Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou signed with Bellator last year and has made an impact on the Bellator light heavyweight division as he has gone 2-0 with victories over Terry Davinney and Malik Merad.
He will look for his third straight win tonight as he will meet former title challenger Linton Vassell on the main card of Bellator 134.
Tonight’s fight against Vassell is a huge opportunity for Sokoudjou (16-12) to prove that he is a title contender in the Bellator light heavyweight division. When it comes to the fight, Sokoudjou understands a big key is winning scrambles.
“Just make sure I end up in top of the scrambles because looking at his last fight, a bunch of the times he was the one winning all of the scrambles,” Sokoudjou told The MMA Report. “I got to make sure I do not put myself in a bad position.”
When it comes to the offensive game of Vassell, Sokoudjou is well aware of what his opponent likes to do, which is submissions. During the weigh-ins yesterday, Vassell predicted a win by submission and this has been a key aspect of the training camp for Sokoudjou.
“I have seen his previous fights and I do know that every time he gets in trouble on the feet, he goes to the ground. If you watch his fight before the last one, he threw a couple of punches and went straight to the ground. I know he likes to go to the ground and use his length. When you look at his record, a lot of his wins are by submission and when you look at my record, a few of my fights that I lost are by submission. When you put one and one together, you might have an idea what might be working.”
Earlier this week, Vassell told The MMA Report that he feels Sokoudjou can get reckless with his striking and it leads to opening. When Sokoudjou was asked to respond, he admitted that he can be reckless but he learned a lesson about being reckless in a fight against Houston Alexander.
“I think he is right until a couple of years ago,” he said. “When you watch my fight against Houston Alexander, I had him hurt and then I just went all out. There are times to be reckless and there are times to be smart about it. My last fight in Bellator when I hurt the French guy on the ground, I knew he was hurt but I did not want to make the same mistake I made two years back where I go all out and blow my wad. There is a time and place from that. When that happens, I will make sure I go crazy on him.”
Just like any fight Sokoudjou takes part in, he plans to win by knockout and if that happens tonight, Bellator may just have a new title contender in the 205 pound division.