Main card Hendo/Shields (Middlweight title) Moussasi/King Mo (LHW Title) Melendez/Aoki (LW title) what are your picks?
Henderson is a better fighter than Shields and is much bigger, Nuff said. Mo is a stud but now is not his time and he's going against one the best fighters in the world. Mousasi will simply outclass him and give him his first loss. AOKI! Aoki is the savior of the SF LW division and will reign over it until he possibly moves to the UFC and fights BJ. Aoki by ridiculous submission.
I see a nasty KO coming for Shields. His stand up is pathetic and he cant take Hendo down. Mousasi has too many tools for Mo. TKO or sub for Mousasi. Aoki will get pounded out again. I see nothing special about this guy. Reminds me of a mini-Mir with worse striking.
will aoki be allowed to wear his long tights? according to some commentator during one of his fights, i heard them tights give him an advantage in tying up his opponents.
Mini-Mir. Aoki held his own against Fedor in a grappling match. The guy is one of the best grapplers in the world and has a myriad of colorful and unique submissions against some of the best LWs in the world. Seriously, he last broke a man's arm with a hammerlock. That's crazy. Melendez has no shot.
i'm looking forward to seeing mo lawal. he was an elite wrestler in college and wrestled cael sanderson a few times in u.s. freestyle national championships and olympic trials. i've seen clips of him on youtube, but there's not much telling since he was feeding off bums and hasbeens. he'll take moussasi down for sure. it's going to be interesting to see how he can sustain his attack from the top and how he'll react to moussasi's striking. hopefully, this guy isn't another kevin randleman.
That grappling match was FULLY STAGED!! Melendez has a great shot. He's got good striking and excellent take down defense.
I can't see any way Shields wins, he's just too small and his only advantage is his BJJ, which he'll have to get Hendo to the mat to use. That will not happen. Hendo will use his wrestling ala Chuck Liddell to keep it standing and win via KO. I like King Mo, but Moussasi is going to be too much I think. Too many tools, too many ways he can win. I doubt Mo will be able to control him enough to win a decision. Moussasi by UD. Melendez by UD or KO. Good striking, good TD defense, I think the combination is bad for Aoki. Sure his BJJ is great, but what happens when you're fighting a guy you can't take down and has better striking? You lose.
My picks... I think Henderson beats Shields in a less than exciting decision. I know Hendo is great and all, but he has just never done anything for me. I would think a win for Shields over Henderson would all but lock Shields into signing with the UFC when his contract is up, which I believe is sometime this summer. I love both King Mo and Mousasi, but I just think Mousasi is too much too soon for Lawal. I'm really surprised they made this fight so early. They could've had Lawal beat a few more fighters and really made this a SuperFight, but that opportunity is gone now. I'll take Mousasi by submission. I can't stand Aoki and will be pulling for Melendez to win, but I think Aoki takes this one pretty easily. TFK
I completely agree with you TFK. I really think SF shot their load way to early on this fight. TLC, I don't think anyone on this site thinks of Aoki as the underdog. Melendez is just a game fighter. I don't think Aoki is going to have as easy of a time with Gilbert as you think, but I do think in 5 rounds, Aoki is too slick and sneaky and will eventually catch Gilbert in a sub.
I think Aoki is the underdog so I wouldn't say nobody. There's no official odds online yet but the reasons have already been mentioned. Melendez is better on his feet and tough to take down. Aoki can't take a punch so who says it's going 5 rounds if Melendez wins? Not to say Aoki can;t win but if Melendez comes in with a smart gameplan he really should win. Of course if he uses a retarded gameplan like Eddie Alvarez he deserves to lose.
I think this is the general thought of most on the board. I guess what I meant to say is most on this board don't think its a slam dunk Aoki will win. Especially if Gilbert fights a smart gameplan and sticks to it. Good post.
great card, all 3 fights are pretty much pick'em I think Shields pulls the upset vs Henderson who's well over the hill imo ( don't let the Bisping ko fool you ). While I don't like Shield style ( he's a GSP ), he's effective with it and I see him outhustling Henderson in a boring fight ( wouldn't be surprise if he gets his head takes off either ) Moussassi vs King Mo is a fight I just don't understand, King Mo is very talented and could be a force in the very near future. Same for Moussassi but he's quite a bit more experienced than Lawal. In a couple of years wouldn't shocked me if Lawal wins it ( yes I know he's older than Moussassi ), but now, I 'm gonna take the safe pick in the more experienced fighter Don't know too much about Melendez, saw his last fight vs Thompson and the jap ( draw a blank and can't remember his name right now ) to avenge his 2 most recent losses. Aoki is quite a bit stronger than he looks, but Melendez will be quite bigger than him wich coul nullify it. Thinking about it, I really don't know wich one to pick
The great thing about this card is that all 3 title fights have legitimacy. Henderson, Mousasi and Aoki are all guys that would be considered among the Top 5 or higher in their weight classes in the world. At 170, the same could be said about Jake shields. It is fantastic that Strikeforce can put together such a competitive card with such popular fighters and not have to dip into the Fedor, Carano or Cyborg bag. Personally I hope they find a way to squeeze in the Jason Miller. The casual fan, that might only watch free cards like this, would really enjoy seeing a guy with a non stop motor like Miller. I like Shields via submission in the upset. Mousasi via head kick KO. And Melendez to ground and pound the living shit out of Aoki. Can't wait for this card.
is jason miller's fight being televised? he's a fun guy to watch up until the point where he gets in the ring. if it does get televised i hope it ends quickly.
I despise Gus Johnson. And WTF is this Shin-yay Ao-key shit? It's Shin-ya Ah-oh-key. Also at Frank Shamrock. Braces are for high school students, bro.
Miller's fight is the stand by fight, if time allows. Not sure if it will be live or taped. I haven't checked any live updates incase the do show it. TFK
Mo's not ready, clearly. Mousasi too mentally strong. Reminiscint of Fedor in his strength in gameplanning and the mental game.
Mo needs a new strategy because what he's doing ain't working. But he can't stand with Moussasi either. I say Mo needs to take him down, which he has been able to do, then let him right up and then take him down again, and just keep repeating that and hope for a decision. TFK
