411’s MMA Roundtable: Strikeforce: Evolution

Posted by Dan Plunkett on 12.18.2009

In the main event, Cung Le returns from a near 21-month absence to take on the always exciting Scott Smith. Also, the Strikeforce lightweight division will have an undisputed champion after Josh Thomson takes on Gilbert Melendez. Plus, King Mo makes his Strikeforce debut, and Matt Lindland takes on submission wizard Ronaldo "Jacaré" Souza. Check out the full roundtable for all the details and don't forget to join 411 on Saturday night for our live coverage of the event!



WELCOME:
Strikeforce comes home to San Jose and brings a long awaited lightweight title fight. In the main event, Cung Le returns from a near 21-month absence to take on the always exciting Scott Smith. Also, the Strikeforce lightweight division will have an undisputed champion after Josh Thomson takes on Gilbert Melendez. Plus, King Mo makes his Strikeforce debut, and Matt Lindland takes on submission wizard Ronaldo "Jacaré" Souza. Now let's meet the staff and get to the picks!

THE STAFF:

From the Juggernaut MMA News Report, Jonathan Solomon!

From 411 Movies/TV, Games, and multiple MMA interviews, Jeffrey Harris!

From the MMA Legacy, Bill Wannop!

From the Takedown MMA News Report, Daniel Bonnizzio!

From The Rear Naked Column, Samer Kadi!

And your host for this roundtable, from The Greatest MMA News Column, Dan Plunkett!




THE MAIN CARD:
Heavyweight Bout: Muhammed Lawal vs. Mike Whitehead

Jonathan Solomon: I say King, you say Mo! It's about time Lawal fights for one of the major U.S. promotions. As an amateur wrestler, he was a Big XII collegiate champion, an All-American and the top ranked U.S. amateur (in his weight class) for several years. He made his MMA debut last September and is 5-0 with four knockout victories. He has power and that wrestling base along with his great athleticism and that combination makes him a tough opponent. Mike Whitehead is a 31-fight veteran of the sport and is coming off a decision victory over Kevin Randleman. Whitehead is out of Xtreme Couture and has a background in wrestling and boxing. With these two men, I see King Mo as being too much for Whitehead to handle. Whitehead may have the MMA experience but Lawal is the better wrestler.

Winner: King Mo, Decision.

Jeffrey Harris: I was very surprised when I heard this fight was going to be fought at heavyweight figuring that Mo would be fighting at middleweight or light heavyweight. Whitehead is an experienced fighter and a strong wrestler and grappler. Whitehead will be coming in probably close to 250lb for this fight, but I don't think it will be too much of a problem for Mo.

Winner: King Mo, Decision.

Bill Wannop: King Mo finally debuts for the US audience and gets a good gatekeeper opponent in Mike Whitehead. Whitehead is an experienced opponent, whom is good in all areas be it striking, wrestling, ground game. King Mo has a great wrestling background and has 4 KO's in his 5-0 MMA record and I feel that he will be too explosive for Whitehead.

Winner: King Mo, TKO, Rd2

Daniel Bonnizzio: KING MO makes his Strikeforce debut here against Mike Whitehead. Whitehead is most likely going to be Mo's biggest challenge yet. Whitehead is a 3-time All American wrestler and managed to qualify for the prestigious ADCC championships, so he has some legitimate skills. However, I just can't seem to pick against KING MO right now because as good as Whitehead's wrestling is, MO's is better and I just think that MO is going to be too much for Whitehead to keep under control. However, I also don't see KING MO being able to stop Whitehead, so this one is going the distance in MO's favor.

Winner: KING MO, Decision

Samer Kadi: One of the most promising and charismatic prospects in MMA makes his US debut here as Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal looks to keep his record unblemished. Awaiting him is Mike Whitehead, coming off an uninspiring victory over Kevin Randleman. Whitehead is a very good wrestler with passable striking who's very hard to finish. Mo on the other hand, is an even better wrestler with some seriously heavy hands. And while Whitehead dwarfs him in terms of experience, it might not be such an issue here as Mo seems to have a cool head and knows how to fight to his strengths. I expect Lawal to put on a dominant performance although finishing Whitehead will be a tough task.

Winner: Muhammed Lawal, Unanimous Decision.

Dan Plunkett: I'm very excited for this fight, simply because of King Mo. This will be fight number 32 of Whitehead's career, while King Mo only has 5 fights under his belt. King Mo is a great wrestler though and has knockout power. I'm picking him here.

Winner: King Mo, KO, Round 1

The staff picks Muhammed Lawal, 6-0.

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Middleweight Bout: Ronaldo Souza (#9 MW) vs. Matt Lindland

Jonathan Solomon: Both MMA veterans are making their Strikeforce debuts with this fight. Souza is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has not won a fight since last year. He is one of the more dangerous ground fighters in the middleweight division. 'Ol Matt Lindland is back and will fight for the first time since being KTFO by Vitor Belfort in January. Lindland is a wrestler and has not won with strikes since he beat Jeremy Horn in 2006. If Lindland does want to use his wrestling in this fight, he must try to overpower Souza on the ground. I doubt he can. Souza does not have to worry about a powerful striker here and he will be able to control the ground work.

Winner: Jacare Souza, Submission, Round 2.

Jeffrey Harris: Jacare fighting in Strikeforce is cool. I like Lindland but I think his time as a relevant fighter is long behind him, and I really think Jacare is going to smash him very quickly.

Winner: Jacare Souza, TKO, Round 1.

Bill Wannop: Souza finally for Strikeforce is great, as there are some good matchups for him, but this is not one of them. Lindland is from the group of MMA legends who used to dominate the sport because they were strong in one particular area, wrestling (see also Mark Coleman, Tito Ortiz). While that was good when MMA was starting out, nowadays the fighters are so versatile, that you need to be strong in all areas. I expect Souza to destroy Matt Lindland.

Winner: Souza, TKO, Rd1

Daniel Bonnizzio: One of my all-time favorite grapplers in another Strikeforce debut as Jacare is taking on Matt Lindland. Lindland is known for having some fierce Greco skill, winning a silver medal in the 2000 Olympics, so needless to say he has good wrestling. However, Jacare is definitely the all-around better grappler having won 6 of his 9 wins coming by submission. I expect Jacare to make full use of his extensive knowledge submit Lindland and early.

Winner: Ronaldo "Jacare" de Souza, Submission, RD 1

Samer Kadi: Lindland finally wakes up from his Belfort-inflicted coma as he takes on BJJ wizard Ronaldo "Jacaré" Souza. Jacaré is one of the absolute best grapplers in the world, and not just in terms of MMA, but the fight will come down to whether he can deal with Lindland's wrestling and strength. I personally think he will, as Lindland isn't the fighter he used to be and he's also a one trick pony. And while Jacaré isn't the most well rounded fighter in the world, he will be able to create scrambles, sweep and establish top position. Lindland's experience will make him very hard to finish, but eventually, Jacaré will land that fight-ending submission.

Winner: Jacaré Souza, Submission, Round 3.

Dan Plunkett: I still think Lindland can be a top middleweight despite his age (39). However, this is just a bad match-up for him. Jacare is one of the best submission artists in the world, I expect him to show those skills off against Lindland.

Winner: Jacare, Submission, Round 1

The staff picks Ronaldo Souza, 6-0.

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Strikeforce Lightweight Championship Bout: Josh Thomson (#15 LW) vs. Gilbert Melendez (#6 LW)

Jonathan Solomon: It's about damn time. Thomson's ankle is healthy and for the first time since he originally injured it training for their April fight, he is ready to step inside the cage to fight. Thomson is the Strikeforce lightweight champion, having earned it against Gilbert Melendez last summer. He has never defended the strap. Thomson is a wrestler with kickboxing skills, has a big motor and is tough to stop. His last defeat was a decision against Clay Guida, so enough said. Melendez's only two defeats came by decision (losses to Mitsuhiro Ishida and Thomson) and he has earned his last three victories by knockout (he avenged the Ishida loss). Melendez has been active this year going 2-0 once Thomson was injured in April. The interim-champion, Melendez has shown improved striking and a better ground game. Put me on the side that thinks the rust factor will be in play for Thomson. Melendez has not had to take a break this year and that will be the difference here.

Winner: Your NEW and UNDISPUTED Strikeforce lightweight champion is Gilbert Melendez, TKO, Round 4.

Jeffrey Harris: Honestly, I would've said to just strip the title off of Thomson and give it to interim champ Melendez, but oh well. It took a long time, but we are finally getting this long-awaited rematch. Melendez has looked more motivated and stronger than ever in his most recent fights. He's incredibly brought up his striking and BJJ. I'm favoring Melendez for this one big time and you can't ignore the rust factor here for Thomson.

Winner: Your NEW and UNDISPUTED Strikeforce lightweight champion is Gilbert Melendez, TKO, Round 3.

Bill Wannop: We finally get the long awaited rematch, and I think the only difference in this fight will be the long layoff for Thomson and the fatigue factor. I think that Melendez will use his wrestling and improved striking to wear down Thomson ultimately tiring him out and winning the decision.

Winner: Melendez, unanimous decision

Daniel Bonnizzio: MY main event of the night features the unification bout between the two champions in Strikeforce's most competitive division. The first time around, Thomson beat Melendez in every round on every card. This time, it's going to be much different. Melendez has clearly gotten better at both game-planning and his overall fighting ability. Adding onto that Melendez has been more active this past year than Thomson, Thomson's repeated injuries to his leg/foot/ankle/whatever, and all signs point to Melendez walking out the undisputed champion.

Winner: Gilbert Melendez, TKO, RD3

Samer Kadi: Despite Josh Thomson coming out victorious in their initial fight, he's the one receiving the lion's share of questions and doubts in this one, as he's coming off a very long layoff. I'm a firm believer in ring rust, and we've seen it time and time again where fighters come back after being sidelined for a significant period of time and are unable to perform to the best of their abilities. Stylistically, both fighters are somewhat similar. They both possess very good wrestling abilities and decent striking, although I would give the slight edge in that department for Thomson although Melendez has improved his striking since their first matchup. Melendez will in all likelihood have the superior conditioning as Thomson has been on the shelf for so long, and I think he will use that to come up on top in the scrambles in the early rounds before taking control in the championship rounds.

Winner: Gilbert Melendez, Unanimous Decision.

Dan Plunkett: It's sad that I think this fight will come down to the fact that Josh Thomson hasn't fought in 15 months. That's a long time to be away from fighting and as history has shown prolonged absences from fighting due to injury effects fighters. I think Melendez will win this fight in the grappling department.

Winner: Gilbert Melendez, Decision

The staff picks Gilbert Melendez, 6-0.

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Middleweight Bout: Cung Le vs. Scott Smith

Jonathan Solomon: Speaking of the rust factor, Cung Le has not fought in about 21 months and he gets to take on striker Scott Smith. I would love to see Scott Smith pick up the 'W' here but I don't see it happening. Le's style of striking is so irregular, Smith will be seeing tons of kicks from awkward angles. Le also has good takedowns and takedown defense so the fight will be fought wherever he pleases. Will rust play a role here? I don't think so only because I don't think Le's timing will be down the crapper. Smith will stand in front of him and give him an easy target. Let's root for the upset though.

Winner: Cung Le, TKO, Round 2.

Jeffrey Harris: Now I'm going to be contradicting myself. I like both of these guys. I like watching Scott Smith fight. However while I like watching Scott Smith fight, he doesn't seem to be a very smart fighter. Smith seems to rely way too much on getting that surprise or Hail Mary knockout. It worked out for him in the Radach fight, but backfired big time in the fight with Diaz two months later. Le being the smart and educated student of the game that he is I think will be ready for Smith and Smith's style and take him out quickly.

Winner: Cung Le, TKO, Round 1.

Bill Wannop: Cung Le also is returning to the cage to mix it up with Scott Smith, which I feel is a great choice for Strikeforce. They know that with Smith you will get an entertaining fight, and they don't have to worry if Le wins the fight and then takes another year off as Smith is basically just a gatekeeper anyway. I think that Smith will stay in there and brawl with Le but eventually he will get caught. Smith does have the punchers chance but I still have to go with Le here.

Winner: Le, KO, Rd2

Daniel Bonnizzio: This is going to be a slugfest. It's no secret that Smith prefers to stand and trade leather, we all know that. Le is a striker by nature with his fancy kickboxing and Muay Thai skills. This one has all the makings of a fight ending by a huge KO in the first, but we all thought that to be the case with Kimbo/Houston and instead we got nothing but a decision and the Kimboplex out of it. I expect Le's rust to be the only thing against him here though as he is definitely the more technical striker and more varied as he will be throwing off weird kicks left and right with his left and right, keeping Smith guessing, then finishing him off with a flurry.

Winner: Cung Le, TKO, RD2

Samer Kadi: Speaking of fighters coming off long layoffs, Cung Le makes his return to the cage as he squares off against perennial slugger Scott Smith. Unlike Thomson, Le was out making movies rather than nursing injuries. Given that Le has never been the most active fighter in the world, he should be used to it by now. Le possesses the more technical striking, particularly with his feet. Smith's defense consists of blocking punches and kicks with his knees, which won't bode well for him here (does it ever?). Le can kick from awkward angles and I don't think Smith will be ready for that.

Winner: Cung Le, TKO, Round 3.

Dan Plunkett: Cung Le will be making his first in cage appearance in nearly 21 months. However, unlike Josh Thomson, Le wasn't hurt during this stretch and was simply filming movies instead of fighting. I'm sure he's stayed active over that time, and his striking is simply better than Scott Smith's.

Winner: Cung Le, TKO, Round 2

The staff picks Cung Le, 6-0.


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