Breaking Down Strikeforce Diaz Vs. Cyborg: Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Robbie Lawler

Added on Jan 27, 2011 by John Petit in

UFC & MMA

Strikeforce Middleweight Championship
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Robbie Lawler

The bad news about this fight is that I can’t find a place to place a bet on how many times the announcing team will say “Striker Vs Grappler.” The good news is we could see a really good fight between a guy who is absolutely ferocious on the floor and a guy who can knock you out with every single one of his limbs.

Jacare is without a doubt the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter in the Strikeforce, and is one of the best in the world. He has won every major BJJ or submission grappling contest in the world. He has been slowly transitioning into a more well rounded MMA fighter by concentrating on his striking, and with each fight he looks more and more dangerous on his feet. He has a stiff jab, and he isn’t afraid to throw it out there. Also, Jacare’s submission abilities often over shadow his ability to take fighters to the floor. You won’t find him butt-scooting to try and catch an ankle.

Everyone and their brother knows what Robbie Lawler has to do to win this fight. Lawler needs to let his hands go fast, and take every chance to hit Jacare’ he gets. I think Lawler is going to be hesitant to throwing leg kicks in fear of Jacare’ grabbing one of them. However, a good strategy would be to take the first step away from Jacare’ by kicking his lead leg and slow down his takedowns. A key to win for Lawler is to not try and knock out Jacare’ with one punch. Lawler has to stay active but stick to the basics, and if he sees an opening take it. However, with the speed of Souza’s takedowns, I wouldn’t dance around just waiting for the shot.

I think Jacare won’t be afraid to oblige some stand up with Lawler, and this will be the time Lawler needs to act with his striking. This is something Lawler is good at it, he has several first round finishes, but I think Jacare gets him to the ground. I think Jacare will soften him up with some punches after taking him down, and I think he will get the finish. I think Jacare will submit Lawler late in the first round.