Tweaks to Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Don't Affect Intrigue of Tournament
by Anthony Pace on Jan 14, 2011 3:08 PM EST
in Commentary
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PrintYesterday, fresh details emerged concerning the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix set to kick off next month. The most notable revelations:
- Alistair Overeem's championship will not be contested during the tournament.
- No matches will be scheduled for five rounds until the tournament final.
- Excepting a victory by Overeem, the tournament winner will face him for the Strikeforce heavyweight championship.
Frankly, this was the most likely scenario for any permutation of a major grand prix to exist in 2011. Without the guarantee from different athletic commissions that all tournament fights (and that includes alternate reserve bouts) would be five-round affairs, it would have been patently unfair to have Overeem-or whomever defeated him-train for/participate in fights that could go 25 minutes.
The format also makes sense from a programming perspective. What were the odds that three championship bouts would go to laborious decisions at Strikeforce: Nashville? That unlikely mishap cost Strikeforce a regular spot on national television and it behooves them to avoid a similar situation at all costs.
Some will cry foul that should Overeem be eliminated, it discredits the title belt that he will retain. This presupposes a prestige of the Strikeforce heavyweight championship that simply doesn't exist. Furthermore, the only significant MMA tournaments in the past decade occurred in PRIDE with participant champions who didn't put their titles on the line.
That Mauricio Rua didn't claim PRIDE's middleweight belt in no way cheapens his 2005 Grand Prix victory, nor would the absence of a title strap demean the Strikeforce Grand Prix Champion. Seven participants rank among the consensus Top 25 in the world, four of them in the Top 10. The field is stacked; whoever wins this tournament establishes himself as the top heavyweight in the promotion, if not the world, and no golden trinket alters those circumstances. With that said, at this point Strikeforce is more about entertaining fights than prestigious championships, and that's exactly what this Grand Prix offers.
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Great post.
Contributor at Unintelligent Defense
Lead Blogger at Ninja's Place
"...just when you think you’ve produced your magnum opus, someone shows up and takes a giant shit in your mouth. In your mouth." - Anthony Pace
Don't eat B.L.T. sammaches
Thanks, dude
"I believe that our founding fathers had it right. We need to get back to their America. No paved roads, rum used as an anesthetic, legalized slavery!"
"Unfortunately, it won’t shut anyone up, but if (the Falcons) get a Lombardi, I’m going to spend all of 2011 not giving a rat’s ass what anyone says." – Dave Choate
by Anthony Pace on Jan 14, 2011 9:09 PM EST up reply actions
For Sure.
The field is stacked; whoever wins this tournament establishes himself as the top heavyweight in the promotion, if not the world, and no golden trinket alters those circumstances.
However, it should by right be put on the line. Lame move by Shitforce. Nice tournie though.
"You’re lucky your brother Joe’s the matchmaker or you’d be sellin’ barbecued monkey on the street in Manaus."
"Take your comebacks, write them down on a sheet of paper. Roll it up tight, soak it in water, freeze it overnight, then jam it up your ass."
"You are a walking punchline."
~ Chael Sonnen repeatedly putting Wanderlei Silva in his place
What I would've like to have seen them do
Is strip Overeem of the title and have the final match crown the new champion. That’s my ideal situation. But then you stand the risk of pissing him off and having him boycott the tournament, when he’s the hottest fighter outside of the UFC at the moment. Also, it would’ve ended the champion’s clause under which they keep him.
Ah well, there was no ideal way for this to satisfy everyone, ya know? I’m just glad some of these matchups are finally being made.
"I believe that our founding fathers had it right. We need to get back to their America. No paved roads, rum used as an anesthetic, legalized slavery!"
"Unfortunately, it won’t shut anyone up, but if (the Falcons) get a Lombardi, I’m going to spend all of 2011 not giving a rat’s ass what anyone says." – Dave Choate
by Anthony Pace on Jan 14, 2011 9:11 PM EST up reply actions
What on Earth would stripping him do?
Why would that have been ideal? He defended it last year and has indicated interest in returning. Why strip the champion? What sense does that make and where is the precedent?
Contributor at Unintelligent Defense
Lead Blogger at Ninja's Place
"...just when you think you’ve produced your magnum opus, someone shows up and takes a giant shit in your mouth. In your mouth." - Anthony Pace
Don't eat B.L.T. sammaches
by Urijah Bieber on Jan 14, 2011 9:48 PM EST up reply actions
There doesn't need to be precedent
Strikeforce has to make it’s name by carving it’s own path. For all intents and purposes, this tournament announces the Strikeforce Heavyweight Division as a major player in MMA, and the winner of the tournament should be the figurehead of that division as soon as the final is over. Unless it’s Overeem, that’s not the case until the tournament winner meets the belt holder.
"I believe that our founding fathers had it right. We need to get back to their America. No paved roads, rum used as an anesthetic, legalized slavery!"
"Unfortunately, it won’t shut anyone up, but if (the Falcons) get a Lombardi, I’m going to spend all of 2011 not giving a rat’s ass what anyone says." – Dave Choate
by Anthony Pace on Jan 15, 2011 2:33 PM EST up reply actions
I'm gonna try and be nice with this..
But if you think that stripping a champion before sticking him in a tournament makes sense, you should probably be wearing a helmet. Were any of the champions involved in Pride’s various grand prixs stripped before they went in? No. Because it would be stupid. The only thing that stripping him accomplishes is making the tournament for a long-standing belt versus a tournament belt, and at the end of the day who cares? Is ANYONE who sees this going to think “well, he may have won the tournament, but he’s not THE BEST”? No.
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Yes
but it would be far easier, appeasable and intelligent to make his first round fight a title fight.
"You’re lucky your brother Joe’s the matchmaker or you’d be sellin’ barbecued monkey on the street in Manaus."
"Take your comebacks, write them down on a sheet of paper. Roll it up tight, soak it in water, freeze it overnight, then jam it up your ass."
"You are a walking punchline."
~ Chael Sonnen repeatedly putting Wanderlei Silva in his place
by RearNakedPoke on Jan 15, 2011 4:28 AM EST up reply actions
Disagree
If he loses in the tournament, you’ve extended the tournament a single fight. Creates another headliner. Also, it makes it somewhat unfair for some competitors to be training for three rounders while others for five rounders(like any of these will last that long right). Ultimately I wish the title was on the line too but there is a reason Coker is running a successful MMA business and we think we know how to run a successful one.
Contributor at Unintelligent Defense
Lead Blogger at Ninja's Place
"...just when you think you’ve produced your magnum opus, someone shows up and takes a giant shit in your mouth. In your mouth." - Anthony Pace
Don't eat B.L.T. sammaches
by Urijah Bieber on Jan 15, 2011 4:53 AM EST up reply actions
I concede the five round fight argument. In regard to the extra fight argument, I like to think of MMA as a sport and not a cash cow. Extra fight shit pisses me off.
"You’re lucky your brother Joe’s the matchmaker or you’d be sellin’ barbecued monkey on the street in Manaus."
"Take your comebacks, write them down on a sheet of paper. Roll it up tight, soak it in water, freeze it overnight, then jam it up your ass."
"You are a walking punchline."
~ Chael Sonnen repeatedly putting Wanderlei Silva in his place
by RearNakedPoke on Jan 16, 2011 4:31 PM EST up reply actions
Without the guarantee from different athletic commissions that all tournament fights (and that includes alternate reserve bouts) would be five-round affairs
Except that, despite what Mr. Coker says, the athletic comissions don’t have an issue doing five round fights that aren’t for titles. The issue is that with all these five round fights on Showtime, there’s a big chance for crapshoot events, and the folks paying the bills aren’t too keen to it.
You know what's really fun? Not being a raving lunatic. Give it a try some time, you might just like it!
Live previews and reviews of all major fights! Lights Out Radio
Seven participants rank among the consensus Top 25 in the world, four of them in the Top 10. The field is stacked; whoever wins this tournament establishes himself as the top heavyweight in the promotion, if not the world, and no golden trinket alters those circumstances.
And people wonder why I continue to not take mma rankings seriously, the idea that SF has 2 let alone 4 guys in the top 10 is a joke. Regardless I don’t care about the changes, I just find it funny how desperate some people are to try and crown someone else outside the UFC number 1. SF will be lucky to have this tournament not blow up in their face right now i’m just going to sit back and enjoy the carnage because with SF it’s only a matter of time before everything goes to hell.
"they mad at me, I keep going hard reppin/
cause what's your Rampage to Rashad Evans/"
-Joe Budden (Something To Ride To)
http://www.zshare.net/audio/76866807deabe3c1/
And people wonder why I continue to not take mma rankings seriously, the idea that SF has 2 let alone 4 guys in the top 10 is a joke.
Yeah, because Fedor, Werdum and Overeem don’t belong in the top ten. And that 15-2 Bigfoot Silva? He belongs in the bottom ten.
You know what's really fun? Not being a raving lunatic. Give it a try some time, you might just like it!
Live previews and reviews of all major fights! Lights Out Radio
by -Neil- on Jan 15, 2011 12:47 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Actually I mispoke I meant to say that SF at best has 2 top ten HW’s, the idea that the rankings give them 4 is a joke neither Overeem nor Silva have any business in the top 10.
"they mad at me, I keep going hard reppin/
cause what's your Rampage to Rashad Evans/"
-Joe Budden (Something To Ride To)
http://www.zshare.net/audio/76866807deabe3c1/
by Nightwhistler on Jan 16, 2011 12:54 AM EST up reply actions
Overeem is a monster, and Silva is 15-2 against decent competition
They’re legit top ten, whether you like it or not, and no amount of belly-aching about how bad the rankings are will change it. The reason that these guys are where they are in the rankings isn’t because they’re great, it’s because they’re great compared to their peers at the relative weight class, and to put it very simply: there is a DEARTH of talent at heavyweight. Josh Barnett is fringe top-ten, and he hasn’t had any real fights in a long time. People love big Nog, but he’s 1-2 in TWO YEARS. Hell, Frank Mir, a guy who is solidly ranked in the top ten, despite being 2-2 with EPIC wins over Kongo and Cro Cop.
Not everyone likes rankings because some people have favoritism, some have bias, and some are downright stupid. The concensus rankings does a good job of agregating everything in a format which I think gets the job done very well:
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/rankings
Love or hate it, it’s the best thing going today.
You know what's really fun? Not being a raving lunatic. Give it a try some time, you might just like it!
Live previews and reviews of all major fights! Lights Out Radio
fixed
I just find it funny how desperate some people are to try and crown someone else outside the UFC number 1. and convince themselves the rest of the sport doesn’t exist.
Contributor at Unintelligent Defense
Lead Blogger at Ninja's Place
"...just when you think you’ve produced your magnum opus, someone shows up and takes a giant shit in your mouth. In your mouth." - Anthony Pace
Don't eat B.L.T. sammaches
by Urijah Bieber on Jan 15, 2011 6:26 PM EST up reply actions
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