Author: Pat

170 lbs: Nick Diaz vs. Marius Zaromskis

Odds: (-220 Diaz /+180 Zaromskis )

 The main event of the evening is a blockbuster Welterweight shown pitting UFC veteran and one-time Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz against Cage Rage veteran  and DREAM Welterweight champion Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromskis for the vacant Strikeforce Welterweight title.  Diaz has looked excellent recently, outstriking his opponents and looking dominant, but Zaromskis is on a tear, knocking opponents out in ridiculous highlight reel fashion, so this should be a barn burner.

Marius Zaromskis, the Lithuanian high kick machine, is one of the most explosive, dynamic, and exciting strikers in the world.  His punches are devastating, but so are his knees and especially his head kicks, which he has used to finish his last three opponents.  On the ground, Zaromskis is in no way a match for Diaz, so he is going to have to rely on his vicious standup if he wants to capture his second Welterweight belt.

Nick Diaz, a long-time veteran of UFC, DREAM, EliteXC and other companies, is one of the most effective submission artists in the Welterweight division.  Even though he is so effective at grappling, though, Diaz has always shown a propensity for keeping fights standing and using his unorthodox, peppering boxing style to catch opponents off-guard.  In his last few fights, it has worked wonders for him, but against Zaromskis he might have to go back to his old standby, the submission game, because Zaromskis is not the kind of guy you want to take any chances against on the feet.

Stylistically, it is hard not to give the edge to Diaz in this fight.  For one thing, every time Diaz is supposed to get handled on his feet, he ends up outboxing his opponent.  More importantly, though, if he finds himself in trouble on the feet, he can resort to the ground game, a luxury that Zaromskis does not have.  Zaromskis has a puncher’s chance and then some, but Diaz is definitely the better-rounded fighter and has more experience against far better competition at a variety of weights.  I think Diaz will get his shots in on the feet, softening Zaromskis up a little before taking him down and securing the rear naked choke.  Zaromskis is going to be a huge success in this sport, but Diaz is just a little bit too large a step up.

Fight Prediction: Nick Diaz via second round rear naked choke to claim the belt.

 you want to add a little excitement to your fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.  They allow you to start with as little as $20, and you can bet on all of the fights for the night. Check out my review of Sportsbook here…

185 lbs: Melvin Manhoef vs. Robbie Lawler

Odds: (-200 Manhoef /+160 Lawler )

The second bout of the evening is an epic slugest in the making, pitting long-time veteran “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler against Dutch powerhouse “Marvelous” Melvin Manhoef.  Lawler is an experienced veteran with knockout power and an underrated ground game, but Manhoef also has a lot of experience and packs a ridiculous amount of power into his punches, so this is the kind of fight where you need to do your best not to blink.

Robbie Lawler, over his long and successful career, has developed a reputation as an extremely dangerous striker.  One of the original Miletich fighters, now training at Matt Hughes’ HIT Squad, Lawler also has a decent, and very underrated, takedown game.  That is going to be the most important thing for him in this fight.  Obviously, Lawler has the ability to finish most fighters on the feet, but he has also been outstruck more than once by strikers with a lot less technique and power than Manhoef.  If he wants to survive, he is going to have to dust off some of the less-used parts of his skill set, especially takedowns, top control, and ground and pound.

Manhoef, a Dutch wrecking machine, is easily one of the most devastating strikers in the sport, at any weight.  In a recent fight, he knocked out granite-chinned K1 World Grand Prix champion Mark Hunt, a massive, notoriously hard to finish Heavyweight, in a mere 18 seconds.  It would almost be impossible to overstate Manhoef’s striking prowess.  The other side of that coin, though, is that it would almost be impossible to understate his ground game, which pretty much doesn’t exist.  His idea of takedown defense is to knock a guy out before they go for a takedown, and once he is on the ground he is a complete fish out of water.

This fight is going to be decided by Lawler’s game plan, and how much he lets his natural tendency to stand and trade shots overcome his better judgment.  Lawler is an excellent striker in his own right, but make no mistake, if he stands with Manhoef he is going to get destroyed.  Lawler has the ability to take Manhoef down, control him, and win this fight fairly easily; the question is whether or not he is going to.  Based on most of his career, I would guess that Lawler will get sucked into a kickboxing match, where he will be overwhelmed within one round by Manhoef’s superior striking and power.

Fight Prediction: Melvin Manhoef via second round T/KO.

 you want to add a little excitement to your fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.  They allow you to start with as little as $20, and you can bet on all of the fights for the night. Check out my review of Sportsbook here…

170 lbs: Jay Hieron vs. Joe Riggs

Odds: (-325 Hieron /+250 Riggs)

In a competitive Welterweight matchup, IFL veteran Jay “The Thoroughbred” Hieron will look to pick up his second straight Strikeforce win against UFC veteran Joe “Diesel” Riggs.  Both men are experienced, well-rounded, and on sizable win streaks, so this fight should not only be competitive, but have implications on the top of Strikeforce’s welterweight division.

Jay Hieron, who trains in Las Vegas at Xtreme Couture, made a name for himself in the now-defunct IFL after two unsuccessful UFC appearances.  A well-rounded fighter with good, solid striking, effective submissions, and ever-improving wrestling, Hieron is a talented and experienced veteran who will give anyone in the world a fight.

Joe “Diesel” Riggs, a long-time UFC veteran who has had some ups and downs in his career, is nevertheless extremely well-rounded and dangerous.  Like Hieron, he is fairly accomplished in every aspect of the fight game, and doesn’t have any real gaping holes.

Both of these guys have solid records, similar styles, and lots of experience, so this is a tough fight to call.  Hieron has undeniably been more effective recently, but in my mind Riggs is a much bigger threat to finish the fight, both standing and on the ground.  I expect their experience levels and well-rounded skillsets to cancel each other out for a lot of this fight, but Riggs’ strength advantage and more dangerous offense will earn him the slight edge.

Fight Prediction: Joe Riggs via unanimous decision.

• (I like Riggs here for the underdog winner @ +250)

 you want to add a little excitement to your fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.  They allow you to start with as little as $20, and you can bet on all of the fights for the night. Check out my review of Sportsbook here…

145 lbs: Cristiane Santos vs. Marloes Coenen

Odds: (-550 Cyborg /+375 Coenen)

The semi-main event is a top-level women’s bout which features Strikeforce’s undisputed top female fighter, Muay Thai wrecking machine Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, defending her crown against tough competitor Marloes Coenen.  Santos is a nightmare on her feet, but Coenen has shown considerable submission prowess, so this is an interesting stylistic matchup as well.

Marloes Coenen, a Dutch grappling phenom, is one of the most effective female submission artists in the sport.  She has also shown some power in her punches, but in the striking game she is not even remotely on Cyborg’s level.  For Coenen to have a chance in this fight, she is going to have to get this fight to the ground somehow, whether it is with a takedown or by pulling guard.

Taking down Cyborg may prove a difficult proposition.  Undeniably the most physically imposing female fighter in the world, Cyborg’s strength and power are going to make her incredibly hard to get down.  Even if it does happen, it’s not like Santos is out of her element in the grappling game, being a fairly accomplished grappler herself, although nowhere near as dangerous as Coenen.  The biggest gap in this fight, though, is going to be on the feet, where Santos is leaps and bounds beyond Coenen.

Stylistically, I think Cyborg is the clear favorite in this fight.  For Coenen to have any chance, she is going to have to take Cyborg down, which is going to be really hard not only because of Cyborg’s size and power, but because to get close enough she is going to have to wade through Cyborg’s punches and also risk getting tied up in a clinch game, which she really does not want to do.  Coenen is a very skilled and technical fighter, but so was Gina Carano, and she was destroyed in under one round.  I predict the same fate for Coenen.

Fight Prediction: Cris Cyborg via first round TKO.

 you want to add a little excitement to your fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.  They allow you to start with as little as $20, and you can bet on all of the fights for the night. Check out my review of Sportsbook here…

205 lbs: Herschel Walker vs. Greg Nagy

Odds: (-350 Walker /+250 Nagy)

The opening bout of the televised card is one of the most inexplicable fights you will ever see contested on United States soil.  In a matchup that rivals the freakiest of Japanese freak shows, 48 year old former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL Hall of Famer Herschel Walker will make his Mixed Martial Arts debut against 1-1 Rage in the Cage veteran Greg Nagy.  By all accounts, Walker is still in excellent physical condition, but at his age, is it even safe for him to be fighting, even against an opponent as unknown and under skilled as Greg Nagy?

Nagy, who is largely unknown, is 1-1 in his two appearances in Rage in the Cage against equally unknown opposition.  It is clear that he was chosen because he is the easiest possible opponent for the elderly Walker who they were able to sneak past the notoriously stringent Florida State Athletic Commission.  While he will enter the fight with an experience advantage in terms of number of fights, he will probably be seriously outmatched in terms of athleticism, even at Walker’s advanced age.

Walker’s age is only one of the troubling details about this fight, though.  Not only is he making his MMA debut just short of his 50^th birthday, but Walker has had a years-long struggled with Dissociative Identity Disorder, previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder.  While no one can doubt his athletic pedigree, considering that on top of his hall of fame football career he was also a highly-ranked national competitor in Tae Kwon Do and a winter Olympian in the two-man bobsled, questions have to be raised by a man of Walker’s age  and in his particular mental state making his MMA debut.

Picking a winner in this fight is almost a futile exercise.  If Nagy wins, he just beat up an elderly, mentally-unstable legend.  If Walker wins, he is still almost 50 and has no real future in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.  No matter who wins, the fans of this sport, the sport’s reputation, and especially Strikeforce’s legitimacy have all been damaged.  That said, Walker probably takes this one based on size and explosiveness.  Expect him to control Nagy with wrestling, some sloppy strikes, and not much technique on his way to a decision win.

Fight Prediction: Herschel Walker via decision.

• (Seeing this is Walkers’s first professional fight Nagy @ +250 isn’t a bad bet)

 you want to add a little excitement to your fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.  They allow you to start with as little as $20, and you can bet on all of the fights for the night. Check out my review of Sportsbook here…