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You are here: Home > Boxing classes > The Saving Strikeforce Draft – 20 Fighters Who Can Make The Promotion More Interesting

The Saving Strikeforce Draft – 20 Fighters Who Can Make The Promotion More Interesting

Posted in Boxing classes | January 11th, 2012

With Strikeforce carrying been gutted for many of a tip talent, and a heavyweight multiplication imploded for a UFC proper, a delegate graduation of Zuffa is in a bit of a bind. The one fundamental problem clear after “Rockhold vs. Jardine” was that a uncover felt like an aged Saturday morning pro wrestling event, i.e. a garland of encouragement talent creation designated superstars demeanour good in defeat. It was kind of unhappy in a lot of ways and didn’t unequivocally tell us a whole lot about a guys on top. It customarily showed that a talent opening between Strikeforce awaiting and Strikeforce tip male is sincerely expanded and as such a contention this week has been about what (if anything) we schooled from a initial Strikeforce eventuality of a year.

Instead of looking during what this means in a prolonged intrigue of things, let’s take Dana White and Zuffa during their difference in that they wish to run this graduation like they would a UFC. While we know that’s not a case, this being some-more of them using a graduation underneath contractual promises as good as gripping a aspirant off of Showtime, for consequence of evidence let’s binds them to it. And as such they have a good dilemma: too many talent.

With a UFC register sincerely expanded as is, there are a series of fighters customarily biding time in a UFC that could be improved purposed in Strikeforce. Much like how an underperforming item can be changed from one partial of a association to another to see if it’ll improve, Zuffa has any series of resources underneath agreement that competence be best used elsewhere.

From a handful of former contenders carrying had pretension shots and mislaid to aging veterans looking for “interesting” fights, a UFC has an annoyance of riches. The problem now is perplexing to find good fights for guys not in a pretension design yet high form adequate to get fights that would put them nearby it. You can’t customarily take a like Gray Maynard, who’s challenged twice for a title, and put him in with prospects and guys on their approach out of a sport, nor can we give him another pretension plea unless he compiles a Fitch-esque win strain that can’t be ignored. With Strikeforce customarily comprising 4 groups outward both of a women’s titles, a resources of a UFC can be used for some-more than customarily enhancing UFC shows. And if a UFC wants to run Strikeforce as an tangible promotion, and not customarily breeze it down for contractual purposes, their register can be used to make a delegate Zuffa graduation significantly some-more engaging and potentially some-more essential with a few swaps.

And given we’re doing this, let’s call it a Call it a “Saving Strikeforce Draft.” Everything in life is improved with a draft. In this unfolding Scott Coker and Scott Shelby can raid a UFC register for some talent with a integrate of strings trustworthy from Lorenzo and Dana.

1. No stream champions can go to Strikeforce … and conversely no Strikeforce champions can leave

It would be good to move over Frankie Edgar or Jose Aldo to quarrel Gilbert Melendez during LW yet that’s not happening. Melendez has a agreement for any series of fights and substantially a champion’s clause, so for a time being we have to assume he’s going to be underneath this banner.

2. No tip contenders still “in a mix”

Everyone would have had to have their pretension shots already; a male like Jim Miller is still tops in a multiplication and hasn’t peaked, career wise, and dropping him down won’t work.

3. Veterans in their “interesting quarrel phase” of their career

Any warrior who has had their possibility on tip and now is customarily looking for good fights that are intriguing, as opposite to pulling them closer to a pretension shot ought to be eligible.

4. Prospects still 1-2 years divided from a contender

Anyone who still needs a lot of bathing ought to be eligible

5. Only 5 people from a 4 groups could be taken

If Strikeforce customarily has another year or dual left before it gets tighten down, we could fist a new turn of fights out with 20 new tip turn guys.

6. Guys who never crossed a final line between gatekeeper and contender

If we can’t get past a border tip 10 guy, we should be open to Strikeforce

Lightweight

1. BJ Penn

Penn is a healthy lightweight and needs to quarrel during that weight class. He won’t get a pretension shot anytime soon, though, since he’s already been beaten by Frankie Edgar twice. The second one intensely soundly, as well, and he also shares a downside of carrying mislaid to GSP twice during welterweight. The second to him soundly. So he’s unequivocally a male yet a weight category now and he’s aiming for engaging fights now, carrying nixed a quip talk. He’d be a fun quarrel for someone like Gil Melendez and a Strikeforce lightweight multiplication is uninformed with a accumulation of opposite challengers instead of a wrestle-happy UFC lightweights, so permitting him to recover some footing. One imagines a quarrel between Penn and Jorge Masvidal would be an comprehensive war.

2. Takanori Gomi

Gomi’s on a downside of his career and can’t hang with a tip guys in a multiplication he once ruled. He still has some value, though, and there are a series of fights in Strikeforce that make sense. He’s a good gatekeeper form now; if we can kick him you’re substantially a Top 10 male or tighten to it.

3. Gray Maynard

Maynard needs 8-10 wins to get another possibility during Frankie Edgar, if he still has a title, and has mislaid twice to a champ in a same year. He has a prolonged highway behind adult to a tip watchful for him, however, and would be zero some-more than a tip 5 gatekeeper. He’d a good exam for Melendez, of course, and would concede him to reconstruct his career a small bit with that roster. The UFC is a shark tank and Maynard would be adored over many of a roster; right now, though, anyone in tighten vicinity to a pretension quarrel won’t be placed nearby him. If he gets 3-4 wins outward a UFC and one over Melendez, for example, we can clear giving him a pretension shot again.

4. Sean Sherk

Sherk’s impending a finish of his career and had his day in a sun. Melendez creates clarity and Sherk gives that multiplication credit by his perfect participation alone.

5. George Sotiropoulos

G-Sot needs some career rehab, ASAP. A integrate of bad waste have put him one win divided from a pretension shot to one win from a door. He’s still a tip warrior in a division, though, and we don’t wish someone like Bellator scooping him adult for one of a tournaments or a quarrel with Eddie Alvarez. A run by a Strikeforce LW multiplication gives him some momentum.

Welterweight

1. Jon Fitch

Fitch is in a same mark as Gray Maynard. Won’t get a pretension shot anytime soon, already mislaid to a champion (but in widespread fashion) and is in a bit of a slump. A Strikeforce pretension power and some good blocking wins on his record rebuilds his movement fast and gets him behind in a pretension design in a UFC.

2. Dan Hardy

How Hardy still is with a UFC stays a bit of a fluke. With a integrate of bad waste after being KO’d be Carlos Condit in England, and a widespread detriment to GSP for a title, Hardy needs a certainty boost. He’s still improved than many of Strikeforce’s WW division, you’d suspect, and his character of combative would make for some engaging fights.

3. Rory MacDonald

A awaiting that has some time to mature, MacDonald needs some-more fights period. He and Tyron Woodley are during about a same spot, career wise, and would make for an engaging affair. Being means to husband a awaiting like MacDonald, divided from a shark tank that is a UFC welterweight division, could assistance him be prepared for a run to a tip of a multiplication many have likely for him.

4. Matt Brown

A TUF alumni who has a ashamed for fun fights, if not a many successful ones, he brings in name approval to a multiplication that needs some.

5. Matthew Riddle

Riddle is an adult and down awaiting that hasn’t utterly lived adult to a intensity he showed immediately after a plain run on TUF. He also has never fought outward a UFC, as well, and a knowledge could do wonders for him.

Middleweight

1. Rich Franklin

Franklin’s been broken by Anderson Silva. Twice. He’s also been a good yet not good light heavyweight. Thus he’s stranded possibly fighting above his healthy weight category during middleweight or never severe for a pretension again. Moving him down to middleweight gives Luke Rockhold an evident challenger, obviously, and there are some good matchups in that multiplication for him as well. Him and Jacare would be a fun fight, as well. Franklin is a middleweight and if he isn’t going to be used in a UFC he’d be a good sketch label for a graduation that needs one.

2. CB Dollaway

A TUF runner-up, he’s never unequivocally eliminated from awaiting to contender like he was ostensible to. He needs some-more seasoning, period, and Strikeforce could be good for him.

3. Jorge Rivera

Rivera was dominated by Michael Bisping and isn’t even a border tip 10 guy. He’s never lifeless yet he’s a gatekeeper to a border of a multiplication during best. Why put him on a UFC label when he’d be improved served on Strikeforce?

4. Tim Credeur

Another TUF guy, he needs to get some fights underneath his belt and reconstruct after an endless damage layoff.

5. Dan Miller

He’s in a same competition as Rivera: a border male who’s a gatekeeper during best yet never boring.

Light Heavyweight

1. Alexander Gustafsson

If he fought any of a tip 5 in a division, they take his lunch money. Phil Davis dominated him in epic conform and we don’t see anything opposite if he fought Rashad Evans, Jon Jones or any other tip contenders right now. In a year or two, maybe he fairs differently. There are a handful of fights in Strikeforce he could make some-more engaging by his presence. A good exam for King Mo, as well, in a destiny and one imagines a tough quarrel Mousasi would be on a books as well.

2. Thiago Silva

Silva needs a quarrel or dual to get behind to where he was after a Vera victory, generally after a year layoff. Why not let him work off a decay in a place like Strikeforce? He’d be a tough quarrel for Lawal and Mousasi as good as Feijao.

3. Kyle Kingsbury

He was a gifted awaiting yet customarily had his lunch income stolen from him by Stephan Bonner. He’s still young, though, and needs some seasoning still. He needs time outward a UFC to unequivocally develop; during this indicate he needs some-more than tender talent to survive. A integrate fights in Strikeforce opposite other guys

4. Vladimir Matyushenko

He customarily mislaid to Gustafsson and has credit to spare. If you’re going to use “the Janitor” as a gatekeeper opposite tip talent, because not see what King Mo could do opposite him? Beating Matyushenko is customarily a pointer you’re prepared for a tip guys and it’d be intriguing to see if he or Mousasi is.

5. Brandon Vera

Vera is like Hardy, et al, in that he needs some critical career rehab. He was once a awaiting who couldn’t skip … and flashed out as fast as he flashed in. His final integrate fights have been kind of annoying to some grade and he needs a possibility to start uninformed and rebuild. Strikeforce offers customarily that. One imagines that with a integrate of good victories over guys like Lorenz Larkin, that he’s some-more than able of, another run to a tip of a UFC could be theoretically possible. He’s always had a earthy talent and ability; now he customarily needs to get behind on lane and Strikeforce would be a good career refresher for him.