A Closer Look At Strikeforce "Fedor vs. Henderson": Tim Kennedy vs. Robbie Lawler

“A Closer Look At strikeforce: ‘Fedor vs. Henderson’” continues into its second day with more in-depth coverage of Strikeforce’s upcoming can’t-miss attraction. Part 1 of the series is available here, while part 2 is here and part 3 is here. After focusing on the two key Welterweight fights of the “Fedor vs. Henderson” main card, it’s now time to give attention to a very interesting Middleweight match-up, which will more than likely be a “contender eliminator” fight. It’s Tim Kennedy vs. Robbie Lawler, and this is “A Closer Look At Strikeforce: ‘Fedor vs. Henderson’”.

“Ruthless” Robbie Lawler is a veteran of over twenty-five fights and several major promotions. Lawler fought in the UFC from 2002 to 2004 and exited the promotion right on the cusp of “The Ultimate Fighter” exploding the UFC back into mainstream acceptance, after a pair of tough losses to Nick Diaz and Evan Tanner. Lawler then faced some pretty tough competition on the regional circuit before winning the Elite XC Middleweight Championship by knocking out Murilo Rua. Lawler would hold onto that title up until Elite XC self-imploded and shut down.

Since then, Lawler has transitioned to Strikeforce and faced some very tough challenges, walking away with a 2-3 record inside the Strikeforce cage. Of course, since it is Robbie Lawler, both wins were highlight reel KO’s. Most recently, Lawler fought for and lost his chance at the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship when reigning champion Ronaldo Souza submitted him.

His opponent, Tim Kennedy, is a veteran… period. Even while fighting as a professional Mixed Martial Artist, Tim Kennedy was still working full-time for the United States Army. Kennedy has fought fifteen times in over a decade, and has a very respectable record of 12-3. In his time inside cages around the world, Kennedy has competed in the WEC, the IFL, HDNet Fights, and most notably Strikeforce.

In Strikeforce, Kennedy has lost only one time: ironically, it was to the same man Robbie Lawler just lost to. Lawler was Souza’s first defense of the championship, Kennedy was Souza’s opponent in a fight to claim the vacant Strikeforce Middleweight Championship after Jake Shields left the promotion with the title in order to jump ship to the UFC. Kennedy would end up losing a close decision, and when I openly asked if Kennedy deserved an immediate rematch, an overwhelming majority of fans say that they felt he did deserve one.

With the way the Middleweight division is right now, I’m almost certain that the winner of this fight will get a rematch with Souza. But who wins this fight? Well, that’s tough to say. In terms of pure stopping power, you’ve got to give it to Robbie Lawler. If he can catch you, you’re going to get dropped. But can he catch Tim Kennedy? I think that, above all else, will be the deciding factor in this match.

In his entire career, Tim Kennedy has never been properly (T)KO’d before, his only TKO loss was due to a cut. So if Robbie Lawler is going to stop him, he’s going to have to hit him hard and hit him frequently. If he can, Lawler will be able to take the decision and maybe, just maybe, knock Kennedy out. If not, Kennedy will use good grappling and tight clinch work to wear down Lawler during Lawler’s initial rush, and in the later rounds Kennedy will begin to assert himself once Lawler begins to tire and his punches begin to lose their power.

There are many different ways this fight could go, so I’m definitely looking forward to it.