Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK Saturday, January 12, 2013 Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Contender Gegard Mousasi (-550) Profile: One of MMA’s best-kept secrets, Gegard Mousasi (32-3-2) is a well-known name for fans of the Japanese fight scene. Mousasi has been in the backstage locker room of just about every MMA organization outside of the UFC or Bellator, including Pride, Dream, M-1and Bodog just to name a few, and he has dominated in most promotions. From 2006 to 2009, Mousasi amassed a 14-fight winning streak, beginning with a win over Hector Lombard in Pride and ending when King Mo took his Strikeforce light heavyweight title from him at the end of a five-round decision. Technically, he’s still the Dream light heavyweight champion and owns wins over Mark Hunt, Jacare Souza, Babalu, and most recently Ovince St Preux. His only other blemish from recent battle comes from a draw with Keith Jardine two years ago, which many viewed as a poor decision. Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Contender Mike Kyle (+350) Profile: The heavy-handed Mike Kyle (19-8-1, 2 NC) is a fighter who is always looking to go out and put on a show for the fans. He has 12 knockouts to his name and is willing to trade punches with just about any man on the face of the planet. Kyle is a large light heavyweight and has also fought in a few notable heavyweight bouts against Paul Buentello, Antonio Silva and Krzysztof Soszynski, all losing efforts even though the “L” does not tell the whole story. Kyle can hang with the big guys but truly belongs at 205, where he has gone 6-1-2 over the past three years. He is now finally set to step into the Strikeforce cage during the organization’s last event to test his mettle against Mousasi in a matchup that has seemingly been in the making for years. Opening Strikeforce Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas made Mousasi a large -550 favorite (bet $550 to win $100) while Kyle opened as a +350 underdog (bet $100 to win $350) according to the MMA odds. Mousasi has not fought in more than a year after tearing his ACL, and before his long layoff he was viewed as a man who had the potential to be one of the top light heavyweights in the world. At just 27 years of age, the “Armenian Assassin” could still wreak havoc in the division once he crosses over to the UFC, as he already has champion Jon Jones in his sights. This matchup with Kyle will test him off a bit off knee surgery but also seems like a good way to ease him back into competition before he steps up in competition. Kyle is a knockout artist who has yet to score a win against a big-name opponent, and he should be hungry for the upset and needs to at least put forth a strong effort if he wants to follow Mousasi into the UFC.
