Justin Wilcox (left) Rodrigo Damm (right) - photo courtesy of Strikeforce
The first Strikeforce event under new ownership is in the books.
The Stockton Arena in Stockton, Calif. played host to Strikeforce Challengers 15 on Friday.
Elbows to the head on the ground are now legal in Strikeforce and Justin Wilcox put them to good use in the main event. Wilcox defeated Rodrigo Damm due to doctor stoppage for a cut following the first round.
He hurt Damm with high kicks and dropped the Brazilian with a right hand. From there, Wilcox put his ground and pound skills on display, leaving Damm bloodied and battered.
“They just messed up didn’t they? They just messed up. They let the ‘Silverback’ use elbows,” said Wilcox in his post-fight interview.
Wilcox attributed his win to his team, American Kickboxing Academy.
“I train with the best team,” he said. “I’d like to thank Javier Mendez, Bob Cook, Dave Camarillo, my boy Josh Koscheck and all my buddies at AKA.”
In other action, James Terry delivered a highlight reel knockout over Josh Thomburg. Lorenz Larkin stepped up on short notice and took out K-1 veteran Scott Lighty with strikes.
The Douglas twins went 1-1 on the undercard with Damion winning by split decision in the opening fight of the Showtime broadcast. David, the older of the two by four minutes, was dominated by Caros Fodor.
Strikeforce Challengers 15 official results:
– Jusin Wilcox def. Rodrigo Damm by TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 1
– Caros Fodor def. David Douglas by TKO at 2:12 of Round 3
– Lorenz Larkin def. Scott Lighty by TKO (strikes) at 3:15 of Round 2
– James Terry def. Josh Thomburg by KO at 4:38 of Round 1
– Damion Douglas def. Wayne Philips by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
– Anthony Avila def. Rafael Rios by unanimous decision (30-27 on all scorecards)
– Robert Escalante def. Raul Sandoval by submission (armbar) at 4:10 of Round 1
– Tristan Arenal def. Tom Peterson by submission (armbar) at 1:58 of Round 1
– Ronald Carillo def. Adam Antolin by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:48 of Round 1
