THREE STRIKES

By Ben Miller

Showtime’s highest-profile MMA production since its consummation with Strikeforce gave the world a compelling show and plenty to talk about. It’s all too much for one topic, so let’s divide this space into thirds.

Now That’s Pro Wrestling

Somewhere, Chyna is jealous. That was my first thought (and Tweet) after the conclusion of the Gina Carano vs. Cris “Cyborg” Santos main event. She-beast heel turns babyface by thrashing the buxom superstar. To make matters better, the finish has just a hint of controversy. Makes a rematch (where both parties have the potential to be paid at least triple what they could make in any other matchup) easier to promote.

MMA does erroneously get compared to pro graps quite often, but in this particular case, relating the two is spot on. And if in a rematch Gina fights a war of attrition, gets to the brink of victory and then gets the rug pulled out from under her by a blood stoppage, the FBI should subpoena Jim Cornette’s phone records to make sure he hasn’t become head booker.

Strike-Who?

Depending on your point of view, either Strikeforce has given up, or they’ve become pragmatists. Showtime now runs the show, for better or for worse.

If the fact that the Gina vs. Cyborg match aired on the channel in 17 million homes instead of 107 million didn’t clue you in, check out the Fedor promotional video that aired at the end of the show. Showtime; 24 font.  Strikeforce and M-1 Global; 12 font.

This all makes sense since Showtime views MMA as something closer to boxing than pro wrestling and Strikeforce has never been fond of risking a lot of money. Showtime gets to pay the big rights fees to promoters to run events, and as a price the Showtime name and production style will be front and center.

For fans who dream of inter-promotional matchups, this may be a good thing. For fans who like to follow a roster of fighters jockeying for top position, this may be a bad thing. Whatever the fans think, the die has been cast for Scott Coker. He's lost some measure of autonomy, but he's gained access to the type of money that can lure the Fedors and Mousasis of the world. A pretty good trade off, all things considered.

Get This Kid to the Majors

Speaking of Mousasi, he should be number one on Dana White’s hit list. Anyone who watched the Dream middleweight tournament knew that the Dutch-trained Armenian with the Iranian name is a killer. And it’s easy to chuckle at the fact that he’s a Strikeforce champion after one fight or cackle at the thought of how the other Strikeforce champions would fare if matched up with their UFC counterparts, but this guy is for real.

Mousasi is so for real, in fact, that when you look at his skill set, body and age, you wonder if the MMA intelligensia chose the wrong guy when it anointed Lyoto Machida as the smashing machine of the light heavyweight division. There is the possibility that Sokoudjou will make all of this talk seem silly on October 6th, but if Mousasi wins the Dream Super Hulk tournament (as he’s expected to), there won’t be many guys at 205 pounds rated above him.

Adding to the intrigue is that UFC’s light heavyweight division has lost some of its luster recently. Liddell is gone (at least for now), Machida looks untouchable, the next title contender has won a whopping two matches in a row (over opponents with a combined age of 83, mind you) and the guy everyone really wants to see challenge for the strap (Silva) says he won’t take the match because the champion is his friend (awww).

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