Strikeforce: Evolution
Tonight on Showtime (10pm ET)
Tonight, the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA hosts Strikeforce: Evolution which marks the last major MMA event for 2009. By all accounts this has been a tremendously successful year for Strikeforce, and though ‘Evolution’ will not be a blockbuster on par with November’s Fedor vs Rogers event, the card is packed with rising stars and veteran talent that includes a lightweight title bout between Josh Thompson and Gilbert Melendez. The MMA world is buzzing and here is our take on what to expect tonight:
CUNG LE (6-0) VS SCOTT SMITH (17-6)
Though he may not be widely recognized as one of the MMA elite, Cung Le is a martial arts legend who holds a perfect 17-0 Sanshou (Chinese Kickboxing) record, multiple national Sanshou championships, a perfect 3-0 K-1 Kicboxing record, as well as a perfect 6-0 Strikeforce record. This guy has literally never been defeated in a professional martial arts contest, and actually walked away from the sport after claiming the Strikeforce Middleweight Title from Frank Shamrock in 2008 to pursue an acting career. Other than an aged Shamrock, his MMA opponents have not been of the highest quality, but Le has managed to knock out every single one of them in vicious fashion. Check out this highlight reel if you have yet to see Le’s acrobatic attacks in action:
In contrast to Le, Scott Smith boasts an extensive MMA resume that dates back to 2001 and spans a number of major promotions including WEC, UFC, IFC, EliteXC and most recently Strikeforce, which truly reflects his journeyman status in the sport. Smith can best be described as inconsistent, at times showing big hands but never seeming to be able to put it all together against top opponents to propel his career to the next level. A win against Le would go a long way toward keeping Smith in the discussion as a top contender for the Strikeforce middleweight title, but if the current betting lines are any indication the chances of that actually happening are slim.
Prediction: Look for Le to finish Smith in a later round with one of his signature punch/kick flurries that look like something out of a movie (which, technically, they are).
JOSH THOMSON (16-2) VS GILBERT MELENDEZ (16-2)
Josh ‘The Punk’ Thomson is the current Strikeforce Lightweight Champion, a title he earned almost 16 months ago in a unanimous decision over Gilbert Melendez. Despite his current eight fight win streak, Thomson has only fought once in the past year and it was a brief affair that ended with a knockout of Ashe Bowman (9-7) early in the first round that can hardly be considered a true test of the champion’s skills (Bowman went on to lose his next three fights, and his future in MMA is currently in question).
On the flip side, Gilbert Melendez is hungry — and Josh Thomson looks to be his next meal. After relinquishing the title to Thomson in 2008, Melendez has literally torn through his last two opponents, knocking each out with huge punches that sent a clear message to Thomson that he is determined to reclaim the Strikeforce middleweight crown. Melendez has been talking about a rematch against Thomson since March which has clearly fueled his training as ‘El Nino’ looks to be in the best shape of his Strikeforce career per recent photos from a media workout.
Prediction: Melendez is a dog in this fight, but look for him to notch a third consecutive knockout and reclaim middleweight gold this weekend.
RONALDO “JACARE” SOUZA (10-2) VS MATT “THE LAW” LINDLAND (21-6)
Saturday, December 19th is a huge day for Ronaldo Souza as it not only marks his debut with the promotion but it will also serve as his American introduction being that he has never fought on US soil previously. Souza was most recently seen in the Dream Middleweight Grand Prix series in which he advanced to the finals only to be knocked out cold by a severe upkick from current Stirkeforce Lightweight Champion Gegard Mousasi. Since then Souza has been under the tutelage of Wanderlai Silva as part of Wand Fight Team where he has been working to improve his Muay Thai stand-up skills. ‘Jacare’ is well-known for his spectacular grappling, though it may take more than ground game to overcome veteran Matt Lindland this weekend. Check out some of his impressive mat work below:
At almost 40 years of age, Matt ‘The Law’ Lindland has been a mixed martial artist since 1997 when the sport was still dominated by bare-knuckle fights and fringe competition. His body of work includes bouts against some of the best fighters in the world, including Rampage Jackson, Fedor Emeliankeno, and most recently Vitor Belfort who absolutely demolished Lindland with strikes in less than 90 seconds nearly one year ago. Long-time fans may have a distorted view of Lindland (much like today’s Couture, Liddell and Ortiz fans) remembering him for his entire body of work as opposed to his fighter status. ‘The Law’ is 1-2 in his last three fights which have taken place over two years, and given his advanced age and recent performances Lindland may be fighting to keep his MMA career alive on Saturday.
Prediction: Ronaldo Souza is younger, faster, and incredible fighting from his back. If this one goes to the ground, expect Souza to finish with either a triangle or rear-naked choke. Unless Lindland can catch the young Brazilian with a bomb, this bout isn’t likely to go past the second round.
MUHAMMED “KING MO” LAWAL (5-0) VS “IRON” MIKE WHITEHEAD
Rounding out the bottom of the main card is the young up-and-comer Muhammed ‘King Mo’ Lawal facing off against veteran ‘Iron’ Mike Whitehead who is currently training with with Xtreme Couture, which is owned and operated by UFC legend Randy Couture. For Lawal, Whitehead represents his first true challenge as ‘King Mo’ has thus far only faced unknowns in his stint with Sengoku, with his only recognizable opponent being Mark ‘The Smashing Machine’ Kerr whom he knocked out in under 30 seconds at M1-Global: Breakthrough this past summer. Though ‘King Mo’ has looked impressive is his brief MMA career, it remains to be seen whether or not he can stand off against upper-tier fighters.
The question of being able to bang with the echelon of MMA athlethes also exists for ‘Iron’ Mike Whitehead who despite boasting an impressive 24-6 record, he has yet to claim glory in any of his top matches. Much like Matt Lindland, Whitehead was presented with a number of opportunities against elite opponents yet has come up short against the likes of Tim Sylvia, Brandon Vera, Keith Jardine, and most recently Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral. For ‘Iron Mike’ a win over Lawal probably will not catapult him to the top of the division, but should earn him another shot at one of the premiere light heavyweight fighers of Strikeforce, and bring him one step closer to contending for 205lb gold.
Prediction: Expect ‘Iron’ Mike to end Lawal’s undefeated streak via sumbission in an early round. ‘King Mo’ simply has not demonstrated the grappling skills that will likely be necessary to ‘pop’ this Whitehead.
“RUTHLESS” ROBBIE LAWLER (16-5) VS TREVOR PRANGLEY
As reported earlier in the week, this bout has been canceled due to a last minute exit by Trevor Prangley and the inability of Strikeforce to schedule a quality opponent on such short notice.
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