Where do we start when it comes to this light heavyweight drama with Strikeforce?
Earlier this year, former 205-pound champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal tested positive for a banned substance after handing Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin what was temporarily the first pro loss of Larkin’s career.
As it stood at the time of Lawal’s initial win, Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante, to whom Lawal lost the light heavyweight title in Houston, had defeated prospect Yoel Romero.
On the same September night as Feijao’s win over Romero, Mike Kyle ended an HDNet-televised night of fights debuting Marcos Rogerio de Lima.
Meanwhile, Gegard Mousasi, against whom Lawal claimed the light heavyweight title, closed out his 2011 with a win over highly-touted light heavyweight prospect Ovince St-Preux.
So the light heavyweight scene seemed primed to see a new champion emerge in the form of either one of the three former champions, or in the form of the likely underdog Kyle.
Fast forward to right now, and Miesha Tate is scheduled to face Ronda Rousey for the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight title on an action-packed night of fights that’s expected to be co-headlined by Mousasi and Kyle; Feijao was supposed to face Lawal for the belt.
So, with all that being said, why not just have Mousasi and Kyle face off for the belt?
Mousasi might have an edge on striking, and Kyle may be the more likely to implement his wrestling, but Kyle’s a dangerous striker in his own right with a mean right cross, and Mousasi knows how to work a good submission on the ground once he gets it there.
Stylistically, it may not be the greatest fight possible in terms of excitement, especially if the bout turns technical, but unless the decision is made to let Feijao draw Larkin for the belt, or unless the decision is made to transplant some UFC light heavyweights into Strikerforce, Mousasi vs. Kyle seems like the best fight possible to make into a title fight on the basis of both of their respective styles, and what they can effectively do with their respective arsenals at this level of competition.
Now the ball is in Strikeforce’s court, and while the company has been historically infamous for justifying some questionable business moves, they’ve also been known for delivering on some great fights.
And while Mousasi vs. Kyle might not draw much attention away from the main event as far as excitement potential, even among the hardcore fans, letting the two take the reins—as far as deciding the new Strikeforce light heavyweight, sounds like the best possible move at this point in time.
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