 second mark of the third round.


Cyborg is a member of Brazil’s famed Chute Boxe fight squad and trains alongside her husband and fellow Strikeforce competitor, Evangelista “Cyborg.”


After co-promoting two events live on SHOWTIME in 2007 and 2008, STRIKEFORCE in March 2009 signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA events on the premium cable television network.

NEW YORK (June 9, 2009)–After an eight month hiatus, mixed martial arts’ (MMA) leading lady, the undefeated and extremely popular Gina “Conviction” Carano (7-0) will compete in the first fight of her multi-fight agreement with STRIKEFORCE and is set to square off with rival powerhouse Cris “Cyborg” (7-1) in what is one of the most eagerly anticipated battles of all time, Saturday, August 15, live on SHOWTIME® at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.


Carano and Cyborg, the consensus two best female fighters in the world, will be the first women in MMA history to headline a major MMA fight card. In addition, they will fight for the first STRIKEFORCE 145-pound Female Championship.


“I’m really excited to be coming back and to have a new home with Strikeforce,” said the 27-year-old Carano, whose combination of stunning looks and athleticism have cemented her role as the face of women’s MMA. In a Yahoo! online poll that named the “Top 10 Influential Women of 2008,” Carano ranked fifth, placing ahead of First Lady Michelle Obama and famed journalists Katie Couric and Barbara Walters.


“I’ve wanted this fight with Cyborg for a long time and so have the fans so it was important to me that it happen in my first fight back. I’ve been training hard the last few months and come August 15, I will be in the best shape of my life. This fight will absolutely deliver on all the hype.”


The live SHOWTIME telecast of STRIKEFORCE: “Carano vs. Cyborg” will begin at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT (tape delayed on the west coast) and will include up to five bouts.

Now that we all know about the Diaz destruction of Smith, and Rogers upset of Arlovski, and Shields submission of Lawler, we get the full Strikeforce card results for entire night. What follows below are all the outcomes for the main card and under card. Checkout the upsets, checkout the big wins and prepare mentally for August. Can anyone say “girl fight”?


OFFICIAL RESULTS


* Jake Shields def. Robbie Lawler via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 2:02


* Brett Rogers def. Andrei Alorvski via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 0:22


* Nick Diaz def. Scott Smith via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 3, 1:41


* Joe Riggs def. Phil Baroni via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)


* Mike Whitehead def. Kevin Randleman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)


PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS


* Jesse Finney def. Josh Bumgarner via submission (keylock) - Round 1, 1:55


* Mike Kyle def. Rafael Cavalcante via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 4:05


* Booker DeRousse def. James Wade via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 4:06


* Tyron Woodley def. Salvoder Woods via submission (north-south choke) - Round 1, 4:20


* Lucas Lopes def. Scott Ventimiglia via disqualification (illegal knee strike) - Round 1, 3:26


* Pat Benson def. Dave Cochran via submission (triangle choke), Round 1 - 2:18

Saturday night’s Strikeforce card was an outstanding evening from this fans point of view. I worked all day patiently waiting to get clocked out, drive home and watch some wild fights. In particular I was looking forward to seeing Nick Diaz take on the striker Scott Smith and Andrei Arlovski step in against Brett Rogers.


WOW.


Lets just say the Nick Diaz versus Scott Smith battle was a Fight of the Night candidate for sure. The entire fight was a mean mugging, growling war of body shots and bloody eyes. Diaz showed us his metal yet again by outlasting Smith and choking out the guy in the 3rd round.


Andrei Arlovski vs. Brett Rogers was the KO off the Night and not in the way you’d expect. Yet again Arlovski loses his marbles as punches bounce off his face, chin, and neck, rendering him wide eyed and useless. It was insane to see Rogers absorb a hard leg kick, step in and began a barrage of strikes to to head that dropped Arlovski within mere moments of the opening bell. Rogers won by a very heavy handed knock-out.


Phil Baroni vs. Joe Riggs was a three round decision that showcased Riggs as a major, maturing force at 170lbs. Riggs manhandled Baroni the entire fight, taking anything Baroni dished out and returning it with knees combined with stiff punches to the face and body. The fight felt long at times simply because Baroni refused to lose. He remained on his feet and continued moving, be it forwards or backwards the entire fight.


Ok you wanna know Jake Shields vs. Robbie Lawler so here goes. After the bell Robbie starts winning the fight immediately with superior striking. He strikes Shields almost constantly and appears to be stronger. Then it happens, Jake Shields jumps up and grabs Robbie’s throat in a guillotine choke. He locks in the choke and Robbie quickly taps out. Shields is stoked and still undefeated and Lawler is pissed.


You wanna know the rest of the results tune in tomorrow.

NEW YORK (May 26, 2009)-Rising stars Cory “The One” Devela (9-2) and Luke Rockhold (4-1) will face off with each other in a middleweight (185 pound) battle at the Strikeforce Challengers mixed martial arts (MMA) event at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington on Friday, June 19.


“I feel like a million bucks,” said the 24-year-old Devela, one of the sport’s most promising young talents who hails from Bonney Lake, Washington and is a member of the Dennis “Superman” Hallman led Team Victory that has pioneered a hybrid fighting style dubbed “Cowboy Karate.” “I know he’s mostly a submission guy and I’m strong at that so it should be a great fight.”


Devela notched his best victory to date before a home crowd when he scored a TKO over former UFC star Joe “Diesel” Riggs in the first round of their Strikeforce matchup at Tacoma, Washington’s Tacoma Dome on February 28, 2008. After earning a unanimous decision over his next opponent, however, Devela suffered a setback when he was suddenly stopped by Terry Martin with an overhand punch in the third round of their Strikeforce matchup at the world-famous Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, California on September 20, 2008.


The matchup with Rockhold will be Devela’s first since the loss to Martin.


“I just want to show people that my win against Joe Riggs wasn’t a fluke and that I should have beaten Terry Martin and that I’m a power to be reckoned with,” said Devela.


“I was probably getting a little too cocky and not taking my training as hard as I needed to. I was doing well (against Martin) and I just got caught. That fight helped me get my head back in the game and train harder and realize where I want to be.”


Also 24 years of age, Rockhold, a native of Santa Cruz, California and a member of Team AKA, one of the country’s most fearsome fight squads, has proven to be a dangerous force on the mat, submitting each of his four victims to date within one round of battle. In his last effort, a meeting with Buck Meredith on the Strikeforce: “Shamrock vs. Diaz” preliminary card on Saturday, April 11, Rockhold forced Meredith to tap out from a rear naked choke at the 4:07 mark of the opening round.


“I didn’t take too much time off after that fight. I stayed in shape and this is one of the best training camps I’ve had so far,” said Rockhold, who holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. After taking up judo as an adolescent, he went on to excel in high school wrestling competition, capturing first place in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League and eventually reaching the California State Championships.


Towards the end of his high school career, though, Rockhold began to gravitate towards Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the combat art that utilizes choke holds and joint locks to finish opponents.


“I really liked Jiu-Jitsu a lot more because it wasn’t just about putting a guy on his back and pinning him,” explained Rockhold. “It allowed me to finish people using my whole body in every which way.”