Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix: Any Point?

As has been revealed over the past couple of days reigning Strikeforce HW Champion, Alistair Overeem, has been pulled from the Grand Prix. The reason behind this was because he refused to fight on September 10th, the date Showtime has tentatively booked the semi-finals for. Overeem has stated he needs time to rehab a foot injury and so the 10th would simply have been too early. He has been replaced by the quickly surging Daniel Cormier, who is coming off of a fantastic unanimous decision win over hardy veteran Jeff Monson. The result now being that the semi-final fights are currently Antonio Silva vs. Daniel Cormier, and Josh Barnett vs. Sergei Kharitonov. Now these are still very good and relevant HW fights, but my complaint is that the Grand Prix has lost nearly all relevance.

When news of the Grand Prix broke it was considered that it was going to be the biggest MMA story of the year (though it was quickly overshadowed by the Zuffa insurance policy story). The Grand Prix's claim was that this contest would show who the number one Heavy Weight in the world is (that was not in the UFC). Yet with Overeem gone the scenario now seems to be: This GP will decide who the second best HW in the world is (that is not the in the UFC). As I said before the remaining fights are still very good, but this tournament has been bastardized to the point of obscurity in the context of its original MO.

Furthermore, it would have been nice to have seen Showtime display a bit more tact in dealing with Overeem and his injury. Despite his horror show of a fight with Werdum, a Strikeforce PPV with Overeem will perform better than one without. Keeping him off it makes no sense in terms of ratings. What seems more likely is that Showtime could hear the bell tolling as soon as Zuffa announced their takeover of Strikeforce, and so are now keen to run through their contract and let the UFC swallow Strikeforce.

The most likely outcome now will be Overeem heals and signs with the UFC. There are reports of Overeem's desire to fight Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko in a boxing match, but there is no way that is happening. It is Nick Diaz all over again, except with less weed, broken cars and triathalon meets and a lot more horse meat and bicep curls. As for the Grand Prix, it would not shock me if Cormier uses his olympic caliber wrestling to run an absolute clinic on 'Bigfoot', whilst Barnett decisions Kharitonov. By the time this all ends each of the remaining finalists will be richer for the experience, but the overall winner will be left with a mediocre belt and a better view to greener pastures, where Overeem will be riding his horses to the UFC.

The Tale of TRT, Firing Nate Marquardt and the Brave New World of Steroids.

(photo courtesy of buzzle.com)

TRT, or testosterone replacement therapy, is once again in the MMA news with the firing of Nate Marquardt from the UFC for failing to come within the acceptable level of testerone required by New Jersey Athletic Commission. What is interesting about this case is the possibility for there to be a debate on the subject of using TRT or HRT (hormone replacement therapy) considering its proximity to the Chael Sonnen debacle. Of course, there is also the possiblity that it will be brushed under the carpet because in the history of the UFC steroid use is still a relatively minor issue, and the MMA media has to focus upon upcoming fight cards. Dana White chimed in the debate today talking to mmafighting and (surprisingly) lucidly explaining how TRT works and why it is needed.

Essentially TRT is needed if a man's testosterone level is not at the peak level, that being between the ages of 21-25, genetics depending. However, TRT is generally only given to those in their late 40s and 50s. Randy Couture took HRT for his last few fights and no one expressed surprise or anger at that fact. Why? Because of his age. Marquardt is only 32 and all other things being equal he should not have to be on it. Now of course he may genuinely need it but the problem is (and this explains his firing) he has both a history of steroid taking, and he was in the process of dropping down a weight class. This is the perfect combination of factors to depict Marquardt as not needing TRT for therapeutic purposes. Moreover, if Marquardt does have low testosterone levels, as White says to mmafighting those who have previously used steroids will have naturally low levels for months as a result of testes shrinking from extraneous testosterone injections. So in Dana's mind Marquardt was either using TRT as steroids, or needed TRT because of prioir steroid abuse. It's a lose-lose situation.

Many may balk at the UFC's apparant hypocrisy considering Couture, Dan Henderson, Todd Duffee all were cleared for TRT, and others have been flagged for steroid use (whether unfairly or not) in the form of Sean Sherk, Chael Sonnen, Tim Sylvia, Chris Leben, Hermes France, Stephan Bonnar etcetc, and none of these were fired due to their steroid use. The reason they were not fired and Marquardt was is simply a case of timing. Had Marquardt been able to fight first then have been flagged for elevated testosterone levels he would still be in the UFC. The fact that he caused such matchmaking headaches literally hours before the event was due to start resulted in drawing the ire of Dana White. Chael Sonnen blatantly cheated but this wasn't known until after his fight with Anderson Silva at UFC 117.

Chael Sonnen also shows how being a useful commodity can save one's job. Put simply, Marquardt isn't good enough or liked enough to warrant Dana attempting to justify why the UFC should keep him. As White said in the mmafighting article, " I think a lot of people want to see Sonnen fight." You cannot say that about Marquardt. Prizefighting rests so much on fighter's personality that it is amazing what they can get away with provided they can get people spending their money to see them. And it's not just prizefighting. Sports, politics, religion, music, intellectual circles whatever. As long as the person at fault is loved enough, or needed to bring in money, interest etc, there will always be the majority defending them. Tiger Woods has forgotten more about cheating on his wife then any of us could hope to know, yet people are clamouring for him to be entering and winning golf opens, both fans and competitors. He is exciting to watch and brings in the sponsors that benefit all the players.  The same cannot be said of Marquardt.

I also believe Dana is right when he calls TRT a "loop-hole" for fighters to access testosterone. It has the potential to be abused just like medical marijuana is in America. With a good doctor Marquardt could have remained on TRT for the rest of his fighting career, just like a person who says the right thing to their doctor will have continuous access to marijuana whether they need it or not. Now I doubt Dana has a personal problem with TRT or even his fighters using steroids. It only becomes a problem when it screws with planned fight cards days and hours before they are scheduled to take place. With the implementation of the health insurance policy fighters using steroids as a way to recover faster from training and injuries should be a thing of the past. Of course the other benefits will always draw fighters to use them. However, it is possible for TRT to become a lot more difficult for fighters to obtain. The problem is this requires on doctors becoming more rigid in their practice and willingness to uphold the law, though I'm sure bribery can quickly crumple any attempt at moral rigidness a doctor may practice. TRT and steroids will plague the MMA and the UFC for the forseeable future. It seems the best option the UFC has is to be able to keep quiet about any high profile cases until more laws are implemented restricting use or steroids made legal in sports. It is a bleak outlook, but is there any other realistic option?