If you think the UFC and Strikeforce have trouble finding heavyweight depth beyond their top 10, imagine what it's like around the rest of the world. This weekend's smaller promotion fight slate gives us a good read.
Tim Sylvia, Chase Gormley, Ricco Rodriguez and Sean McCorkle were all in action. They didn't fight world beaters and the group still barely managed a split.
Rodriguez got a wake up call at Bellator 48. A UFC heavyweight champ way back in 2002, the 229-pound Rodriguez still needs to make the final cut to 205. He was overwhelmed and overpowered by Seth Petruzelli. Petruzelli, another UFC vet and an "The Ultimate Fighter" alum, shredded Rodriguez on the feet. The 34-year-old looked gassed towards the end of the first, ate a few kicks and then charged right into an overhand right. He went down like a ton of bricks and Petruzelli, a true light heavyweight, dropped a couple of hammer fists to finish the fight. Petruzelli posted win No. 14 of his career at the 4:21 mark of the first.
It was even worse for Gormley, who lost at a local Las Vegas show, Superior Cage Combat. The 6-foot-3, 275 pounder fought someone named Beau Tribolet. Tribolet (7-1) was called in on two days notice and knocked Gormley silly in less than three minutes. Gormley (7-4) was 0-2 with the UFC losing to Stefan Struve (UFC 104) and Brendan Schaub (UFC on Versus 1). Tribolet, a former power lifter, is a police officer in Tucson, Az.
In Illinois, Sylvia, the UFC heavyweight champ on two occasions, smashed Patrick Barrentine. Barrentine (9-6) hadn't fought in two years. Sylvia (28-7) has won 5-of-6, but is still trying to erase the memory of three one-sided losses in the last three years against Fedor Emelianenko, Ray Mercer and Abe Wagner.
McCorkle's fight may have been the oddest of the bunch. McCorkle (12-2) defeated Alex Rozman, who has a 3-13 record. McCorkle was 1-2 with the UFC. He was released after a loss to Christian Morecraft.
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