In 2011, it seemed that heavyweight contenders in the UFC were slim pickings.
Former champion Brock Lesnar was on the mend with another fight with diverticulitis, Shane Carwin had to undergo yet another surgery and Frank Mir was slowly becoming a gatekeeper for the division.
Up-and-coming fighters like Brendan Shaub and Matt Mitrione were emerging as possible title contenders even though each still had a long ways to go before being able to challenge the top fighters.
However, in 2012, fight fans will see a revival to the division, as Lesnar and Carwin will soon return and Mir has shown he is still a dangerous fighter.
The heavyweight division will also see some new faces, as former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Allstair Overeem was added to their roster and is set to take on Lesnar next Friday to see who will be Junior dos Santos’ first title challenger.
Fabricio Werdum, the first man to beat Fedor Emlianenko in 10 years, has also been added and will begin his second stint in the UFC when he takes on Ultimate Fighter winner Roy Nelson at UFC 143.
Slowly, what was seen as inevitable when the Zuffa purchased Strikeforce is becoming reality, as the promotion’s top fighters are being brought over to the UFC.
Now, according to ESPN.com, it has been made official.
It was reported that Strikeforce’s heavyweight division, currently in the middle of a Grand Prix tournament, will collapse in 2012, and the roster will be absorbed by the UFC.
Along with Overeem and Werdum, UFC fight fans will also see fighters like Anotnio “Bigfoot” Silva, Daniel Cormier and Chad Griggs make their octagon debuts.
Cormier and fellow Grand Prix finalist Josh Barnett will finish the tournament in March, and then one or both of them will make their way over to the UFC.
Barnett has not been in the UFC since he was stripped of the heavyweight title after testing positive for banned substances in 2002. It will be interesting to see if he is part of the new additions to the UFC.
Barnett is part of a group that is uncertain whether or not they will be included in the transition. These fighters include former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski, Brett Rodgers and Emlianenko himself.
“The Last Emperor’s” management and UFC President Dana White have never seen eye-to-eye, and it is unknown if he will ever fight in the UFC.
Regardless if these fighters make the move or not, the UFC’s heavyweight division will be receiving a major upgrade in 2012.
The depth of the division has been slim for the past few years, but finally, the heavyweights are up to par with the other divisions in the promotion.
All of the questions of how Strikeforce heavyweights would match up with the likes of Lesnar, Mir, dos Santos and Velasquez will be answered, as 2012 could be one of the most exciting years for the heavyweight division.
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