Ronaldo “Jacare” Expecting Tim Kennedy to Look for Takedown

Although a lot of people may have been excited about the prospect of Strikeforce holding a tournament to fill its vacant middleweight championship (cue footage of Jake Shields walking into the sunset), any big fan has to be stoked about the promotion’s decision to roll with Ronado “Jacare” Souza vs. Tim Kennedy on August 21st […]

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Although a lot of people may have been excited about the prospect of Strikeforce holding a tournament to fill its vacant middleweight championship (cue footage of Jake Shields walking into the sunset), any big fan has to be stoked about the promotion’s decision to roll with Ronado “Jacare” Souza vs. Tim Kennedy on August 21st instead. Of Strikeforce’s commodities, both Kennedy and Jacare rank right up there, so it makes sense to have one of them as the 185lb. champ (especially with Dan Henderson’s decision to return to 205).

Jacare has continued to impress since the BJJ god decided to transition into MMA (we say an ADCC championship and 5 world titles grants him deity status), and aside from his ‘WTF just happened?’ up kick loss at the feet of Gegard Mousasi, the Brazilian has pretty much cruised through his opponents recently. Of course, Kennedy has also continued to rise up the middleweight ranks, and has wins over notable names like Trevor Prangley and Nick Thompson since signing with Strikeforce.

In a recent interview with Tatame.com, Jacare was asked for his thoughts on Kennedy, and it sounds like the Brazilian isn’t expecting his opponent to stay away from the ground game.

“For sure. I believe he’ll keep doing his game, he’ll try to bring me down, but I’ll be prepared to defend myself while standing and bring him down in order to use my Jiu-Jitsu to try to submit him.”

Jacare was also asked for his thoughts on the upcoming bout between Anderson Silva (his teammate) and Chael Sonnen; guess who he’s picking? To check out the entire interview head here.

Tim Kennedy, Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza to Compete for Strikeforce Middleweight Title in August; Tournament Off the Table

("Okay, fine! Team Edward! Team Edward!" Joey Villasenor gets chased down by Ronaldo Souza at Heavy Artillery. Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)
It was announced on Friday that Strikeforce: Houston — which goes down August 21…

Ronaldo Jacare Souza Joey Villasenor
("Okay, fine! Team Edward! Team Edward!" Joey Villasenor gets chased down by Ronaldo Souza at Heavy Artillery. Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)

It was announced on Friday that Strikeforce: Houston — which goes down August 21st at the Toyota Center, and will be headlined by the light-heavyweight championship match between Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal and Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante — will also feature a fight between Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza for the organization’s middleweight title, which recently became vacant when Jake Shields got fired. But wait just a goddamned minute, wasn’t the new MW champ supposed be determined by a potentially epic tournament? Well, it seems that was the plan. Unfortunately, Strikeforce didn’t do their homework before booking the event. As MMAFighting.com explains:

Strikeforce had been planning a one-night, four-man tournament in Houston to determine its next champion. The four competitors were to be Kennedy, Souza, Robbie Lawler and Matt Lindland. Those plans, however, were nixed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation…

TDLR administrator Greg Alvarez confirmed to MMA Fighting on Saturday that Strikeforce wanted a one-night, bracket-style tournament for the Houston show, which will air live on Showtime. But Alvarez said that request was denied. "They asked if it was possible and I told them that when Tough Man was outlawed, the state also did away with tournaments back in 2001," Alvarez said.

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Strikeforce Sets Middleweight Title Fight, but Misses Out on Tournament Hopes

Filed under: Strikeforce, FanHouse ExclusiveOn Friday night, Strikeforce announced it will fill its vacant middleweight title by pairing Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza against each other in Houston on Aug. 21. But the promotion won’t be filling…

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On Friday night, Strikeforce announced it will fill its vacant middleweight title by pairing Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza against each other in Houston on Aug. 21. But the promotion won’t be filling that title void the way it set out to.

While the solution to make the Kennedy-Souza winner the new 185-pound champion seems simple enough, MMA Fighting has learned from sources with knowledge of the situation that Strikeforce had been planning a one-night, four-man tournament in Houston to determine its next champion. The four competitors were to be Kennedy, Souza, Robbie Lawler and Matt Lindland.

Those plans, however, were nixed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Kennedy vs. Souza, Noons vs. Gurgel in Works for Strikeforce: Houston

Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsStrikeforce is moving forward with its middleweight division since releasing their champion Jake Shields.

Mauro Ranallo reported on Thursday’s edition of The Fight Show, that the organization is working towards putting to…

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Strikeforce is moving forward with its middleweight division since releasing their champion Jake Shields.

Mauro Ranallo reported on Thursday’s edition of The Fight Show, that the organization is working towards putting together a middleweight fight between Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza at Strikeforce: Houston on Aug. 21. Strikeforce hasn’t decided whether the fight will be for the newly-vacated title or a part of the proposed 185-pound tournament.

Also in the works for the Houston card, which is expected to be headlined by Muhammed Lawal vs. Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante, is a lightweight fight between KJ Noons and Jorge Gurgel.

Falling Action: Best and Worst of Strikeforce Live

Filed under: StrikeforceI’ve never been to an MMA event quite like Wednesday night’s Strikeforce: Live show in Los Angeles. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, I’m not sure, but at least it’s something different.

For one, there was the venue. …

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I’ve never been to an MMA event quite like Wednesday night’s Strikeforce: Live show in Los Angeles. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, I’m not sure, but at least it’s something different.

For one, there was the venue. The Nokia Theatre seems more suited to an intimate Bright Eyes concert than an MMA fight. It’s the kind of place where you feel almost obliged to pronounce the word ‘theatre’ with a bad British accent – not the kind of place where you go to see guys kick each other in the head.

For instance, according to the Nokia Theatre website, Justin Bieber is playing there in about a month. Unlike Strikeforce, which packed in 5,259 fans last night (according to Scott Coker) Bieber’s show is already sold out.

Finally Training MMA Full-Time, Tim Kennedy Believes Sky’s the Limit

Filed under: MMA Videos, Strikeforce, News, VideosTim Kennedy met with the media following his Strikeforce: Los Angeles submission win over Trevor Prangley Wednesday night.

A former special forces soldier in the U.S. Army, Kennedy talked about being …

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Tim Kennedy met with the media following his Strikeforce: Los Angeles submission win over Trevor Prangley Wednesday night.

A former special forces soldier in the U.S. Army, Kennedy talked about being able to focus all his attention on his MMA career for the first time, and how that can only spell trouble for his opponent. The middleweight fighter also discussed what’s next for him.

Watch Kennedy’s press conference below.