Cyborg Santos And The Strikeforce Featherweight Division

With the news that Cristiane Santos had tested positive for steroids, many assumed that Strikeforce would simply scrap the entire women's 145-pound division. Scott Coker, however, has since recommitted himself to the class, insisting that there's still potential among the featherweights. Let's take a look for ourselves...

The Top Four

Former Strikeforce women's featherweight champion and all around terror, Cristiane Santos needs no introduction. She will however, need to serve a year-long suspension before she can figure into Strikeforce's plans.

Ronda Rousey has been noted by many as the next big star in women's MMA. With a big smile, charismatic persona, and an MMA career consisting of four first-round armbar finishes, it's easy to see why. That all of Rousey's victories in Strikeforce have come at 145 pounds further suggests that she might have a future in this division. However, an upcoming title fight against Miesha Tate shows a commitment to bantamweight.

Despite being blown out of the water in her title bid against Santos, Hiroko Yamanaka still has one of the best records of anyone in the division at 12-1-0. She should figure heavily into Strikeforce's plans if they want to keep developing the featherweights.

Julia Budd has only managed a 2-2-0 record in her career, but that all of those fights have been contested in Strikeforce should put that fact in a slightly better light. Also to her credit is her promotional debut, a victory over then-undefeated Shana Nelson.

After the jump, the best of the rest and some concluding thoughts...

Best of the Rest

Strikeforce's website suggests that it has other featherweights on its roster, but that simply isn't true. Two of them, Gina Carano and Shana Nelson, aren't actively competing with the organization, while the likes of Germaine de Randamie and Amanda Nunes have actually contended most of their careers at bantamweight. As such, the organization will definitely want to start ringing up some new talent...

Kelly Kobold spent the first five and a half years of her career compiling an eye-opening record of 17-0-1, with fourteen of those victories coming by way of submission or (T)KO. A three-fight skid, culminating in a loss to Gina Carano, saw Kobold take her leave of the sport until last spring, when she returned with a submission victory over Pipi Taylor, who was then undefeated at 5-0-0.

Once considered a strong challenger for Santos' belt, Erin Toughill may still be a quality candidate for recruitment, but the organization may also want to consider Ashley Sanchez, who took an upset win over Toughill last April.

Sau Paulo, Brazil's Ediane Gomes would also make a fine addition to Strikeforce, with six of her eight victories coming by way of submission (and five of those by armbar).

And so...

Julia Budd is an exciting, game fighter, but you know you're in trouble when someone with a 2-2-0 record is figuring into the top five of your division. You're in even bigger trouble when that "top five" was scaled back to "top four."

I'm simply not convinced that WMMA has grown enough in the last few years to sustain this weight class. And while there are a few other additions I could have made, such as Elaina Maxwell and the undefeated Rin Nakai, they don't compete at featherweight proper, and are more likely to drop a few pounds to make a home at 135. Given the above list, Strikeforce could put on a decent four-woman tournament to determine a number-one contender for Santos' return, but then what?

The featherweight division may have potential, but it won't likely be realized anytime soon. Strikeforce, if it wants to grow, would be better served by focusing on its bantamweight class and adding flyweights to the mix, both of which are far more replete with fighting talent.