Ronaldo Souza defends his Strikeforce middleweight title against Robbie Lawler at Strikeforce San Jose on Saturday, January 29. Lawler normally finishes his opponents early by knockout while Souza is known for quick submissions so don’t expect a long fight.

The champion Souza is the favorite at -260 in Strikeforce Odds while Lawler pays +200.

The strategies for these two fighters should be pretty obvious. Lawler will want to stay on his feet and trade punches while Souza will want to get this fight to the mat as quickly as possible where he should be in control.

The challenge for Robbie Lawler (18-6-0 MMA, 2-2 Strikeforce) is that his wrestling training hasn’t really translated in to wrestling skills. He is still vulnerable to the takedown and is a one dimensional fighter.

Admittedly, he is very good at that one dimension with 15 of 18 wins coming by KO or TKO and he hasn’t lost any power over the years, but Lawler only really has a punchers chance.

While both Lawler and Souza are known as finishers, that is where the similarities end. Ronaldo Souza (13-2-0 MMA, 3-0 Strikeforce) is a balanced fighter who is comfortable trading blows, but specializes in the submission. Ten of his 13 victories have come by submission. While he doesn’t get victories by trading punches, he doesn’t get victimized while waiting for his opportunities.

Expect a cautious start as Lawler looks for holes in Souza’s defenses and Souza waits for an opportunity to get the takedown. Souza should get some good strikes in with Lawler worrying more about takedowns before finally going for the takedown and ending the fight.

Robbie Lawler speaks after losing in a unanimous decision to Renato Sobral at Strikeforce: Los Angeles.

Lawler lost despite doing more damage than his opponent. Sobral got a few takedowns, but he was never able to get the fight down on the mat where he has the advantage. Lawler did an excellent job of staying on his feet.

In the second round of the fight, Robbie Lawler probably got a little too smart for his own good. He started faking an injury to try to get Babalu to open up a bit and try to finish him. It didn’t work and may have influenced the judges scoring.

Renato Sobral and Robbie Lawler square off in a Strikeforce matchup on Wednesday (11 pm ET). The fighters meet at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles in a fight that caps out at 195 lbs.

Lawler is the Strikeforce odds favorite going in at -160 while Sobral pays out at +130.

This fight figures to be a great matchup from the Strikeforce Organization. These two fighters exemplify different styles that will clash as they square off. Lawler is well known as a striker and Sobral is known for his ability to put people into submission.

Lawler really knows how to put people out. In his 17 wins, he has managed to knock out his opponent 14 times. “Babalu”, the nickname of Sobral, is a very experienced fighter at age 34. He has totaled 35 wins in his career, putting away his opponent by submission 18 times.

Robbie Lawler appears to be on the way back up in his career. He experienced very little success in his stint in the UFC years back, but has shown maturity as a fighter more recently. He has knocked out several solid fighters and looks to be rejuvenating his career at age 28.

Renato “Babalu” Sobral seems to be towards the end of his career, but he cannot be underestimated. The match can be over quickly if he gets position on the ground. Lawler cannot afford to give Babalu an edge at any time during the match or he may find himself in submission. Lawler will have the edge if he can keep the fight upright and off the mat. This should be an exciting fight to watch.

Renato Sobral is coming in to this Strikeforce: Los Angeles catch-weight fight against Robbie Lawler on June 16 hungry for a win after dropping his last fight to Gegard Mousasi at Strikeforce – Carano vs. Cyborg.

Sobral has fought Fedor Emelianenko in the past and he predicts that Fedor will prevail in his upcoming fight with Fabricio Werdum.

Renato Sobral is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt trained by Carlos Gracie Jr. with a background in wrestling. Robbie Lawler is more of a knockout threat and he will want to keep on his feet against a much bigger Sobral.

Lawler is the early MMA odds favorite at -165 with Sobral at +135.