'Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine' results: Burrell edges Terry via split decision

against Nah-Shon Burrell.

While Burrell was the more dangerous fighter, Terry was more complete and scored frequently with takedowns. However, Burrell ultimately earned a controversial split-decision win.

The preliminary-card fight was part of "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" and aired on Showtime Extreme. It took place at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and preceded the night's Showtime-televised main card.

Burrell landed a nice series of punches and low kicks to open the fight, and he then stalked and cut off corners. Terry, though, used the opportunity to wrap his hips and score a takedown. Burrell used sheer force to muscle his way back to his feet on multiple occasions, but he couldn't get any distance to do anything once up.

Burrell again landed some solid punches to start the second round, but Terry easily got the fight to the mat once he closed the distance. Burrell got back and landed some quick jabs and countershots, and after stuffing a takedown, he landed a nice knee that did some damage. Terry got a final takedown before the round ended and kept much of the round's action on the mat.

With Terry letting off the gas a bit in the third, Burrell finally landed with some frequency. While wild and a bit unorthodox at times, his quick strikes frequently got through Terry's usually solid defense. Lunging shots landed especially flush late in the round, and Terry was stunned on a couple of occasions before quickly shaking it off and scoring a late takedown.

It was a noble late rally for Burrell, though he arguably lost the first two rounds. Ultimately, though, the judges didn't agree, and they awarded Burrell the split-decision win via 28-29, 29-28 and 29-28 scores.

Burrell seemed a bit surprised by the decision, and a fuming Terry immediately stormed out of the cage.

Burrell (8-1 MMA, 3-0 SF) now has won six consecutive fights and three straight in Strikeforce. Terry (11-4 MMA, 6-3 SF) falls to 1-2 in his past three, which included a decision loss to Caros Fodor this past summer.

Up-to-the-fight results include:
Nah-Shon Burrell def. James Terry via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) Gian Villante def. Trevor Smith via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 1:05 Ricky Legere def. Chris Spang via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Estevan Payan def. Alonzo Martinez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) For the latest on "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine," check out the MMA Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

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