Strikeforce Rockhold vs. Jardine: How Adlan Amagov Will Upset Robbie Lawlor

This Saturday night, Adlan Amagov and Robbie Lawlor are set to clash in the co-main event of the Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine matchup.

Lawlor, the once golden boy of the UFC, is on the road to redemption having lost two fights on the trot—Ronaldo Souza and Tim Kennedy.

Nevertheless, his overall record in Strikeforce is a less than impressive 2-4.

On other hand, however, his opponent, Russian-born Amagov (9-1-1 MMA) is riding a four-fight winning streak, with two of those wins coming in his first and second fights for the San Jose-based promotion.

Neither fighter is known for their submission skills—Lawlor having only one submission victory to his name and Amagov, zilch.

Nor do they feel the inclination to take matters to the mat.

As that is the case, expect this fight to be a standup war for as long as the fight lasts.

Both combatants possess knockout power—Amagov has six stoppages whilst Lawlor has accumulated 15 over his career.

So how can Amagov upend the “Ruthless” one?

It’s simple really—stay out of harm’s way, by that I mean Lawlor’s bombs.

The latter has a tendency to throw punches, sometimes recklessly (a flaw which resulted in a KO loss to Nick Diaz at UFC 47) whilst leaving himself open to the counterattack.

Amagov needs to weather the early storm and position himself for any mistakes that Lawlor might make. If and when that transpires, he can unleash his own brand of punishment and make it count.

“The Insolent” will continue his rise in Strikeforce whilst Lawlor will register his third straight loss for the company come fight night.

Prediction: Amagov via TKO in Round 1.

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