Another day, another Strikeforce fighter turns in his Strikeforce gloves for a pair of UFC gloves. Okay, so maybe the takeover hasn't been happening that fast. But it is in no way a secret that the brass at Zuffa has had an itchy trigger finger in its poaching of Strikeforce talent. In lieu of Strikeforce's increasingly thinning roster, I propose Zuffa trades several of their combatants, better-served for Strikeforce.
The counter-argument to this has validity, though. That being the stance that the UFC's expansion of show quantity has lead to weaker cards. This, to me, is a moot point. Strikeforce is still doing a significantly less amount of shows annually in comparison. Thus allowing UFC to call upon the starpower of any of its traded fighters when needed. In fact, in order for traded fighters to maintain a full-time schedule, they may have to fight in both leagues. With that being said, let's get the list started.....
Light-Heavyweight: Brandon Vera
Background:
This first choice should come as a surprise to no one. Brandon Vera is a guy who is not (or at the very best barely) UFC level at this point in his career. True, he can compete with the best guys once in a blue moon, but the UFC has cut guys who can make much better claims on their resumes than that. Brandon Vera is currently employed on a technicality due to Thiago Silva having hot piss after their scuffle. Before that he was employed due to his initial hot streak, or in case the UFC ever went to the Phillipines. Thankfully, those of us who grew tired of watching more skilled guys get cut while Vera phoned in performance after performance got a break when Mr. Mark Munoz rose to power. In Munoz we got a new fighter to suit the Filipino culture. And better yet-he's actually good. Ah, I kid Brandon Vera, I kid. Well...sort of. The Truth (pun intended) is that Vera spent what should have been the prime of his career on the sidelines arguing with his manager. Many claim he never was that good to begin with, capitalizing on a stream of wins over borderline name fighters, stylistically favorable match-ups, and one long-forgotten win over a one-legged Frank Mir. Luckily for Vera, no one-not even Mir-gives a shit about seeing a rematch. Even Vera, himself, has to know what would happen should those stars align.
When fans speak of Vitor as never having lived up to his potential, it seems a bit unfair as his list of losses only includes the absolute best of the best. The difference here is people expected Vitor to be the best of all time, which he in no way is. On the flipside, fans often speak of seeing the 'old Vera' appear the same way they do Vitor. Both points are invalid, but for different reasons. Vitor of new is better and more evolved than the mythical, 'Vitor of old'. The 'Vera of old' can still be seen. He appears nearly every time he's pit against lesser competition. Notice a pattern?
Reasoning:
In spite of how it might read so far, this article isn't meant to hate on Brandon Vera. Quite the opposite. In fact, the purpose of this article is to better the career of The Truth. Although Vera may have the skillset to compete with A-listers, he doesn't have the mind to. There are many reports of Vera skipping training sessions and being elsewhere, mentally, before fights. At age 34, it is unlikely that this is going to change. The only viable answer in my eyes? Strikeforce.
Vera's Benefit:
This is where Vera's 'coast on talent' mentality can find him more success. Strikeforce's paper-thin light-heavyweight division would be equally as well off with his addition as he would. In Strikeforce, Vera immediatley becomes a contender with name recognition and provides some intriguing match-ups. Here he finds an opportunity to rebuild his legacy and a chance to find worth to his career. He can go from being a minor scootmark in MMA history to a remembered commodity.
Zuffa's Benefit:
If Dana White really wants to keep Strikeforce around and fix it, he's going to need more fighters. This is going to take both an influx of rising talent from free agency and the trading of UFC veterans. With his name recognition, Vera can find himself job security as a big fish in a small pond. He will no-doubt boost ticket sales more than the rising as-of-yet-unheralded stars of tomorrow. A situation worth solving when you look at Strikeforce's sales versus show cost charts. Better yet is that Vera has a much larger chance of going on that tear he was always supposed to do. This way when a fight night needs a headliner or UFC eventually expands to the Phillipines, they have another Filipino who actually would be marketable as legitimate. And that's The Truth.
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