5 Reasons Why Ronaldo Souza Could Beat Robbie Lawler

Hello once more fans and friends and welcome to another entry into the newly-established series simply called “5 Reasons Why”. The goal of this series is simple: I’ll take a big upcoming MMA fight and give five reasons why one fighter could beat his opponent, and then shortly follow it up with another post detailing the exact opposite. Today’s double-entry features the much-anticipated bout between Ronaldo Souza and Robbie Lawler at the upcoming Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Cyborg” show. Souza’s Strikeforce Middleweight Championship will be on the line, so let’s start this entry off with the five reasons why Ronaldo Souza could beat Robbie Lawler.

5. Souza trains at Black House, so he learns from the masters.

Robbie Lawler is a great striker, but Ronaldo Souza trains at the same gym as Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida, two masters of elusiveness. With sparring partners like Junior dos Santos, Souza’s striking continues to improve. Souza’s ground game has always been good, but he still finds ways of improving it too, thanks in no small part to the guidance of the Nogueira brothers. Putting it plainly: Black House has nearly every single championship-caliber Brazilian in the UFC and in Strikeforce on lockdown, and as we all know, steel sharpens steel. Souza’s best can always be better, and it’s that kind of drive that has kept Black House and its fighters in such prominent positions.

4. Souza has become increasingly comfortable against top-level competition.

Strikeforce seems to have a problem with young champions that probably aren’t ready for the burdens that comes with being a champion. Both Gegard Mousasi and Muhammed Lawal stand out as the clearest examples: both men won their championships with dominating victories, only to be humbled in their first defense of the belt. While this could prove to be the case for Souza, it remains unlikely. “Jacare” has hit the ground running and emerged as a legitimate top-level athlete in Strikeforce, and he’s never once cracked under the pressure despite high-profile runs in both Strikeforce and the Japanese-based DREAM. Confidence is key when you’re a defending champion, and Souza has a lot of it.

3. Jacare’s chin is pretty solid.

Souza has faced a varied cast of strikers in his sixteen professional MMA fights, and while he’s lost twice by KO, once was at the beginning of his career (his very first pro MMA fight, in fact) and the other was over two years ago. And it took a lot for that KO to happen: Gegard Mousasi delivered a full-force upkick at the exact moment Souza was diving in for a punch. It was one of those blows where anyone would have been KO’d by it. Lawler has a lot of power in his hands, but Souza absolutely does not have a glass chin.

2. Souza has shown noticeable improvement in his stand-up.

Now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves and think that Souza is a better striker than Lawler. I’ve got no problem admitting that the stand-up game is Lawler’s domain. But Souza is prepared now more than ever for a brawl, and his recent fight with Tim Kennedy, the one where he won the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship, was won primarily through his improved striking. Tim Kennedy does not have the KO power of Robbie Lawler, but Souza hung with Kennedy for five whole rounds and won the fight in the area he’s admittedly weakest in. Souza may be at a disadvantage standing up, but he’s definitely not being fed to the wolves like Matt Lindland was.

And the number one reason why Ronaldo Souza could beat Robbie Lawler and retain his Strikeforce Middleweight Championship is…

1. You don’t get the nickname “Alligator” without reason, and Souza has fully earned it.

An overwhelming majority of Souza’s wins are by submission: ten of his thirteen victories. He’s a highly-established Brazilian Jui Jitsu competitor, taking first place in countless BJJ competitions. To make matters worse, four of Lawler’s six losses have been by submission. While I do respect Robbie Lawler, I’m not lying or embellishing when I say the following: the second this thing gets to the ground, it’s Souza’s fight for the taking.

So there you have it, fans and friends: five reasons why Ronaldo Souza could beat Robbie Lawler. What about you? What’s your opinion on this fight and who do you see winning it?