Not if Lawler, who plans on forcing "Jacare" to stand and trade, gets his wish at Strikeforce: "Diaz vs. Cyborg" on Jan. 29 in San Jose.
"He’ll have no choice but to stand. That’s what I plan on doing. I’m forcing him to stand and seeing how good his standup is. I believe if anyone stands, it’s just a matter of time before I catch them. I believe I’m better on standup. He’s a really good athlete. He’s explosive. His takedowns are real explosive and he’s got a judo background. I just have to keep it where I want to and not make any mistakes and take advantage of it being on the feet. I believe it’s going to be an awesome fight. Two guys, one guy not wanting to give up the belt and one guy going in there to take the belt. It’s going to be a battle."
The "Ruthless" one tells The Savage Dog Show that he's going to force the Brazilian to keep it upright in their middleweight title fight on Saturday night at the HP Pavilion. Souza, who demonstrated his ever-improving striking in his recent title defense against Tim Kennedy, may look to exploit Lawler's ground game early and often to avoid his knockout power. Who leaves San Jose with the belt? Let's hear your pick for this championship fight.
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