Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
The Breakdown: Villasenor has been a solid middleweight fighter for some time, and it’s good to see him making some bank in a quality promotion.
One of the best middleweight prospects in the sport, Souza may prove beyond Villasenor’s capabilities as a fighter. A grappling virtuoso who has the takedowns to ground most anyone, Souza’s ability on the mat cannot be overstated. His rapidly improving striking further complicates matters for Villasenor.
No longer the green power windmill machine he was at the nexus of his MMA career, Souza has grasped the fundamentals and still shows the cage generalship to rely primarily on his grappling. Ideally, Villasenor would get inside on Souza and cut loose with punches, but being anywhere near the clinch with “Jacare” has proven a self-mailed invitation to getting Judo tossed. Once Souza starts making Villasenor defy gravity, it will only be a matter of time before he gets the human origami treatment.
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The Bottom Line: Undoubtedly a showcase fight for the man likely to take over for Jake Shields once he puts pen to paper with the UFC, expect Souza to cement his status as Strikeforce’s middleweight alpha male at Villasenor’s expense.