UFC vs. Strikeforce: Night of Champions Wishlist
Not long after the announcement that Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, purchased Strikeforce I started thinking about how a battle of champions from the respective organizations would play out. It’s something that was always debated over the last year or two but was impractical due to the separate organizations reluctance to have any crossover fights. That roadblock has now been removed and with the fighters competing under the same promotional company now it is a possibility, although feasibly impractical from what the Zuffa and the UFC would ever put on any one singular card but that doesn’t mean we can’t wish for a dream night of fights. So let’s breakdown the potential fights from the lightest to the heaviest weight class and see exactly which organization would tally the most victories:
- Lightweight (155lbs):
Frankie “The Answer” Edgar (UFC) vs. Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (SF)
Frankie Edgar is facing his 3 rd title defense, a rematch of the exhilarating fight against Gray “The Bully” Maynard, on May 30 th so this match up might change at that point but we will analyze his match up against Melendez. Edgar has used his excellent wrestling background coupled with a quick, elusive striking style that poses a ton of match up problems for his opponents. That elusive style was on full display in his back to back victories over BJ Penn last year. Penn just couldn’t match his movement or hand speed and was consistently beaten to the punch in both unanimous decision losses to Edgar. When Penn tried to change tactics and take Edgar to the ground he found Edgar’s wrestling too be just too strong and was left with no avenue via which to win those fights. The fighter that has shown to be the worst match up for Frankie’s style has been a powerful wrestler with heavy hands that can hurt him on his feet and truly threaten him with take down attempts. That is why he has had so much trouble in his two fights with Gray Maynard (1 loss & 1 draw) and why I think he could very well struggle with Melendez
Melendez, the reigning Strikeforce lightweight champion, has an array of skills that would pose problems for Edgar. “El Nino” has the heavy hands to bother Edgar if they stand and exchange in the pocket. His striking style is also unorthodox with strikes coming from odd angles that his opponents often times don’t see coming and has led to 11 of his 19 professional wins coming via TKO/KO. Edgar is not a power puncher and relies on volume punching which makes him have to engage his opponents in exchanges in order to win rounds. That style has been extremely effective for him but leaves him vulnerable to taking the worst end of the exchanges against fighters with heavy hands like a Maynard or Melendez. While Melendez’s wrestling is not as powerful or dominant as Gray Maynard it is good enough to get Edgar’s respect and more often then not keep the fight standing if Edgar does decide to try to take the fight to the mat.
Both of these guys have a propensity for going the distance in their fights with exactly 50% (18 out of 36) of their combined fights having gone to a decision. While that seems that it would favor Edgar’s high volume striking style, I think it would play out very similar to the last Edgar/Maynard fight with Melendez hurting Edgar early with a few power shots and having enough of an unorthodox striking style to keep Edgar off balance and hold onto that early lead.
Pick – Melendez via decision
- Welterweight (170lbs):
Georges “Rush” St. Pierre (UFC) vs. Nick Diaz (SF)
I’ve been on record for the last few years in the opinion that Georges St. Pierre (GSP) is the best pound for pound fighter in the world. His fight against Jake Shields just proved that even though his performance was widely criticized in many circles as another safe, boring decision. That fails to see the amazing skill level he possesses. Shields was hyped into the ultimate test for GSP and the difference in skill level was stark. At no time during that fight did Shields ever remotely threaten GSP while being dropped and rocked on multiple occasions. There was no reason for GSP to risk going to the ground and grappling with Shields when Shields could not take him down and was easily outclassed in the striking department. GSP is the most complete fighter in MMA as he is the best pound for pound wrestler in the sport, has very good submissions and outstanding submission defense, and striking skills that are superb. His amazing athletic gifts have been well documented but it is his drive to continuously improve his skill set and learn from the best in the world in specific disciplines that has turned him into a fighter that has no discernible weaknesses.
I did a piece about a month ago about Nick Diaz and praised his skill and heart as a fighter and he proved it again with his victory over Paul Daley. Although I’ve taken umbrage with some of the antics he has pulled both inside and outside the cage he is one of the best welterweights in the world. However, in this particular fight it would be a horrible stylistic match up for him. Even thought Diaz’s boxing has developed into a great strength in his game, he doesn’t have the one punch power that would threaten GSP as he is more of a sharp, volume puncher. In addition, his long and lanky frame which is usually an asset for him in his fights would most likely be a liability in this one. Those long limps and wiry frame would make it extremely difficult for him to stop GSP from taking him down at will and trying to submit GSP from you back has proved futile to everyone that has tried.
No doubt that Diaz would lay it all on the line and maybe his long reach and jab would keep GSP off balance for a while but I don’t see him having nearly enough ways to truly threaten GSP and pull out the victory, especially over a 5 round fight.
Pick – GSP via 4th round TKO
- Middleweight (185lbs):
Anderson “The Spider” Silva (UFC) vs. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (SF)
The fighter widely considered by many pundits and promoted by the UFC as the best pound for pound fighter in the sport, Anderson Silva, would have an interesting test against one of his training partners in Souza. Silva is the most accurate and electric striker the sport has ever seen. His repertoire of strikes and ways to knock out an opponent seems to grow with every fight. In his last fight he knocked out Vitor Belfort with a straight back leg front kick to the jaw in one of the greatest knockouts in history. His skill level is at such a high plateau that at times he almost seems to get bored in his fights and tries to land ridiculous strikes just to keep himself interested. Almost like Roy Jones Jr. at his apex in boxing trying to knockout opponents with body punches, like he did against Virgil Hill in 1998. His Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) still remains fairly underrated even though he has repeatedly shown his acumen in that area with 3 submission victories in his current 14 fight winning streak.
It would be in Silva’s best interest to keep this particular fight standing because Souza is one of if not the best BJJ practitioners in MMA today. He is a multiple time world BJJ champion and has transitioned those skills over to MMA which is more difficult to do then most people realize. 11 of his 14 professional wins have been via submission but the glaring weakness in his game is his striking. Robbie Lawler was getting the best of him in that department in his last fight and nearly finished him before the fight hit the mat in the 3 rd round and Souza choked him out. Nobody knows Souza’s game better then Silva and if Lawler was able to expose those weaknesses in Souza’s striking then Silva will certainly be able to do it to an even greater degree. If the fight did go to the ground then Silva would certainly be in danger but Souza just doesn’t possess the powerful wrestling game to consistently take Silva down like Chael Sonnen had such success doing.
Pick – Silva via 2nd KO. Silva would be able to keep the fight standing and eventually pick Souza apart with any array of strikes he wanted.
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- Light Heavyweight (205lbs):
Jon “Bones” Jones (UFC) vs. Dan “Hendo” Henderson
Jon Jones has been a wrecking machine in his short MMA career and vaulted up to #4 in my pound for pound rankings after his demolition of Mauricio “Shogun’ Rua at UFC 128 to win the light heavyweight title. It was such a mismatch from a strength and size perspective that Jones looked like Thunderlips throwing Rocky around the ring in their exhibition fight in Rocky III. Jones appears to have the strength of a 250lb fighter in the body of a 205lb fighter and when combined with his explosive athleticism and speed makes him a nightmare for the rest of that division. He does still have quite a bit to improve on in his striking skills from a technical perspective as he is still wild at times but there is no reason to think that at 24yrs old and training at Greg Jackson’s camp that won’t improve drastically during the years to come. The fighter that poses the biggest threat to Jones in the UFC right now is Lyoto Machida. His elusiveness, movement, and pinpoint striking could really frustrate Jones assuming that he could avoid Jones’ take downs and keep the fight standing. However, a fight with Henderson would be tailor made for Jones.
Dan Henderson, the 40yr old veteran, just keeps winning titles and hurting people. He unleashed one of his patented “H-Bombs”, his thunderous overhand right, on Rafael Cavalcante at the Strikeforce event on March 5 th to win that organization’s light heavyweight title. It was an impressive performance to say the least. Henderson is an excellent Greco-Roman wrestler who loves to work out of the clinch, dirty box, and look for take down opportunities when they present themselves. At range he also possesses the aforementioned “H-Bomb” which has turned out the lights on several of his opponents throughout the years, so there is no doubt he is a tough, dangerous fighter. But the fight he had with Jake Shields last year would shed a great deal of light on how this match up against Jones would unfold. After a tough first round, Shields dominated Hendo on the ground especially from top position where Hendo was all but helpless to get up or reverse the position with Shields on top of him. Well Jones is a bigger, stronger, faster opponent then Shields who also possesses a dominant top position wrestling game. It really is a bad match up for the aging veteran Henderson and maybe one that would have a different outcome if he was 30 instead of 40 but unfortunately that isn’t the case.
Pick – Jones via 3rd TKO. Jones has too much speed and too good of a corner man in Greg Jackson to get hit by Hendo’s “H-Bomb” and once the fight works into the clinch Jones is far too strong and athletic for Hendo to handle. I see Jones wearing him down with a dominant top position and the fight ending via referee stoppage in the 3rd round.
- Heavyweight (up to 265lbs):
Cain Velasquez vs. Alistair “Demolition Man” Overeem
Cain Velasquez, the newly minted UFC heavyweight champion after his thrashing of Brock Lesnar at UFC 121, has never tasted defeat with a perfect 9-0 professional record and looked the best he has ever looked in that fight. His two biggest assets in the cage are excellent wrestling and phenomenal cardiovascular endurance. The stories about his cardio from his training camps are legendary. His striking is improving but certainly is the weakest part of his game right now as evidenced in his fight in 2009 against Cheick Kongo. Kongo, a very good kickboxer, rocked him multiple times and almost knocked him out before Cain could get the fight to the ground. Once that happened, Kongo, who has no grappling skills whatsoever, was helpless to get back to his feet. Against a more seasoned fighter with any semblance of take down defense Cain would have been in serious trouble and most likely would have been knocked out. That being said you have to give it to him for having the heart and determination to find a way to win. His striking has improved since that fight and he has shown that he has the punching power to stagger and knockout the bigger heavyweights in the division. With his dedication to the sport he has a chance to reign as the heavyweight champion for longer then most of his predecessors.
Alistair Overeem has been the best heavyweight in the world for the last few years. He is riding a 10 fight unbeaten streak that dates back to 2007, he is the reigning Strikeforce and DREAM heavyweight champion, and the reigning K-1 World Kickboxing champion after his win in their grand prix tournament back in December. Needless to say he is the best striker in the MMA heavyweight division by a significant margin today and arguably the best in the world at this time. He also has an underrated submission game that tends to get overshadowed by his striking accomplishments and has 19 of his 34 career wins via submission. If there is a weakness to his game it would have to be his wrestling, which coincidentally happens to be Velasquez’s strength. That is what makes this fight so intriguing. If Overeem can use his size and some take down defense to keep the fight standing then he has an overwhelming advantage, but if Cain puts him on his back will he have enough savvy to weather the attack and possibly threaten Cain with a few submissions and get the fight back to a standing position which Kongo was unable to do back in 2009. Overeem is a superior striker to Kongo and that should worry Cain quite a bit. He also has a much higher grappling IQ with better take down defense which means Cain had better work on controlling distance and try to close the gap with Overeem as often as possible and not stay out in range of his strikes. The other interesting subplot to this fight is Cain’s seemingly never ending gas tank against Overeem’s Achilles heel over the years which has been his cardio endurance. Now it hasn’t been a problem for Overeem recently because his last 9 fights have all finished in the 1 st round, but the longer this fight goes the more the advantage would swing to Velasquez.
Pick – Overeem via 2nd TKO. Overeem’s level of striking is something that Cain has never experienced and if he hurts him he won’t let him off the hook like Kongo did. Overeem has enough take down defense to keep the fight standing early and hurt Cain with his striking in the first 2 rounds.
The final count between the champions fights comes out to a 3-2 edge for the UFC. No matter how the final tally would shake out it would be one of the most memorable presents we as MMA fans could receive. We know it’s not feasible in the eyes of Zuffa management and will never materialize but we can always dream.
Press Release Published January 14, 2011