Rousey vs. Kaufman: Answers and Lessons from Strikeforce Card

Last night I experienced my first Strikeforce event as a member of the MMA media. And I went in with few expectations. I mean the level of talent just has never been there in Strikeforce. Or at least that's what I thought. 

Well I was totally wrong. And to all the fighters in Strikeforce, I want to sincerely apologize. 

So here are what questions were answered and what lessons I learned after Strikeforce: Rousey vs Kaufman. 

In the main event of the Showtime Extreme broadcast, Julie Kedzie and Miesha Tate took the fight to one another. It was without a doubt the fight of the night and arguably one of the best fights of the year. The first round saw Kedzie absolutely dominate Tate, so much so that it looked like she would have a TKO finish in the second. 

But Tate maintained composure and in the second round fought a perfect fight. She stifled Kedzie at every turn and went to work on the ground. It was the kind of back and forth that fans beg for. 

But Kedzie also didn't lose herself and in the final round scored a flash KO that looked to put Tate out. Tate recovered and sunk in one of the most beautiful armbars ever. 

The end sequence was full of suspense and showed that when matched up properly, the women can really put on a helluva performance. 

You see that photo? That's T.J. Cook. He's one of the two fighters that was put to sleep last night on the main card. The other was Derek Brunson. 

Both fighters were put to sleep in the most epic fashion. Cook received a crazy hook and Brunson received three knockout punches. Sorry, that's kind of misleading; I mean that Brunson was knocked out three times last night. 

Losing in such a way has to be a bit embarrassing. I don't know; I've never been knocked out before. But I'm just assuming. 

I spoke about Derek Brunson a bit in the last slide so it's only right that I discuss the striking of the man who put him to sleep. Jacare is one of the top grapplers in the world. He is legitimately one of the best and among names such as Marcelo Garcia and Roger Gracie. 

But Jacare has added something to his arsenal that now makes him one of the most dangerous opponents at middleweight: knockout power. That's a scary combination. I just hope that he won't become another grappler in love with his striking. 

Y'all know exactly what Ronda Rousey is going to do. She's going to close the distance, hit a trip, and then arm bar you. The crazy thing is that everyone knows this. The crazier thing is that no one has seemed to figure out a way to prevent it from happening. 

There's just no one left at bantamweight for Rousey to fight. A rematch with Tate does little to interest me and Sara McMann gets trucked. 

We've found the most dominant champion in the sport. And her name isn't Anderson Silva, it's Ronda Rousey. 

When Cyborg was champion, she was an absolute juggernaut. She'd beat up on the littler girls and put together highlight-reel knockouts. Then she tested positive for a banned substance following a win over Hiroko Yamanaka and has been on the sidelines since.

She's said that she can't make 135 and needs Rousey to come up to 140 or 145 for a fight. Well, that's not how the world works. It's on Cyborg to come and fight the champion, not the other way around. If she wants that fight with Rousey she better figure out a way to lose the muscles and make bantamweight. 

Or she can keep beating up on littler girls. It's up to her.