Ryan Couture successful in his pro MMA debut; Miesha Tate wins the Strikeforce Womens 135-pound Tournament
Posted on August 14, 2010, 04:26 AM by Joey SantosusRyan Couture, son of UFC hall of famer Randy Couture, made his professional Mmixed Martial Arts debut this Friday night, at the Strikeforce Challengers 10 event in Arizona. Couture had an amateur record of 5-1-1, prior submitting his opponent Lucas Stark in just over a minute, and getting his first pro W. Although he had predicted a bit more of a "clash of styles" in his pre-fight interview, Couture took control early and made quick work of his opponent.
Stark came out looking to land big, but was quickly neutralized, as the pair tied up in a clinch. Couture successfully utilized a trip, taking his opponent to the mat and looked to secure a front choke. Only a moment after Stark reversed position with a Fireman's Carry, Couture slapped on a textbook triangle, forcing the tap out.
"I feel great," said Couture following the victory. "It's been a really good week here in Phoenix getting ready for the fight. I'm just glad to get in here and get the job done. It didn't go quite as I expected but it was a lot of fun."
Meanwhile, 23-year old Miesha Tate won the Strikeforce Womens Featherweight tournament by defeating Maiju Kujala in the semi's and then Hitomi Akano in the final. Tate now secured a #2 Contender spot for Sarah Kaufman's title, and will face the winner of Kaufman-Coenen bout, which will take place sometime at the end of the year. In the main event of the night, Joe "Diesel" Riggs improved his MMA record to 33-12, by forcing Louis Taylor to tap out via punches in a Crucifix position.
ShoMMA 10: Riggs vs Taylor results (Check the Picks section for LowPick):
Televised card
Catchweight (182 lb) bout: Joe Riggs vs. Louis Taylor
Riggs defeated Taylor via submission (punches) at 2:07 of round 3.
Lightweight bout: Ryan Couture vs. Lucas Stark
Couture defeated Stark via submission (triangle choke) at 1:15 of round 1.
Women's 135-lbs. Tournament
Semifinals
Carina Damm vs. Hitomi Akano
Akano defeated Damm via submission (triangle armbar) at 1:48 of round 2.
Miesha Tate vs. Maiju Kujala
Tate defeated Kujala via unanimous decision.
Finals
Miesha Tate vs. Hitomi Akano
Tate defeated Akano via unanimous decision.
Comments
Very nice transition. Its funny to see Randy on Strikeforce.
Nah it wouldn't hurt SF but I wonder what Dana thinks of it. He can't like it too much and I'm sure he cares because he seems like a control freak at times.
he slapped that on quickk.. damn thats some talent, i love watching this kid fightt
Ryan is showing a lot of promise but I really want to see him fight some real tough guys before I get hyped. But that said that was a beautiful submission and you know his wrestling is going to be solid. This kid gives me some Matt Hughes 2.0 wibes.
Ryan does have some skills, i wonder who will he fight next, ,and how long will it be before he fights melendez for the belt.
He has got a pretty nice submission game, but so do a few Xtreme Couture fighters. Jimmy Jones is impressive as hell too! Can't wait to see these guys get some wins in the Pro circuit.