Cyborg vs Yamanaka reactions

Okay.

So.

Cyborg vs Yamanaka last night.

All I can say about this fight is:

A) AH MAH GAWD CYBORG

B) Yamanaka, why you so unprepared?

C) This fight just did not last long enough.

A) You can just tell that Cyborg was itching to get back in the cage after having a year-long hiatus because of contract difficulties and some uncertainty with the Zuffa purchase of Strikeforce. She just went straight to the point in this fight: "I am Cyborg, #1 pound-for-pound female MMA fighter in the world, and you are not."

After some thought, reflection on sparring, and feedback from training/sparring friends, I think I might decide to base my fighting style on Cyborg's. While I highly doubt I will ever be able to have the muscle power of Cyborg, I admire her quickness and controlled aggression (I'm sure by now you all have pretty much noticed that I'm a fan of her.) I've been told I have good intensity and heavy hands (and apparently a good fighting face,) and I mainly need improvements to my cardio, defense, and fight awareness. So yeah, I think I'm going to apply Cyborg's fighting style to what I do

B) At this point, I would think it should be obvious to any fighter challenging Cyborg that they should be prepared for the woman's aggression and power. I have no doubt that Yamanaka was studying Cyborg's fights and preparing herself, but it just didn't seem to show in this fight. Maybe Yamanaka was not expecting Cyborg to jump right into the fight as she did - the overall style of fighters in Jewels, the Japan-based fighing organization Yamanaka came from, appears to be a quieter, more-calculated, counter-strike type creature, which contrasts with Cyborg's Chute Box training and style. The Jewels fighters also do not appear to have the stiff, heavy hands of Cyborg, so Yamanaka may not have been prepared to take the power strikes that the 145-lb champion was dishing out. Still, Yamanaka should have been expecting the explosiveness from Cyborg, and her tall, leggy frame would have been perfect to keep Cyborg at a distance. Whatever preparations Yamanaka no doubt made, either it did not seem to show in this fight, or she was far outmatched by Cyborg.

C) I know how important it is to get a fight done as quickly as possible, but at the same time... entertainment value, guys. Women's MMA fights are still too few and far between, and seeing such exciting fighters get finished before it even gets to the 2 minute mark in the first round... well, its a little disappointing, especially in this case for me. I was hoping to see a good challenge for Cyborg's first fight in a year, and I was hoping to see some exciting counter-striking and technique on display from Yamanaka. I don't know - I feel like this particular fight should have gone on a little longer.

In any event, exciting fight still, and I hope to see more from Strikeforce in 2012 (yes they will be putting out fights all year! Score!)