Melvin Manhoef will make his Strikeforce debut on January 30 when he enters the cage against Robbie Lawler in what promises to be an exciting middleweight match-up.

Manhoef began his training as a Muay Thai fighter in his native Netherlands, and when he made the transition to MMA competition he quickly became known for his vicious knockout power. This is evidenced by the fact that 23 of his 24 career wins have come by way of knockout or TKO.

Unfortunately for Manhoef, his focus on striking has also been his Achilles' heel. He has shown throughout his career that he is vulnerable whenever the fight goes to the ground. Manhoef has only lost 4 times in his last 22 fights, but all have come by way of submission.

He is determined to correct his lack of grappling skills, and talked about his recent training at American Top Team as well as past and future fights with Tatame.com

You can view the transcribed version of the interview in English below:

What do you expect from your fight against Robbie Lawler?

It will be a tough fight, he is great in the standup and I will stand and trade with him. He is going to the top, he is going to be really good, a big fighter.

Who are the standouts in your class in Strikeforce?

I think all the fighters are good. I have problems with ground fighters, and Jacare (Ronaldo Souza) and (Matt) Lindland are strong there. They will be tough opponents; you never know what will happen. I need to improve my ground game. For that I have turned to American Top Team, and I want to train here for a whole month. By doing that my ground game will improve, and it will be easier for me to avoid being beaten on the ground.

Are you waiting for a chance at the belt?

I hope so. I saw that (Dan) Henderson will be facing Jake Shields, so I'll be waiting. As soon as they want me, I'm ready to fight. I always want belts. I want to take lots of belts home.

What's training at American Top Team like?

The ground training there is very good. Everyone there is helping me, Gesias (Cavalcante), Thiago (Alves), and (Ricardo) Liborio. My wrestling and takedown defense is improving, and I'm learning how to escape on the ground. I need to train more and get better though. I won't be taken down.

I saw that the Pitbull (Thiago Alves) is working on striking with your coach...

Yes, we train together a lot. He is really cool, we trained a lot on striking and learned a lot from each other. Sparring with him is very good, he's fast, and hits hard. It's always good to train with him.

How is your Jiu-Jitsu training coming?

It is not easy, the guys (at ATT) are very good. They are tough, but the coaches are teaching me and I learn more every time, and I think I'm getting better. I'm not going to say I'm improving myself, but if Thiago and Gesias say I'm improving, it's because they see it. Ground work is always challenging for me.

Who else is helping you?

Everyone. Liborio always helps me and gives me lots of advice. Gesias always makes me work, and tells me to do this or that. The rest of the wrestling guys also help me. ATT is...