Scott Coker may be a doormat.

Before I get started on this post and have a metric assload of folks calling me a UFC shill or something along those lines, let me say that I like Strikeforce. At their best, the promotion can put on some entertaining shows. They're not always competitive (see Lawler vs Lindland) and the matchmaking doesn't always make sense (Diaz vs Santos seems like a fight to beef up Nick's record), but usually someone's getting their lights put out, or something's getting broken. So, to that degree, I say that Scott Coker should put a feather in his cap. However, he may want to take it back out, because doormats don't wear hats, and he may qualify for the position of sitting on my front porch.

Now, I'm not the only one who doesn't like Strikeforce's matchmaking in the upcoming Heavyweight GP. Kid Nate over at BloodyElbow already said that it "isn't a tournament" in one of his most recent articles. To me, the seeding seems a little bit fishy. Why the devil does Josh Barnett get a seemingly easy road to the final? Why are all four of the fighters who are top 10 heavyweights on the left side of the bracket? I think that it has to do with M-1 Global walking all over Scott Coker.

When it comes right down to it, M-1 Global is trying to milk Strikeforce for all it's worth, and they're banking on Fedor winning his first fight (where the odds have him listed at -500). Should Fedor get past Antonio Silva, M-1 Global is looking at a heavyweight dream match against Alistair Overeem, or a revenge fight against Fabricio Werdum. Win or lose, they're looking at a fat paycheck at the end of it, and a massive amount of leverage. Why on earth would Scott Coker want to do that with a company that has given him nothing but trouble since the beginning? Because Scott Coker may be a doormat.

Yes, I know it's the title, but I think it's pretty obvious at this point. In the short term, this does fantastic things for Strikeforce. In the long term, it doesn't make their matchmaking look competent in the least. Are there ratings coming? Yes, there are, but the tournament final seems downright pointless, because the best guys aren't going through hell and high water to get there. Only one of them is. If Scott Coker can't grow a pair and start putting his foot down, Strikeforce stands to look like a joke.

The minute he got choked out, Fedor and M-1 lost power. Pick up on it, Scotty!

-Micah C