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After over a year of action and delays, the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix came to a close this past Saturday Night. While that grand prix came to an end, the epic trilogy between Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson did as well. Also, a light heavyweight top contender returned and a battle of attrition took place on the evening’s preliminary card.
Round One: Cormier Wins It All
Daniel Cormier wasn’t even part of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, but he wound up winning it all in the end. Cormier came in as a replacement for Alistair Overeem and defeated Antonio Silva before beating Josh Barnett in the finals. Credit must also be given to Josh Barnett, who fought five rounds with a broken hand, much like Daniel Cormier did. Do not fret yet though Strikeforce fans because both Daniel Cormier and Josh Barnett will compete one more time in the promotion before going to the UFC.
Next Round For Daniel Cormier: Andrei Arlovski, Sergei Kharitanov or Brett Rogers
Next Round For Josh Barnett: Andrei Arlovski or Antonio Silva
Round Two: The Trilogy Is Complete
It was Josh Thomson who struck first by winning the initial battle and then Gilbert Melendez got revenge in the second meeting. When it was all said and done on Saturday Night, it was Gilbert Melendez who walked away winning the three fight series. This was another great battle between the two best lightweight fighters ever to compete in Strikeforce. It will be interesting to see where Josh Thomson goes from here, as he will no longer be a contender in the division until Gilbert Melendez goes down.
Next Round For Gilbert Melendez: Pat Healy
Next Round For Josh Thomson: Isaac Vallie-Flagg, Bobby Green or Jorge Masvidal
Round Three: Feijao Is Back
It has been nearly a year since Rafael Cavalcante last competed in Strikeforce and it took him less than a minute to defeat Mike Kyle on Saturday Night. Rafael Cavalcante looked like the fighter of old and now finds himself in title contention in the light heavyweight division. Mike Kyle was making a case for a title shot with recent performances, but that is out of the window now. The real question will be whether or not Rafael Cavalcante will wait for the injured Gegard Mousasi to heal before fighting for a title.
Next Round For Rafael Cavalcante: Gegard Mousasi
Next Round For Mike Kyle: A drop to middleweight
Round Four: The Fall Of JZ
When Strikeforce signed Gesias Cavalcante to a deal a few years back, I thought we had the next major challengers for Gilbert Melendez on the roster. Several fights later, Gesias Cavalcante has seemingly lost his luster and is as far away from being a contender as can be. Isaac Vallie-Flagg played the role of spoiler in this one, defeating Gesias Cavalcante by decision on the preliminary card. If the UFC ever absorbs the Strikeforce Lightweight Division in the future, Gesias Cavalcante will not be going over with them.
Next Round For Isaac Vallie-Flagg: Justin Wilcox, Bobby green or Josh Thomson
Next Round For Gesias Cavalcante: James Terry, Jorge Gurgel or KJ Noons
Round Five: Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots
Very few people, myself included, did not really celebrate much when Guto Inocente and Virgil Zwicker were put on the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Finale card. For fifteen minutes of cage time, Guto Inocente put a beating on Virgil Zwicker that may not be rivaled anytime soon. For most of the contest, it seemed that Guto Inocente would easily roll over Virgil Zwicker, but then there was a comeback. However, comeback attempt aside, it was Guto Inocente who pulled out the decision victory that angered the majority of fans in attendance.
Next Round For Guto Inocente: Joe Cason, Gian Villante or Ovince St. Preux
Next Round For Virgil Zwicker: Yoel Romero, Derrick Mehmen or Trevor Smith
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