Lavar Johnson to make Octagon Debut at UFC on Fox 2

Following on the heels of Strikeforce's revelation that they'll discontinuing their heavyweight division comes the announcement that Strikeforce mainstay Lavar Johnson will be facing off against Joey Beltran as part of January 28th's UFC on Fox 2 show. Aside from Fabricio Werdum's rumored return to the UFC (which Dana White has since declined to confirm) Johnson represents the first of the Strikeforce heavyweights to make the move over to the Octagon.

With heavy hands and a penchant for slugging it out, Johnson became something of a fan-favorite in Strikeforce, beginning his promotional campaign with three straight victories by (T)KO. A February bout with Shane del Rosario would see Johnson's streak would come to an end, however, with Johnson submitting to an arm bar in the closing minute of the first round. He'd hoped to rebound this past September against Shawn Jordan, but was again submitted--after a raucous first round, an exhausted Johnson found himself on the mat, stuck in a fight-ending kimura.

It suggests a lot, that a heavyweight in a rut two fights deep should be an an immediately viable addition to the UFC (I can't remember the last time anyone else was brought on after going winless the year prior). Certainly it speaks to the generally shallow heavyweight talent pool that we hear so much about. And of course it tells us that until a 250-pound Anderson Silva makes himself known, the UFC is going to content itself with employing heavyweights who they can count on for fireworks. Most interesting to me, however, is what this decision says about the chances of other Strikeforce heavyweights making the move. If Johnson is in, then we could surely expect to see del Rosario, Daniel Cormier, and Chad Griggs on a UFC broadcast as well. Likewise, one could certainly make a strong case for the additions of Werdum, Antonio Silva, and Sergei Kharitonov, all of whom went 1-1-0 this year, unlike Johnson. Yet, the biggest fish in that pond is also the one with the biggest question mark over his file. Josh Barnett is most likely the strongest fighter that could be (re)introduced to the UFC heavyweight division, but given his highly contentious past with Dana White and Co., it's hard to tell what exactly his chances are. Dare to dream, right?