Strikeforce ‘Nashville’ Preview

Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship
Gegard Mousasi vs. Muhammed Lawal

The Breakdown: This stands as perhaps the most intriguing title fight of the three on the Strikeforce “Nashville” lineup, as Mousasi and Lawal have emerged as the only serious light heavyweight contenders outside the UFC umbrella. While Lawal, a gifted wrestling convert, remains very much a prospect, the dearth of quality light heavyweights in Strikeforce has made this matchup an inescapable necessity.

To label Lawal a prospect at this point, however, serves only as a reminder for how much more improvement can be expected from him. A talented boxer and one of the best wrestlers in MMA, he can give Mousasi problems with which he is unaccustomed to dealing. That said, Mousasi has proven himself the kind of multi-faceted offensive threat that gives developing fighters the most trouble.

The key here boils down to how Lawal approaches Mousasi. His best bet would be to take down and control the Armenian dynamo, but doing so successfully for 25 minutes seems a bit daunting. In addition, Lawal has never been shy about testing out his striking, and while he can crack like few others, Mousasi will enter the cage as the more seasoned and versatile striker. Even if Lawal finds success on the feet, he has to hope he can put the lights out on Mousasi quickly; the longer this fight goes, the more it favors the champion’s offensive brilliance.

Few prospects with Lawal’s upside exist in today’s game, and it would have been nice if Strikeforce had kept this matchup from happening until he had capitalized on more of that enormous potential. As it stands, Lawal will enter as a live underdog facing a big differential in overall skill and experience, neither of which play well for a fighter who has yet to face someone anywhere near Mousasi’s level.

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The Bottom Line: If nothing else, Lawal will make this difficult for Mousasi, and his wrestling chops could win him a round or two. Unfortunately winning a round or two does not mean a whole lot in a five-round fight, unless Douglas Crosby happens to be charged with scoring it. Expect Mousasi to snatch hold of a submission after a rough start in a bout that will once again prove why prospects need to be handled properly.