UFC & Strikeforce: The Mythical Cross-Promotion Heavyweight Tournament
Well now that Strikeforce has the MMA world buzzing, with the announcement earlier this month that they would be hosting an eight-man heavyweight tournament, I decided that it would be fun make up a mythical cross-promotion heavyweight tournament.
Sadly we will never see this tournament unless the UFC is able to sign the top heavyweights that are not on their roster.
So this is the only way we will ever see it.
Let the debate begin....
Disclaimer: These are not my personal rankings, I used Sherdog.com's official heavyweight rankings.
- Cain Velasquez
- Brock Lesnar
- Fabricio Werdum
- Fedor Emelianenko
- Junior Dos Santos
- Shane Carwin
- Frank Mir
- Allistar Overeem
Quaterfinal No. 1: Cain Velasquez Vs. Allistar Overeem
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Wow, talk about a tough draw.
I would have Overeem ranked lower than No. 8, but this isn't my list and this is an extremely tough match up for Velasquez, the No. 1 seed.
With that said, this would be a very entertaining fight, these two could possibly be the best fighters in the world in their division.
Velasquez has shown very crisp boxing, while Overeem probably has the best standup in the entire division; on paper Velasquez should have the better ground game, with his amateur wrestling background.
Velasquez is also known for his unbelievable cardio, this might be his biggest advantage given that it could be hard for a man of Overeem's size to hold up in the later rounds. This fight could go either way but...
Prediction: Velasquez by TKO RD 5
I believe that Velasquez's wrestling pedigree, great cardio, and unbelievable pace would be enough for him to take this fight, with ground and pound in the final round on an exhausted Oveereem.
Quaterfinal No. 2: (2) Brock Lesnar Vs. (7) Frank Mir
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We have already seen this fight twice, and personally I really have no desire to see this fight again, but there is no doubt that this fight would draw huge numbers.
Mir is without a doubt the more skilled and technical fighter, but he has had serious problem's against the giants of the division such as Lesnar and Carwin.
Mir just may lack the physical nature to match Lesnar's awesome strength.
Prediction: Lesnar by TKO RD 1
I just do not see this fight being very much different from the last one: I see Lesnar taking him down and pummeling him with some serious ground and pound.
Mir's only chance would be to keep the fight standing somehow.
Quarterfinal No. 3: (3) Fabricio Werdum Vs. (6) Shane Carwin
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Fabricio Werdum really rocketed himself up the rankings with his stunning upset of Fedor.
Other than Frank Mir, no one in this tournament would have near submission game of Werdum. In my opinion Werdum has the best BJJ in the entire heavyweight division.
Shane Carwin on the other hand is just raw physicality! There is little doubt that Carwin possesses the most punching power of anyone in the division, he is an absolute animal.
This fight could come down to if Werdum could survive the first round onslaught that Carwin is known for bringing.
Prediction: Carwin by KO Rd 1
Only Lesnar was able to survive a single round with Shane Carwin, and even Lesnar did it by the skin of his teeth.
I don't see Werdum being able to weather the storm.
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Quaterfinal No. 4: (4) Fedor Emelianenko Vs. (5) Junior Dos Santos
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This fight would be epic, it wasn't one of the fights that I thought of that got me overly excited, but the more I think about it, this could end up being the best fight of them all.
This fight would definitely test if the old Russian has lost a step or two.
I would give Dos Santos a very slight edge in the standup, and he could control the fight with his boxing. But I would give Fedor a big advantage on the ground; he has 16 victories by way of submission.
Prediction: Fedor via split-decision
I see this fight making it's way to the judges score cards with a very close and somewhat controversial decision.
We MMA fans are becoming all too familiar with poor judging, with that said, I believe Fedor would hold his own on the feet and win a razor close decision with his superior ground game.
Semifinal No. 1: (1) Cain Velasquez Vs. (4) Fedor Emelianenko
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Could the No. 1 seed have possibly faced a tougher road to the finals? I doubt it.
In this matchup Velasquez would have youth and speed on his side, while Fedor would play the role of the crafty veteran, with the experience advantage.
I would personally say that the standup would be even in this fight, I can not see a distinct advantage either way in the standup, so in my opinion this fight would come down to Velasquez's wrestling versus Fedor's Sambo.
Prediction: Velasquez by Unanimous decision
Fedor won his first round matchup by a razor close decision, but I do not see him being so lucky this time around, with Velasquez picking up the close decision victory 48-47.
I see Velasquez's speed being the deciding factor.
Semifinal No. 2: (2) Brock Lesnar Vs. (6) Shane Carwin
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Who doesn't like to see two goliaths throw some leather?
This fight was the definition of excitement when these two met earlier: Lesnar chocked out Carwin in the second round of their fight after absorbing the beating of a lifetime in the first round.
This fight just oozes testosterone.
Could Lesnar withstand the Carwin's power again? And, could Carwin stay off his back and control the fight with his superior boxing?
Prediction: Carwin, TKO Rd. 1
Lesnar just barely survived the first round last time, I doubt he will be that lucky this time around.
I believe that Carwin had to have learned his lesson from the last fight, and he would pick his shots a little more, instead of gassing himself out by whaling on Lesnar's arms.
Carwin with improved cardio = trouble for Lesnar.
Final: (1) Cain Velasquez Vs. (6) Shane Carwin
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With these two titans both under the UFC banner, there is a very good chance that we will see this fight at some point in the future.
In my opinion even though Carwin was the No. 6 seed, he had the much easier road to the finals. Velasquez has the crisper striking, but Carwin would have the power advantage.
I would say that the standup is a virtual deadlock. The ground game also seems very even with both having very good amateur wrestling backgrounds.
However, one thing to keep in mind would be that Velasquez was rocked numerous times in his fight with Cheick Kongo, so one would have to believe that Carwin would undoubtedly test the chin of the champion.
However, if Carwin can not finish this fight early Velasquez will wear him out with the pace that he fights. Velasquez's pace would wear down most lightweights, so one can imagine what the pace could do to a 280-pound Carwin with known cardio issues.
Prediction: Velasquez by Rear Naked Choke, Rd 3
I could very well see Carwin ending this fight early, his power may be unmatched by any one in the history of MMA. However, I see Velasquez weathering an early storm with nothing but heart and determination.
After the first round I believe that Velasquez will control this fight with his pace and conditioning, with Carwin gassing out late in the second round.
I believe that Carwin comes out for the third round much like he came out for the second round against Lesnar, obviously exhausted.
I see Velasquez taking down an exhausted Carwin and eventually getting his back for the rear naked choke.
Conclusion
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There are many different ways that this tournament could have possibly played out. There are also many things that could be changed about the tournament, such as seeding—personally I would have Overeem ranked at No. 2 but I went with Sherdog's rankings because that is a very well respected website in the MMA community.
It would also be nice to see fighters such as Roy Nelson and Josh Barnett in this mythical tournament, but I can't really argue with the eight participants just the seeding.
Sadly, it is highly unlikely to ever see such a tournament. The UFC controls most of the top fighters—
five of the eight—and the UFC does not allow their fighters to fight elsewhere.
So unless the UFC is able to sign the rest of the worlds top talent, and decide to use tournaments again, this tournament is simply an MMA fan's wet dream.
Let the Debate begin.....
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