Over a year-and-a-half after the opening round of the tournament, the Strkeforce World Grand Prix is finally over. Now that Daniel Cormier has been crowned the tournament champ, it’s time for a little bit of reflection. Sure, the Strikeforce tour…
Over a year-and-a-half after the opening round of the tournament, the Strkeforce World Grand Prix is finally over. Now that Daniel Cormier has been crowned the tournament champ, it’s time for a little bit of reflection. Sure, the Strikeforce tournament didn’t quite go as planned, but the end result saw the rise of MMA‘s newest […]
Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier, without a doubt, delivered a thrilling culmination to the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix last night when they fought in its final match at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. There is no doubting, too, the…
Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier, without a doubt, delivered a thrilling culmination to the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix last night when they fought in its final match at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. There is no doubting, too, the promotion’s heavyweight division—before considered its deepest division—is now officially in limbo. Perhaps we can compare Cormier’s […]
Daniel Cormier’s expeditious climb up the heavyweight ranks has been the stuff of legend. Less than a year ago, Cormier was a relative unknown stepping up to fight Jeff Monson. Fast forward a couple of fights later, the American Kickboxing Academ…
Daniel Cormier’s expeditious climb up the heavyweight ranks has been the stuff of legend. Less than a year ago, Cormier was a relative unknown stepping up to fight Jeff Monson. Fast forward a couple of fights later, the American Kickboxing Academy prospect now towers over most of the division. On Saturday night, Cormier routed MMA […]
They’re actually going to do this. After replacements and upsets and injuries and scheduling problems and repeated assertions that the latest date would not work because hair simply does not wash itself, all the principals in the Strikeforce Heav…
They’re actually going to do this. After replacements and upsets and injuries and scheduling problems and repeated assertions that the latest date would not work because hair simply does not wash itself, all the principals in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix finally gave a collective shrug and said, meh, why don’t we go ahead and […]
Junior Dos Santos has yet to encounter trouble in the UFC. The towering Brazilian has utilized his boxing, and little else, to dispatch his eight UFC foes with ease. His punching proficiency shines in the octagon. Junior comes into his May 26 cha…
Junior Dos Santos has yet to encounter trouble in the UFC. The towering Brazilian has utilized his boxing, and little else, to dispatch his eight UFC foes with ease. His punching proficiency shines in the octagon. Junior comes into his May 26 championship bout with Frank Mir as the strong favorite. His betting line is listed at […]
With almost every relevant heavyweight crammed into one event, it’s difficult not to be excited for UFC 146. Heavyweights are the main attraction in all combat sports so creating an all-heavyweight card seems perfect, right? But coul…
With almost every relevant heavyweight crammed into one event, it’s difficult not to be excited for UFC 146. Heavyweights are the main attraction in all combat sports so creating an all-heavyweight card seems perfect, right?
But could this instead create the perfect storm? Will we regret out indulgence in what we love the most?
Probably not. This actually may be a good thing for the division. The main benefit I see is that this card, and the rest of the heavyweight fights this month, including the Strikeforce Grand Prix, puts the top 10 giants on the same schedule.
The top 10 will shift all in one month and they’ll all be ready for another one in September.
This is very similar to what occurred last year in May and June. The Strikeforce Grand Prix hosted Overeem versus Werdum which had half of the top 10 on June 18. And the UFC held multiple events in which the rest of the best heavyweights squared off all in the same month.
Although they weren’t on the exact same card, it will have the same effect.
Not only will we see a complete shift among the top 10, but we may also have an insurgence of young talent into the pool of relevant contenders.
The Strikeforce Grand Prix finale, between Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier, will take place seven days prior to the mega UFC event. I wouldn’t be surprised if Zuffa crowns the winner of this match the last Strikeforce heavyweight champion and matches him up with the UFC champion to unify the belts.
This would exemplify the benefit of having them all on the same schedule. It would also allow the promotion to hold another mega card like this in September or October if this setup proves to be successful.
Plus we can expect a lineup of devastating knockouts since some of the most ferocious fighters reside in this division. The 10 heavyweights on the UFC 146 card are collectively responsible for 52 knockouts. This number almost doubles if you include heavyweights that also fight this month.
Don’t expect problems from UFC 146. Expect excitement not only for Saturday, May 26 but also for the heavyweight division for the rest of 2012.
With almost every relevant heavyweight crammed into one event, it’s difficult not to be excited for