Sherdog’s Top 10: Brutal Beatdowns

Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino mauled Jan Finney in Strikeforce. | Photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

6. Cristiane Justino vs. Jan Finney
June 26, 2010
We could have in truth included any number of Justino’s many vicious performances on this list, but her utter destruction of Finney at Strikeforce/M-1 Global “Fedor vs. Werdum” is impressive even by her high standards. Future movie star Gina Carano had fallen beneath Justino’s fists 10 months before; and the skilled and dangerous Marloes Coenen survived into the third round before finally slipping into unconsciousness. Nobody had any illusions about Finney’s chances against “Cyborg,” with the oddsmakers pegging the Brazilian the favorite at nearly 15-to-1.

The only surprising thing about the fight was the fact that Finney managed to survive, in the loosest sense of the term, for nearly eight minutes. In “surviving,” however, she took an absolutely epic beating. “Cyborg” dropped her twice in the opening minute of the fight, first with alternating hooks and then a knee to the face. Finney went to the canvas again 40 seconds later, eating another big right hook against the fence.

Words are inadequate to describe the viciousness of Justino’s assault in the next six minutes. She hit knees to the body on the ground, hammerfists to the head while Finney clutched what might generously be labeled a single-leg, punches from top position, more knees in the clinch and yet more punches to the head on the ground. “Cyborg” looked to referee Kim Winslow to stop the fight, and the crowd implored her to do so, but Winslow refused. One last flurry of punches and an emphatic knee to the body finally put down Finney for good.

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