Strikeforce Clarifies HW Tournament Rules |
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DCRage
Representin' The MA's
Career record: 453-339
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: Maryland
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While the buzz surrounding Strikeforce's recently announced heavyweight grand prix has been immense, understanding of the specifics of the tourney has been a bit less than ideal. Today, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker clarified many of the questions that needed to be addressed. First up, Alistair Overeem's title will not be on the line in the tournament. And while there were some suggestions that every fight in the tournament would be contested as five-round affairs, instead, that will only happen in the grand prix finals, when a newly created Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix title will be on the line. "All quarterfinal and semifinal matches will be scheduled for three, five-minute rounds," Coker said. "The tournament final will be five, five-minute rounds for the Strikeforce world grand prix championship." Strikeforce's heavyweight grand prix, featuring such luminaries as Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, former UFC champions Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett, PRIDE great Fedor Emelianenko, and others, kicks off on Feb. 12 at "Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Silva," which takes place at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J. With the heavyweight grand prix set up as an eight-man, multi-night, single-elimination tournament, draws could prove problematic along the way. In order to address that, Coker said a fourth judge will be on hand in each fight to determine which fighter will advance from the tie. "If any fight results in a draw, an independent fourth judge will determine who advances or who wins based on the fighter's overall performance in the fight," Coker said. "We will have a fourth judge on hand scoring the fight independently of the three that we normally have." The final question mark in terms of tournament format involved potential injuries to the eight competitors. If a winner suffers a serious issue, who continues on in the bracket? "If a fighter qualifies to advance in the tournament but for any reason can not advance, we're forming a five-person tournament-review committee who will select a fighter to advance in his place," Coker said. "This fighter will be chosen from a pool of fighters that will include the previous opponent and the winners of reserve matches."
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Post #1 1/13/11 1:00:42PM
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AchillesHeel
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 594-345
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: In the cheap seats.
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Posted by DCRage
First up, Alistair Overeem's title will not be on the line in the tournament.
What crap. If the champion is fighting in his weight class, it's a title fight. I don't care what else you try to call it. This just makes Coker and Strikeforce look stupid, imo.
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Post #2 1/13/11 1:51:37PM
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Twenty20Dollars
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 847-533
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location:
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I mean I guess it does make some sense, as the other fighters are only doing 3 five minute rounds and if Overeem keeps winning or whoever beats Overeem would have to keep fighting 5 five minute rounds.
Or Overeem could win the tourney and not have to defend his title or he could just fight himself. But I guess if overeem made it to the finals, he would be essentially defending his title as that final match would be 5 rounds.
Or someone can beat Overeem in the tourney and then win the tourney and still have to face Overeem again to win the title and then possibly lose to overeem after already beating him.
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Post #3 1/13/11 2:34:39PM
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AchillesHeel
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 594-345
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: In the cheap seats.
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Posted by Twenty20Dollars
I mean I guess it does make some sense[...]
Yes, it will make sense until someone beats the champion and isn't then given the title of Champion. If Overeem wins the tournament, it will be a moot point.
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Post #4 1/13/11 3:20:36PM
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Remember Paul Herrera
Career record: 1017-538
Season: 20-4 (#60)
Location: You think you can tell heaven from hell?
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I assume the Grand Prix title will supercede the HW title.
If someone takes Overeem's belt, they still have to win the rest of the tournament to be champion. Which makes sense, because if that person doesnt win the rest of the tourny, then they lost the "belt" within the tourny itself.
Also, this is Heavyweight, none of these fights are going to competitive decisions.
_______________________________________
BJ Penn beat Frankie Edgar more times than Benson Henderson beat Frankie Edgar.
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Post #5 1/13/11 3:26:22PM
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State_Champ
MMA Sensei
Career record: 930-568
Season: 19-5 (#268)
Location: The Blue Sphere near the Red Sphere
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Anyone know how long Overeem has had the belt since his last defense?
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Post #6 1/13/11 3:37:14PM
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Franklinfan47
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 997-549
Season: 19-5 (#302)
Location: Ontario
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Posted by Twenty20Dollars
I mean I guess it does make some sense, as the other fighters are only doing 3 five minute rounds and if Overeem keeps winning or whoever beats Overeem would have to keep fighting 5 five minute rounds.
Or Overeem could win the tourney and not have to defend his title or he could just fight himself. But I guess if overeem made it to the finals, he would be essentially defending his title as that final match would be 5 rounds.
Or someone can beat Overeem in the tourney and then win the tourney and still have to face Overeem again to win the title and then possibly lose to overeem after already beating him.
Exactly. Two things I dont like about this:
1) The winner of the tournament will (in theory because Alistair is part of the tournament) already be one up on the champion and possibly have a win over him already. So why should they have to fight him?
or
2) If Alistair wins the tourney, he will (in theory) already proven he's better then all other heavyweights in SF. This will diminish some serious interest in having Ubereem defend his title against any of them in the future after the tournament. Coker seems to be screwing over his own company.
To me, the smart thing to do is take overeem out of the tourney and THEN have the winner fight him. Replace him with a young gun like Cormier, Del Rosario, or Lavar. Sure they dont have big names, but who knows!
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Post #7 1/13/11 3:43:10PM
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prozacnation1978
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 993-519
Season: 20-4 (#43)
Location: san diego
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Should have been for the title
The reem has only defended his title once in like 3 years
He should have been stripped already
Alistair has nothing to lose or gain being in this tournament
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Post #8 1/13/11 3:53:15PM
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State_Champ
MMA Sensei
Career record: 930-568
Season: 19-5 (#268)
Location: The Blue Sphere near the Red Sphere
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Posted by Franklinfan47
To me, the smart thing to do is take overeem out of the tourney and THEN have the winner fight him. Replace him with a young gun like Cormier, Del Rosario, or Lavar. Sure they dont have big names, but who knows!
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Post #9 1/13/11 3:54:30PM
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AchillesHeel
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 594-345
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: In the cheap seats.
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Posted by Franklinfan47
To me, the smart thing to do is take overeem out of the tourney and THEN have the winner fight him.
I agree. He wouldn't mind not having to defend the belt for year, anyway... 
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Post #10 1/13/11 4:10:26PM
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sbulldavid
MMA Sensei
Career record: 834-488
Season: 21-3 (#379)
Location:
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What started as a great idea is finding a way to turn into a joke already.
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Post #11 1/13/11 4:32:37PM
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MODular Approach
Career record: 1012-567
Season: 19-5 (#178)
Location:
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Posted by AchillesHeel
Posted by Franklinfan47
To me, the smart thing to do is take overeem out of the tourney and THEN have the winner fight him.
I agree. He wouldn't mind not having to defend the belt for year, anyway...
I think Coker is just happy that his heavyweights are agreeing to fight each other.
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Post #12 1/13/11 4:53:12PM
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Twenty20Dollars
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 847-533
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location:
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Yeah, seriously. Like I think we should kinda just be happy Overeem is actually fighting in SF and against some top competition. And that Fedor isnt being stubborn about not getting to rematch Werdum right away and kinda the same for Werdum.
Although there are some problems, I would rather have Overeem in the tourney and fighting, inside of sitting on the sidelines, waiting to face the winner.
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Post #13 1/13/11 4:58:56PM
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jae_1833
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 918-569
Season: 20-4 (#327)
Location: Cali
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There are so many confusing situations that can develop from this that it is pretty ridiculous, beating Overeem regardless of winning the tourney doesn't gain a fighter anything now. I think this HW tourney belt should completely replace the old HW Champ belt so that SF can start off on a new foot and correct there past mistakes with their promissing HW Div. Coker continues to put all his eggs in one basket......
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Post #14 1/13/11 8:51:49PM
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landstander
MMA Regular
Career record: 47-32
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: aus
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Some of the posts in this thread sound like people care more about belt allocation than watching fights. no offence intended.
I am giddy at the prospect of seeing so many great hws fighting it out in a short period of time. I like the idea of having a separate belt for the grand prix winner as tournaments are good for producing a new supper star or raising someones profile in a short period of time. Because this is the first tournament I think it is good to have the champ in it as it raises the profile of the event and if it is successful(i hope it is even though the odds are stacked against it) there might be more regular hw tourneys.
To use a lousy tennis analogy, if someone beats the no.1 ranked tennis player at wimbledon they don't automatically become the no.1 ranked player(sometimes they do) and if someone beats the winner of wimbledon at a different event they don't win the wimbledon title. One's a tournament and one is determined by other factors.
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Post #15 1/14/11 3:48:23AM
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