Phoenix was interesting.  The fights were good, though I’ll say it again, three minute rounds are far too short for the women’s bouts.

The layout of the theater was probably nice for fans, a bit uncomfortable for the media, but I hope the spectators had a good time — seemed like they did.  Fans ran up to the cage after the fights ended, raising their beers in celebration.

My favorite moments were Hitomi Akano’s wiggly hooray as Carina Damm fell out of her submission when the ref stepped in — then she jumped up and down smiling and when the rules director put the tournament belt on Miesha Tate, she was overcome with emotion, covering her tearful eyes.

Here’s a small selection of my favorite shots from the night, check out the whole gallery over at SHOSports/Strikeforce’s facebook page.