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Miesha Tate wins the Strikeforce 135 pound tournament

(Photos courtesy Ester Lin/Strikeforce)

It wasn’t pretty, but #10 ranked Miesha Tate is now second in line for the 135 pound title.

Tate defeated Maiju Kujala and #6 ranked Hitomi Akano to win the inaugural Strikeforce Women’s 135 pound tournament this past Friday night in Phoenix.

Tate vs. Kujala

Tate’s semi-final match was tougher than expected, as the now (4-2) Kujala who was able to go for a choke on the bottom, while Tate was trying for a should choke, would be stood up in the first. Tate would dominate round 2 with strikes and takes the match by unanimous decision.

Akano submits Damm

In the other semi-final, Hitomi Akano did some impressive jiu-jitsu with #2 ranked 125 pounder Carina Damm with a lot of rolling and submission attempts. Akano was able to secure the triangle armbar at 1:40 in round 2 to punch her ticket to the finals.

In the alternate bout, Liz Carmouche def. Colleen Schneider by unanimous decision, which was taped earlier but shown between the semi-finals and finals.

In the finals, Akano used a lot of her jiu-jitsu skills, but Tate again showed her improved striking and had Akano’s back most of the time in all three rounds. Tate and Akano tried to submit each other, but both had great defense. In the end, Tate takes the tournament championship by unanimous decision.

Strikeforce 135 pound champion Sarah Kaufman said that her next opponent is former 145 title contender Marloes Coenen, and is hoping to fight her in either October or November. The winner of that championship match will face Tate.

“Sarah Kaufman, you're amazing,” Tate announced loudly to the near sold out Dodge Theatre crowd, seeking out Kaufman from the other side of the cage. “I can't wait to fight you again.”

She later added: “It’s a dream come true. I came here on a mission and I accomplished my goal. And now it’s on to step two and getting that championship belt and getting another shot at Sarah Kaufman.”

STRIKEFORCE Women’s Middleweight (145 pounds) Champion Cris Cyborg liked what she saw from Tate on a night that celebrated women’s MMA. “This was a great opportunity for women’s fighting and I’m looking forward to seeing Miesha fight Sarah in the future,” she said.

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