Day 3 – 12/3/10
Day 2 – 12/2/10
Day 1 – 12/1-/10
22. Melvin Manhoef vs. Robbie Lawler
When it happened – Strikeforce: Miami (January 30th, 2010)
When I said Todd Duffee vs. Mike Russow had to be one of the better HOLY @&$! moments of 2010, take notice that I didn’t use best for that would belong to fight #22, a Middleweight encounter between Robbie Lawler and Melvin Manhoef.
When they first announced this fight in late 2009, I knew it was going to be a war. First off, you have Robbie Lawler, who although lacks in fighting tactics, he makes up for in heart and knock out capable hands. Meanwhile, Melvin Manhoef is probably, in my opinion, the best pure striker in mixed martial arts. When you combine two athletes like the aforementioned two, you’re instantly going to think something violent will take place. In this fight’s case, you have no idea how right you are.
To say Melvin Manhoef spent the first round beating the hell out of Robbie Lawler is an understatement. Lawler tried to slip through Manhoefs combos with little success, he opted to not check Manhoef’s scythe like leg-kicks and chose to wobble around the ring instead. wrestling-edge.com, I kid you not when I say I was just waiting for Melvin Manhoef to put Robbie Lawler in a body bag. Then, as the first round came to an end, Melvin Manhoef’s chin proved to be his biggest foe as a wild right hand from Lawler put Manhoef to sleep instantly. I remember screaming at my TV due to sheer disbelief.
While I know the knock out is certainly the focal point of this gif, just look at how high Lawler’s leg shoots up from Manhoef’s kick:
