Filed under: Strikeforce
It happened again. For the second time in as many events in the Strikeforce: Challengers series, one of the night’s most compelling attractions ended with the winner pleading/demanding to be taken off Challengers and put into a major event.
Last time it was Matt Lindland, who’s never been shy about his expressing his opinions. This time it was 135-pound women’s champ Sarah Kaufman, who mentioned her desire to be on a proper Strikeforce card every single time there was a microphone nearby.
The thinking behind the Challengers cards is that it’s a proving ground for up-and-comers, hence the tagline, “Where champions are made.” In theory, that’s a pretty solid concept, or at least it would be if so many of the fighters featured on the event didn’t openly interpret their own presence there as an insult.
For a while, it seemed as though the Strikeforce 135-pound women’s division was being overshadowed by the 145-pound weight class and its champion, Cris Cyborg. But all of a sudden, and not to mention on the eve of Strikeforce’s 135-pound women’s title fight between champion Sarah Kaufman and Roxanne Modaferri, the welterweight division has become a lot more stable and clear, as the organization announced Thursday a four-woman single elimination tournament, which will crown a new No. 2 contender for that weight class.