Bloody Elbow's Jonathan Snowden caught up with Matt Lindland before his Strikeforce bout this Saturday with Robbie Lawler:
Matt Lindland Talks Respect Of Robbie Lawler
↵
↵It's important that Lindland be able to hang with young and hungry athletes like Sonnen and Okami. Because, while his opponent is a contemporary, the 40 year old Lindland has 12 years on Lawler. Like Lindland, two recent losses have Lawler struggling to prove he's still a force at 185 pounds.
↵"Robbie and I did start around the same time I can't believe we hadn't meet before this. Obviously we are both much better fighters than when we started so this is a great time to match this fight up for the fans. So lets leave it up to the fans to determine how we have both changed and improved," Lindland said diplomatically. In theory the fight is a classic 'grappler versus striker' contest. While Lawler has struggled recently with grapplers like Renato Sobral and Jake Shields, Lindland believes the HIT Squad fighter is still a very dangerous fighter.
↵"Come on we have all seen him fight, the kid is an animal and hits like a Mack truck. Honestly I think it's his heart that impresses me most. Robbie is a fighter in the true sense of the word."
↵
↵As Snowden pointed out, it’s one of the most pure “grappler versus striker” bouts out there right now. If Lindland can get the fight to the floor and work from on top, he’s going to win. If Lawler can keep the fight standing, he’s going to bust Matt up. It’s tremendously interesting but could make for a bad fight when it’s all said and done.
↵
See More:
