Rankings Update – January 14 – The Final Strikeforce Card

The final Strikeforce card finally went down Saturday night, and though a few new stars were born, most fans are eagerly anticipating the arrival of Strikeforce’s fighters to the UFC roster.

Tarec Saffiedine
The number one thing that was revealed Saturday night was that Tarec Saffiedine is a real Top 10 contender in the welterweight division. We have seen Nate Marquardt out-wrestled, but rarely have we seen him out-struck. Saffiedine dominated the fight with his thundering leg kicks and excellent takedown defense. Marquardt was expected be a top tier contender in the UFC, so Saffiedine could expect to face a big name in his UFC debut.

Daniel Cormier & Josh Barnett
The last two Strikeforce heavyweights easily overwhelmed their European opponents, earning dominant finish victories. Cormier will be moving to the UFC, while Barnett’s situation is less certain. Barnett has made it known that he wants to partake in other activities outside of the cage. It seems as if Bellator or possibly World Series of Fighting may be other possibilities, but will they be able to afford him. Barnett was making big money in Strikeforce, but what is the point of Bellator or WSOF paying him big money if he has no one to fight? Arlovski or Monson seem to be the only big fight available unless Fedor somehow comes out of retirement. Barnett could easily follow King Mo’s path and find himself a home in Bellator, while wrestling in TNA.

Gegard Mousasi & Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza
Both guys looked dominant in wins over UFC veterans Mike Kyle & Ed Herman. Mousasi and Jacare should be future contenders in the UFC.

Adriano Martins, Ryan Couture, Roger Gracie, Estevan Payan, Pat Healy
Each fighter won on Saturday night which should have solidified their future standing with the UFC.

Saturday night’s losers?
What happens to the likes of Nate Marquardt, Mike Kyle, Anthony Smith, KJ Noons, etc. First off, Marquardt’s spot in the UFC is safe. Other news came out that Kyle is retiring, while Anthony Smith supposedly had signed with the UFC following his loss to Gracie. KJ Noons’ situation and the others are still unknown. Noons’ was likely making a healthy salary in Strikeforce, but he is just 1-4 in his last 5 fights, though he should have gotten the nod Saturday night over Couture. He will likely have to accept a pay cut before coming over to the UFC.

Strikeforce fighters that did not fight Saturday night
There is still a host of Strikeforce fighters that did not fight Saturday night and have to give any formal announcement on their contract situation. I will list their names below, but I have no further information to report about whether they are going to the UFC or not.
Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante
Ovince St.Preux
Gian Villante
Guto Inocente
Virgil Zwicker
Yoel Romero
TJ Cook
Adlan Amagov
Lumumba Sayers
Keith Jardine
Benji Radach
Yancy Medeiros
Nathan James
Keith Berry
Jorge Santiago
Quinn Mulhern
Tyler Stinson
Nate Moore
Yuri Villefort
Nah-Shon Burrell
Ryan LaFlare
Brian Melancon
Justin Wilcox
Matt Ricehouse
Billy Evangelista
James Terry
Joe Duarte