Strikeforce: A Force to be Reckoned with in MMA
Last Monday UFC contender Dan Henderson signed with Strikeforce, the growing California-based MMA promotion . Though he’s nearing the age of 40 Henderson an MMA legend is arguably still one of the best Middleweight fighters in the world. Is it the UFC’s loss or Strikeforce's gain? Earlier this year the promotion hooked big fish Fedor Emilianenko and more recently Muhammad Lawal, aka King Mo, after a stint in Japan and just last week Bobby Lashley out of the WWE professional wrestling circuit. UFC president Dana White and Zuffa counted on signing Emilianenko and had hopes of eventually signing Lashley. Another stunner occurred this fall when 47 year old Herschel Walker signed with the promotion and is set to debut January 30 at Strikeforce in Miami. Sure Walker’s too old to enter the arena as a novice fighter, but he brings a name and is sure to generate publicity surrounding his fighting ambitions. Remember that Pride Fighting started in the 1990s with the right mix of established fighters out of the UFC and up and comers like Quinton Jackson and Anderson Silva...
Meanwhile the UFC shows no signs of shifting out of high gear after a 2009 schedule of fights in each calendar month. The UFC is a legitimate brand retailing clothing, fight dvds, MMA video games, and contributing to reality TV aside from its exploding pay per view numbers. Dana White and Zuffa need not fear promotions like Strikeforce or M-1 as fiscal and promotional threats, but fans are only interested in good sources of entertainment. The question remains, will must-see fights and fighters sponsored by the Strikeforce connection steal any of the UFC thunder heard around the world?
An easy parallel is the 1970 Professional Football merger. Two leagues existed in the 1960s; the NFL and AFL. The NFL was the brand that was stocked with known Hall of Famers promoted through secured advertising. The AFL competed for the growing American interest in football. So while the NFL had Lombardi’s Packers, Johnny Unitas and Jim Brown, the AFL worked harder to acquire the best young stars out of college that included Hall of Famer Joe Namath. A younger generation definitely followed the exploits of Joe Namath. AFL executives altered the rules creating a faster, livelier game. The NFL was five yards and a cloud of dust while the AFL went deep and lit up the skies. More football fans cheered Bart Starr and the Packers and watched Jim Brown around end, but the AFL created enough excitement to divide the attention of American TV viewers in search of the best football entertainment.
Going into 2010 and starting with the chief commodity—fighters, how does Strikeforce & M-1 Global match-up with the UFC?
Heavyweight:
Dutch heavyweight Alistair Overeem is the current Strikeforce champ. Size, range and wrecking ball strikes make the former kickboxer a danger every outing. Overeem fought in Pride and at 30-11 has paid his dues gaining experience the hard way. However, the biggest coup for the California promotion was landing "The Last Emperor," Fedor Emilianenko. Fedor has already caused a huge stir in America knocking out fearsome Brett Rogers in November. He’s destined to collide with Overeem in a title bout and at 34 the sky’s still the limit for Russia’s deadliest MMA weapon.
Brock Lesnar is at the top of the UFC heavyweight heap. Lesnar was first a pro wrestling star so he brought some recognition with him in his entry into MMA. First he defeated a legend in Randy Couture and then he made quick work of Jiu Jitsu master Frank Mir to avenge his only professional loss. Lesnar is out of commission with an undisclosed illness and it is not certain if he will be able to defend his title in 2010 necessitating another UFC interim title fight amongst names like Shane Carwin, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Cain Velasquez and possibly Mir. The edge favors Strikeforce behind the Fedor factor alone.
Light Heavyweight:
In popularity and skill you have to give the edge to the UFC with Lyoto Machida, Mauricio Rua, Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans. Here the UFC has one current and multiple former champions in their most competitive division 205lbs. Each fighter could claim a championship belt in any promotion in the world. Current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi, training partner of Emilianenko, is making a strong run to break up the dominance of the UFC foursome with impressive striking and grappling skills, but without the same big fight experience remains a question mark for now.
Middleweight:
Same story in the middleweight division, Anderson Silva is rated the best pound for pound in the world next to Fedor. San Shou champ and Muay Thai expert Cung Le is the former Strikeforce Middleweight champ before surrendering the title for the silver screen, but he might be one of the few in MMA to match Silva in both quickness of movement and accuracy in striking. The addition of Dan Henderson to Strikeforce could impact the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight divisions so current Strikeforce belt-holder Jake Shields will have his hands full.
Welterweight:
The initials G.S.P. say it all. George St. Pierre is the best welterweight in the world right now and the best wrestler in the UFC. Ready to step on GSP’s heels are Brit Dan Hardy, Josh Koscheck and John Fitch. Only Cesar Gracie’s Nick Diaz, who appears to be floating between welterweight and middleweight could match up with all of the UFC’s contenders. Diaz, formerly of the UFC is a seasoned Black Belt in Jiu Jitsu, can submit anyone in his weight class and works tirelessly improving his boxing skills making him more of a threat on his feet.
Lightweight:
B.J. Penn is the gatekeeper holding the measuring rod over all lightweight contenders at 155. Gi or no gi he is non-paralleled in Jiu Jitsu and has some of the best hands in MMA. With a record of 16-2, Gilbert Melendez, the interim Strikeforce champ, may be one of the most underated fighters in MMA. Melendez has excellent Jiu Jitsu and training out of Fairtex academy in San Francisco has put a sharp edge on his Muay Thai game. He will get a chance to get his Strikeforce Lightweight belt back at Strikefocre Evolution on December 19.
On paper and Pay Per View it is still the UFC’s game, but can their game withstand a little competition played out by a few big name fighters? If Strikeforce and M-1 Global sure up their network TV connection offering a few free fights they could put their own stamp on a mixed martial arts world branded by the UFC.
By Darrell J. Howard
ProFighting-fans.com Senior MMA Staff Writer