411’s MMA Roundtable: Strikeforce: Miami

Posted by Dan Plunkett on 01.29.2010

Strikeforce kicks off 2010 with two title fights as Nick Diaz takes on Marius Zaromskis and Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos returns to take on Marloes Coenen! Also, two of Strikeforce's biggest heavyweight acquisitions debut as Bobby Lashley and former Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker are in action. Plus, in a battle of lethal strikers, Robbie Lawler battles Melvin Manhoef! Check out the full roundtable for all the details!



WELCOME:
After a period of growth in 2009, Strikeforce kicks off 2010 with two title fights and a card that has something for every type of MMA fan out there. In the main event, Nick Diaz takes on head kick specialist Marius Zaromskis to crown a Strikeforce Welterweight Champion. Also, Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos returns to defend her title against the dangerous Marloes Coenen. Plus, Robbie Lawler takes on devastating striker Melvin Manhoef, Bobby Lashley takes on Wes Sims, and Herschel Walker makes his MMA debut. Enough intro, lets meet the staff and get onto the picks!

THE STAFF:

From the Juggernaut MMA News Report, Jonathan Solomon!

From the Cardio Freak MMA News Report, Jeremy Lambert!

From The Rear Naked Column, Samer Kadi!

From pretty much everything, he's the boss, Larry Csonka!

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

From the Takedown MMA News Report, Daniel Bonnizzio!

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



THE PRELIMINARY CARD:
Welterweight Bout: Hayder Hassan vs. Ryan Keenan

Jonathan Solomon: Ryan Keenan, TKO, Round 2
Jeremy Lambert: Keenan, TKO, Round 1
Samer Kadi: Ryan Keenan, TKO, Round 1.
Larry Csonka: Keenan, TKO, Round 1
Jeffrey Harris: Keenan, TKO, Round 1
Daniel Bonnizzio: Keenan, TKO, RD 2
Dan Plunkett: Keenan, TKO, Round 1
The staff picks Ryan Keenan, 7-0.

Lightweight Bout: David Gomez vs. Craig Oxley

Jonathan Solomon: Craig Oxley, Decision
Jeremy Lambert: Gomez, Decision
Samer Kadi: David Gomez, TKO, Round 2.
Larry Csonka: Gomez, Decision
Jeffrey Harris: Gomez, Decision
Daniel Bonnizzio: Gomez, Submission, RD 2
Dan Plunkett: Gomez, TKO, Round 2
The staff picks David Gomez, 6-1.

Welterweight Bout: Sabah Homasi vs. John Kelly

Jonathan Solomon: John Kelly, TKO, Round 2
Jeremy Lambert: Kelly, Decision
Samer Kadi: John Kelly, Unanimous Decision.
Larry Csonka: Kelly, Decision
Jeffrey Harris: Kelly, Decision
Daniel Bonnizzio: Kelly, TKO, RD 3
Dan Plunkett: Kelly, TKO, Round 2
The staff picks John Kelly, 7-0.

Welterweight Bout: Michael Byrnes vs. David Zitanick

Jonathan Solomon: Dave Zitanick, Decision
Jeremy Lambert: Zitanick, TKO, Round 2
Samer Kadi: David Zitanick , Unanimous Decision.
Larry Csonka: Zitanick, TKO, Round 2
Jeffrey Harris: Zitanick, TKO, Round 2
Daniel Bonnizzio: Zitanick, Decision
Dan Plunkett: Zitanick, Decision.
The staff picks David Zitanick, 7-0.

Featherweight Bout: Pablo Alfonso vs. Marcos da Matta

Jonathan Solomon: Marcos de Matta, Submission, Round 2
Jeremy Lambert: Matta, Submission, Round 1
Samer Kadi: Da Matta, Submission, Round 1.
Larry Csonka: Matta, Submission, Round 2
Jeffrey Harris: Matta, Submission, Round 1
Daniel Bonnizzio: da Matta, Submission, RD 3
Dan Plunkett: da Matta, Submission, Round 2
The staff picks Marcos da Matta, 7-0.

Welterweight Bout: Jay Hieron vs. Joe Riggs

Jonathan Solomon: Jay Hieron, Decision
Jeremy Lambert: Hieron, Decision
Samer Kadi: Jay Hieron, Unanimous Decision.
Larry Csonka: Jay Hieron, Decision
Jeffrey Harris: Hieron, Decision
Daniel Bonnizzio: Hieron, TKO, RD 1
Dan Plunkett: Jay Hieron, Decision
The staff picks Jay Hieron, 7-0.

THE MAIN CARD:
Heavyweight Bout: Bobby Lashley vs. Wes Sims

Jonathan Solomon: It's hilarious how many changes Strikeforce made or tried to make to this fight to suit their new fighter. Bobby Lashley is a beast in the cage and will have his largest audience to date as an MMA fighter. Wes Sims poses very limited risks for Lashley. Sims has experience and the size advantage although his size is not the same kind of muscular athleticism that Lashley possesses. Lashley is not a submission specialist but he is a powerful wrestler with striking power. Hence, this fight will go to the ground whenever he wants it to. Lashley will then do what he did to Bob Sapp and hammer out a win.

Winner: Bobby Lashley, TKO, Round 1

Jeremy Lambert: This is either going to be a fun massacre that proves nothing or a great upset that will have me laughing for days. I'm hoping it's the latter. Wes Sims is an awesome personality but a pretty bad fighter. I don't know just how good Lashley is but I do know that he's a great wrestler and has some good ground and pound. That's really all I need to know right now because he's only fighting Wes Sims. Maybe Sims catches him with a head kick and knocks him out. I really hope that happens. But I wouldn't put money on it unless the odds are 10,000 to 1. Always put money on those odds.

Winner: Lashley, TKO, Round 1

Samer Kadi: After what seemed like twenty different changes, Bobby Lashley finally gets an opponent in UFC veteran Wes Sims. Sims is a decent wrestler, and he's trained with great wrestlers for pretty much his entire career. But at this stage, it will hardly make a difference. Sims rarely endures a serious training camp, and taking this fight on such short notice, I don't expect it to change now. Sims' striking isn't exactly passable, but he does have a gigantic reach that on paper, should trouble Lashley. The problem is, Sims has never been much of a tactically disciplined fighter and isn't really known for fighting smart. I would like to see Lashley try out some different things and maybe see how his striking holds up. I'm not too sure of Lashley's training either with his TNA work and everything. With that said, I expect him to come out, take Sims down, and rain down punches until the referee interferes.

Winner: Bobby Lashley, TKO, Round 1.

Larry Csonka: Judging from what I last saw from Lashley and from what we saw of Sims on TUF< Lashley should win this and win this easily. Lashley just needs to keep it simple and not make any stupid mistakes that Simms, as the veteran, could take advantage of. Lashley is bigger, stronger and faster, and should simply overwhelm Sims.

Winner: Lashley, RD1, Strikes

Jeffrey Harris: As much as I like Wes Sims, considering our exlusive interview with him last year put me on the map and was one of the most talked about MMA interviews in the history of history, I don't see him coming out on top of this fight. This matchup was made on very short notice, but despite what people might say Lashley is no joke. He hasn't been fighting top level competition, and Sims is very experienced but he is not a top rung fighter and he's unfortunately more similar to the previous opponents that Lashley as faced as far as MMA goes. Lashley I imagine finishes this in the first round. But now that Lashley's a main card fighter in Strikeforce, it's time for him to quit TNA because he's clearly not doing a good job of managing both.

Winner: Lashley, TKO, Round 1

Daniel Bonnizzio: Wes Sims, though a veteran of the sport, is far away from his days of stomping Mir's face in and being considered a prospect. Barring a freak submission from the Hammer House non-wrestler, Lashley should walk through Sims en route to a date with bigger and better names.

Winner: Bobby Lashley, TKO, RD 2

Dan Plunkett: I like Wes Sims. I do not think Wes Sims has a chance here. Lashley is too strong and too good of a wrestler.

Winner: Bobby Lashley, TKO, Round 1

The staff picks Bobby Lashley, 7-0.

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Heavyweight Bout: Herschel Walker vs. Greg Nagy

Jonathan Solomon: We know about as much of Walker's fighting skills as we do with Greg Nagy. This will be an odd fight in that it will be between two inexperienced heavyweights, one of which just happens to be a legendary sports star. It seems like a lot of "non-fans/mainstream sports fans" will be watching this show because of this one fight and I hope they don't watch this fight only. Strikeforce has to understand some will see this as a freak show type of fight and that may do more harm than good depending on what happens inside the cage. Walker has been getting a lot of hype thanks to the folks at AKA and while he is in terrific condition, he has only been training for MMA since October. In the end, Nagy was chosen for a reason and besides a potential knockout, he poses limited risk to beat the Heisman Trophy winner.

Winner: Herschel Walker, TKO, Round 2

Jeremy Lambert: I don't even know how to predict this fight. Logic tells me that Walker will win because he's the star making his MMA debut and Strikeforce wants to protect him by giving him a winnable fight. But he's 47 years old and spent his physical prime playing running back in the NFL. I doubt Nagy is any good but I don't know what to expect from Walker. Based on just what I've heard, I think Walker will win this fight because only positive things are coming out of the AKA camp about him and I'll believe the words of guys like Javier Mendez and Josh Koscheck (that sounds like a mistake) over nothing at all.

Winner: Walker, TKO, Round 2

Samer Kadi: Honestly, how can you break this fight down? In fact, what is there to break down? Herschel Walker is a 47-year-old retired NFL player, and he's making his MMA debut here. That's all you need to know. In his defense, he's been a martial arts practitioner for his entire life, namely Tae Kwon Do. Nagy doesn't exactly trounce him in terms of experience, as he started his MMA career in 2009, going 1-1. Even at his age, Walker looks to be in good shape and he's undoubtedly a terrific athlete. The reports coming out of AKA is that he's doing well in training, but really what do you expect them to say? You'd think Strikeforce will be smart enough to give Walker someone he'll most likely beat, which is what makes me think Walker will win this one.

Winner: Herschel Walker, TKO, Round 2.

Larry Csonka: Herschel Walker is Strikeforce's attempt to get main stream publicity, that "ESPN" moment, and as a business move, I cannot blame them for doing what they can to get their name out there. That being said, I am not excited at all for this. Walkers opponent is no one I care about, and while I appreciate that Walker, at 47, is still a freak athlete, outside of seeing him fight once, I just do not care.

Winner: Herschel Walker, RD2, Strikes

Jeffrey Harris: I really don't know how to pick this fight at all. But honestly, sometimes no matter how good some fighters look in training or in the gym, it doesn't always come through when it comes to the cage. Walker looks to be in fantastic shape, but I guess I need to see it to believe he can fight in MMA, even against an inexperienced fighters.

Winner: Nagy, TKO, Round 1

Daniel Bonnizzio: Some may crap on DREAM for putting on some freakshow fights but this doesn't make Strikeforce much better. That being said, I do consider Walker a somewhat legit athlete in the sense that he is disciplined in his arts and should be well conditioned (although the recent season of TUF showed us not all ex-NFL stars are well conditioned for MMA). That being said, I'll take the word of a few respected AKA members and say that Walker walks away winning his first career fight.

Winner: Herschel Walker, Decision

Dan Plunkett: From what I've seen, Greg Nagy every bit as raw and inexperienced as his 1-1 record. I think Herschel will take this one simply because he's a far better athlete.

Winner: Herschel Walker, TKO, Round 2

The staff picks Herschel Walker, 6-1.

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Middleweight Bout: Robbie Lawler vs. Melvin Manhoef

Jonathan Solomon: The striker's delight. Melvin Manhoef is as wicked a striker as the most dangerous names in the division. His issue is unless he can knock his opponent out, he will run into trouble, especially against submission specialists. Luckily for him, Robbie Lawler is not a fighter who thinks to take the fight to the ground, too often. He is known as a wrestler but in recent years, his bread and butter has been his boxing. However, I do not see how Lawler's boxing will be enough to bring down Manhoef who will not stop coming forward with monster kicks and monster punches.

Winner: Melvin Manhoef, KO, Round 1

Jeremy Lambert: This is either be a really fun stand up battle or your typical Wrestler/Grappler vs. Manhoef fight that ends with Manhoef on his back looking lost. Because he's facing Robbie Lawler, a guy who I think fights a lot based on ego, I think it will stay standing for the most part. If Lawler tries to trade strikes with Manhoef, he's going to end up knocked out because Manhoef in the better technical striker and has scary power. Lawler isn't a great wrestler but Manhoef has almost zero takedown defense and ground game so I can't imagine Lawler having too much trouble putting Manhoef on his back if he really wanted to. I'm picking Manhoef to win just because I think Lawler will try his luck on the feet and before he realizes that's a bad idea the fight will be over.

Winner: Manhoef, TKO, Round 1

Samer Kadi: Credit to Strikeforce, this is a really smart piece of matchmaking. Melvin Manhoef is a vicious striker, but once put on his back, he crumbles. Robbie Lawler has a career total of one submission win, and is known for his striking ability, so taking the fight to the ground will be unlikely. With that said, Lawler may be better served doing the smart thing and taking the fight to the mat. In my opinion, Manhoef totally outclasses Lawler on the feet, whose striking ability has always been overestimated. He's never been much of a technical striker and he is way too hittable for a fighter of this caliber. I don't see this one ending well for "Ruthless" as Manhoef comes out fast and overwhelms him with a trademark early flurry.

Winner: Melvin Mahoef, TKO, Round 1.

Larry Csonka: Melvin Manhoef is an exciting fighter. He is big, he is jacked, and he comes out there looking to punch a hole in the head of his opponent. His strikes are fast, vicious, and he has charisma, which I appreciate. But the other thing is that he will go out there and do all of that, and then against the wrong opponent, gets choked out since he has NO ground game. But that is why Robbie Lawler is a perfect opponent for him. In 21 fights, Lawler has only submitted a man once. Lawler likes to hang and bang, and so does Manhoef. I imagine that they will go out there and try to kill each other, and that someone will gas out and then get knocked out. Manhoef has proven to have about no gas tank, and I think Lawler will fight the smarter fight. Should be awesome.

Winner: Robbie Lawler, RD2, Strikes

Jeffrey Harris: I highly favor Lawler in this fight because Manhoef despite having some impressive knockout power has repeatedly made some boneheaded mistakes in a lot of fights. Manhoef is not unbeatable. I think if Lawler can outlast Manhoef's power in the early moments of the fight he will pull this out.

Winner: Robbie Lawler, Decision

Daniel Bonnizzio: Robbie Lawler is known for his propensity to stand and trade, and that is going to get him knocked out here. Lawler is a brawler for sure in every sense of the word. He is very "hittable" as it was put forth. Manohef however is a veteran of K-1 standards with dozens of KOs to his name, and if Lawler is going to stand and trade with Manhoef his head is going into the fifth row.

Winner: Melvin Manhoef, KO, RD 1

Dan Plunkett: I'm really excited for this fight. Lawler is primarily a striker, but he's probably going to get knocked out if he tries to stand with Manhoef. While Lawler will have the advantage on the ground, I don't think he tries to take it there until it's too late.

Winner: Melvin Manhoef, TKO, Round 1

The staff picks Melvin Manhoef, 5-2.

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Strikeforce 145-pound Women's Championship Bout: Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos vs. Marloes Coenen

Jonathan Solomon: Without knowing exactly how much, (writing this prior to weigh-ins) Cyborg will have the size and strength advantage over Coenen. That fact has played a role in each of her fights for Elite-XC and Strikeforce. Her striking has pummeled every opponent. Coenen is known as a submission specialist but has promised in interviews she will stand and trade if Cyborg comes out swinging. I'm not sure this is true but I would venture to guess that Coenen is the most experienced fighter Cyborg is going to fight and that experience will have to count for something, right? I think Coenen is too smart to get caught up in a slugfest with the most dangerous female striker in America. Coenen only needs one takedown to get the fight to the ground and go to work. Remember when Gina Carano mounted Cyborg for whatever reason stalled and stood up? Coenen will not give up such important position in this one. Obviously, Cyborg is dangerous and can end the fight early but Coenen is just as dangerous on the ground. Since coming to America, Cyborg has fought in four fights and only one has ended in the first round. The longer this fight lasts, the more opportunities Coenen has to win.

Winner: YOUR NEW Strikeforce Womens Lightweight Champion, Marloes Coenen, Submission, Round 3

Jeremy Lambert: Technically Coenen is the better fighter. She's a solid striker with good submissions. Unfortunately she's facing the female Wanderlei Silva. Coenen's best chance is to stick and move but doing that for 25 minutes against someone with the size and strength of Santos is much easier said than done. I seriously fear for the life of anyone that faces this woman. She looks like she literally wants to kill her opponents and then proceeds in almost doing just that. Aside from sticking and moving, Coenen could win by some type of leg lock but those are tough to pull off against experienced fighters and when you go from a leg lock you leave your face exposed to get punched. Lets just hope this fight is quick and painless.

Winner: Santos, TKO, Round 2

Samer Kadi: Coming off her big win over Gina Carano, newly crowned Strikeforce Women's champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos makes her return to action against Marloes Coenen. While Coenen's best chance would be to take the fight to the ground, she possesses the counter punching ability to exploit Cyborg's wild, loopy strikes. Not that staying on the feet with Santos is a good idea, as Cyborg will likely overwhelm her at one point or another, but Coenen can afford to be patient and wait for the opportunity to go for the takedown. Cyborg has shown vulnerability on the ground, both in her bout with Gina Carano and in Abu Dhabi. However, Santos does possess good takedown defense and uses her natural raw power to stay vertical. I don't think Coenen has the kind of wrestling to put Santos on her back early, and by the time the fight goes into the middle stages, it will be too late.

Winner: Cyborg Santos, TKO, Round 2.

Larry Csonka: I think that Marloes Coenen will give Cyborg more issues than most think. She is a very good fighter, technically better that Cyborg I feel. But the think is that Cyborg is bigger and stronger, and has that crazy Wandy style that is hard to beat. Coenen will likely try to keep distance, but as that fails and the fight goes on longer, Cyborg should be able to take her out. This could be a really good fight.

Winner: Cyborg, RD4, Strikes

Jeffrey Harris: I'm going Santos all the way here. Santos is an absolute phenom. Her power and viciousness and intensity are unreal. I don't think Coenen will match that from Cyborg. I think it will be a good scrap for the first round, but Santos gets it done in the second round.

Winner: Santos, TKO, Round 2

Daniel Bonnizzio: Santos is the female 145 pound version of Wanderlei Silva - she is really strong in the clinch, she is supposedly a good grappler but we haven't seen it, she has a decent tank, and she is very open to technical counterpunching. Coenen is going to have to exploit those weaknesses long enough for her to counterpunch her way into either an opening to put Santos on her back and try to finish her or she is going to have to stick and run for 25 minutes for the decision win, but unfortunately for her I think that Santos is going to be too aggressive for Coenen to really take advantage of any openings that may come around and she is going to pull the win out.

Winner: Cristiane Santos, TKO, RD 2

Dan Plunkett: I think Coenen is going to give Cyborg a really tough fight. She's a good fighter all-around and could very well pull off the upset. The difference maker in this fight will be how strong and aggressive Cyborg is. That gives her a slight edge here in my book.

Winner: Cyborg Santos, TKO, Round 3

The staff picks Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, 6-1.

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Strikeforce Welterweight Championship Bout: Nick Diaz vs. Marius Zaromskis

Jonathan Solomon: Now this is a great championship match-up! Nick Diaz returns to the cage now in Florida instead of months ago in California. Both men are good strikers but totally different strikers, too. Diaz will throw 1,000 strikes over the course of a fight and that is no exaggeration. If he can walk around the cage and land that jab and all the crosses and straights, Zaromskis may be in trouble. However, Zaromskis is the overall better striker because he packs more power in his strikes. Although Diaz will have the height advantage, Zaromskis will not have any trouble finding that head with a high kick. The only issue is whether Zaromskis will be able to close the distance on the 6'+ Diaz. Zaromskis is the DREAM welterweight champion (that belt is not on the line) and has been a knockout artist in his career although he has not fought name talent until recently. Diaz has tremendous conditioning and I have no idea whether Zaromskis will gas if the fight goes the distance. We can only assume due to the striking between the two, someone will be knocked out before it gets that far. This is a five-round fight so look to see if either fighter goes balls to the wall early or tries to pace themselves for the long haul. If Zaromskis can land a big head kick, I will laugh. However, Diaz has only been knocked out once in his career and that happened in 2002. That fact, mixed with the size difference makes me lean towards picking Diaz.

Winner: Your BRAND NEW Strikeforce Welterweight Champion is NICK DIAZ, Decision

Jeremy Lambert: I'm really looking forward to this fight and I think it will end up being the fight of the night. We know what we're getting from Diaz. He throws 500 accurate strikes per round, they don't do much damage at the time, but they add up over the course of the fight. Zaromskis has the style to combat Diaz though because he throws great counter strikes with power behind them. Diaz has a hell of a chin and recover ability but he's been dropped more than once in his career by a good straight counter punch. On the ground Diaz is much better than Zaromskis and Zaromskis has never faced anyone with the jiu-jitsu level of Diaz. Getting it to the ground could be tough because Diaz isn't a great wrestler but a lot of his fights hit the ground because his opponents are so tired of getting hit that they initiate the clinch or takedown and Diaz just works from there. I like Diaz in this fight just because he has more ways to win and he's faced and defeated good competition while Zaromskis has never fought anyone at the level of Diaz.

Winner: Diaz, Submission, Round 3

Samer Kadi: This is probably one of the few compelling welterweight match ups outside of the UFC. Marius Zaromskis has made a name for himself in 2009 by being the second coming of Cro Cop. His last three wins have all come by way of head kick. This fight will depend on how smart Nick Diaz fights. In the striking area, there are two things Nick has going in his favor: He's got a great chin, and he never stops throwing punches. The latter will be vital, as he will not allow Zaromskis to get comfortable and settle into a rhythm. The problem however, is that Nick's footwork ranges from flawed to non-existent. And that is bad news against Zaromskis, who's excellent at creating angles and whose striking consists of more than just a dangerous high kick. It's one thing for Nick to do his 200 punches per round thing against Frank Shamrock and Scott Smith, and it's another to do it against Zaromskis. On the ground, Nick Diaz outclasses him in every way. Marius' takedown defense, while improved, is still kind of suspect. Diaz is actually a very solid ground and pounder, and his grappling game is world class. In the end, I think Diaz holds his own on the feet without necessary doing too much, and will be smart enough to take it to the ground and secure the late submission.

Winner: Nick Diaz, Submission, Round 3.

Larry Csonka: Nick Diaz's last six fights have all ended in the first three rounds, and five of those were wins. Diaz fights a style where he just peppers you repeatedly with punches. He will throw hundreds of punches in a fight, he will do damage, his size and wing span for lack of a better word keep people on the outside and allows him to dictate the pace. And of course, if it goes to the ground, his opponent is in trouble. While records on his first two fights are sketchy, Marius Zaromskis' last 14 fights have all finished in under three rounds. These include several first round finishes, including his last three fights, which all ended in the first round, via HEAD KICK. This ends before the championship rounds, and is very hard to pick. I think I will go with Diaz and the pitter pattering punches in bunches to keep Zaromskis on the outside, and then take him to the ground for the victory. Of course Diaz needs to make sure he doesn't get his head kicked off before that.

Winner: Nick Diaz, RD3, Submission

Jeffrey Harris: While I've been very impressed with Diaz's performance in his most recent fights, he has to be careful about a guy like Zaromskis. Zaromskis is not the type of fighter he wants to play around with. We know Zaromskis has some scary standup and this could be a very dangerous fight for Diaz. I think someone is going to get knocked out.

Winner: Zaromskis, KO, Round 4

Daniel Bonnizzio: Nick Diaz made famous the peppering punches style. Throwing literally hundreds of hands per round, even if they are all at a subpar level of power, the damage can add up easily. Zaromskis is by trade a striker and that's going to cost him here. While it is entirely possible that we see him give another Lil Cro Cop performance here and knock Nick's head off, I think that Nick will use his long reach to keep Zaromskis from getting comfortable enough to feel like throwing that big kick, and should Zaromskis manage to get comfortable enough to think he can turn the fight into a kickboxing match Nick will take the fight to the ground where he outclasses Marius and submits him.

Winner: Nick Diaz, Submission, RD 3

Dan Plunkett: I can't wait for this fight. I expect the majority of this bout to be a great striking match. Diaz has very good boxing, throws a ton of punches, and can take a good shot. Zaromskis has good combinations and is riding a streak of three consecutive head kick knockouts. As much as I would love to see him try and continue that streak for a while, I think it comes to an end here. Diaz is better on the ground and that will make a difference one the fight goes there.

Winner: Nick Diaz, Submission, Round 4

The staff picks Nick Diaz, 6-1.

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The 411 staff decided to keep score on these roundtables. At the end of the year, we will finally find out who is the best fight-picker on staff. The number of fights picked perfectly will also be included, but will not count for anything. After one event, here are the current standings:

Jeremy Lambert: 17-4, 6 perfect.
Daniel Bonnizzio: 8-3, 3 perfect.
Dan Plunkett: 22-9, 7 perfect.
Jeffrey Harris: 21-10, 2 perfect.
Samer Kadi: 20-11, 6 perfect.
Larry Csonka: 13-8, 6 perfect.
Todd Bergman: 6-4, 2 perfect.
Jonathan Solomon: 16-15, 5 perfect.
Bill Wannop: 7-13, 2 perfect.

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