Strikeforce ‘Los Angeles’ Preview

A hectic week in mixed martial arts gets off to a proper start on Wednesday with Strikeforce “Los Angeles,” which features a serious slate of high-quality violence in the making. Airing live on Showtime from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, the event will be headlined by a catchweight bout between slugger supreme Robbie Lawler and Brazilian tapout specialist Renato “Babalu” Sobral.

Filling out the lineup are matches featuring Lithuanian super striker Marius Zaromskis and the rib-roasting exploits of K.J. Noons. All in all, this makes for a tasty appetizer to Strikeforce’s star-studded show later this month.

Sit yourself down for a stiff knowledge cocktail, and make sure to keep your glowing, compliment-filled e-mails to 300 words or less.

Robbie Lawler vs. Renato Sobral

In one of Strikeforce’s more unique bits of matchmaking trickery, Lawler and Sobral will compete in a 195-pound catchweight bout. The fact that the winner gets a title shot in his usual weight class -- middleweight for Lawler, light heavyweight for Sobral -- makes this matchup unique.

Promotional machinations aside, the fight itself is worth every bit of cross-divisional entanglement, thanks mostly to the fact that Lawler’s single-minded power striking style stands as the polar opposite of Sobral’s slick brand of top control-centric jiu-jitsu. Extreme style clashes make for interesting questions, and the most interesting question raised here remains whether or not Lawler’s brute physicality will hold up with an extra 10 pounds on his frame.

Never a particularly astute wrestler, Lawler has always relied on being able to rip away or shuck off opponents when they get hold of him. His physical explosiveness is the reason he can get away with such a simplistic tactic, but it does not always work against more capable wrestlers. Given that, there is a real chance it will not work against Sobral, who will enter this fight the bigger man and as a far more fundamentally sound wrestler.

That means Lawler has to do a better job of controlling space than he has in the past. The usual M.O. for “Ruthless” has been to stand just outside the pocket and measure his power punches, namely the lead right hook and overhand left. Waiting on openings for his power punches instead of actively creating them led to Jake Shields submitting him, sans a proper takedown.

As long as Sobral gets inside Lawler’s reach and goes for takedowns, this fight will consist mostly of Lawler trying to get off his back. It is in those transitions where Lawler is most vulnerable. Instead of being patient and gradually working his way upright, he leaves all sorts of openings when trying to frantically escape. The biggest mistake Lawler makes is leaving his neck exposed. If Sobral latches on, his nasty front headlock series will ensnare the former EliteXC champion in short order.

Throw in Sobral’s overall grappling acumen and smothering positional control, and this fight starts looking pretty grim for Lawler. The prospect of a jaw-shattering knockout is part and parcel of any fight involving Lawler, but “Babalu” is not going to hand him his chin on a silver platter. An early storm from Lawler will clear up in time for Sobral to land the all-important takedown. The rest is academic.