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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
While Strikeforce crowned their first Welterweight Champion on Saturday night and had their Women's 145 lb. Title defended, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker is already planning the next fights for both of those belts as well as their Lightweight Title.
According to a story from MMAFighting.com, things are already in the works for Nick Diaz to defend his newly won Welterweight Title against longtime Pride fighter and DREAM competitor Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, for Cris "Cyborg" Santos to defend her Women's Title for a second time against Erin Toughill, and for Lightweight Champ Gilbert Melendez to defend that Title against DREAM's Shinya Aoki. In addition to those three Title bouts, Coker also mentions that Bobby Lashley could be up in for a step up in competition, and that could be Brett Rogers.
Coker's pick of Sakurai is seemingly a move to further their relationship with DREAM, and Sakurai getting the shot would mean that Jay Hieron would once again be passed over for a shot at Diaz and the Welterweight Title that he was promised in August when he signed with Strikeforce. The Women's Title bout with Cyborg vs. Toughill is not a very surprising move, as Toughill's name has been thrown around multiple times when Cyborg bouts have come up, and she was at one point an alternate for the first Women's Title had Cyborg or Gina Carano been unable to make weight for their August showdown.
The Lightweight "Champion vs. Champion" bout between Melendez and Aoki would be the first of these to take place, as it is expected before the summer, per the report. That fight would definitely be the biggest non-UFC lightweight bout in a considerable amount of time, and certainly the biggest lightweight fight not featuring B.J. Penn. Aoki, as DREAM's Lightweight Champion, would be one of Strikeforce's bigger acquisitions if they sign this fight.
Should it come to pass, a bout between Bobby Lashley and Brett Rogers would be a major step up in competition for Lashley, who hasn't fought anyone remotely close to a ranked fighter, let alone a top ten heavyweight, in his first five bouts. It would be a bit of a step down for Rogers after facing Fedor in his last fight, but Lashley's name means it would still be a featured attraction. That bout is simply an option at this point, though the report states it's a fight Coker really wants to see happen. Regardless, it's clear he's got plenty in the works and is planning for a big 2010.
Penick's Analysis: I'm really surprised that Hieron is going to get snubbed for Sakurai at this point. In some ways it's understandable that Hieron may not get the fight as by all reports he had an uninspired victory over Joe Riggs last night on the undercard, but for Sakurai to be the one getting the leap over him it's shocking. For starters, Sakurai has lost two straight fights, one of those being to the guy Diaz just knocked out in the first round last night. It's more like an excuse for Coker to get another DREAM fighter in a high profile fight for them. The Cyborg-Toughill bout makes a lot of sense right now, though you'd be hard pressed to find many who will give Toughill a shot in that one. I love the Melendez vs. Aoki matchup, and it will absolutely be one of the most intriguing fights Strikeforce can put on this year. As for Lashley-Rogers, that one doesn't bode well for Lashley. Rogers has hands that will absolutely test his chin, and he's no slouch on the ground himself. If Lashley's looking to get a few more wins and wants to challenge Fedor, fights like this are fights he'll need to win, but at this point I don't think he can do that, not after what we've seen thus far. He hasn't been remotely challenged skill-wise in any of the fights he's had, and this would be like moving from high school football straight to the NFL for Lashley. That said, if Strikeforce wants to challenge him, there is quite a dropoff between their top five fighters and everyone else, so they'll need to send Lashley to the wolves to give him that challenge. If it takes place he'll be able to answer a lot of questions and will have a chance to more than prove himself more than worthy as a heavyweight fighter.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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