Taking stock of what Strikeforce lost in Nashville
by Zak Woods on Apr 19, 2010 3:59 PM EDT
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The general consensus within the MMA community is that Strikeforce's second CBS offering was -- how do we put this delicately? Hmm...well, Thesaurus.com says that it could be described as a "debacle", "catastrophe", "disaster", "calamity", "misadventure" or "catastrobrawl".
But that's just focusing in on the fact that Team "Are you talking to me?" Gracie thinks that stereotypical MMA marketing is the equivalent of urinating on an American flag while saluting Hitler and talking about your sister's mammary glands.
While the melee opens the door for CBS to withdraw from their relationship Strikeforce took some serious body blows from their night in Nashville.
Two out of five ain't bad?
For better or worse Strikeforce, and their DREAM partners, had the chance to steal a #1 spot in the lightweight division. One CBS suit told WKR that anytime you can poach a top spot from the UFC it's a good day. Too bad the exact opposite happened. Aoki lost, and looked like as lost as a Japanese guy in a Spaghetti Western (wait, they are remaking that in Japan).
It's not an awful thing that Shinya lost, it is just too bad that Melendez probably threw more punches in the post-fight brawl.
Gegard Mousasi: Sign up for wrestling team is between periods three and four in the auditorium.
Gegard is still incredibly young with a bright future but Lawal showed that there is a serious hole in Mousasi's current skill set - his wrestling. It should be noted that King Mo is an extremely accomplished wrestler but before we begin thinking of Gegard as an elite light heavyweight he is going to have to show he can stop a single leg.
King Mo: More entrances please!
Hear us out on this one. Typically, when a top-ten fighter loses to someone outside of that top-tier they are replaced by the person who won. Not in this case, which means Strikeforce lost more than they gained with Lawal's victory.
"King Mo" may have defeated Mousasi but the image of Lawal collapsing in his corner exhausted with a swollen mashed face isn't the one you'd picture with a top-ten fighter. Lawal is a tremendous wrestler, who is still developing his stand-up and he's only 28 but "King Mo's" victory was ugly.
The piece de resistance: Dan Henderson
When Hendo emerged onto the catwalk the Nashville fans leapt to their feet and cheered louder than they had all night. WKR's first thought was "oh, this was a smart signing". After the first round it appeared that Dan had taken up where he left Michael Bisping but then round two happened. Then round three happened and next thing you know Hendo had lost a convincing decision.
While Strikeforce can still match Henderson up in several intriguing fights (Gegard seems like a fun choice) his status probably took a hit.
One could make the argument that two of Strikeforce's top-five fighters lost and in all likelihood another, Jake Shields, will leave the organization.
For a promotion like Strikeforce, who has made the strategic decision to build from the top down rather than the bottom up like Bellator, that is the equivalent of the Somme, Verdun, Gallipoli or what happened to NBC's primetime programming.
Note: You Get used to WWI references because more are sure to come.
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The word your looking for is clusterfuck
And honestly I don’t fault king mo for needing to develop as much as I fault the mma media for making gegard mousasi into the greatest fighter ever to never beat a real top 10 lhw
And dan hendersons stock certainly took a huge hit. But I still see some people wanting to see him fight mousasi or mo
Great Picture
Mauro looks SO pissed.
"I have to carry out another fine moment before I die."
-Tatsuya Kawajiri-
Great post.
I agree with all of it. Strikeforce has made many questionable moves and it appears as though it may finally be biting them in the ass. I always respected Scott Coker and SF, but, the sport of MMA looks like the human cock fighting that Senator John Mc Cain called back in the 1990’s. The Failings of WFL, Elite XC, Bodog and IFL have obviously not be noticed. SF has too many fingers in the cookie jar. Everyone wants to blast Dana White for not being on TV. Well, if this is how CBS and Showtime see MMA it’s a shame. The thing I really want to see is the fighters from SF in the UFC. I loved Nick Diaz in the UFC, he always had tough fights. Jake Shields appears to be a 2 division stud. Gilbert was impressive. The inclusion of SF roster in the UFC would help settle some lack luster fight cards UFC have promoted lately. Also, the rankings can finally be accurate. Strikeforce are a great regional promotion, but, stepping into the deep water makes you realize how far they need to come. The last few UFC fight cards have been shaky, but, we never have to hear Gus Johnson or Frank Shamrock. The only bright light on the broadcast team was Mauro, Mauro has always been a true professional and one of the best in the business. RIP Strikeforce. If this isn’t the end, it’s gonna be sooner rather than later.
If Russia attacked Turkey from the rear, Do you think Greece would help?
couple of questions
Zak;
- are you a history major?
- was that picture taken before or after the brawl, because Mayhem looks like nothing has happened
- have you ever seen a grown man naked?
"It’s going to be like sex with a grizzly bear, you know, a lot of scratching and growling on both sides." - Don Frye
