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Muhammed “King Mo†Lawal (5-0-0) vs. “Iron†Mike Whitehead (24-6-0)
Muhammed Lawal will be making his Strikeforce debut in this fight, but does so with a five fight undefeated streak that has lasted over a year. Muhammed Lawal has primarily fought in the Sengoku promotion, where he has defeated Travis Wiuff, Fabio Silva, Yukiya Naito and Ryo Kawamura. In his lone MMA appearance in North America, Muhammed Lawal defeated UFC veteran Mark Kerr at an M-1 Global event in August 2009. A victory over Mike Whitehead will mark the third time in just six fights that Muhammed Lawal has defeated a veteran of the UFC. Of his five professional MMA fights, only one has gone to a decision for Muhammed Lawal, which speaks to his finishing abilities. Muhammed Lawal will be looking to use his striking skills to win the fight, with four victories coming by knockout. Mike Whitehead made his Strikeforce debut at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields this past Summer, defeating Kevin Randleman. Mike Whitehead spent some time in the International Fight League, where he defeated the likes of Mark Kerr, Krzysztof Soszynski, Wojtek Kaszowski and Vernon White. Until suffering a loss to Renato Sobral at the first Affliction MMA event, Mike Whitehead was riding a thirteen fight winning streak that lasted over two full years. Mike Whitehead also made a single appearance in the UFC, losing to Keith Jardine at UFC 57 in February 2006. Mike Whitehead will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with thirteen victories coming by way of submission.
My Prediction: Muhammed Lawal
Strikeforce Middleweight Division Fight
Ronaldo “Jacare†Souza (10-2-0) vs. Matt “The Law†Lindland (21-6-0)
Ronaldo Souza will not only be making his Strikeforce debut in this fight, but he will also be making his North American MMA debut as well. Ronaldo Souza has been recently competing in the DREAM promotion, where he has defeated Ian Murphy, Jason Miller and Zelg Galesic, while suffering a lone defeat to Gegard Mousassi. Until suffering the loss to Gegard Mousassi at DREAM 6 in 2008, Ronaldo Souza was on a ten fight winning streak that lasted five years. Ronaldo Souza also fought in the Jungle Fight promotion, where he defeated Victor Babkir, Alexander Shlemenko and Haim Gozali, while suffering a defeat to Jorge Patino. This fight against Matt Lindland will mark the first time in over a year that Ronaldo Souza has fought outside of the DREAM promotion. Ronaldo Souza will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with nine victories coming by way of submission. Matt Lindland will be making his Strikeforce debut in this fight, but he is a veteran of competition in both the UFC and Affliction MMA. While in the UFC, Matt Lindland defeated Yoji Anjo, Ricardo Almeida, Phil Baroni, Pat Miletech, Ivan Salaverry, Falaniko Vitale, Travis Lutter and Joe Doerkson, while suffering defeats to Murilo Bustamante, Falaniko Vitale and David Terrell. Matt Lindland also spent a little time in the International Fight League promotion, where he defeated UFC veterans Jeremy Horn and Carlos Newton. It has been nearly a year since Matt Lindland had competed in an MMA fight, so cage rust can become a factor in the fight. Matt Lindland will be looking to use his ground and pound skills to win the fight, with fourteen victories coming by knockout and submission.
My Prediction: Ronaldo Souza
Strikeforce Lightweight Title Unification Fight
Josh “The Punk†Thomson (16-2-0) (Strikeforce Lightweight Champion) vs. Gilbert “El Nino†Melendez (16-2-0) (Strikeforce Interim Lightweight Champion)
In their first meeting, Josh Thomson defeated Gilbert Melendez at Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson to become the Strikeforce Lightweight Champion. In his other Strikeforce fights, Josh Thomson has defeated Harris Sarmiento, Duane Ludwig, Nam Phan, Nick Gonzales, Adam Lynn and Ashe Bowman, while suffering a lone defeat to UFC veteran Clay Guida. Josh Thomson has also spent time in the UFC, defeating Gerald Strebendt and Hermes Franca, while suffering a lone defeat to Yves Edwards. Josh Thomson will be entering the fight riding a eight fighting winning streak that has lasted over three years. It has been more than a year since Josh Thomson has competed in an MMA fight due to injuries, so ring rust can become a factor in the fight. Josh Thomson will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with eight victories coming by way of submission. Gilbert Melendez became the Strikeforce Interim Lightweight Champion after defeating Rodrigo Damm by KO at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz. In his other Strikeforce appearances, Gilbert Melendez has defeated Harris Sarmiento, Clay Guida, Tetsuji Kato, Gabe Lemley and Mitsuhiri Ishida, while suffering a defeat to Josh Thomson. Gilbert Melendez also went undefeated in the PRIDE promotion, defeating both Nobuhiro Obiya and Tatsuya Kawajiri. Gilbert Melendez started off his MMA career in impressive fashion, with a thirteen fight undefeated streak that lasted over five years. Gilbert Melendez also spent time in the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion, where he defeated Gary Quan, Jeff Hougland and Olaf Alfonso. Gilbert Melendez will be looking to use his ground and pound skills to win the fight, with ten victories coming by knockout.
My Prediction: Gilbert Melendez
Strikeforce Middleweight Division Fight
Cung Le (6-0-0) vs. Scott “Hands Of Steel†Smith (16-6-0)
Cung Le is an undefeated fighter who never actually lost his Strikeforce Middleweight Title, but forfeited it after trying to pursue an acting career. Cung Le has spent his entire career in the Strikeforce promotion, defeating Mike Altman, Brian Warren, Jason Von Flue, Tony Fryklund, Sam Morgan and Frank Shamrock. It has been well over a year since Cung Le has last competed in an MMA fight, so cage rust can become a factor in the fight. Of his six professional fights, none have gone to a decision for Cung Le, which speaks to the fighters finishing abilities. Cung Le will be looking to use his striking skills to win the fight, with all of his career victories coming by knockout. Scott Smith has had a successful run in the Strikeforce promotion, defeating Terry Martin and Benji Radach, while suffering a lone defeat to Nick Diaz. Scott Smith also had a run in the UFC, defeating Pete Sell, while suffering defeats to David Terrell, Patrick Cote and Ed Herman. Scott Smith also had a controversial fight with then Elite XC Middleweight Champion Robbie Lawler at Elite XC On CBS I, which ended after Robbie Lawler accidentally poked Scott Smith in the eye and the fight doctor stopped the fight. Scott Smith started off his MMA career in impressive fashion, with a five fight undefeated streak that lasted nearly three years. Scott Smith will be looking to use his striking skills to win the fight, with thirteen victories coming by knockout.
My Prediction: Cung Le
(Note: I will be providing live coverage of Strikeforce: Evolution, right here on PWInsiderXtra on Saturday December 19th at 10pm EST.)
You can contact David Tees at bigtees360@yahoo.com
