The Greatest MMA News Column 02.02.10: Strikeforce Problems

Posted by Dan Plunkett on 02.02.2010

411's Dan Plunkett takes a look at some of the problems with the Strikeforce promotion, Forrest Griffin's thoughts on his upcoming bout against Rogerio Nogueira, the UFC heading to Abu Dhabi, and much more!

The Strikeforce Outlook

2009 saw the rise of a San Jose based regional promotion to arguably the #2 MMA company in the world. They benefited from the wrongdoings of rival promotions and took full advantage of every opportunity that fell on their lap. That company is Strikeforce; and despite their great expansion in 2009, they will need to fix a few things to continue that growth into the new decade.

On Saturday, Strikeforce crowned their first welterweight champion in Nick Diaz. From afar, Diaz seems to be the type of person you want as a top guy in your company. His actions incite everyone to form an opinion on him, he seems to have no respect for his opponents, plus, he's a very good and exciting fighter. Taking a closer look though, maybe Diaz's mouth runs a little too far for Strikeforce's taste. The Stockton native strongly desires a bout against welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre, and he's not being quiet about it. When asked of a potential bout against Jay Hieron, Diaz stated ""I'd rather fight someone that's a little more important … His fight wasn't even on the main card. Why am I going to fight him when no one saw [his fight]? I don't even know who he is. They keep bringing me these guys that nobody even knows who they are."



Nick Diaz certainly isn't someone I'd call a company man, which is a problem for Strikeforce. I believe Diaz's outspokenness will only make Strikeforce realize they have a bigger problem in how they use their fighters. Jay Hieron was promised a title shot when he signed with the company after the downfall of Affliction. His title shot was supposed to come against Diaz in August, but Diaz missed a pre-fight drug test and was denied a license to fight. As a result, Diaz was replaced by Ultimate Fighter alum Jesse Taylor and the bout was moved to the preliminary card. Hieron easily won the fight by decision and it was generally expected he would get his shot at Diaz and the vacant title.

Meanwhile, Scott Coker had secured an agreement with DREAM to exchange some talent. Marius Zaromskis, one of DREAM's most exciting and best welterweights, agreed to fight in Strikeforce. Hieron was reportedly offered a fight against Zaromskis, but turned it down because of his desire to take on Diaz in a title bout. Strikeforce then decided that they would rather promote Diaz vs. Zaromskis for the title, so that's what they did. To make matters worse, Hieron was once again stuck on the preliminary card against fellow top contender Joe Riggs. Quickly, Jay Hieron became the Yushin Okami of Strikeforce.

The main draw on Saturday's card was 47-year-old Herschel Walker. Walker was all over ESPN the week leading up to the fight promoting his MMA debut. As I write this, the ratings have yet to be released, but I'm sure it attracted many curious viewers. The former Heisman Trophy winner garnered so much attention for his fight and subsequent victory that there wasn't much need for Strikeforce to have another good drawing card fight on the event. That's just what they did though when they put on the epic Bobby Lashley vs. Wes Sims bout.

Going forward, Strikeforce is counting on Bobby Lashley to not only become one of their premiere heavyweight fighters, but also one of their biggest drawing cards. Before Saturday, Lashley had never fought under the banner of a major promotion. Yet, this fact seemed absent in both the pre-fight build-up and during the event itself. Strikeforce wasted the debut of Bobby Lashley, and I'm not even factoring in the poor choice of opponent and late announcement of the opponent. The event was already being carried by Herschel Walker, they could have saved Lashley for a headlining bout on a Challengers card or a feature bout on their CBS show. Had they chosen to do that, Jay Hieron could have fought on the main card. A future Hieron vs. Diaz/Zaromskis title bout could have been hyped throughout the show on Saturday.



If that fight took place, would Nick Diaz still have been as vocal about saying he wants to fight St. Pierre? Probably; that's just who he is. However, I don't think he would have been so unwilling to fight Jay Hieron. Now, Jay Hieron could very well leave Strikeforce due to his contract being up and I would assume he's not very happy about how he's been handled. Even if Hieron stays with Strikeforce, Scott Coker has stated he's more interested in putting Diaz against Hayato Sakurai. At 34-years-old, Sakurai has lost two fights in a row and is hardly the top welterweight he used to be. I doubt this match-up will satisfy Diaz, who will probably notice that in North America Sakurai is about as popular as Jay Hieron.

Another fighter having trouble finding a viable opponent is Cris "Cyborg" Santos. Santos overmatched her much smaller looking opponent, Marloes Coenen, on Saturday night. In another case of a mismanaged title contender, Coenen was well known to have been next in line for Cyborg's title when she made her Strikeforce debut in November. Despite this fact, Coenen was stuck preliminary card of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers. I can understand the little known Coenen not making the main card of the event, but she was still next in line for a title shot (unless she lost). Why couldn't Strikeforce have placed her on their November 6 card? If not that, who is to say she couldn't have been featured on their November 20 event? While those Challengers cards got substantially less viewership than the CBS show, it would have at least given fans the chance to see her in action before she gets a crack at the champ. Instead, Coenen remained on the prelims of the CBS card, where she submitted her opponent in little more than a minute. One would think that the short fight time combined with Coenen being Cyborg's next challenger would have been enough for Strikeforce to air at least the ending of the bout, but wasn't the case.

With the women's 145 pound division being so thin and Strikeforce having a tough time figuring out a contender, it's comforting to see that they want to put together a tournament to find a contender. It seems as though the tournament will play itself out over a number of months, which leaves time for another title contender to fight. That title contender will most likely be Erin Toughill, who I would like to see Strikeforce promote as a contender to Cyborg before she gets a title shot. As for Coenen, I would like to see her move back down to 135 and take on the winner of the upcoming Sarah Kaufman-Takayo Hashi championship bout.

Keeping with the theme of championship matches, one rumored to be taking place in April on CBS is Gegard Mousasi vs. King Mo Lawal. I still firmly believe Strikeforce not airing King Mo's entrance at Evolution was a major oversight. Aside from being a very talented and promising fighter, Mo is among the most charismatic athletes in the sport. His entrances are a show in themselves and robbing viewers of a chance to connect with the character that is King Mo Lawal was pure stupidity. According to light heavyweight champ Gegard Mousasi, Strikeforce is looking to put together Mousasi vs. Lawal next, a fight which I believe they're rushing.



It's not that I don't believe King Mo is ready to take on Mousasi; I just don't think Strikeforce has properly built to a title bout between the two. I believe fans should care one way or the other about fighters competing for a title in a major promotion, or at least have the opportunity to. Since Strikeforce doesn't really have a Countdown show like the UFC, the only chance many will get to develop some sort of connection with these fighters is during their events. Sure, King Mo fought and won by knockout in Strikeforce, but fans didn't get the best opportunity to truly see King Mo because they were never given the chance to see his entrance. Come April, I would love to see King Mo and Gegard Mousasi fight on CBS, but against separate opponents. After that, should Strikeforce show King Mo's entrance this time, I would love to see Mousasi vs. Mo.

Since I've been highlighting Strikeforce's problems, and I don't like being a negative Nancy, here are some things I like about Strikeforce:

1. I was happy with how they promoted Fedor leading up to his debut with the company. They didn't own the rights to any of this footage so they were left with simply telling people that he's the best. However, I would rather see them call him "the best heavyweight in the world" and "the greatest MMA fighter of all time" rather than "the greatest MMA fighter on the planet." I would also like to see more use of "The Last Emperor" nickname, because I find it to be great.

2. Their willingness to co-promote to put together a fight like Robbie Lawler vs. Melvin Manhoef.
3. All of their shows are free (if you have Showtime).

4. They are aggressively going after good new talent such as King Mo, Tyron Woodley, Shane Del Rosario, Luke Rockhold, Lyle Beerbohm, and Daniel Cormier to build towards the future.

5. They are aggressively pursuing good established talent such as Fedor Emelianenko, Dan Henderson, Jason Miller, Jay Hieron, Jacare Souza, and Matt Lindland. No matter how they may mismanage some of them after signing.

6. They put on entertaining events. Ever since Strikeforce began their rapid expansion, there hasn't been a major show of theirs I haven't enjoyed.

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Forrest Griffin Doesn't Want to Fight Rogerio Nogueira Very Much, But Will Anyway

Ever the honest man, Forrest Griffin believes his upcoming bout against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is a "horrible" fight for him. I can't say I disagree with him too much here. Rogerio has good boxing, knockout power, and a very good ground game. Forrest comes in with a more diverse striking game, but that shouldn't overwhelm Rogerio. On the ground, I would give the advantage to Nogueira, but I think Forrest can avoid getting submitted should the fight go there. I think Forrest's best chance at beating Nogueira is to simply outwork him on his feet.

While whether or not this is a horrible fight for Griffin is fairly debatable, it is a fact that this fight is very important for Forrest. He defeated Tito Ortiz in November, but that didn't erase the memory of Anderson Silva's August beat down of him. If Forrest wins this fight, he would be catapulted back in the title hunt.

The fight is just as big for Nogueira. A win over Griffin, one of the UFC's most well known fighters, would be just what the doctor ordered for the little known Lil Nog. It would also put him in place for a rematch against Shogun Rua, or even a fight against Randy Couture.

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Rumors Confirmed: UFC Heading to Abu Dhabi in April

In a move that only furthers the UFC's global expansion; the Octagon is officially travelling to Abu Dhabi in April. It brings along with it two title fights and a welterweight attraction. Anderson Silva will go for his record breaking sixth title defense when he takes on Vitor Belfort. BJ Penn looks to continue his dominance over the lightweight division when he takes on Frankie Edgar. Plus, Matt Hughes battles Renzo Gracie.

I appreciate that the UFC is stacking the card but at the moment my interest level isn't very high. Silva vs. Belfort is an interesting fight featuring two guys with knockout potential. I'm more interested to see how Silva approaches Belfort in the stand-up game than anything else at this point. Will he be tentative like against Patrick Cote? Or oozing confidence like against Forrest Griffin? As for Penn vs. Edgar, I don't have much interest in the match-up itself because it's a foregone conclusion that Edgar will be too small to take Penn down and Penn will win the ensuing boxing match. I'm in the middle on Hughes vs. Gracie, but I think it will be a fun fight to watch.

It will be interesting to see how well this show does on PPV with the nine hour time difference in the US. I think Penn and Silva are a good pairing to headline an event together, because they're both so good people may shell out the $44.95 to see two of the best ever do what they do when they may have been hesitant to do so if solely Silva or Penn was headlining. Part of me is disappointed that Silva isn't headlining a PPV on his own because I'm interested to see how much his performance against Forrest Griffin affected his drawing power. I suspect the case with his drawing power is people are willing to pay to see him fight top light heavyweights, but don't have much interest when it comes to Silva vs. whatever middleweight he beats next.

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I'm out.

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