Marius Zaromskis at Strikeforce Miami: “Win–Win Situation”

DREAM welterweight champion Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromskis is getting the opportunity of a lifetime on Jan. 30, when he squares off with Nick Diaz for the Strikeforce 170-lbs belt.

While many casual fans view the Lithuanian as a heavy underdog, those who have seen any of his last five fights know that he does indeed pose a serious threat to Diaz. 

Zaromskis will be able to make his name a household one, much like his opponent’s, as this championship match will be the main event on the Showtime-televised production.

Debuting ten years ago, Zaromskis battled for several years in Lithuania and England for many different organizations, most notably Cage Rage. He won eight of his first ten before receiving his first title shot (for the Cage Rage British Welterweight Championship) in May of 2008.

He suffered a cut in his title bout with Che Mills which led to a loss, however was able to quickly get back on track with victories in his next five bouts. Those last five contests included a July DREAM welterweight grand prix title run that was capped with two highlight-reel, head-kick KOs.

Now that Strikeforce is in the process of cleaning up their weight divisions and co-promoting with the top Japanese organization, they are trying to bring some of their lesser known stars to the forefront. Enter Zaromskis, who couldn’t have been matched up with a better opponent to make his American debut against.

With a victory, “The Whitemare” will hold belts in two different organizations, but more importantly, have a number of different options for advancement.

He could choose to focus in America with Strikeforce, where he would be available for fights with top contenders such as Jay Hieron, Jake Shields, or Joe Riggs. Any of those three opponents would help him in landing another main card bout in America. If he chooses to go that path, names will be coming out of the woodwork to fight him.

Another option that he could take is to give Strikeforce a back seat and concentrate on defending his DREAM title. To do that, DREAM would almost certainly have to sign some marquee names, as the only notables to belong there include Hayato Sakurai, Jason High, and Andre Galvao.

This option is somewhat a far-fetched one. Strikeforce officials would have to allow him to capture their belt and then retreat back to Japan, which is not likely.

For all of these so-called options to occur, Zaromskis must actually win his headlining bout with the red-hot Diaz. It is not a reach for Diaz to come out on top, considering the Stockton, CA native is also currently riding a five-fight win streak.

A loss to Diaz would probably do nothing more than make Zaromskis turn back to Japan where he could focus solely on his DREAM belt. If he chooses to stay with Strikeforce after a loss, he would have to fight, and win, on a couple of preliminary cards before making it back to a main card.

Zaromskis is just beginning togain some notoriety as a solid 170-lbs fighter. His position as the DREAM champion has earned him this opportunity to become a top 10 welterweight.

The fact is, however, the opportunity has come to him. If he takes advantage of it, and proves to the American fans that he is for real, his name will not be forgotten anytime soon.

Follow the Strikeforce: Miami results online, including complete coverage of the event online at Pro Fighting Fans, the MMA news leaders.