Santos vs. Finney
The Co-main event of Saturday’s Strikeforce card is a match for the Women’s Featherweight Title as Cris “Cyborg” Santos faces off with Jan Finney.
Santos enters the fight as the clear favorite with a betting line of -1700 with Finney given a line of +825 according to online sports book Sportsbook.com. Here is a closer look at both fighters heading into this title fight, which will take place from HP Pavillion in San Jose, California at 10PM ET on Showtime.
Cris “Cybrog” Santos (9-1)
Strengths: Santos is a beast of a featherweight as she has a lot of size and a lot of strength. Her striking skills are based on the muay thai style, but she also has a solid submission game. Santos is comfortable wherever the fight goes, and due to her size, wherever the fight is, she is usually in control.
Weaknesses: Santos sometimes has the tendency to get sloppy when she gets aggressive. She likes to attack in flurries, but that has left her open to the clinch and takedown situations. Still, Santos has yet to meet a fighter that has been able to match strength and size with here, so she usually doesn’t have to pay for her sloppiness.
Last Five Fights:
Third round TKO win over Marloes Coenen at Strikeforce on Jan. 30, 2010
First round TKO win over Gina Carano at Strikeforce on Aug. 15 2009
Third round TKO win over Hitomi Akano at Strikeforce on April 11, 2009
Unanimous Decision win over Yoko Takahashi at Elite XC-Heat on Oct. 4, 2008
Second round TKO win over Shayna Baszler at Elite XC-Unfinished Business on July 26, 2008
Jan Finney (8-7)
Strengths: Finney is a game fighter that hasn’t fought in front of a major world audience like she will on Saturday night. Winner of her last four, Finney packs some power in her punches and he all-around ability has allowed her to win a couple of recent decisions. Finney won’t be scared to face Santos, she just may not have the skills to win.
Weaknesses: This is by far the biggest fight in Finney’s career and her record doesn’t make an argument that she should be contending for a title. This fight is a great opportunity for her to make a name for herself, but she seems to be the lamb for slaughter in this situation.
Last Five Fights:
Split decision win over Adrienna Jenkins at FCF on March 27, 2010
Unanimous decision win over Lizbeth Carreiro at FCF on Jan. 30, 2010
Second round KO win over Brighton Hutton at C3 on Oct. 30, 2009
First round TKO win over Marissa Caldwell at MMA Big Show on Oct. 24, 2009
Unanimous decision loss to Erin Toughill on PFC 11 on Nov. 20, 2008.
Who will win: This shouldn’t really be a challenge for Santos as the fight seems to be more about keeping her fresh than providing her with a challenge. Santos should come out aggressive and establish dominance quickly. Look for a second round TKO win in this one.
Posted: 6/26/10 9:00AM ET