Strikeforce: Evolution Preview and Predictions

December 18, 2009 | Tim | Comments 0

strikeforce_evolution_poster

This is a great weekend of MMA action as both the WEC and Strikeforce hold cards with many interesting fights. We’ll take a look at Strikeforce: Evolution first:

Muhammed Lawal vs. Mike Whitehead: The immensely talented but still raw Lawal will try and continue his ascension up the MMA rankings by taking on former UFC fighter and MMA veteran Mike Whitehead. Lawal was a standout collegiate wrestler and also wrestled for the U.S. national team. He’s made the transition into MMA very smoothly, going 5-0 to start his career as he’s bounced around between the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions. Lawal’s striking is still unrefined, but very powerful. He’s an excellent athlete, and though he is small for the heavyweight class, his wrestling and strength make him a very difficult matchup for most fighters. Whitehead has a 24-7 in his MMA career. He’s fought for the WEC, IFL, Affliction and Strikeforce, and also competed on the second season of The Ultimate Fighter. His last fight was a unanimous decision victory over Kevin Randleman at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields. He also comes from a collegiate wrestling background, though Lawal has much better credentials. I think Whitehead’s only chance is to lay n’ pray his way to a decision, but that’s not going to happen because he won’t be able to take Lawal down. Lawal is better in ever facet. Lawal by TKO in the 1st.

Matt Lindland vs. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza: Lindland will be looking to rebound from the devastating knockout he received from Vitor Belfort in his last fight at Affliction: Day of Reckoning. He’s 21-6 overall in his MMA career, and was once considered on of the top middleweights in the world. He’s beaten the likes of Phil Baroni, Pat Miletich, Travis Lutter, Joe Doerksen and Carlos Newton during his career, but at 39, it’s quite possible that Lindland is on the downside of his career. His wrestling credentials are some of the best in the sport. He won the silver medal for the U.S. in the 2000 summer olympics in Greco-Roman wrestling. Lindland fights out of Team Quest in Oregon, alongside UFC fighters Chael Sonnen and Ed Herman. In contrast, Souza is one of the top Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practicioners in MMA. He’s a former Abu Dhabi champion and also won back-to-back titles at the World Jiu Jitsu championship. In his MMA career he is 10-2, with 9 of his victories coming via submission. He also uses his wrestling well and his striking is good enough to help him survive to get the fight to the ground. I think Lindland is on the downside of his career. He’ll have a tough time dealing with Souza on the ground, and that’s where Lindland is normally most comfortable. Souza via submission in the 2nd.

Josh Thomson vs. Gilbert Melendez: This fight is for the unified lightweight championship of Strikeforce. Thomson is the champion, as he won the title from Melendez at Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson in June, 2008. Since that fight, Thomson has only been able to fight once more, defeating Ashe Bowman in September of 2008. Thomson has had injury problems since that fight. He broke his ankle in April of this year, and had his rematch with Melendez rescheduled for August. His ankle was still not healthy enough to fight, so Strikeforce pushed the fight back until now. Melendez won his interim championship by defeating Rodrigo Damm at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz, and defended the title with a win over Mitsuhiro Ishida at Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg in August. Thomson was dominant in the pair’s first fight, winning 50-45 on all scorecards. He was able to successfully defend against Melendez’s takedowns and was the superior striker in that contest as well. You have to wonder what kind of toll Thomson’s injury and the layoff will have on him. I think Melendez has improved as a fighter since the first contest, and think that Thomson could have used a tune-up fight before having to go against a top lightweight like Melendez. I think Thomson’s timing may be off and Melendez’s pace could present a problem as well. I think we’re destined to see a third fight between these two in the future. Melendez via unanimous decision.

Cung Le vs. Scott Smith: The night’s main event should be a fun one to watch. Dynamic striker Cung Le will take on the fearless Scott Smith in a middleweight showdown. Le was the former Strikeforce middleweight champion, but relinquished the title to spend some time pursuing acting. He’s 6-0 in his MMA career, with his last win coming against Frank Shamrock at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le. That fight took place in March of 2008, and ended when Shamrock’s arm was broken by a barrage of kicks from Le. Le has a background in Taekwondo and Muay Thai and is an explosive striker. He doesn’t have Smith’s power, but usually does his damage with flurries. Smith is 16-6 in his MMA career, which has included stints with the UFC, WEC, Elite XC and Strikeforce. He’s more of a pure brawler than Le, with 13 of his 16 victories coming via TKO or KO. His last fight was a submission loss to Nick Diaz at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields. He likely won’t have to worry about too much on the ground from Le in this contest. He definitely has the capability to knock Le out, especially considering the long layoff between fights for Le. Le is the better overall striker, but his defense is not impenetrable. I’m going with the upset. Smith via TKO in the 2nd.

Preliminary Card Predictions:

Scott Lighty over Antwain Britt via TKO in the 1st

Daisuke Nakamura over Justin Wilcox via decision

Juan Nunez over Luis Mendoza via decision

Alexander Trevino over Bobby Stack via TKO in the 2nd

AJ Fonseca over Alexander Crispim via decision

Popularity: 3% [?]

Share and Enjoy: