Strikeforce’s Roster Moves: Crafty or Bush League?

Randy Couture’s son, Ryan, will not have the experience that many first-timers have when he has his first professional bout. Unlike so many others who opened their pro careers in half-empty gymnasiums, on the undercard of a bar show or at a strip club, Ryan will be going right to Strikeforce for his first pro fight.

Of course, it should be noted that Ryan will be fighting on the Strikeforce Challengers 10 card, not on a “regular” Strikeforce card, or even better, a CBS-aired Strikeforce event. So, at least we know that Sarah Kaufman won’t be too angry. In that respect Couture begins a bit below the curve when compared to fellow Strikeforce rookie Herschel Walker, whose possession of an ages-old Heisman trophy allowed him to skip the Challengers series altogether.

Like Walker, though, Couture will face an opponent who is no doubt not intended to give him more than a mild challenge. Couture will face Lucas Stark, who is 2-4 as a professional and got one of his two wins by split decision, no less. However, Couture himself was just a competent 4-1-1 as an amateur, with the one draw coming in a fight where Sean Bollinger knocked him out with a triangle choke, only to have the referee rule that Couture went out after the bell sounded to end the second round.

Nonetheless, predicting the outcome of two relatively inexperienced fighters is not as interesting as taking a look at this and other seemingly strange moves on the behalf of Strikeforce. Whether you look at the signings of fighters like former WWE wrestler Bobby Lashley (or rumored future Strikeforce signee Dave Batista), Herschel Walker, and now the very green Couture, it’s clear that many of these names are attached to a higher-level promotion because of…well, their names.

Lashley is an exception, as he had plenty of collegiate wrestling experience prior to his “sports entertainment” days, but Walker and Batista had no real experience (please, don’t write me to debate that Walker’s years of tae kwon do equal valuable MMA experience) to bring with them. For crying out loud, even Jose Canseco has been attached to Strikeforce through rumors. Sure, he may never fight for the promotion, but the fact that we all kind of believe he could end up there says a lot, doesn’t it? (By the way, I’m not so elitist that I would deny having interest in a Walker-Canseco bout. Make it happen, Coker!)

Even the two women’s divisions that Strikeforce currently hosts are examples of Strikeforce doing things differently than the other big name promotions do. That’s not to say that having fighters like Kaufman and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos compete under the Strikeforce banner is akin to bringing in 40-something year old ex-wrestlers, football players and baseball stars, but like I said, it shows that Strikeforce understands that they can’t beat the UFC at their own game.

In other words, even though it may appear to be pretty bush league to sign a guy and probably put him on television for his first professional fight, I think it’s actually a pretty crafty move. Couture has name recognition thanks to his pa, but won’t command the kind of price tag that someone like a former WWE wrestler or well-known athlete from another sport would. Putting him on the Strikeforce Challengers 10 card will interest at least a few people to get them to watch the show when they otherwise would not. That in turn will allow other fighters that are being showcased on said card to be seen by more fans. All in all, it’s not a bad move.

In fact, I would argue that this has to continue to be Strikeforce’s game plan…at least for the foreseeable future. They may snag a Dan Henderson every now and then, but their biggest opportunity is going to be to provide what the UFC can’t- or more accurately, won’t. At this point, that includes women’s divisions and “freak show” fights, along with signing the occasional prospect like Couture, who is more noteworthy for his name than potential at this early point in his career. At the same time, they must continue to snap up any talented fighters that they can and promote the talent that they do have.

Coker has said in the past that he doesn’t want Strikeforce to be perceived as a company that takes the UFC’s cast-offs. I say, “why not?” Why not sign Paul Daley? People are going to want to see what the crazy bastard who swung at Josh Koscheck after the bell will do next, right? And are you going to tell me that Keith Jardine isn’t good enough to be on a light heavyweight roster that currently lists Mike Kyle as one of the better title contenders?

Coker has done a good job, but one thing he may want to remember is that he can’t beat the UFC at their own game- at least not yet, and not anytime soon. Don’t worry about whether you have to sell the occasional novelty fight or bring in the occasional UFC cast-off, as long as people are actually watching.

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Tags: Bobby Lashley, Dave Batista, Herschel Walker, Jose Canseco, Keith Jardine, Mike Kyle, Paul Daley, Ryan Couture, Scott Coker, Strikeforce, UFC