by Adam Lawman
Strikeforce sets up shop in Houston, Texas tonight for their next offering of MMA which features two title fights and four bouts total. New light heavyweight champion “King Mo” Lawal defends his belt for the first time since winning the strap as he faces Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante in the main event of the evening. Other action in the cage includes the battle for the middleweight championship between rising star and former soldier Tim Kennedy when he meets BJJ phenom Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Also in action is KJ Noons as he makes his Strikeforce return just 2 months after his last fight. He’ll be meeting Jorge Gurgel in a lightweight match up that should most definitely be the fight of the night. Finally, the infamous Bobby Lashley will meet another hand picked opponent, this one is named Chad Griggs.
Alright, here’s my look into the crystal ball:
“King Mo” Lawal (C) vs Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante, for Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship
Lawal is a damn good wrestler who is doing well in transitioning to MMA however he is still very much untested. His decision win over Gegard Mousasi was a solid victory but an All-American wrestler dominating someone with NO takedown defense is not a huge surprise. “Feijao” is not a top-tier MMA fighter by any means so Mo won’t get too much of a challenge and will most likely pick up an easy decision victory. Strikeforce needs to pit the “King” against someone like Dan Henderson to build up more credibility. “KING MO” VIA DECISION
Tim Kennedy vs Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, for vacant Strikeforce Middleweight Championship
Kennedy is a well-rounded fighter with good hands and a solid ground game. He’ll need the latter because “Jacare” is a BJJ assassin and very dangerous. While Souza’s hands have been improving, he didn’t look too comfortable in his last fight against Joey Villasenor. A key to the fight for Kennedy will be to put the pressure on early and look for a quick TKO win, otherwise if he gives “Jacare” time to work, it could be a very painful night for one of Kennedy’s joints. I think Kennedy has worked enough to progress his game and should pull out a quick TKO win and will be named the new Strikeforce middleweight champion. KENNEDY VIA TKO, RD 1.
KJ Noons vs Jorge Gurgel
This one is going to be fun! Gurgel has an advantage on the ground but he usually forgets about that and focuses on making exciting fights by standing up with his opponents. Noons will be very pleased with that choice and will take the opportunity to put on a free boxing seminar for Showtime viewers as he beats down Gurgel. Look for a stoppage in round 2 and for Noons to contend for the lightweight title very soon. NOONS VIA TKO, RD 2.
Bobby Lashley vs Chad Griggs
Seriously? LASHLEY VIA TKO, RD 1.
Make sure you catch Sherdog’s free stream of 2 undercard fights (Andre Galvao vs Jorge Patino; Daniel Cormier vs Jason Riley) starting at 9 ET / 8 CT. Then switch over to Showtime for the main card starting at 10 ET / 9 CT.
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