Strikeforce heavys tourney, 5 rounds?

"Is this a stand-alone tournament, where the winner is called the Grand Prix champion, or is the winner the Strikeforce heavyweight champion?
Right now, Alistair Overeem is the Strikeforce heavyweight champion. That's something we can answer tomorrow, because what we're trying to do is clear it with the commissions to allow the fighters to fight more than three rounds outside of the title. The rules of MMA now say a five-round fight has to be a championship fight, and so we're working on that. Hopefully we'll have an answer soon on that.
So you'd like all the tournament fights to be five-round fights?
We'd like to, yes."
http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/01/05/scott-coker-discusses-heavyweight-tourney-re-signing-emelianenk/

Now i am super excited for this tournament, and i really think this will be strikeforce's year to claim the top heavy in mma right now (with ufcs strained heavyweight division with injuries), but is it wise to have 5 round quarter and prelim brackets with this format. Now i understand the Reem is still the champ and it would make sense for him to have 5 round championship fights but does this make sense for the rest of the field, and will the commission even allow it, your thoughts?

From what I heard, everytime the champ fights in this tournament, it will be a five round fight.  I'm not sure they'd be able to pull off every fight being a 5 rounder, because Nevada is the only state that allows 5 round non title fights if I'm not mistaken, and they just ok'd that last year.  I did hear, that for the semi without the champ in it, on the right side of the bracket, they were talking about making it an interim title fight, so that it could be 5 rounds.  However, at this point, as with most of this tournament, that is all purely speculation.

thats not smart on the part of strikeforce...I would be happier if they vacated the title, that overeem hasn't been defending anyway, and made all fights 3 rounds with the exception of the final...kinda like pride..because that would be easier to do...just in case the championship lands on fedor before the finals, then u KNOW they'd hold out for more money if they had the title AND a spot in the finals....m1 global strikes AGAIN!

i agree completely, i would have even been happy with a bellator style contender tourney, with the winner getting to fight the Reem at the end. though i am still much more happy about this, as we get to see the Reem, presumable fight 3 times, if and when he wins the opening fight but i digress. more than likely the commission wont allow for 5 round non championship fights, but crazier things have happened...

As long as the title is on the line in the Overeem vs Werdum fight the rest doesn't matter to me. The tournament itself is more of  a marketing gimmick, but it's those 3 title fights that will happen along the way that really matter. 

Does anyone else find it odd that they would put the Reem and Fedor on the same side of the tourney?  If it plays out the way I expect, Overeem will be fighting Fedor in the Semis.  Personally, I would've swapped Arlovski and Fedor.  That way, potentially, Overeem would fight BigFoot in the Semi-finals and Fedor would fight Barnett in the Semi-Finals. I would love to see Fedor vs Overeem in the finals for the belt.

@Havok who knows, but I suspect they are trying to make sure they get Fedor vs Overeem, regardless of what round. They'll be able to make it the main event and build hype if it's semis or finals.  But if they put them on opposite sides, with the quality of fighters in this tourney, good chance the fight wouldn't happen.

@Gregory: Good points.  I think deep down I'm still pissed that Fedor/Barnett never happened at Affliction 3. Hopefully, I'll get some closure during the tourney.

Look at it this way instead of a tournament bracket

Overeem vs Werdum - Strikeforce HW championship

Fedor vs Silva - #1 Contender fight

Arlovski vs Sergei - Future Contender fight

Barnett vs Rogers - Future Contender fight

Arlovski/Sergei vs Barnett/Rogers - #1 Contender fight.

It's not really so much a tournament as much as a reveal of their intended matchmaking for the rest of the year. Then they just slap the tournament label on it for marketing purposes. They say the winner of the tournament walks out champion but that's just a duh type thing since the belt will be on the line each time. But this is where it can go wrong, Say Overeem and Fedor make it to the Semi's and Fedor wins but gets injured. Which leaves say Barnett vs Shane in the Finals, is Barnett vs Shane going to be a title fight or will Fedor still be champion.  

They really think Rogers is a contender.... ever since Fedor KO'd him in a fight he was winning he's been lost. I'd love to see Brett Rogers come back with a nasty KO, but i don't see him beating Barnett, this guy keeps getting some tough fights. Reem is going to take this tournament and i'd like to go out on a limb and say that once he realizes he needs a little more competition, he will sign with the UFC!

@Bigj383
That's basically how I'm looking at it.
There are conflicting reports about whether it's a actual tournament in the real sense of the word, or if it's as you describe, a  series of Heavyweight Title bouts "revealed", along with a couple of future #1 Contender bouts.  I guess they're still waiting on what the commissions say.

so...just to be sure....does THREE positive steriod test...or PED tests...mean absolutly nothing? sure babyfaced barnett couldnt fight over here, but theres a nice little country thats called japan that ENCOURAGES that (see bob sapp)..and now he's back AGAIN...and will probably flunk AGAIN!

Hey Jersey, this isn't a Major League Baseball forum...This is MMA.
Guys pop for BS (Banned Substances).. they server their suspension (as Barnett has)... and life goes on.
There are reports that Barnett's more recent sample submitted to the CSAC (California State Athletic Commission) came up clean (but their ruling is ytbd)... and that' commissions in other states would sanction Barnett. 
Royce freaken Gracie popped for BS.
Again, this ain't MLBaseball.

@USMC -- ooohhhh so true, this is just like any other professional sport. All kinds of people are taking PED's and i care not to speculate on a percent because i have no clue, bottom line is guys are doing it and will continue to do it. I wil say you'd think Barnett should've learned his lesson by now if the third time actually was positive, BUT, he did serve his suspension and should be allowed to fight again. It's not like he's biting peoples ears off or intentionally not letting go of submissions.

Until MMA fighters start popping hot as much as the MLB did there is no reason not to let these guys compete, ATLEAST the commissions are testing for it unlike the MLB  didn't do for how many years?

i get that..i do...and if baby face had done it just once, that'd be ok...twice is tolerable, but just barely...BUT THREE TIMES!!! come on man! obviously the punishment doesnt matter to him! and, oh by the way, this is WAY different than baseball because barry bonds and mark mcgwire arent trying to KTFO other players...dude on roids is freaky strong, and being punched in the face by him would suck EVEN worse than usual...also, roid rage is VERY possible, kinda like daley vs kos...or yvel vs a ref...so, yeah, its a problem to me

I completely understand your point on this subject. i just want to point out that there are alot of guys on the big stage using PEDs, they just aren't getting caught. so my only real argument is josh barnetts roid strength isn't much different that guys roid strength who don't get caught....

i see what u mean... i guess i give them the benefit of the doubt until they prove otherwise..but if its been PROVEN, multiple times, i think it should be alot harder to come back...if u watch boxing, what they did to margarito before the pacman fight to ensure he wasn't cheating with the hand wrap like his last fight should be the model...in this case, 2 drug screens a month every month for 2 years..not too invasive, nor does it affect him in a negative way in training.

100% agree with you on that, i am strongly against the use of PED's. i wish all state athletic commissions would go as far as testing all fighters monthly after they have officially signed their bout agreements. that would mean at a minimum 8 weeks of testing for each fighter throughout their whole camp (barring an injury and late replacement ala akiyama/leben).

100% agree with you on that, i am strongly against the use of PED's. i wish all state athletic commissions would go as far as testing all fighters monthly after they have officially signed their bout agreements. that would mean at a minimum 8 weeks of testing for each fighter throughout their whole camp (barring an injury and late replacement ala akiyama/leben).

@Jersey25
What three times?

barnett... first caught in 2001, before he was to fight bobby hoffman. however, because the positive test was part of a survey of PED use, he escaped punishment...next in 2002 after winning ufc title from couture, he tested positive and was subsequently released...third, and most famously, 10 days before he was to fight fedor, causing the cancellation of the bout, as well as Affliction as a promotion.