Josh Thomson (Pictures) vs. Adam Lynn (Pictures)

Just as the great expectations of 1800's English high society eventually burdened Pip, Josh Thomson (Pictures) entered the UFC embracing his status as the lightweight division's golden boy only to have his career come apart at the seams.

Having rediscovered some of his lost form, Thomson must now stay the course against an opponent for whom the burdens of MMA are nothing in comparison to the burdens he has shouldered in the past.

A former United States Marine, Adam Lynn (Pictures) (11-7 1 NC) discovered his knack for combat sports while still enlisted but upon completing his military commitment quickly joined the MMA fray. A classic baptism by fire followed as Lynn faced solid competition early on and struggled out the gate.

Although Lynn has shown steady improvement since joining Jackson's MMA Academy, inconsistency has continued to plague his career. Against Thomson, nothing short of a vintage performance will net Lynn the high profile win he so desperately needs.

Already accustomed to the bright lights and pressure of the booming California MMA scene, Thomson (12-2, 1 NC) originally made his name in Las Vegas when the UFC brought him in to be their next lightweight star.

Despite scoring a spectacular KO over Gerald Strebendt (Pictures) and staving off Hermes Franca (Pictures) for a majority decision win, Thomson's path to stardom was derailed by an Yves Edwards (Pictures) Ninja Gaiden high kick and the UFC's decision to temporarily scrap the division.

A new beginning was afforded by Strikeforce to Thomson but a controversial debut against Clay Guida (Pictures) left his career up in the air. Although Thomson lost a clear cut decision, Guida blatantly raked his eyes on multiple occasions and was also accused, by Thomson, of oiling himself up to neutralize submission attempts on the floor.

In the aftermath of Guida's Gerard Gordeau impersonation, Thomson recommitted himself to his training and has since gone 4-0 in Strikeforce. With three of those wins coming by way of submission, Thomson has reinvented himself and ditched the arrogant demeanor that often caused him to lose sight of the task at hand.

With a surplus of talent to fall back on, Thomson holds a considerable edge over Lynn regardless of where this fight ends up. Standing, Thomson has a more refined striking style that emphasizes sharp boxing and leg kicks but given Lynn's preference for the ground, he is likely to avoid that facet of MMA altogether.

The problem for Lynn becomes Thomson's strong wrestling background dating back to his days as a wrestler for Stanford University. Should Lynn manage a takedown, he'll still be forced to contend with a far superior grappler. Expect Lynn's attempts at offense to be reminiscent of the Spartans last stand: heroic but unsuccessful.

The end comes quickly for Lynn as Thomson transitions from a takedown to a fight ending arm-triangle choke early in the first round. Hopefully Strikeforce rolls out a tag-team division so we can see Thomson team up with Yuki Nakai (Pictures) to take on Guida and Gordeau.