Strikeforce Moving Forward

With the hype train behind Fedor Emelianenko now derailed, many are left wondering what happens not only to strikeforce’s Heavyweight division, but where Strikeforce as a whole goes from here. Some call Strikeforce a breeding ground for UFC cast-offs, while followers of the San Jose-based promotion are quick to point out that Strikeforce contains world-caliber champions and aspiring newcomers, resulting in fight cards that are a hit more often than not. Going forward, here’s what I think will be the keys to success for Strikeforce.

I’ll start with what is quickly becoming one of Strikeforce’s biggest advantages: their Women’s division. In short, Strikeforce’s women’s division has consistently given us some of the best fights of the night. Given the fact that Women’s MMA is a relatively new phenomenon, nothing really needs to be changed. There’s already some growing dissatisfaction among MMA purists that Strikeforce’s Middleweight wrecking machine Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos has no real competition to truly measure herself up against, but that’s hardly Strikeforce’s fault. While it may shine a harsh light on the fact that all other Middleweights are playing catch-up to Cris Cyborg, seeing Santos dominate again and again has yet to lose its appeal.

With his recent thrashing of Shinya Aoki, Gilbert Melendez has quickly earned the rank of “Best Lightweight Not in the UFC”. Many are pointing to an epic showdown with Bellator Fighting Championships Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez as a dream-match that would go a long way towards cementing the legitimacy of the Strikeforce Lightweight Championship. While I also believe that Melendez vs. Alvarez would be a fantastic match, I think Strikeforce should go one step further and forge an actual alliance with Bellator in the same vein as their alliance with the Japanese-based DREAM promotion. This would give Strikeforce a considerably deeper pool of talent while also showcasing Bellator FC, which has gained a cult following due to its penchant for highlight-reel knockouts and submissions but lacks true mainstream exposure.

For Strikeforce’s Welterweight Division, it is in Strikeforce’s best interest to build up Welterweight champion Nick Diaz, despite the fact that he remains one of the sport’s most polarizing fighters. For all his faults, Nick Diaz stands out as arguably the greatest Welterweight not named Georges St-Pierre. Diaz’s unorthodox but highly effective “punches in bunches” strategy combined with his vastly underappreciated ground game has resulted in seven straight wins since 2007, with seemingly no end in sight. Diaz is a rare exception to the rule: a controversial fighter that’s actually worth the trouble.

With the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship now vacated, a Middleweight Tournament is a no-brainer. With no names or format revealed as of yet, I’ll wait to see how this all turns out before giving my opinion on how Strikeforce should move forward with their Middleweight division.

While not as earth-shattering as Fedor Emelianenko’s recent loss, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal’s victory over former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi did cast the future of Strikeforce’s Light Heavyweight Division in doubt. Even with his bad boy attitude and strong wrestling skills, “King Mo” remains a relative newcomer. Strikeforce’s best option is to keep “King Mo” active against the stiffest competition possible. If Mo is able to weather the storm and beat several tough opponents either by highlight-reel stoppage or hard-fought decision, he will bring credibility both to himself and to his championship.

The future of Strikeforce’s Heavyweight division is far from uncertain. Despite calls for an immediate Fedor/Werdum rematch, Fabricio Werdum deserves his shot at Heavyweight gold. It may never generate as much interest or make as much money as an Alistair Overeem vs. Fedor Emelianenko dream match, but Overeem/Werdum needs to happen. As for Fedor Emelianenko, it doesn’t matter who his next opponent is. Fans will be so interested in seeing how Emelianenko rebounds from his first-ever legitimate loss that they will tune in no matter what.

Simply put, Strikeforce deserves to be where it is: despite some stumbling blocks, the promotion always tries to put together the best cards possible. When all is said and done, the future of Strikeforce is actually quite bright.

So what do you think, fans and friends? What does Strikeforce need to do to hold or even re-gain your attention?