A Closer Look At Strikeforce "Fedor vs. Henderson": Paul Daley vs. Tyron Woodley

This entry into “A Closer Look At strikeforce: ‘Fedor vs. Henderson’” kicks off the second day of my very in-depth look at Strikeforce’s upcoming mega-event. Part 1 saw me examine the preliminary fights, it’s available here. Part two featured a very interesting match-up between Scott Smith and Tarec Saffiedine that gets both men at a pivotal moment of their careers. It can be viewed here. And now it’s time for another match-up that has far-reaching consequences, especially considering that Nick Diaz recently vacated his Strikeforce Welterweight Championship. Let’s dive right into Paul Daley vs. Tyron Woodley.

Tyron Woodley may not be young (he’s nearly thirty) but he certainly fits the mold of most hungry young upstarts. Woodley has a background as a collegiate wrestler, and he’s one of many fighters that continues to prove that that’s the best base for heading into MMA. Woodley would be fighting in Strikeforce in only his third fight as a professional Mixed Martial Artist.

In Strikeforce and on the underground, Woodley is widely regarded as the best Strikeforce Welterweight you’ve probably never heard of. Woodley has competed six times in Strikeforce, and unlike some other wrestling-based fighters, Woodley has proven time and time again that he’s a finisher. Currently, Woodley is a perfect 6-0 in Strikeforce and a perfect 8-0 overall. Even better, six of those eight wins were stoppages, and five of them were first-round stoppages.

Woodley’s opponent, Paul Daley, needs little introduction. When he steps into the cage against Tyron Woodley at “Fedor vs. Henderson”, it’ll be the fortieth time Paul Daley tests his skills as a professional Mixed Martial Artist. Even crazier than that, Paul Daley is actually younger than Tyron Woodley. And despite his recent troubles, Paul Daley is still one of the best pure strikers in the Welterweight division. Not in Strikeforce’s Welterweight division… the entire Welterweight division in MMA, period.

Paul Daley has won eight of his last ten fights, and is coming off a loss to Nick Diaz in one of the most entertaining fights of the year and even of the last several years. Seven of those wins were all stoppages due to strike: a few TKO’s, a submission due to an elbow, and four stone-cold KO wins. Daley has competed in and scored big victories in major promotions across the world, including Strikeforce and the UFC.

For this fight, Paul Daley has gone on record saying that he thinks this will be one of his last chances to win a major championship. I’m not quite sure I agree with that, but I do acknowledge that Daley really needs to assert himself now that Nick Diaz has left to the UFC.

Love him or hate him, Paul Daley is an entertaining fighter and he can knock anyone out given the right punch. You don’t (T)KO people twenty times in your career and not have the kind of power that can blast through any chin no matter how strong it is. But as always, Paul Daley’s painfully-obvious Achilles Heel is the ground game.

It may not make for the most exciting fight, but Tyron Woodley can and will grind out the decision if he chooses to keep Daley on his back. I don’t expect Woodley to approach this fight with the same reckless abandon as Nick Diaz, who stood toe-to-toe with Daley and even taunted him for no other reason than to prove to you that he could.

More than likely, if Tyron Woodley stands with Paul Daley he’s going to get knocked out. More than likely, Paul Daley will be dealt another difficult loss if Woodley can close the distance while not getting blasted and score the takedown. This is shaping up to be a very interesting encounter.