Bellator FC & Strikeforce: Who May Need Who To Succeed?

Believe it or not, some of the best fighters in MMA aren't in Strikeforce or the UFC.

Most of the names that everyone talks about are UFC fighters or Strikeforce fighters, but if you've been watching the sport in the past month or two, there's a good chance that you've heard at least two names pop up.

These two names aren't as known as Anderson Silva or BJ Penn, and they aren't as hotly debated as Vitor Belfort or Frankie Edgar would be in a discussion, but these two names are nonetheless talented enough to be considered two of the best fighters on the planet.

Those two names are two guys who look short in stature, but when it comes time to fight, they can hang with the best in the world of MMA.

They are Eddie Alvarez and Hector Lombard, the lightweight and middleweight champions of Bellator Fighting Championships.

Now I know what some of you are thinking, what with the headline of the article and all: Bellator isn't that much bigger than Strikeforce, so why would Strikeforce need them, and for that matter, why would Bellator need Strikeforce?

Well, firstly, the basic inspiration for this article, for those who are wondering, is Bellator's campaign for Alvarez to face Gilbert Melendez in a champion-vs-champion bout.

Another talk of co-promotion between another promotion and Strikeforce. First, Scott Coker talks with DREAM to form an alliance, then he mentions the UFC when he's asked a question about whether MMA fans get the fights they want more than boxing fans, and now he's opening up to the idea of Alvarez Vs. Melendez.

I like it, compared to the thought of a UFC/Strikeforce alliance. If they can include middleweights and welterweights in the deal, better.

Bellator can keep the featherweights and loan some of their guys from the 185 pound division to the 155 pound division to Strikeforce, and they'll get some of Strikeforce's middleweight, welterweight, and lightweight fighters on loan in return.

What does Strikeforce get from this? A deeper division at 185, 155, and 170, as well as the possibility of exposure on free TV.

Well, "free TV" if your cable provider hooked you up with FSN or one of its affiliates.

Strikeforce is really only seen by people who have Showtime as part of their cable package, and the company itself has yet to create a program much like Unleashed or WEC WrekCage on Versus that would showcase their fighters and thus draw more attention to the promotion.

If Alvarez Vs. Melendez is exciting enough to convince people that an alliance between both companies would show mutual benefit for both companies, then it's possible that the co-promotion could also see middleweights and welterweights from Strikeforce fight in Bellator and vice versa for Bellator fighters in Strikeforce.

To me, Strikeforce—despite having Fedor Emilianenko and Alistair Overeem—is still a long way from being anywhere on the level of the UFC in terms of talent.

Until the fallout of Strikeforce: Nashville simmers down, there's not too many names one can bring up as an opponent for Jake Shields (contract pending), Nick Diaz, or Gilbert Melendez, and Bellator won't be presenting us with a heavyweight tournament this season, so there's no other challenges to present the heavyweight guys that Strikeforce already has in their promotion.

Funny, isn't that partially why Overeem's first title defense was on Saturday: a lack of heavyweight challengers in Strikeforce?

Anyway, I digress.

Bellator is still a up-and-coming promotion with no established light heavyweight division and no heavyweight division. Right now, it's too early to jump right in to a deal with middleweights and welterweights, but I still think it'd be fun to watch. It could do wonders for Strikeforce, whose title contenders are a limited bunch from my vantage point.

It's good to always think big, but you have to start small before big things can happen. For Bellator and Strikeforce to make big waves from this co-promotion, the lightweight division is a good starting point, especially since many would consider the lightweight division to be one of the most exciting divisions in MMA.

The thing is, with Strikeforce still being, in my opinion, a struggling promotion, and with Bellator still an "up-and-coming" promotion for now, one could say they both need each other to succeed as individual promotions.

Then again, since Bellator has no official heavyweight or light heavyweight class, maybe it's Bellator that needs Strikeforce more, or perhaps the lack of outstanding and possibly even credible contenders in Strikeforce makes it so that Scott Coker's promotion needs the smaller promotion to keep the loyal fans of Strikeforce interested.

I don't know, but it could be possible that one promotion needs the other to succeed or even survive as a legitimate source of MMA.

Or, maybe they both need this co-promotion to succeed.

What do you think? Does Strikeforce need Bellator, or does Bellator need Strikeforce?

Do you think they both need each other to succeed, or can either promotion succeed without this co-promotion deal ever happening?

All opinions are welcome. Leave your opinion in the comment box below, or send a message to the author.