Penick's Take
STRIKEFORCE "ROCKHOLD VS. JARDINE" PREVIEW: Penick's quick breakdown and fight picks
Jan 6, 2012 - 11:00:41 PM STRIKEFORCE "ROCKHOLD VS. JARDINE" PREVIEW: Penick's quick breakdown and fight picks

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Strikeforce's first event of 2012 comes to Las Vegas tomorrow night, with a five fight card scheduled to air live on Showtime. Middleweight Champ Luke Rockhold takes on an experienced challenger in Keith Jardine, a fight which makes sense from a progression standpoint for Rockhold, but not so much as a title fight. Regardless, with that bout, two welterweight scraps, light heavyweights Muhammed Lawal and Lorenz Larkin, and one more middleweight bout in Robbie Lawler vs. Adlon Amagov, there is still interesting action on the card. Here are some brief thoughts on the main card, as well as fight predictions for the event:


Luke Rockhold vs. Keith Jardine (Strikeforce Middleweight Championship): Rockhold went the distance with "Jacare" Souza to capture the belt in his last fight, impressing many by his ability to do so despite having never left the first round and being out of action for 19 months. Jardine is unbeaten in his last three fights after a five fight losing streak, with his most recent bout being the draw against Gegard Mousasi in April. Jardine's making his middleweight debut, and the weight cut is certainly going to factor into his performance. Rockhold's got a very solid all around game, and has the power to connect on Jardine, who has been knocked out cold several times in his career. Because of that I've got Rockhold by TKO in the second round.


Robbie Lawler vs. Adlan Amagov (Middleweight): Lawler can be a bit of an enigma. He was on a hell of a run during his time in EliteXC, but his time in Strikeforce has brought him well down the ladder. After a surprising submission loss to Jake Shields, Lawler alternated knockout wins over Melvin Manhoef and Matt Lindland in vicious fashion with losses to Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, then followed it up with another loss to Tim Kennedy. Amagov hasn't lost since his debut fight in 2007, and is a very hard hitter in his own right, but Lawler also has a tough chin. Lawler could land the big right to take Amagov out, but if he fails to do that he might get picked apart for three rounds. I lean slightly towards Amagov to take a decision.


Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal vs. Lorenz Larkin (Light Heavyweight): Larkin's had a fast rise in Strikeforce's light heavyweight division, and he's got a very entertaining striking style that led to him getting this booking. However, Lawal represents a bad stylistic matchup for him, with a heavy handed striker that is primarily a wrestler. Larkin can certainly do some damage against Lawal if "King Mo" is too eager to stand and trade, but if Lawal utilizes a smart gameplan and takes over with his grappling game, this should be his fight. Lawal takes a decision here.


Tyron Woodley vs. Jordan Mein (Welterweight): Woodley's wrestling game has gotten him to a perfect 9-0 record, enforcing his will on a number of opponents before finding ways to score points and win fights against Tarec Saffidine and Paul Daley in his last two fights. Mein is only 22, and he's already racked up a 23-7 career record. He enters off a TKO win over Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, and a six-fight win streak overall. He represents another big test for Woodley's skillset, but Woodley's grappling game is again the x-factor. He should be able to take advantage of Mein's attempts to engage, and will likely take him down throughout the fight and work from there. Woodley takes the decision.


Tarec Saffiedine vs. Tyler Stinson (Welterweight): Stinson made a quick Strikeforce debut in June with a 15 second KO of Eduardo Pamplona, but in Saffiedine he's facing a much tougher opponent overall. Saffiedine's shown some heavy hands despite only one win by knockout, but he's a capable striker with a good ground game as well. He's the better fighter, and I've got Saffiedine taking a submission win in the second.