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This is the Writers' Roundtable here at MMATorch.com. In this feature our own Matt Pelkey will be providing our questions each week, and then we'll provide the answers from members of our staff here at MMATorch.com. This weekend, we've got Torch Contributors Alex Williams and Frank Hyden, along with Torch Columnist Matt Pelkey and Torch Editor Jamie Penick. We've got three questions for the weekend, and today we present questions one and two:
Is Vaseline-Gate enough to warrant another GSP-Penn fight?
After Strikeforce's ProElite acquisition, who is the #2 MMA promotion?
Alex Williams, MMATorch Contributor
-I don't want to see it. That is, yes, Penn may deserve another fight because of the rule infractions, but I don't think it would be any more competitive than the last one. In fact, following the normal pattern of boxing and MMA rematches, GSP probably wins earlier and easier this time.
-Strikeforce. Satoshi Ishii can't save Japanese MMA. Even with 150,000 buys, Affliction does not have a business plan right now for making money. Strikeforce may not make it, but Scott Coker has a good mind for MMA booking and the CBS deal is a valuable commodity.
Frank Hyden, MMATorch Contributor
-I don't think so. GSP proved that he was the superior fighter in their last fight. That's not to say that they shouldn't have another fight, but I don't think it should be because of the Vaseline issue. If BJ wants to move up to Welterweight after my man Kenny Florian beats him for the Lightweight belt that'd be cool. Well, as long as BJ earns a shot against GSP this time. There's no way the UFC can allow BJ to jump over guys again. If BJ can notch a few victories against quality opponents and earn a title shot against GSP I'll be first in line to want to see it. Until then, I don't want to hear anything about GSP-Penn III until BJ defends his Lightweight belt.
-Because of their TV deal the new Strikeforce becomes the de facto #2 promotion. Being on CBS and Showtime is a huge deal. They can solidify that position even further by putting on quality shows that grow their audience. Their first show on CBS will be huge in terms of determining whether they can try to compete with the UFC.
Matt Pelkey, MMATorch Columnist
-Um...no. Look I'm the biggest BJ apologist out there, but no amount of greasing would've made the slightest bit of difference in the outcome of their fight. Since their first fight, BJ is twice the fighter he was then. He rededicated himself to his training and his cardio and boxing (something that was a strength even then) have improved greatly. Here's the problem (and the dirty little secret for us Penn fans): GSP is 100 times the fighter that he was a few years ago. In fact, he's the best fighter in the world. I've always been the one to criticize his chin and say it would be his downfall in too many fights. Well, he's decided to never make it an issue again. His wrestling is going to win him every fight from here on out. GSP has made MMA boring. *sigh*
-Strikeforce, and that's a good thing. Strikeforce has quietly been around for a while now, and with the influx of fighters from EliteXC (at a bargain basement price, no less) they'll be able to put on quality shows consistently. Affliction has some nice fighters under contract, but it almost feels like they're out of quality fights to offer. After Fedor-Barnett, what's left?
Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
-Sounds like we're all together on this, but no this "controversy" does not warrant a third fight between the two. St. Pierre would be out to destroy B.J. even more than he did on January 31st because of all that's come out of it, and the two divisions have been held up, lightweights especially, for far too long as it is. They need to concentrate on being Champions in their divisions and being dominant at the weight they're best suited for. B.J. is an amazing fighter at 155, and unfortunately he's had some very disappointing fights at 170. If he can't get past this nonsense and begin concentrating on his next challenge then Kenny Florian's going to take that belt from him and give him back-to-back losses. Should he decide it's what he wants, B.J. can be just as dominant a Champion at 155 that Anderson Silva is at 185 and GSP is at 170. He needs to want to do that, though, and get any notions about a rematch with St. Pierre out of his mind, as I honestly believe things would go even worse for him in a third fight between the two.
-Strikeforce. Clearly. And it may be Strikeforce that pushes Affliction out of business and not the UFC's constant attempts at counter-programming the Affliction events. With the influx of fighters from the acquired ProElite contracts, plus the fighters who will be looking to recover from the numerous cuts taking place in the UFC, Strikeforce will have a roster that, while not entirely top tier, will still be able to provide interesting and exciting fights. In the middleweight division alone there are a number of possibilities that really jump out when you've got Frank Shamrock, Cung Le, Robbie Lawler, etc. Plus the deals with both Showtime and CBS will give guys looking to pick up some wins to try to fight their way back to the UFC a venue to get recognized while they do it. It's one thing to toil away on cards that are only seen by locals or the hardest of hardcore fans, and it's a whole other ballgame to get a shot on a premium channel or better yet on a network television broadcast. Scott Coker's got a much better head on his shoulders as far as promoting the sport is concerned than anyone that was running EliteXC as well, and I can almost guarantee a dramatically improved television broadcast for the Strikeforce CBS events as compared to the EliteXC telecasts. This is an exciting deal and it was brokered by the perfect promotion for these particular assets. It's going to be a great, action filled year for MMA fans with plenty of shows to go around with Strikeforce and the UFC.
DON'T GO YET... WE SUGGEST THESE MMATORCH ARTICLES, TOO!
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.
