Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Shields- Echo calls it

Strikeforce and CBS continue to bring MMA to the masses this Saturday and once again prove that just because it’s free doesn’t mean it has to be mediocre. Quite the opposite, in fact, as the main card is made up of three fights any fan of the sport should be able to get behind.

Dan Henderson vs. Jake “Swords and” Shields
Oooh man. This should be a fun one to watch. Henderson is a true legend of the sport and his knockout power is no joke. The dude packs a mean, mean punch. Shields, though, is on a roll, and something has to be said for a young, confident fighter performing well and riding a wave of victories. The trick here is going to be “can Shields avoid Henderson’s hands?” So long as he doesn’t circle left, offering a Bisping-like target for three rounds, I see this one falling in Shields’ favor…Maybe.

Gegard Mousasi vs. Muhammed Lawal
Lawal is an impressive enough athlete, but I kind of feel like he’s being thrown to the wolves with this one. Mousasi is a top-tier athlete with a skill set a mile long and I don’t really see Lawal stacking up too well. I expect a pretty quick end to this one.

Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki
Woot! I’m looking forward to Aoki’s debut here in the States, but Melendez isn’t exactly going to be a walk in the park. New fighters often get a tomato can thrown at them to help introduce them to a new audience but I don’t see that being the case here. Melendez should be a solid challenge for Aoki and I hope that equates to a great performance from both athletes. In the end, though, I think Aoki is going to earn the win.