Strikeforce/M-1 ‘Fedor vs. Werdum’ Preview

Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos vs. Jan Finney

No matter how anyone looks at the title bout between reigning Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion Santos and bantamweight pseudo-contender Finney, it all boils down to the same things. Santos is the most physically dominant female fighter this sport has ever seen, and Finney usually fights a weight class below her. Mismatch doesn’t even begin to describe what awaits Finney in this fight.

A middling striker who lacks a wrestling or submission game behind those strikes, Finney just doesn’t have the skills to give Santos any pause. At this point it’s obvious no one can stand her ground with Santos, and Finney is the sort of fighter who makes her living with a scrappy, hard-nosed style. Trying to get in Santos’ face, however, is likely to come at a heavy cost.

In a nascent sport still sorting itself out, Santos provides a tantalizing glimpse into one of many potential futures. Going beyond her raw physical abilities, Santos is an exceptionally well-conditioned athlete with a surprising diversity of offensive skills. Despite being portrayed as a sort of striking bogeywoman, Santos has shown an adroit grasp of grappling and a level of fight IQ not normally associated with rugged, bruising strikers.

The fact is that Strikeforce just doesn’t have any viable challengers for Santos, and this bout is basically busy work for a fighter of her stature. Finney will make for an entertaining style clash, but it will only be entertaining in the sense that Santos will get to show off on a big stage. And show off she will en route to a knockout win late in the first round.