Strikeforce ‘Rockhold vs. Jardine’ Preview: The Main Card

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Welterweights
Tarec Saffiedine (11-3, 3-1 SF) vs. Tyler Stinson (22-7, 1-0 SF)

The Matchup: Saffiedine showed what he is capable of when faced with a fellow striker in his victory over Scott Smith in July, as he dismantled the veteran knockout artist over the course of three rounds. The Team Quest export landed more than five times as many strikes as his opponent, mixing in a variety of punches, kicks, knees and elbows to get the win.

It was a far cry from Saffiedine’s previous outing, when the Belgian strayed from his game plan of fighting on the outside and was lured into a clinch battle against Tyron Woodley. There is no shame in being outwrestled by Woodley, who has nullified many a talented striker with his approach. In Stinson, Saffiedine should have an opponent who will be willing to oblige his desire to keep the action on the feet.

Stinson is coming off an impressive Strikeforce debut, where he ended the 10-fight winning streak of Eduardo Pamplona in 15 seconds. Sometimes a quick knockout can be detrimental, however, if a fighter comes out looking for the one-punch finish in his next outing. Stinson will want to avoid falling into this sort of trap against Saffiedine, who is superior on the feet. While Stinson has shown decent boxing, his opponent has a more diverse arsenal, as well as a solid understanding of how to apply his skills inside the cage.

Stinson is not a dominant wrestler, but he is adept at hunting for submissions and attacking with strikes from his guard. Saffiedine has good submissions, as well, so even baiting him into a ground game is no guarantee for Stinson.

The Pick: Stinson has never been finished by strikes in his 29-fight career, so he will be more than game on the feet. Eventually, Saffiedine will hurt him there, however, and pounce to finish the fight via second-round submission.