Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum Parting Shots

The world may not have stopped when Fedor Emelianenko was finally truly beaten, but plenty of MMA forums did when the traffic was too much for their servers to bear. They, just like Fedor themselves, have their limits. Now that the proverbial dust has settled on the whole thing, there’s quite a bit to discuss. Of course, there were some other very good fights on the Strikeforce card, too. Let’s take a look at what happened on Saturday night.

Who Should Werdum Face Next?

Popular opinion seems to be that Fedor Emelianenko should immediately rematch with Fabricio Werdum following Werdum’s short-lived jiu-jitsu clinic on the long-time top heavyweight in the world. What do I think? Well, I think the appeal of that matchup depends on who you are.

If you are Fedor himself (or his ever-present team of leeches- er, managers), you definitely want a rematch. With one fight left in Strikeforce before his contract expires, a decimation of Werdum is the only way to regain part of the mystique that made Fedor such a coveted free agent. Whoever signs Fedor after his next fight will be able to do so for a lot less money if Fedor is unable to avenge his loss before he moves on. For Fedor, the fight makes sense because even as someone who doesn’t seem to worry about his legacy or his place in history, the competitive side in him should want to get another crack at Werdum.

For Strikeforce, though, I don’t think an immediate rematch is a good idea at all. Right now, Werdum can face Alistair Overeem and no matter who wins, the organization can finally have a legitimate heavyweight champion. If Werdum and Fedor fight again and Fedor wins, much of the MMA world will deem Werdum’s win a fluke, and Fedor could be off to fight elsewhere, leaving Strikeforce with a champ who hasn’t fought anyone and a guy that beat Fedor, but subsequently lost all of that momentum in an immediate loss to him.

Sure, if Werdum was able to beat Fedor twice in a row, Strikeforce may have a legit #1 heavyweight in the world without having to have all of the drama and stress of dealing with M-1 Global. But that’s a big gamble, and I don’t think I’d take the chance if I was Scott Coker. Plus, if Fedor really wants to fight Werdum and avenge the loss, why not make him re-sign in order to do it? That gives Strikeforce a little leverage, because Fedor will have to stay with them in order to take care of business. Of course, the UFC may not have any interest now anyway, since they stand to have the (mostly) consensus #1 heavyweight in the world after this weekend…and all without having to deal with those famously “crazy Russians”.

Another Day, Another Undersized Opponent for Cyborg

I have the utmost respect for Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, who I think would gladly step in there with someone far bigger than her, if that was an option. However, Strikeforce has done a very poor job of legitimizing the 145 lb. weight class (and therefore, Cyborg herself) since she won the title after beating Gina Carano. This year she has beaten Marloes Coenen, who was a more fairly-sized opponent, and now Jan Finney, who usually fights at 135 pounds, and has not done well in her previous jumps up in weight.

The Finney fight resembled the bout Cyborg had with Hitomi Akano, who was also woefully undersized. In both fights, Cyborg threw her opponents around like rag dolls, with the fights almost becoming uncomfortable to watch, partially due to the toughness and bravery of the two. At this point, Cyborg should at least face someone her size again. The fight that Strikeforce wants is Cyborg versus Erin Toughill, who has had a long history in the sport and has the size and skills to challenge her. However, Scott Coker says that this won’t happen until late in the year at best, as he wants to give Toughill another fight first. In the meantime, the first requirement for Cyborg’s next opponent should be size-related, and after that, skill should be considered.

I know that the talent pool is a lot more shallow in women’s MMA, which is still developing. However, Strikeforce is the only large North American promotion that takes women’s MMA seriously, and you would surely think that they can find someone who can at least avoid being bullied around by Cyborg. Someone who could take her to the mat would be a good change of pace, too.

Should Kim Winslow Have Stopped the Fight?

This conversation obviously leads to whether referee Kim Winslow should have stopped the fight at some point in the first round. Finney hit the mat several times after taking shots from Cyborg, and often would seem to fight back or work for a takedown attempt at the last possible moment in order to avoid a stoppage. Still, when the commentators would wonder aloud whether it should be stopped, I kept wondering whether they would say that if the fight had been between two male fighters. I think that the comments would have been almost exclusively about the toughness of the fighter being beaten, rather than whether the fight should be stopped at some point.

Also, some are saying that the multiple knockdowns were reason for a stoppage, but I didn’t really see any clean knockdowns. I saw Finney taking pretty good shots and falling down more so to get away from the pressure Cyborg was putting on her than anything else. I honestly think that the commentary team was uncomfortable to see a female fighter get manhandled in such a way, which says a lot about how far women’s MMA still has to go to be viewed more on par with the men’s side of the sport. We’ve seen far worse one-sided fights between men without the kind of discussion we’ve had about this one.

Can Cung Make a Comeback?

I didn’t have such high hopes when Cung Le prepared to fight Scott Smith the other night. Le looked a little soft, and had obviously struggled with awarding his training the necessary time and effort before the last fight with Smith. However, it seemed as if Smith believed he could just eat Le’s shots (since he did so for the better part of three rounds last time), and he was wrong. Le is a very dangerous striker whether you pursue him aggressively or let him dictate the pace, as he showed in the win over Smith.

Can he make it back to where he previously stood, as Strikeforce’s middleweight champ? I doubt it. There’s not even any indication that Le has the desire to do so, after all. There’s been a lot of talk about a middleweight tournament (which would obviously include Le in an ideal world), but would he even be interested in taking part? It’s hard to imagine that he would, after fighting so infrequently over the last couple of years. I wouldn’t count him out if he was dedicated to giving it his all, but I simply don’t think that he is.

Quick Shots

–Josh Thomson and his opponent (Pat Healy) looked great in what was the best fight of the night on Saturday night. I’m a bit concerned that Thomson doesn’t seem worried about dictating the pace or style of his fights, as that will not allow him to give Gilbert Melendez a very good run in a rematch. However, Thomson is as talented as they come, and would be a force to be reckoned with in any lightweight division in the world, including that of the UFC.

–What is there to say about Frank Shamrock’s retirement? I’m not a fan, but I don’t deny the man’s place in history. Anyone who puts him in a “greatest fighter ever” discussion probably shares his surname or has his cell phone number on speed-dial, though. Shamrock was one of the best fighters of his day when he was the UFC’s first light heavyweight champ, but after he abruptly walked away from the UFC, he did little to nothing to show that he belonged among the all-time greats, as he hand-picked fights with years of inactivity in-between.

Still, he was one of the first truly complete fighters to grace the UFC’s octagon, and his emphasis on cross-training and conditioning was an influence on other fighters that helped to expedite the evolution of the sport. That he is not in the UFC’s Hall of Fame is a joke, and only serves to strip it of any credibility that it could possibly have.

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Tags: Alistair Overeem, Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, Cung Le, Erin Toughill, Fabricio Werdum, Fedor Emelianenko, Frank Shamrock, Jan Finney, Scott Smith, Strikeforce, Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum