Worth Watching: Strikeforce Challengers

If it can be safely said that awareness of Strikeforce’s regular offerings is but a portion of those of the UFC, then the Strikeforce “Challengers” series probably just has a fraction of that portion itself.  Without big names to anchor the Showtime-aired series and attract the decidedly “non-hardcore” MMA fanbase, these shows seem to live in relative obscurity, though Friday night’s offering proves that this should not be the case.

One part of the night that can’t be overlooked is Sarah Kaufman’s win over Takayo Hashi to become the company’s first women’s 135 pound champion.  First of all, for Kaufman, who fought professionally for three years before joining Strikeforce, it represents the culmination of the hard work and dedication that is required to make someone in any division a champion.  Obviously, then, the majority of the attention should go to her for her accomplishment.  Though the fight itself was at times a war of attrition (and conflicting strategies- Hashi wanted no part of striking, Kaufman preferred to avoid the mat), the new women’s welterweight champion won each round convincingly.

However, this show was important because it proves that Strikeforce is serious about supporting and promoting women’s mixed martial arts.  While it’s a shame that this division has thus far been left off of Strikeforce’s bigger cards, it is still a good sign to see that Strikeforce is featuring women outside of Gina Carano and Cyborg Santos’ weight class of choice.  This shows that, at least so far, Strikeforce is committed to making their women’s divisions more than just a showcase for those particular two women.

You will recognize some of the names on any given “Challengers” card, such as UFC veteran Trevor Prangley, who had a rare technical draw due to an unintentional thumb to the eye of opponent Karl Amoussou.  Other such as Nick Thompson, Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos (the other Cyborg’s husband, of course), Joey Villasenor, Dennis Hallman and Jorge Gurgel have been featured, for example.  Sure, these guys are unlikely to end up near the top of their divisions at this point, but they provide recognizable faces and- more importantly- a good measuring stick for the wealth of emerging talent that is featured on these shows.

For instance, when relative unknown Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm defeated Duane “Bang” Ludwig at the second “Challengers” installment last June, it lent some credibility to his still-undefeated record (and gave us a reason to remember him, other than his admittedly awesome nickname).  Same with the 11-2 Tim Kennedy, who forced the always tough Nick “The Goat” Thompson on the very same card, forcing the veteran to submit due to strikes.  Last night’s show gave us Luke Rockhold, an impressive American Kickboxing Academy middleweight who has won all seven of his victories by submission or knockout within the first round, all while dropping just one fight.

Really, “Challengers” is a good idea.  It gives Strikeforce some structure by allowing undeveloped talent to grow outside of the high-profile cards that the likes of Jake Shields, Fedor Emelianenko or Robbie Lawler fight on.  In fact, I’ve long thought that the UFC would benefit from the same kind of series of shows, though they do seem to be doing just fine by letting less experienced fighters face one another on the prelims, or duke it out on “The Ultimate Fighter”.

Besides all of that, though, it’s more MMA to watch, and what’s wrong with that?  Whether you recognize more than a couple of names on the card or not, give one of these shows a chance.  Just as with the revamped WEC when it first debuted, you may find that you are surprised by how entertaining the fights are.

E-Mail Jon Hartley

Tags: Cyborg Santos, Gina Carano, Sarah Kaufman, Strikeforce, Strikeforce Challengers, Takayo Hashi, Trevor Prangley, women's MMA