Kennedy Or Jacare: Who Will Be Crowned Strikeforce's 185-Lb King?

Sometime after the speculation started about whether Jake Shields would really go to the UFC after that night in Nashville, some were believing that Strikeforce's two top middleweights were Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza.

Both guys have impressed in their recent outings, with Jacare scoring a unanimous decision win over Joey Villasenor in St. Louis, and Kennedy scoring a win over Trevor Prangley in Los Angeles.

Now, they've proven everyone else right.

They've proven beyond a reasonable doubt that they are both two of the best middleweights in the division now that Jake Shields is in the UFC, and its led the both of them to Houston, and this Saturday, where they're co-headlining an exciting Strikeforce card in a bout that will decide the undisputed Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, and possibly one of the three best middleweights in the sport.

The only downside? There can only be one Middleweight Champion.

Well, there's that and the fact that these two are...well, I'd say fairly even, anyway.

What you have here is Black House vs. The Pit, the determined Staff Sergeant Vs. the deadly MMA-trained alligator who shows no hesitation when it comes to putting the bite down on his opponents.

Jacare is a black belt Judoka and a black belt in BJJ with expertise in Muay Thai, the stand-up discipline that his training partner Rafael Cavalcante—the man who contends with Muhammed Lawal for the 205-lb. crown in Houston on the same night—knows all too well.

What this means is that Jacare can hit Kennedy from any angle he wants with a punch, a kick, a knee out of the clinch, a knee or elbow in the clinch—basically, with whatever he chooses, and he can take down, ground, pound, control, and submit Kennedy wherever he wants to finish him.

Never count out a warrior with Army experience, though.

Kennedy is one tough man, and although he carries boxing to go with his own Brazilian Jiu Jitsu experience, don't think for a second that that means Kennedy can't finish Jacare whenever he damn well pleases either.

He's capable of finishing people on the ground, on his feet, off his back, and any other way that he wants to as well, but there may be one factor of Kenendy that Jacare may have to rival in order to leave Houston with the belt, and that factor is cardio.

Kennedy has lost twice in his career—once to Scott Smith by a cut and once by decision to Jason miller by decision—but if the fight has to go for 25 minutes, I don't see why it'd be correct to think Kennedy can't go that far.

Other people don't make Tim Kennedy keep up with them, Tim Kennedy makes people keep up with him.

Jacare had better come into the fight on Saturday with the belief that there is no second option—that he will fight Tim Kennedy for the full 25 minute duration.

If he doesn't, he could see his first KO or TKO loss since the upkick from Gegard Mousasi at the Middleweight Final of DREAM 6's Middleweight Grand Prix.

Likewise, Kennedy had better come into the fight expecting Jacare to want a quick finish and he'd better find a way to make the fight go all five rounds, or else Jacare will walk out of Houston as Strikeforce Middleweight Champion.

Make no mistake about this one, folks: this may not be a "war", but what this will be is an epic that will leave us with one undisputed Strikeforce Middleweight Champion when all is said and done.

Now the question is, Tim Kennedy or Jacare Souza...who's it going to be?