Strikeforce Houston Preview: Tim Kennedy, Ronaldo Souza Contend for Vacant Strikeforce Middleweight Crown

In what should be dubbed one of the best middleweight match-ups outside of the UFC, 2005 ADCC grappling champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (12-2-0-1, 2-0 SF) will battle former active duty Special Forces sniper turned MMA fighter Tim Kennedy (12-2, 3-0 SF) for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight title. Jake Shields vacated the title when he left for the greener pastures of the UFC, and there was talk of a tournament possibly happening to find the potential challengers to the crown. Souza and Kennedy were later chosen, and it makes for quite possibly the most intriguing match-up taking place at Strikeforce: Houston.

Both men enter the contest with obvious success in the division. Kennedy has been on a tear as of late, racking up solid wins over Nick Thompson, Zak Cummings, and Trevor Prangley over the course of the last year. The win over Prangley was easily the most impressive as Prangley's reputation as a tough as nails competitor should have allowed him to last a little longer against Kennedy, but Kennedy came up big with a rear naked choke submission at only 3:35 of the first round.

Souza wasn't as impressive in his most recent victory over Joey Villasenor, but he did manage to dominate Villasenor on the floor as many expected. His arm triangle submission victory over Matt Lindland in only 4:18 of the first round at Strikeforce: Evolution was probably his greatest win to date, although some may detract from it as Lindland seems to have fallen off the horse in old age. One thing is for certain from his performances however -- Souza is one of the best grapplers in the division worldwide, and his strength is equally accountable for his success.

Much of the intrigue surrounding this battle focuses on their disparity in styles and the success they've had in fighting in different styles from their own. Kennedy, for the most part, has been much more of a knockout threat both on the feet and the ground than a submission threat over the course of his career, but he's found success in the grappling department in his last three fights. A very strong wrestler with a solid stand-up game, Kennedy excels in some of the areas that Souza is lacking.

Souza's strength and grappling prowess are his biggest advantages, but Kennedy is obviously a physically overpowering figure as well in the cage. I doubt Souza will have an easy time trying to control Kennedy's position for throws and slams to the ground, but Souza can be especially dangerous off his back and in top control. I would imagine Kennedy's gameplan would revolve heavily around avoiding the ground at all costs, even if he's confident he can take it to Souza in that position.

The disparity in their styles leans me into the direction of Tim Kennedy for a number of reasons. Most notably, all mixed martial arts fights begin on the feet, and Kennedy isn't going to fold easily in a clinch battle. He's going to be very tough to bring to the ground, and more than likely an even tougher challenge to put into a disadvantageous position. Souza will have to work hard if he can bring this fight into his world, and Kennedy isn't exactly a slouch when it comes to wrestling and working positions to avoid submissions. After all, he's never been submitted.

Of course, the counterpoint would be that Kennedy has never faced a grappler like Souza, and that point is noted. Unfortunately for Souza, I don't think he has the striking prowess to be consistently effective on the feet, and while his strength can provide a means to ending the fight with one blow -- Kennedy has the experience and proven striking ability to pepper Souza with shots for prolonged periods of time.

I suppose the real question is whether there is a big enough difference in the strengths of each fighter for one of these men to edge out the other. Am I underestimating Souza's strength? Possibly, and I'd be the first to admit that I was wrong if Souza happens to throw Kennedy with relative ease. I'm expecting Souza to exert a lot of energy trying to put Kennedy down, and I'm not necessarily convinced he can do it against such an improved fighter like Kennedy.

This should be a very close battle between two top notch middleweights. It's actually one of the few fights I've been looking forward to seeing for awhile. While Souza's grappling prowess is something to worry about, I think Kennedy's overall well-roundedness and better abilities on the feet will allow him to eek out a decision on Saturday night to become the new Strikeforce middleweight champion.