Strikeforce ‘Fedor vs. Silva’ Preview

Shane del Rosario (above) will look to avoid Lavar Johnson’s power. | D. Mandel/Sherdog.com

The Matchup: The best-known duo in the three reserve heavyweight matches, Del Rosario and Johnson should provide something of a slugger’s delight, at least if Del Rosario wants to keep the fight standing. The unbeaten Del Rosario has shown some solid skills in his career and looks like a breakout prospect that is perhaps a significant win away from moving to the next level.

Johnson is exceptionally talented on the feet, and it is a miracle he can even compete; he recovered from multiple gunshot wounds in a tragic drive-by shooting in July 2009. Johnson’s comeback is an inspiring story. With a bone-crunching right hand and a wicked uppercut, he represents the kind of rangy, dangerous heavyweight that could be a legitimate threat if his takedown defense improves. And it will need to against the bigger boys.

Del Rosario is probably a bit more well-rounded, as he seems comfortable tying up, hitting takedowns and working on the mat. At 6-foot-4, Johnson excels at letting his hands go and exploding with fast, concussive shots. It is key that Del Rosario closes the gap effectively and does not get caught coming in, as his hands are not as good as Lavar’s, though his kicks are probably better.

Del Rosario definitely has an edge in the ground game, even if he is not doing anything particularly spectacular. If he can get Lavar down, he can bleed him of energy by pressuring him, working for positional improvements and generally keeping his man on the defensive. Even if he is not delivering substantial ground-and-pound, it is an effective way to run a striking-oriented fighter out of gas and erode his technique and mental sharpness later in the fight when the two of them return to their feet.

This match essentially comes down to whether or not Del Rosario makes a grave mistake standing and gets caught with a bomb, as Johnson can close hard and finish with a big follow-up. Del Rosario will either get taken out in the first round or wrest Johnson into a long, sapping-energy type of bout. Referee stand-ups could be pivotal here, too, as one has to expect Johnson to have improved his ground game from early in his career, when it was quite green and not at the level it needed to be for him to compete against better fighters.

The Pick: Flip a coin, and go with Rosario by third-round stoppage or a decision.

Next Fight: Overeem vs. Sefo