Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Modafferi will edge Coenen.
After losing
Erin Toughill to injury, Strikeforce managed to line up Modafferi -- another fighter who has already beaten Coenen. A jack of all trades, Modaferri can force Coenen, who relies heavily on her jiu-jitsu, to step outside of her comfort zone. Expect a close fight, but Modafferi will take another nip/tuck decision win from her Dutch rival.
After flunking out of World Extreme Cagefighting, Curran gets a chance to rebound against Neace -- and rebound he will. A journeyman who never quite escaped that casting, Neace finds himself in the unenviable position of being a solid grappler taking on an opponent who has proven himself vastly superior in that regard. An entertaining bit of back-and-forth on the mats ends with Curran tying Neace into a not-so-pretty package.
After some time on the shelf, Miller makes his return to the game against Davis. In keeping with the generally uncompetitive tone of the undercard, Miller has been lined up for a reasonably easy win. Davis has not been fond of working off his back and Miller will plant him there time and time again. On the ground, the disparity in offensive ability will become even more obvious. A thorough thrashing against Davis will reignite Miller’s career.
The jiu-jitsu special of the night matches the inexperienced but well-hyped Uflacker against fellow Brazilian submission specialist Novaes. Expect Uflacker to ace Novaes on the mats. As the flat-out better grappler of the two, Uflacker will find an all-too-willing partner in Novaes, and he will be all-too willing to make him a quality addition to the old highlight reel.
A castoff from “The Ultimate Fighter,” Kolosci was slotted against Bailey in a bout for a spot in Strikeforce’s surging middleweight division. While many fans love Kolosci’s All-American work ethic, Bailey has proven the more talented of the two and only gives up experience to his counterpart. Watch for Bailey to swarm Kolosci from the opening bell and eventually overwhelm him late with a torrent of ground-and-pound.
Take Taylor, an unbeaten Adrenaline MMA veteran with a pair of first-round finishes to his credit, in a meeting between two anonymous prospects. Taylor was a former Eastern Illinois University wrestling standout; Moore wrestled alongside
Jon Fitch at Purdue University and now trains with him at the American Kickboxing Academy.