Strikeforce ‘Diaz vs. Daley’ Preview

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Light Heavyweight
Gegard Mousasi vs. Keith Jardine

The Matchup: Mousasi’s probably the best little-known light heavyweight in the game, at least stateside, where his smooth skills have been woefully underexposed. After dropping a five-round decision and the Strikeforce title to Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal, he has since won twice in Japan’s Dream promotion.

Prior to the Lawal loss, however, Mousasi had racked up 15 consecutive wins, some over the likes of Hector Lombard, Denis Kang, Melvin Manhoef, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Renato "Babalu" Sobral.

With Jardine as a late substitution for Mike Kyle, the casual fan gets a glance at Mousasi against a recognizable UFC veteran. When he is on his game, Jardine is one of the tougher outs in the business, taking foes to close decisions on account of a vexing style and a tenacious approach. He does not do anything great, but unless you bomb him out early, he is going to give you a difficult go.

Mousasi’s standup is top-notch, and he is unerringly calm in all phases of the fight, even when planted on his back taking punches. His submissions are solid, though at times he seems a tad too willing to let himself be taken down; it backfired against the powerful Lawal.

With the UFC merger, the light heavyweight division gets even more interesting, and a big win goes a long way toward getting the victor’s name in the mix.

Mousasi’s style is one that few can handle on the feet, and the good thing about this matchup is that Jardine will probably try and challenge him there. Jardine’s awkward movement throws off opponents, and that is where Mousasi’s leg kicks will be key to wearing down Jardine and nailing him as he tries to set up attacks. Jardine could possibly try to plant Mousasi -- whose takedown defense is decent but not world-beating -- and grind out a decision win via a high work rate, but that does not seem likely. Instead, look for Mousasi to dial in and go to work standing, eventually wearing down Jardine with sharp counters and big kicks, especially to the body and legs.

The Pick: This is a great style matchup for Mousasi -- about as good as a guy could hope to get against the tricky and unpredictable Jardine -- and he should have too much firepower, scoring a knockout in three.