Strikeforce Betting Picks - Gegard Mousasi vs. Sokoudjou

Gegard Mousasi is not Fedor Emelianenko, but in some circles, he’s starting to get almost as much respect.

A training video of the two Red Devil sparring partners grappling in an exhibition match has made the rounds, and while Fedor seemed to get the best of Mousasi in the match, the fact is that Mousasi was able to land some incredibly nasty and technically sound throws of his own on the bigger and more experienced Fedor.

Look at the MMA betting circle for evidence of the respect people have for Mousasi, where the 26-2 boxing/sambo specialist comes into his fight against a solid opponent in Sokoudjou as a huge -500 to +350 favorite, and that’s despite the fact that Sokoudjou has the same kind of knockout power as Fedor’s Strikeforce opponent on Saturday night, Brett Rogers.

Granted, Sokoudjou does have just a 7-4 record but he is a beast of a fighter who just made short work of the much bigger Bob Sapp in Dream and has wins over topnotch fighters like Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricard Arona from his PRIDE days.

Some expected him to get more respect against Mousasi because of the power he possesses in his quick hands, but his lack of a reliable ground game is probably the biggest reason why he’s an underdog going into his Strikeforce fight.

This fight was originally scheduled to be in Dream’s Super Hulk tournament but was moved to Strikeforce so Americans could get another glimpse of Mousasi, Strikeforce’s Light Heavyweight Champion. The belt won’t be on the line this time around for Mousasi, but pride and physical health definitely will be among other things.

On the feet, Sokoudjou is deadly, but Mousasi has a solid edge technically as his boxing and long reach allow him to land crisp, calculated strikes on anyone he comes up against.

Its no contest when it comes to the ground game where Mousasi has a much bigger edge. He’s not a true jiu-jitsu ace like his last opponent Renato Sobral, but his transition game and ability to get in position using takedowns and strategic jiu-jitsu and sambo for MMA is on a different planet form what Sokoudjou can do going into this fight.

With so many different possible ways for winning the fight, it’s hard to bet against the favorite Mousasi, even though he’s just 24 years old right now.

Sokoudjou has a slight chance to win via one big punch, but that’s not the wisest bet to make when Mousasi has the ability to finish the fight wherever it goes.

For that reason, Mousasi is the safe pick here as he continues to prove himself as one of the world’s best. Get the popcorn ready because it could be another highlight-reel win for the Armenian/Dutch prodigy.

Strikeforce MMA pick: Gegard Mousasi (-500).