Vera beats Couture at Strikeforce Challengers

It’s been a very busy weekend with MMA seminars with Rich Franklin and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua taking up a good chunk of it, so I’m a little behind with some of the things I’d planned to write about. One of those things was Friday’s Strikeforce Challengers V, which brought a satisfying conclusion to a Couture/Vera fight for a change.

Kerry Vera, wife of UFC fighter Brandon Vera, tooled up Kim Couture, Randy Couture’s ex, to win a decisive first-round TKO thanks to strikes. Vera looked strong, sharp and dangerous and Couture did not, although her hugging against the cage looked awfully familiar. Thankfully, Vera was able to create space and swarm Couture, picking her apart with punches and kicks.

Main card results:

* Tyron Woodley def. Rudy Bears via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:52
* Kerry Vera def. Kim Couture via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:35
* Bobby Voelker def. Erik Apple via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:23
* Rafael Cavalcante def. Aaron Rosa via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:25
* Kevin Casey def. Chad Vance via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:41