Strikeforce
STRIKEFORCE RESULTS: Robbie Lawler knocks Matt Lindland out cold in the first round in St. Louis
Dec 5, 2010 - 10:11:22 AM STRIKEFORCE RESULTS: Robbie Lawler knocks Matt Lindland out cold in the first round in St. Louis

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Robbie Lawler doesn't seem to garner the type of respect he once did. The 28-year-old has been inconsistent over the last couple of years with his performances, and it's led to an image of him as being perhaps past his glory days.

But on Saturday night in St. Louis, Lawler proved he's still very much in the prime of his career, as he knocked Matt Lindland out cold at Strikeforce; Henderson vs. Babalu.

It took all of 50 seconds in the fight for Lawler to fluster Lindland in the striking exchanges before dropping him with a beautiful combination. An uppercut stunned Lindland, and a quick right hook came shortly thereafter, sending him to the ground.

Lindland landed face first, and then quickly spun to his back. That turned out to be an ill-timed move, as Lawler dropped down immediately as he spun and landed a blow to the jaw that knocked Lindland out cold.

It was the second time in his last four fights that he's been knocked out cold. And this knockout loss was reminiscent of the last one, which came at the hands of Vitor Belfort in Affliction in even less time.

Lawler said after the fight that he's willing to fight anyone, and a follow up performance could bring him a step closer to a shot at Strikeforce's Middleweight Champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza.

Penick's Analysis: This was a huge win for Lawler, and a vicious, crushing defeat for Lindland. This was one of those fights that can serve as a turning point for both guys. For Lawler, it could mean a return to form and a move back up the middleweight ladder. It can't be overstated that his two most recent losses came to one fighter who was simply coming up as one of the best in the world in Jake Shields, and a fighter that was bigger than him in Babalu Sobral. In that Sobral fight as well, he had an argument for two of the rounds and nearly one the fight himself. As for Lindland, I think a serious consideration needs to be made for retirement. It's the Chuck Liddell issue: how many knockouts can a man take? It's one thing if it's TKO losses and an accumulation of strikes puts a fighter out. But this is twice in the last two years that Lindland has been out cold for several minutes in very scary looking situations. For his health, he needs to consider whether or not he can take punishment like that any longer.