Louis Taylor hopes to bring his “Handgunz” to his Strikeforce encounter

Catch promising mixed martial arts prospect and Chicago native Louis Taylor fighting this Friday, August 13, 2010 at Strikeforce Challengers 10: Riggs vs. Taylor. This fight card will air live on Showtime (ShoMMA) at 11pm(ET).

Louis “Handgunz” Taylor (6-1; 4 KOs – all in the 1st round), standing at 5’11″ and weighing in at 185 pounds, takes on ballyhooed middleweight contender and mma veteran Joe “Diesel” Riggs in a matchup that has garnered main event status.  Not only is Taylor the underdog in this fight, he’s fighting in enemy territory: his opponent’s home fighting grounds of Phoenix, Arizona.

Joe Riggs is a veteran of 45 mma fights, yet he’s just 27 years of age.  Riggs (32-12-0-1; 14 KOs, 13 subs) began fighting almost 10 years ago.  Twenty-three of Riggs’ 32 wins have come in the first round.   His fighting style includes freestyle wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. There aren’t many weaknesses in Riggs’ attack.  He likes to stand and bang, but will eventually look to take his opponent down and ground and pound him out. He has a very strong base which gives him knockout power from the mount.

A south side native of Chicago, Louis Taylor probably learned early on how to be mentally tough.  In some small pockets of  Chicago, it doesn’t take long to see the harsh neighborhoods that have a tightening grip on many who navigate its treacherous and crime-infested terrain on a daily basis.   But this 31 year-old is out to show that he can carry that tough Chicago attitude into the octagon.

Taylor’s last two fights have only lasted a total of 1 minute 41 seconds, both finished by knockout.  Taylor looks to continue this success against the favored Joe Riggs.

Fight Breakdown:
Riggs’ left-handed fighting stance seems to fit Taylor’s muay thai style of striking.   Riggs can sometimes leave his left side open which can make him susceptible to kicks and power jab right-handed punches.  This is exactly how Kazuo Misaki was able to TKO Riggs back in September of 2008.   I expect Taylor to start quickly, as he tries to land some high and low kicks with his right leg.  Taylor, as well, has a strong amateur wrestling background.

One thing is for sure, Taylor will have to show that he has good take-down defense and a good sprawl because Riggs is very dangerous when he’s on top in the mount position as he hunts for chances to land his overpowering left hand.

Taylor should be able to take advantage of his muay thai skills.  He’s a member of the Chicago Fight Team, headed by instructor Roberto Ramirez.   Despite Taylor’s lack of octagon experience, this could be a very interesting and entertaining fight.  On one hand, it could end very early.  Or, we may be treated to some great back and forth action, with both fighters showcasing their own unique styles.

NOTE: The Strikeforce: Challengers series’ main purpose is to highlight up & coming MMA fighters. To our knowledge, Showtime’s Challengers events aren’t shown in bars.  However, there are indeed a few sports bars where one can view Showtime’s regular programming of live Strikeforce events.