First and Worst is an ongoing series for MMARatings.net, where every week Adam will make his pick for the best and worst newly-announced fight of the past week (Monday to Sunday). If you’d like to see any additions to this series, hit him up on Twitter @MMAdamMartin.
First: Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Lorenz Larkin, Strikeforce Finale
Although we won’t see Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold defend his belt at the Strikeforce finale, we do get to see the
second-best middleweight fight the promotion can put together: Rockhold’s
original opponent Lorenz Larkin against the man who Rockhold beat to get the
title, Rolando “Jacare” Souza.
This is a great fight, folks.
Souza is one of the best middleweights in MMA today, yet is
constantly underrated because he fights in Strikeforce. Yet there’s no doubt
that he’s one of the most talented guys out there, especially on the ground,
where he’s considered by many to be one of if not the top BJJ practitioner in
MMA today. And, as we saw in his last outing against Derek Brunson, he’s
obviously improving his standup, too.
Larkin is a great striker, and he absolutely smashed veteran
Robbie Lawler in his last fight. Although he was a surprise opponent for
Rockhold – most thought that Souza would be the one getting the title shot –
he’s really made a name for himself these last few months with his Twitter
trash talk with Rockhold. But can he back up his words in the cage? We’ll see.
This is one of the best 185-pound fights coming up in early
2013. A must-watch-fight.
Worst: Nandor Guelmino vs. Josh Barnett, Strikeforce Finale
“Who the heck is Nandor Guelmino?” It’s the question MMA
fans have been asking all week after the Austrian was announced as the final
opponent for heavyweight grand prix runner-up Josh Barnett in Strikeforce.
It’s no doubt a mismatch.
Barnett is one of the top 10 ranked heavyweights, and has
been for quite some time. Guelmino, meanwhile, is a complete nobody. No
disrespect to the man, because it takes at least some amount of talent to hold
an 11-3 record, but Barnett is a stud. He needs to be fighting the top guys in
the sport, not guys like Guelmino who nobody has ever heard of.
This fight doesn’t do much for Barnett. He’s likely to get
the W in impressive fashion, and then he might go to the UFC or ONE FC or DREAM
– that all depends on if UFC president Dana White is ready to give him another
chance in the big show. Basically, it’s just an easy paycheck.
Guelmino has no chance to defeat Barnett, but tune into this
fight because it’s more than likely to produce a great submission victory by
“The Warmaster.”
