Aug 03 UFC vs Strikeforce - Who Has The Best Heavyweights

Much ado is being made by Dana White about how if Fedor Emelianenko wants to fight the best fighters in the world, he has to come to the UFC. After today's announcement that Fedor has instead chosen to call Strikeforce home, I wanted to take a deeper look into just how comparable the Heavyweight divisions are between the two heavyweight promotions.

The Current Champions - Brock Lesnar vs Alistair Overeem.

Despite his victories over former UFC Heavyweight champions Randy Couture and Frank Mir, people still have a hard time respecting Lesnar as a true champion. Everyone will concede that his wrestling is beyond reproach, th belief is that Lesnar would lose to an opponent that has strong ground skills but strong enough not to be completely overpowered.

For his part, Overeem has not had an opportunity to defend the title he won in 2007 due to injuries suffered during his training camp. The old adage is that you are not a true champion until you can defend your belt. Overeem is a monster on his feet and knows how to pull off a submission, but would have a serious size disadvantage against some line like Lesnar.

Advantage: Draw

Number 1 Contenders

Shane Carwin vs Bret Rogers

Undefeated in 11 pro fights, Carwin finally went up against a legit heavyweight contender in Gabriel Gonzaga, and was able to connect for a win early in the 1st round, despite being tagged a few times. His training partners rave about what he can do in practice, and he will have a chance to prove what he can do with his next fight against Cain Velasquez.

Bret Rogers made waves when he dispatched Andrei Arlovski in 22 seconds in his last fight. An accomplished wrestler in his own right, Rogers was the most outspoken about how Elite XC was promoting Kevin Ferguson, AKA Kimbo Slice. He certainly proved that at this stage of their careers, Rogers would have come out on top. However, we have not seen anything that would show he would be on top against the best prospects in the UFC

Advantage: UFC

Number 2 Contenders

Cain Velasquez vs Fabricio Werdum

While not as big as Carwin, or having had as many pro-fights, or even not facing the same level of competition as Carwin, Velasquez is thought to be one of the bright stars for this division in the near future. He has a strong wrestling background that has not been truly tested yet, at least until now since he will be facing Shane Carwin in his next fight. Velazquez has shown an ability to knock people out, but he has not progressed to the point where he could do that against top opposition

Werdum is a grappling specialist whose standup has greatly improved since joining with Chute Box. He has beaten Gonzaga twice, along with Overeem, and Fedor's brother Aleksander Emelianenko. However, he was stopped quickly in the UFC by Junior dos Santos, a point that is key to this review. While Werdum is a better fighter at this point than Velasquez, the UFC has a lot of depth in their roster.

Advantage: Strikeforce

Total between UFC and Strikeforce: 1-1-1

Depth:

This is where the UFC far outweighs anyone else in the sport of MMA. Even if you want to knock some of the Heavyweights that we would throw onto this list, the list itself would still be extensive.

UFC - Randy Couture - may only return as a light heavyweight, but would still be a threat in any division

UFC - Mirko "Cro Cop" - he has not been the same since his days in Pride, but his kicks are still lethal

UFC - Junior dos Santos - Trained by Team Noguiera, dos Santos is actually a KO expert

UFC - Frank Mir - still holds a victory over Brock Lesnar

UFC - Cheick Kongo - okay, he's got no ground offense, but his striking is one of the best in the division

UFC - Antonio Noguiera - his fight against Couture may be his farewell, but he is still someone that could give the kids at Strikeforce a run for their money

Strikeforce - Bop Sapp - Here is a guy that does not like to get hit

Strikeforce - Paul Buentello - a very dangerous striker that just came off a win versus "Baby Fedor".

Strikeforce - Kevin Randleman - he lost in his comeback bid to Mike Whitehead, but was still fairly impressive

Advantage: UFC

Overall: Yes, the UFC has the best heavyweights in the world, but the gap between them and Strikeforce is not as wide as Dana White would have you believe. With the signing of Fedor Emelianenko, the Strikeforce heavyweight division can hold its own against the UFC. For now. The UFC has now invested into the heavyweight division, as the next Ultimate Fighter reality series is focused on the big boys. The series airs starting in September, and will start a new wave of talent for the UFC at that weight class.

Tags: Fedor Emelianenko \ Heavyweights \ MMA \ Strikeforce \ UFC