Strikeforce ‘Diaz vs. Daley’ Preview

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Strikeforce Lightweight Championship
Gilbert Melendez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri

The Matchup: Hard-driving, fast-paced lightweights collide in a rematch, with the Strikeforce title on the line. In their first scrap in 2006, Melendez took a unanimous decision, using superior wrestling and control.

Since then, both have improved. Melendez’s standup was much better, as he avenged his loss to Josh Thomson in their December 2009 rematch, while Kawajiri outwrestled Thomson in a close decision win on New Year’s Eve.

There are guys that are just wired for a five-round fight, and Melendez’s style is perfect for it. He pushes a breakneck pace and, over the distance, gets results, breaking foes’ wills.

Kawajiri is tough and resilient and has fought some of the best fighters on the Japanese scene. However, his standup is probably a notch or two below Melendez’s at this point; Melendez showed a lot more comfort trading bombs in extended exchanges with Thomson. Prior to that fight, he would usually stand just enough to set up a takedown attempt. Now, he really looks comfortable in the pocket and can operate from there at length.

Kawajiri’s best chance is to force tie-ups and smother Melendez, as he may be slightly stronger in a chest-to-chest battle. However, Melendez is excellent at squirming out of bad positions, as well as getting the upper hand in wild scrambles and transitions. In a five-round fight, he is also pretty much impossible to stop.

The Pick: Melendez is definitely looking to make a splash with the world watching, wondering how he will eventually fare against the lightweights of the UFC. He will hold it down here, banging out a clear-cut decision win as he pushes the pace and wears down Kawajiri.

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