Sarah Kaufman wins over Shayna Baszler

Sarah Kaufman remained undefeated by defeating Shayna Baszler by unanimous decision at the June 19 Strikeforce show in Kent. WA. Sarah is now 10-0. Shayna said before the fight that Sarah is predictable and she would try to surprise her. Shayna did surprise Sarah with an effective takedown in the first round. But it didn't seem to bother Sarah much and she did turn it around. The ref stood them up probably a little prematurely. Shatna won the first round. I don't know what Adam Zugec told Sarah after round one but by the middle of round two, she got her rhythm and started hammering Shayna. I agree with Stephen Quadros that Sarah should have used low kicks more to set up her strikes. Shayna seemed to be content to remain standing but Sarah won round two. It looks like Shayna may have run out of gas as her takedown attempts in the third round were not successful. Sarah showed her grappling skills a couple of times but predictably preferred to stand up and pound Shayna. Sarah Kaufman wins by unanimous decision. I agree with Shayna that Sarah Kaufman is predictable. But until someone has an answer that forces Sarah to change, being predictable doesn't seem to be a problem. Shayna took a lot of shots but hung in there very well. The five minute rounds didn't matter despite the late change. At the end, Sarah looked like she could have gone three more rounds. She has tremendous cardio. And fans have to know now that she's more than a punching machine. Her defense is going to be very difficult for anyone to deal with. She has a very strong base. And even when she was on the mat in round one, she didn't panic.






What's next for Sarah Kaufman? Well, I know Strikeforce is talking to Kaitlin Young so I wouldn't be surprised if Kaitlin is her next opponent. Kaitlin is also a strong striker but I don't believe she can outpunch Sarah. At some point, Strikeforce is going to have to build towards a 135lb championship. I don't believe Sarah should have to move up to 145 so I don't consider her a challenger for Carano/Cyborg. Remember that Debi Purcell is already under Strikeforce contract. She could certainly fight at 135. Strikeforce also needs to look at the top fighters in that weight class. The two that come to mind are Roxanne Modaferri and Takayo Hashi. Strikeforce told MMA Junkie that they were talking to Roxy after MMA Junkie wrote a feature about her. Roxy told me that Strikeforce lied and are not talking to her. Hashi is one of Japan's top fighters and was under contract to EliteXC last year. These two fighters would be outstanding opponents for either Sarah or Debi. They need to bring in the best fighters who will put on the best show because Sarah and Debi are two of the best. And we're going to get five minute rounds too. Here's the video of last night's fight.