Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said on a conference call Wednesday that he plans to work with the Japanese Dream promotion to put on fights between Strikeforce champions and Dream champions. It sounds good in theory: In combat sports, title unification bouts are always a good thing. But there's just one problem: There's not a single weight class in which Strikeforce and Dream both have one champion who can fight the other champion.Take a look at the current champions in Strikeforce and Dream:
Featherweight
Dream: Bibiano Fernandes Strikeforce: None
Lightweight
Dream: Shinya Aoki Strikeforce: Josh Thomson/Gilbert Melendez
Welterweight
Dream: Marius Zaromskis Strikeforce: None
Middleweight
Dream: None Strikeforce: Jake Shields-Jason Mayhem Miller winner
Light heavyweight
Dream: None Strikeforce: Gegard Mousasi
Heavyweight
Dream: None Strikeforce: Alistair Overeem
So how can Dream and Strikeforce have a heavyweight unification bout? Answer: They can't. Dream crowned new champions this year with featherweight and welterweight tournaments, but Strikeforce has no champions in those divisions. Strikeforce will crown a new middleweight champion when Shields fights Miller on November 7, but Dream has no champion in that division. Strikeforce has champions at light heavyweight and heavyweight who have fought in Dream, but Dream doesn't have a champ in either of those divisions.
There is the possibility of a title unification bout happening at lightweight, although that couldn't happen any time soon. First Dream lightweight champ Shinya Aoki will need to defend his title against Tatsuya Kawajiri on New Year's Eve, and Strikeforce will need to unify its own lightweight belt by matching champion Josh Thomson with interim champion Gilbert Melendez. I'd love to see the Aoki-Kawajiri winner fight the Melendez-Thomson winner (especially if it means American fans get to see Aoki in the flesh), but I'm not holding my breath.
This isn't intended as a knock on either Strikeforce or Dream, both of which are good promotions that put on good shows. And it certainly isn't a knock on the worthy goal of matching champions against each other. But before either promotion starts talking about championship unification bouts, they both ought to make sure they have champions to fight in them.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
It doesn't mean they need to have all the fights happen in one night. This is great news, something I wish ufc would've been more receptive too. And eventual will have to face.
Also nick diaz should look to be the strikeforce ww champ. This is all good for mma. Everything outside of ufc continues to get better and better while ufc continues to pile crap on top of crap. Now anderson silva is saying he never agreed to defend his belt against belfort on a count that he hasn't even healed yet from surgery AND he doesn't even think belfort earned a shot to fight him. Still dana has found it fit to announce it and is setting himself up to be the donkey once again. Hahaha
Love it.
I agree with that and as great as Belfort is he didn't earn his title ... then again neither did Lestard. Just Dana being Dana ... If you ask me Dan Henderson earned his shot by beating Franklin & Bisping in dominant fashion.
Obviously, Strikeforce will have all divisions crowned with titles (minus the FW division by the end of the year). Hieron vs Diaz will most likely be for the WW title. It will take DREAM another 1-2 years to crown champs for HW, LHW, and MW.
Still, the idea is there and the fans are really excited to see mega events like that happening.
Dream has the HW title fight soon with Sokodoju and Minowaman. We already know Dream is doing a Light Heavyweight tournament next ... pretty easy to figure out that it'll just take time.
lol. The Super Hulk tournament final isn't to decide who's the Dream heavyweight champion.
They could very easily crown Sokodoju the HW champ after he destroys Minowaman.
I know this is a million years too late, but Dream would have had a much better shot teaming up with Affliction before it crashed. Both of them did ring fighting versus cage fighting in one and ring fighting in the other, and Affliction could have acted more as an American wing for Dream. Strikeforce and Dream just seems too awkward, but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do to try and compete with the UFC in America.
you guys are amazing....blast ufc any chance you get.
but when someone points out the obvious on statements being not credible and that they are just blowing smoke up your respective a$$'s
you just blindly buy it.
amazing!
if sf is so interested in the relevancy of their titles, why is their current lhw-mousasi, in his first fight since winning, why is he not defending his title?
not that he should take longer than 2 rounds to beat sok.
and i'm not saying that it's not a good goal or concept.....it's just jumping the gun a little as
mds so eloquently points out.
but i know, i know, they're great and the ufc sucks.
amazing.