The Depth Chart: Strikeforce Rankings

http://blogs.thescore.com/mma/2010/11/05/the-depth-chart-strikeforce-rankings/

Here at Spinal Tapout we want to do things a little differently, so instead of your typical top 10 rankings we went the extra mile with promotional depth charts.

With this listing, you can see how far your favourite fighters are away from the title in their respective weight class. Obviously we’re not on the same wavelength as Scott Coker and Dana White, but part of the fun is in trying to make educated guesses.

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Heavyweight

The Heavyweight class in Strikeforce is pretty straight forward. The hulking Dutchman Alistair Overeem is the champion and thus on top of the food chain with Werdum, Fedor & Barnett right below, all wanting to test out Coker’s new (old) toy.
The interesting part of this class is seeing the amount of new blood in the division. Daniel Cormier ripped off 3 wins in 21 days to get himself ready for primetime television with Strikeforce. The former Olympian will have to work on his striking game and come in better shape if he wants to compete with the top dogs but, with a phenomenal wrestling base, he is on the right track.
Shane del Rosario is the name who may jump out at as a top heavyweight. The 10-0 del Rosario has the tools to be a real threat in the division and Strikeforce could justify giving him a title shot with only one or two more wins on his belt due to the fact that promoters love “home-grown” fighters.

Light Heavyweight

Is Rafael Cavalcante really the best 205 that Strikeforce has? Probably not, but he has the strap right now with a slew of contenders waiting for a shot. Dan Henderson and Renato Sobral are stepping into the cage for the number one spot in December, Strikeforce are hoping for a Henderson win so they can have another crack at a CBS show with Hendo headlining.
The wildcard in this division is Mike Kyle. He has beaten Cavalcante before, and has only lost once in the last 9 fights (vs. Werdum.) Strikeforce could look to a Kyle vs Mousasi fight in the future which would be a fresh storyline rather than a rematch between King Mo and Mousasi.

Another name to watch out for is Roger Gracie, in his first fight in the promotion put on an impressive performance where he showed quality striking. In typical Gracie fashion he has phenomenal ground skills and will even turn the best of fighters into pretzels.

Middleweight

The deepest Strikeforce weight class is why Scott Coker is thinking about a tournament with the winner earning a title shot. Let’s take a quick look at a sample 8-man tournament here.

Jason Miller vs. Scott Smith
Robbie Lawler vs. Trevor Prangley
Cung Le vs. Luke Rockhold
Tim Kennedy vs. Matt Linland

Those four fights could be its own Strikeforce card, and it might be one of the best cards they could put out. I chose to put Jason Miller on the top of the pile because he has key victories over Kennedy and Lawler, as well as having a serious hate on for ‘Jacare’ Souza, which Coker should use to promote a fight between the two.

Another dream fight Strikeforce could make, to catapult a lower ranked fighter back into the spotlight, is Scott Smith vs. Melvin Manhoef. Both fighters are coming off losses and need a win to stay relevant. On top of that the matchup would be a warzone, as both fighters swing for the fences more often than not.

Welterweight

“Don’t be scared homie” Nick Diaz is finally on top of the food chain and he should be scared looking at the list of fighters below him. Paul Daley is ranked at the top of the division on the pure basis is that he is a big name with a style that sells. That being said, he isn’t the biggest threat for Diaz’s throne. That threat may be shared between Jay Hieron, Tyron Woodley and Joe Riggs.
If you’ve only just started following Nick Diaz you need to know one thing: Nick Diaz does not lose fights, he just runs out of time. These three wrestlers may make him run out of time because the same question follows Diaz since he was cut from the UFC: Can he beat a wrestler?

Another name to keep an eye on is Roger Bowling, an up and coming fighter who is full of potential and has some serious knockout power. He may be coming off a recent loss to cagey veteran Bobby Voelker but Bowling dominated the fight until he was tagged with some serious ground and pound. If Bowling can get over the loss, he may be the future of the Strikeforce welterweight category. Once again, he’s a Strikeforce “home-grown.”

Lightweight

The chase for Gilbert Melendez is on and there are a few legitimate contenders behind him. The man with the best shot, against questionably the best lightweight in the world, is Gesias Cavalcante. Cavalcante should be coming off a win against John Thompson and next in line for a title shot but alas MMA judging makes no sense and is now a few fights away from the potential matchup. Melendez has a style which sees him bully fighters around the cage combined with quality striking. “JZ” matches up with him perfectly. Cavalcante is the stronger fighter and will not be bullied by Melendez’s take downs and shown at his last fight that he can get stronger as the fight progresses to the later rounds.

The other contenders come in the form of K.J. Noons, Josh Thompson & Lyle Beerbohm. Noons has improved his sprawl and brawl technique but still is not ready for the task of Gilbert Melendez. A good setup fight between himself and Lyle Beerbohm would be a challenge for both fighters.