If there was ever a time to test the legitimacy of Luke Rockhold, let alone his claim to be the undisputed Strikeforce middleweight champion, tonight is the night he will be greatly tested.
At least, that’s how some fans would like to claim to see it, but Keith Jardine sees the Strikeforce middleweight title bout, the first mainstream MMA title fight of 2012, in a much different light.
As a matter of fact, “The Dean of Mean” sees the main event as an opportunity to silence some haters, make a successful middleweight debut, and win the Strikeforce middleweight title—all in one night. Rockhold, however, is not going to be anything less than a stiff challenge for the former UFC veteran.
Speaking of UFC veterans, Robbie Lawler is back in action and ready to expose the wild man in Russian-born Chechen striker Adlan Amagov, but after two straight losses under the Strikeforce banner, to Jacare Souza and Tim Kennedy, many question if Lawler still can regain his old touch.
Amagov has so far been unbeaten in the Strikeforce cage, but the 9-1-1 fighter brings plenty of promise and an exciting style to the cage. So to say Lawler is in for a pretty difficult ride is an understatement.
Finally, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal is back in action after a vicious KO of Roger Gracie, but while he will greatly test Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin in certain aspects of their light heavyweight bout, Mo has not faced a strong striker the caliber of Larkin.
Needless to say, the stylistic clash should make for one of the more appropriate ways to ring in the 2012 MMA year.
With all this, plus Tarec Saffiedine vs. Tyler Stinson and more, this is your live (blog) coverage of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine, and make no mistake about it folks, we’re not stopping until the last shot lands here tonight!
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