Strikeforce Middleweight Championship bout: Ronaldo Souza vs. Robbie Lawler
Odds: (-240 Souza /+190 Lawler )
Betting Pick: Souza
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In the semi-main event, Middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza will look to defend his title against resurgent knockout artist “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler. Souza is a prolific submission artist with a very effective boxing game, but Lawler is one of the most powerful strikers in the sport, and every punch he throws has fight-ending potential, so this should be a great fight.
Lawler, a UFC veteran who came from Miletich Fighting Systems, is one of the most accomplished knockout artists in MMA history. In his last fight, he absolutely demolished Matt Lindland with a power punch, showing that he still has all of the power and explosiveness he has always been known for. Lawler’s problem is that he is not at all well-rounded. His striking is awesome, but he basically never uses wrestling offensively, his takedown defense is not that spectacular, and his submission defense is even less impressive. He is very, very good at what he does, but the problem is that he doesn’t do very much.
His opponent, Jacare, is exactly the opposite. He has nothing even close to Lawler’s power on the feet, but his kickboxing has become very quick, effective, and technical. His grappling is much more impressive than his striking, and he is one of the best in the world at sweeps, escapes, and submissions. It is entirely possible that he could outstrike Lawler technically, but it would still be unwise for him to stand for any extended period because he lacks anything resembling Lawler’s power and the skill gap between the two is far wider on the ground.
I think this is a good fight for Jacare. His striking is technical enough that he isn’t going to walk into any power punches with his chin stuck out, and his quickness and ability to counterpunch could cause Lawler problems. Either way, he should be able to hang on in the standup long enough to force this fight to the ground, where he will choke Lawler out in short order. Jacare by
Prediction: Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza via first round rear naked choke.
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