Strikeforce Fedor vs Henderson: Why Tyron Woodley Will Beat Paul Daley

Fast rising prospect Tyron Woodley will make his second appearance on a major Strikeforce main card this Saturday against Paul Daley at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson.

The bout, which many had expected would be for the now vacant Strikeforce Welterweight Championship it may not be, but is still important for the division nonetheless.

With former champion Nick Diaz moving back to the UFC to challenge Georges St-Pierre for the title, the position of top dog in the division is now ripe for the taking and Woodley seems adamant about claiming that spot.

Already campaigning for a title shot at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley, Woodley wore a shirt bearing the phrase "I Got Next" and it now seems that he indeed does have next, challenging the last man to challenge for the title, Daley. 

Now facing arguably the biggest step up in talent of his career, Woodley seems poised to capture the victory and move on to becoming the new Strikeforce Welterweight Champion.

So come this Saturday in Chicago, Illinois, here are three reasons you can expect to see Woodley walk out of the cage victorious.

Better Wrestling

As frustrating as it is for a striker of Paul Daley's caliber, the fact is, that wrestling remains his most obvious weakness.

He was thoroughly out-wrestled by Josh Koscheck at UFC 113 and as a result threw the cheap shot seen around the world, which resulted in his immediate dismissal from the organization.

At Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson, he'll be facing the same sort of challenge in Tyron Woodley, another wrestling-based 170-pounder.

An NCAA Division I wrestler, Woodley has showcased the exact sort of fighting style that would play to his favor against Daley. Clinching, takedowns and wrestling would negate Daley's explosive knockout power.

For Woodley, he just has to follow the blueprint laid out by Koscheck for defeating Daley—smother him and take away his range for the knockout.

Submission Game

In comparison to Tyron Woodley's, Paul Daley's ground game is not up to par.

Since his Strikeforce debut, Woodley has won in the first half of his six bouts via submission and has shown some promise when it comes to submissions.

Against Daley, he can expect to have the full advantage in this department, especially since five of Daley's 10 losses have come via submission.

Woodley's work on the ground may not be black belt level, however Daley, despite being a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, has shown a visible discomfort on his back. For Woodley, this could definitely be something to exploit. 

Better Game Plan

For Woodley, the game plan against Paul Daley seems obvious, however he's reiterated his desire not to fight Daley's fight, and instead play to his strengths and exploit Daley's weaknesses.

Daley would obviously go for the knockout and come out swinging, so for Woodley, trading blows is not an option.

However while he did knockout Andre Galvao, Woodley seems to understand that sticking to a game plan is crucial when facing the upper level of competition.

So for Woodley, his wrestling, submission game and relative knowledge standing up are more than enough to beat Daley who has really come out as a one-trick pony—a destructive one, but a one-trick pony nonetheless.

Look for Woodley to take the fight to the ground and grind out the fight en route to a unanimous decision or possibly a late-round submission.