chief108
5th November 2009, 10:56
SOURCE LINK (http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2009/11/04/trading-one-mistake-for-another-attempting-to-make-sense-of-the-strikeforce-championship-dilemma/)
Saturday night’s “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers” event will correct one mistake while making another. On one hand, Jakes Shields and Jason “Mayhem” Miller will square off for the long-undefended and recently vacated middleweight belt. On the other, light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi will face Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in a non-title bout.
I’m sure the decision to take Mousasi’s title off the table is in accordance with some bizarre Strikeforce internal logic; the same logic that allowed Cung Le to hold onto the middleweight crown for 18 months without once defending it; the same logic that continues to allow Alistair Overeem to rule the heavyweight division without stepping inside the cage. It’s been precisely 24 months since the Dutch kickboxer won the inaugural heavyweight strap, a period during which he’s been allowed to fight numerous times for other promotions: six MMA fights, three kickboxing fights and one bar fight, the latter resulting in a hand injury that forced two Strikeforce title bouts to be scrapped.
http://fiveouncesofpain.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Alistair-Overeem-199x300.jpg (http://fiveouncesofpain.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Alistair-Overeem.jpg)
I don’t want to pile on Overeem too heavily. Injuries happen and his recent MMA outings in DREAM and Ultimate Glory mere merely busy work, a way to stay sharp and cash a couple of paychecks while awaiting the 2009 K-1 World Grand Prix Final in December. I can’t blame him for trying to make a buck, particularly in these lean economic times.
Sure, he needs to return to Strikeforce and defend his title, something he recently promised to do in early 2010 with the intention of facing Fedor. But all along it should’ve been the promotion that made this happen by delivering an ultimatum – defend the belt or relinquish it. After all, fighters are employees. They either do their job or you fire them.
[Read more] (http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2009/11/04/trading-one-mistake-for-another-attempting-to-make-sense-of-the-strikeforce-championship-dilemma/)
Saturday night’s “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers” event will correct one mistake while making another. On one hand, Jakes Shields and Jason “Mayhem” Miller will square off for the long-undefended and recently vacated middleweight belt. On the other, light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi will face Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in a non-title bout.
I’m sure the decision to take Mousasi’s title off the table is in accordance with some bizarre Strikeforce internal logic; the same logic that allowed Cung Le to hold onto the middleweight crown for 18 months without once defending it; the same logic that continues to allow Alistair Overeem to rule the heavyweight division without stepping inside the cage. It’s been precisely 24 months since the Dutch kickboxer won the inaugural heavyweight strap, a period during which he’s been allowed to fight numerous times for other promotions: six MMA fights, three kickboxing fights and one bar fight, the latter resulting in a hand injury that forced two Strikeforce title bouts to be scrapped.
http://fiveouncesofpain.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Alistair-Overeem-199x300.jpg (http://fiveouncesofpain.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Alistair-Overeem.jpg)
I don’t want to pile on Overeem too heavily. Injuries happen and his recent MMA outings in DREAM and Ultimate Glory mere merely busy work, a way to stay sharp and cash a couple of paychecks while awaiting the 2009 K-1 World Grand Prix Final in December. I can’t blame him for trying to make a buck, particularly in these lean economic times.
Sure, he needs to return to Strikeforce and defend his title, something he recently promised to do in early 2010 with the intention of facing Fedor. But all along it should’ve been the promotion that made this happen by delivering an ultimatum – defend the belt or relinquish it. After all, fighters are employees. They either do their job or you fire them.
[Read more] (http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2009/11/04/trading-one-mistake-for-another-attempting-to-make-sense-of-the-strikeforce-championship-dilemma/)