Scott Coker Lobbies Fedor vs. Overeem Defends Negotiations Batista
(Batista vs. Undertaker, reffed by Ricky Hatton. A terrifying glimpse into the future of MMA.)
We all go a little crazy sometimes. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker can certainly be forgiven for losing his mind in the wake of Fedor Emelianenko’s upset loss against Fabricio Werdum, which wrecked Coker’s chance at a heavyweight title fight between Emelianenko and Alistair Overeem on pay-per-view, and even now seems unreal, a bad dream suffered after a night of torture porn and Indian food. But this is the topsy-turvy world of Strikeforce, where up is down, and guys who just got their asses kicked are #1 contenders. As Coker recently said on Sherdog Radio: “My feeling is maybe Fedor should fight Alistair Overeem and whoever wins that fight gets to fight Fabricio Werdum. Alistair vs. Fedor? I’d love to see that fight happen.”
LOL at “gets” to fight Fabricio Werdum. Is he the champion now? Is that how it works in your little club? Look genius, everybody would like to see Fedor vs. Overeem happen, but unless you want your titles to lose all significance and your matchmaking to devolve into utter chaos, you probably shouldn’t have Fedor challenge for Overeem’s belt after getting subbed in 69 seconds. I know, Brett Rogers got a title shot after being dunced by Fedor, but that situation was different, as Emelianenko was unavailable to fight at the same time Overeem was. In this case, the deserving #1 contender is available (even though he’s asking for an immediate rematch with Fedor, God knows why).
It should be mentioned that M-1 Global has also formally requested a rematch between The Last Emperor and Werdum. The logical title fight, Werdum vs. Overeem, is the only fight that nobody seems to want. Forget it Jake, it’s Strikeforcetown. But Coker’s suggestion of a title shot for Fedor isn’t the only alarming thing he said last week…
Negotiations between Strikeforce and 41-year-old former WWE star David Batista still appear to be on the table, as Coker & Co. try to “put together a deal that makes sense.” Sure, that may sound like Strikeforce is opening the freak-show floodgates, but Coker defended the potential signing, saying:
“Just like we did with Herschel (Walker), we’d have to put him into a gym. It doesn’t matter what gym, as long as it’s a reputable mixed martial arts academy. He has to go in there and train because if he didn’t, we’d probably have a short relationship…We’re not the guys that are putting all the circus fights on. [Ed. note: Coker seemed to be referring to Kimbo Slice and James Toney in the UFC.] but in all fairness, look at Brock Lesnar. He made the crossover. Why not Batista? …I think Kimbo’s had his run, so to speak. He’s kind of had his time in the MMA business whereas Batista hasn’t and Herschel hasn’t. We already know how Kimbo will do, so, to me, there’s a little curiosity factor (with Batista).” Why not Batista? That is indeed the question. And the answer, obviously, is because Batista’s only combat experience involves flying off a turnbuckle. Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley come from decorated collegiate wrestling backgrounds, and James Toney is a well-known boxing champion. That’s what makes their participation in MMA somewhat less than freakish. Even Herschel Walker had a black belt in tae kwon do before he started training for MMA, while Kimbo Slice made his name knocking guys’ eyes out in bareknuckle boxing matches, and fans wanted to see if his badass reputation was legitimate. Batista competing for Strikeforce is just a cash-in, no more respectable than Jose Canseco fighting Hong Man Choi. Listen Scott, the pro-wrestler thing has already been done — and much better than you’ll be able to do it.