Kevin Randleman: The Return of the Monster

The enigma, Kevin Randleman, will return to fight Mike Whitehead on June 6th.

There was a time when many weren’t sure if Kevin Randleman was going to survive, much less return to fight on the main card of a Strikeforce show. There were many worried that he was going to lose the battle with a viscious case of staph infection (for those who haven’t seen the somewhat gruesome pic, check it out, but it’s not for weak stomachs).

A year after returning, victoriously, to Sengoku (he defeated Ryo Kamakura by Unanimous Decision), the perpetual underdog that is Kevin Randleman will make his return to the world of MMA with a bout against Mike Whitehead. Now little more than a week away, it’s worht looking towards this fight and wondering whether it will supply us with a glipse of a new incarnation of one of the most unpredictable fighters in the history of the sport.

As consistency has never been one of the strong points for the midwestern Monster who, at one point, decimated Mirko CroCop and left the world thinking, for about thirty seconds, that he had killed Fedor Emelianenko, it will be interesting to see if Randleman can create one of the things that he struggled to before: a solid win streak.

Strikeforce doesn’t need to bet much on Kevin Randleman. With a division that’s steadily coming along at 205, Randleman is a great addition, but his success is not going to make or break the division (which is good for Strikeforce, in my opinion). That said, Randleman coming along as a sizeable contender would make a division of UFC veterans and up-and-comers that much more interesting, and would certainly set up a few worthwhile matchups that the promotion could push.

Certainly there are a few who’d tune in to watch Randleman fight Tito Ortiz or the current Strikeforce lightheavyweight champ Renato Sobral (Randleman and Babalu have met once before, a bout that Randleman won by unanimous decision). If Randleman displays explosiveness, he’s a fighter that’s fun to watch. Of course, if he tests positive for a banned substance (or turns in another fake urine sample) it’ll kill any credibility he has, but it won’t make him any less of an enigma.

His inability to defend submissions has always proved a problem, but his power makes him an exciting opponent capable of shocking the world with the big right hand we all know he has.

I have no doubt that many of the older UFC fans will be curious to see how the former heavyweight champion fairs in returning to the American scene, and will keep him in the peripherals as he continues to fight for the developing Strikeforce lightheavyweight division. The June 6th card, featuring Jake Shields vs. Robbie Lawler, is shaping up well, and makes for an exciting event. Randleman is only one of the many warriors on the card, but his story is definitely one of the most interesting.