When the news hit the wire last Friday that Affliction was killing their August 1st event, many fans were shocked. Josh Barnett's positive steroid test had damaged the promotion's main event, but names flew around the blogosphere as to who Affliction was likely going to push into a showdown with "The Last Emperor". Despite all the rumors, Affliction decided that it was in its best interests to fold.
Later, we found out that Affliction had been trying to regain footing as a sponsor in the UFC for quite some time. We also found out that Showtime actually had a lot more to do with the decision to nix the event than anyone had ever thought. The true losers were the fighters who not only trained to fight on August 1st, but also trained in order to gain a paycheck to feed their families and continue their quest to become one of the best fighters in their respective weight classes.
Despite Scott Coker being on an Italian vacation while this entire collapse went down stateside, Strikeforce managed to do something that should be praised by MMA fans. Affliction's demise was a tad premature for many fans who were still looking forward to watching a light heavyweight tilt between Gegard Mousasi and Renato "Babalu" Sobral, but Strikeforce managed to come in and save the fight between the proven veteran and the up-and-coming superstar. Not only did Strikeforce save the bout and move it to only 14 days later, but it'll now be for the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight title.
I definitely commend Strikeforce for saving this match-up. Both fighters' hard work and training won't go to waste, and we'll all have a chance to see two very good fighters battle it out in the cage instead of the ring. What about the rest of the roster of fighters?
Strikeforce has also sought out Xtreme Couture fighter Jay Hieron as a potential opponent for Nick Diaz. This is another quality save by Strikeforce if the match-up ends up being signed. Not only does Hieron bring some excitement to the table, but he's a very tough match-up for a Nick Diaz who has begun to turn it on as of late with five-straight wins.
Also, there are rumors circulating regarding UK fighter Paul Daley. Fightlinker made their case regarding him being a easy pick for Strikeforce to pick up, and I'd agree with that assessment. He may not have the greatest ground game on the planet, but he's easily more improved on the floor in almost every fight. He also has devastating knockout power, and he can cross the line between divisional grudge matches for title contention and simple entertainment bouts. He's perfect.
While Strikeforce can't help out every fighter that is swimming in the wake of Affliction's collapse, it's refreshing to see a promotion give fans what they want in saving one match-up and providing a solid opponent for another bout that was likely going to get a lesser replacement opponent than Hieron. Strikeforce mostly looks for fights that can grab some entertainment factor moreso than actual divisional match-ups, but they are slowly building a solid stable of fighters that could produce both quality and entertainment.
We should definitely applaud the good work that Strikeforce has done in grabbing up these bouts and trying to secure some other more entertaining match-ups in the future. One of the major problems many writers had when Strikeforce bought out EliteXC was the fact that Coker wanted to keep his costs down by having limited staff, something he's always had. He's still managed to put on some great shows despite that type of staff, and he's managed to bring in some great stars as well. I look forward to seeing what Strikeforce has in store for us in the future. If only they could have saved Belfort vs. Santiago!
