Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov Preview - Predictions & Odds

Written by Jake Thompson
Friday, 09 September 2011 20:26

It’s time to make predictions on the 4 best fights on Saturday’s Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov card.

The 4 fights on this weekend’s Strikeforce card that we will make predictions on are Josh Barnett vs. Sergei Kharitonov, Antonio Silva vs. Daniel Cormier, Ronaldo Souza vs. Luke Rockhold, and Roger Gracie vs. Muhammed Lawal.  These Strikeforce predictions were made with the betting odds in mind and all of the lines are listed below.  Make sure to tune-in to Showtime to check out all of the mixed martial arts action coming your way this weekend on the Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov fight card.

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Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov Fight Card Odds:

Sergei Kharitonov +275

Josh Barnett -335

Antonio Silva -165

Daniel Cormier +145

Ronaldo Souza -400

Luke Rockhold +325

Roger Gracie +135

Muhammed Lawal -155

Pat Healy +105

Maximo Blanco -125

Mike Kyle -130

Marcos Rogerio de Lima +110

Rafael Cavalcante -135

Yoel Romero Palacio +115

Evangelista Santos +125

Jordan Mein -145

Amanda Nunes -280

Alexis Davis +240

Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov Predictions:

Josh Barnett vs. Sergei Kharitonov

Kharitonov (18-4) is a boxer (and occasional kick boxer) with knockout power.  He’s tough as nails and is well-rounded but he’s fighting a guy in Josh Barnett (30-5) that can exploit his weaknesses.  Look for Barnett and his tough chin to withstand any striking punishment before taking down Kharitonov at will.  Barnett’s wrestling and submission edges will come into play here and I expect the favorite to get the 2nd round submission win after tiring out Kharitonov with constant ground and pound.

Antonio Silva vs. Daniel Cormier

This is a tough one to call since you have Cormier’s (8-0) wrestling and much improved boxing going against Silva’s (16-2) Jiu Jitsu and heavy-handed Muay Thai.  Silva should have a decent size advantage and whichever fighter is put on his back is likely to lose.  Although Cormier has a huge wrestling edge, I think Silva’s size and reach will be enough to stay out of trouble.  Look for Silva to get the 3rd round TKO after a back-and-forth fight that eventually ends when Cormier gets dropped and has to defend from guard.

Ronaldo Souza vs. Luke Rockhold

“Jacare” Souza (14-2) has a rapidly improving striking repertoire, but the Brazilian’s bread and butter are in his world class Jiu Jitsu game.  Rockhold (7-1) has a more Americanized form of submissions with a background in wrestling.  Rockhold is fairly lanky for this weight class and I think he can keep his distance in the standup and use his wrestling to control where the fight takes place.  That being said, being in Souza’s guard is as dangerous as it gets in this sport and Rockhold will have to fight very cautiously if he gets this position.  Although he could very well get tapped, I like the wrestling advantage and will call for Rockhold to pull the huge upset with a decision win.

Roger Gracie vs. Muhammed Lawal

Gracie (4-0) is a Jiu Jitsu master but is fairly new to the sport if mixed martial arts and still has some things to work on.  His reach bests just about anyone in the division and Gracie’s jab is a huge asset.  “King Mo” Lawal (7-1) is a tremendous wrestler with solid boxing, but he’s also had conditioning issues in the later rounds.  Lawal will have to get inside in the standup without over-committing and exposing himself to a Gracie take down.  Lawal has a big power edge and this fight is nearly impossible to make predictions on.  Ultimately I believe that Gracie will get tagged at some point, while Lawal can steal rounds in the final seconds with his wrestling.  We’ll go with “King Mo” by decision and hope he fights smart and without mistakes.