Strikeforce Parts Ways with Buentello, Still Can't Write a Press Release

Former UFC heavyweight contender Paul Buentello may be headed back to the Octagon after securing his release from Strikeforce. In what has become typical Strikeforce fashion, the statement on Buentello’s exit makes it appear as the loss will not hurt the organization.

However, the statement also makes Strikeforce look like a joke. Here is the statement from Coker:

"We offered Paul a six-figure contract to fight Fedor, but he turned it down. Paul’s decision is understandable considering Fedor’s level of skill but, at the same time, Paul didn’t really fit into our plans. He’s been a solid journeyman fighter and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors."

Ok, so let’s get all this straight. First, you mention that you offered Buentello at least $100,000 to fight the “best heavyweight in the world” who has just signed with your organization.

Then, you say that the fighter you selected to be the first opponent for your biggest signing to date didn’t really fit into your plans. Finally, you finish the statement by calling Buentello, who once again you were trying to sign to fight your biggest star, a “journeyman.”

That leaves a few questions for anyone who read the statement. First, what kind of confidence do you have in Fedor if the first person you wanted him to fight is a “journeyman?” Secondly, if Buentello didn’t fit into your “plans,” why would you feed him to Fedor in the first place?

It’s not as if Buentello has great name recognition to the casual MMA fan so that a Fedor victory would look impressive. Coker is basically saying that he wanted to feed Fedor a can (his implication, not mine).

This isn’t the first time that Coker badmouthed an exiting fighter. Just a few weeks ago when Phil Baroni left the organization to head to the UFC, Coker released this statement:

Phil “The New York Badass” Baroni has been released by world championship mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion STRIKEFORCE.

The 33-year-old Baroni, a native of Long Island, N.Y, has lost four of his last seven bouts. In his last appearance, a welterweight (170 pounds) matchup with Joe “Diesel’’ Riggs at St. Louis, Missouri’s Scottrade Center, Baroni sustained a one-sided defeat by way of unanimous judges’ decision.

“We wish Phil the best of luck and hope he can revive his career,’’ STRIKEFORCE Founder and CEO Scott Coker said Thursday. “If he can, maybe one day, he can return and fight for us.

Now that press release is pretty standard stuff for an organization, but Coker couldn’t help from taking a few subtle swipes at Baroni along the way. In comparison, the UFC generally doesn’t issue press releases after a fighter is released.

Buentello is a solid heavyweight and has a 27-10 career record. He fought Andrei Arlovski at UFC 55 in a heavyweight title fight, suffering his only UFC defeat in four fights.

He was signed with Affliction when the MMA promotion went under. He won his past two fights over Gary Goodridge and Kirill “Baby Fedor” Sidelnikov, both in events for Affliction. He had this to say when told of Coker’s statement:

"I’ve never claimed to be the best in the sport. But to say I turned down Fedor because of his skill level is a slap in the face."

Buentello would actually be in the top five heavyweights in Strikeforce if he was with the organization. The only guys he would be behind would be Fedor, Brett Rogers, and Fabricio Werdum. That’s a testament to how thin the Strikeforce heavyweight roster is currently.

I guess the only obvious explanation is that nobody has taught Coker how to craft a press release yet. You don’t release a statement that makes both the fighter your parting ways with, as well as your own organization, look bad.

Coker was obviously aware that Buentello would most likely end up in the UFC, so he wanted him to sound like a worse fighter than he is. In the process, he made his own organization look like a joke.

From www.mmagroundnpound.com