The second championship bout taking place on Saturday’s Strikeforce Nashville main card will feature a light heavyweight championship title fight between current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1) and challenger Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (6-0). The battle will pit the well-rounded skills of Mousasi versus the highly-regarded wrestling credentials that Lawal possesses in a truly intriguing battle that should challenge both fighters.
Mousasi enters this contest after crushing Gary Goodridge at K-1 Dynamite 2009 in 1:34, punishing Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in a little over eight minutes in a surprisingly tougher fight at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers, and dispatching of UFC veteran Renato Sobral at Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg for the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight crown.
Lawal has less experience than Mousasi, but did knock out Mike Whitehead at Strikeforce: Evolution and dispatch of Mark Kerr in 0:25 seconds at M-1 Breakthrough in 2009. Despite the lack of an extensive resume of significant wins, Lawal has managed to create a lot of hype around him as an outspoken and rough-around-the-edges figure.
That lack of important wins could change on Saturday night for Lawal. This will easily be his toughest test in the cage in his career, and it could certainly create a massive star under the Strikeforce banner who has the personality to be a real crowd pleaser for the future. Unfortunately, it won’t be a walk in the park as Mousasi possesses all the skills to end the hype.
Lawal’s wrestling ability will be his means to an end in this fight. A Big 12 wrestling champion and 2003 NCAA Division I All-American at Oklahoma State sounds like some great credentials to back claims that he’s one of the better wrestlers in MMA, but his wins in international competition following his collegiate career are notable enough for some people to believe he might be the very best in the sport. In 2007 and 2008, he was ranked #1 in the world as 94kg (~207 lbs), and many considered him to be the absolute best wrestler, pound-for-pound, in the world at the time.
Some of you might think that since fights begin in stand-up mode that Mousasi’s accuracy and striking ability will ultimately down Lawal, but Lawal’s shot for the takedown and power is overwhelming. It’ll be a tough task for Mousasi to pull off, but his vast experience and training in several different mixed martial arts should be his key to victory.
Mousasi will easily be the better striker in this battle from a technical standpoint. His kickboxing is top notch, and his accuracy and speed is a devastating combination. Unfortunately, kicking won’t be the answer against a prolific wrestler like Lawal. Maintaining distance and slipping the jab into Lawal’s chin will probably be a more effective gameplan, but Mousasi will need to be very quick in his defense as Lawal’s heavy hands have knockout power.
I’m a little surprised at the overall reaction from fans in the lead-up to this fight. It sounds like Mousasi is the heavy favorite, but Lawal’s strength and wrestling present a challenging task for Mousasi. Obviously, his striking is going to be the key to victory, and he could actually work a submission game from top control if he can put Lawal on his back. The problem, however, is that fans seem to be underestimating the wrestling ability of Lawal.
I’m not sure where I stand on this match-up. Lawal could potentially smother Mousasi on the floor, and he’s been training with the Nogueira’s to sure up his submission defense. Striking-wise, he’s at a huge disadvantage, but can Mousasi maintain his feet for the entire fight? I doubt it. Barring a huge upkick knockout, I might actually take Lawal in this fight simply for the rooting interest. The safe bet is with Gegard Mousasi however.