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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
"The reason we make the brackets the way we did is because the fans get to see the fights they want to see and - not that they'll be guaranteed - but there's a much higher percentage that they would happen. Look at the NFL playoffs. A week ago, I thought the Patriots and the Falcons would be in the Super Bowl, right? Now, they're completely out. In my years of doing the K1 fights, one thing I've learned is that the guys who you think will be there in the end - very rarely do you get the match up you were hoping for. This way, Fedor should win. He's going to have a great matchup between either Alistair or Werdum and that's something we wanted to give to the fans. Nomatter how you cut this, you're going to see great fights. Alistair fighting Fabricio is something Alistair wanted. Fabricio beat him three or four years ago and when I saw Alistair in Japan he said, 'I wanna fight Fabricio and I want to fight him first.' So Fabricio said, 'let's get it on.' He said he's going to choke Alistair out. Let's see what happens...
It's funny because I'm sitting down with Crazy Bob [Cook] at a restaurant last week and we're having this debate about Cain [Velasquez] fighting Fedor, Cain fighting Alistair Overeem, Cain fighting Fabricio Werdum or Barnett and, as much as we debated, I think I had a good come back for every part of it and I think that those guys I mentioned would give Cain a hard time. he's an amazing fighter, but so are these guys. Just because you put the label on him, he's a UFC champion, believe me, Overeem is a beast. Until you've been hit by that knee strike or Josh Barnett - who I believe has a really amazing complete game - or Fedor who has surprised us over and over. Fedor got caught by Werdum but to have that kind of record over all those years fighting in mixed martial arts? It just doesn't happen."
-Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker talks to Luke Thomas at SBNation.com about the reasons for putting the Heavyweight World Grand Prix brackets the way they were, and why he thinks UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez wouldn't win the tournament.
Penick's Analysis: Overeem and Fedor are the two I think would absolutely be challenges for Velasquez, but outside of that, I think the UFC Heavyweight Champ would fare very well in this field. But that's why fans have clamored for Fedor and Overeem in the UFC, because that's the only way we'd find out. The rest of the field is great for Strikeforce right now, and this tournament will provide some fun and exciting fights overall. The brackets were set up heavy on one side initially because it made the most sense for the fights that should have happened this year anyway, so it makes sense, and we'll get some big fights on that side of the bracket before the finals.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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