The Weekly Wrap: May 16 - May 22

Strikeforce Challengers

The premiere of "ShoMMA: Strikeforce Challengers" on May 15 in Fresno, Calif., featured plenty of action, but ended in anti-climactic fashion. Hometown favorite Billy Evangelista was disqualified for kneeing Mike Aina while Aina was down, injuring his jaw. The knee appeared to hit Aina in the arm, but a doctor ruled his jaw may have been broken and referee Herb Dean stopped the fight. Evangelista was working strong ground-and-pound up to that point, but the win was awarded to Aina on a disqualification.

The fight, which took place at 157 pounds after both lightweights came in heavy, is the first blemish on Evangelista's record. He said afterward he planned to appeal the decision; referee Dean told SI.com that after reviewing the fight footage he plans to recommend the athletic commission change the decision to a TKO victory for Evangelista.

The bout closed out the first ShoMMA event, a play on Showtime's “ShoBox” boxing series, since Strikeforce purchased the multiple assets of the shuttered EliteXC earlier this year. The cards, which take place in smaller arenas and are promoted as featuring fighters gunning to graduate to bigger Strikeforce events, were called "ShoXC" in the Elite XC era. The show used the same opening montage as it did during EliteXC's run. The card took place at the Save Mart Center, a 16,000-seat building that was scaled down to 4,500 seats, according to The Wrestling Observer.

The evening's female attraction proved, as it often does, thoroughly entertaining. Canadian Sarah Kaufman seized her opportunity against Miesha Tate, which opened when Kim Couture dropped out of a fight with Tate. Kaufman extended her undefeated run by taking the first and third rounds for the decision. Kaufman used punishing punches and impressive takedown defense against Tate, who took silver in last year's FILA grappling championships.

Tate did manage to get Kaufman down at times and took the second round. The fight served as a salient case for allowing women to fight five-minute rounds, as both fighters appeared to just get going as the rounds closed. It was the first time Kaufman has gone the distance. She will next face Shayna Baszler at 135 pounds on June 19, the date of the next Strikeforce Challengers card in Kent, Wash.

Also picking up a win May 15 was heavyweight Lavar "Big" Johnson, a 31-year-old former Toughman competitor, who knocked Carl Seumanutafa out cold with a right uppercut in just 18 seconds. In addition, Aaron Rosa defeated Anthony Ruiz via first-round rear-naked choke and Bao Quach defeated Tito Jones in the night's opener at bantamweight. In the most significant non-televised fight, nine-year MMA veteran Fabricio Camoes submitted Torrance Taylor with a rear-naked choke, the Brazilian lightweight's seventh straight victory.