Lightweight bout: Josh Thomson vs. Pat Healy
Odds: ( Thomson / Healy )
In the opening bout of the evening, former Lightweight champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson will look to rebound from his loss to Gilbert Melendez against skilled grappler Pat “Bam Bam” Healy. Thomson is the heavy favorite, but Healy’s ground game is very good, so this one should be pretty competitive.
Pat Healy, an IFL veteran who has also appeared on the Strikeforce Challengers series, is a very skilled grappler with decent wrestling and great submissions. His biggest problem is his inconsistent performances. He has not fared overly well when stepping up in competition, and while he does have some big wins, including over Dan Hardy and Carlos Condit, he has just as many unforgivable losses. If he shows up in top form, he has the skill set to give Thomson trouble, but that is a big question mark.
Josh Thomson is undeniably one of the better Lightweights currently fighting outside of the UFC. A long-time Strikeforce veteran who has also appeared in UFC and PRIDE, Thomson has carved out a very successful career for himself with his wrestling, ground and pound, and submission game from the top. He is a serviceable striker, but hardly a dominant threat in the standup.
While Healy is not a tomato can, this is clearly a fight designed for Thomson to win. Thomson is not known for his standup, but he should be more than capable of outboxing Healy. More importantly, Healy does his best work on the ground, but Thomson is by far the superior wrestler, plus he has never been submitted. He will control the fight with takedowns, posture up on top of Healy, and do enough damage to easily win every round. Thomson by decision.
Prediction: Josh Thomson via unanimous decision.
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