It's not stupid, it's called marketing. It's no secret that the real marketable fight is Fedor-Overeem, and there's no way they could justify having it in the first round.

If they are due to meet in the semis, as they were, there's a 25% chance (0.5x0.5) that the match-up will happen, if they both win their first round matches. (Of course, it's only 25% in purely mathematical terms for possible outcomes, considering Overeem and Fedor were/are rightfully big favourites Coker considered the chances would be much higher than 25%).

If they were separated so that they would only meet in the finals then there's only a 6.25% mathematical chance (0.5x0.5x0.5x0.5) as they need to win two matches each rather than one. Strikeforce was simply trying to ensure the match-up happens without opening it up to too much in the way of tournament-style risk. They had to find the balance between keeping decent chances of them fighting (hence not matching them up for the finals) and also ensuring one of their two majority prized possessions doesn't get knocked out too early (by having them face off in round one).

Hope that helps. Besides, because the winner of the tournament doesn't win Overeem's belt, they get a shot at it, if things go tits up and Fedor-Overeem doesn't happen in the tournament, they figured not having it in the final would be an extra opportunity to have it as the eventual showdown, if say Werdum shocks Overeem and Fedor won it.

Also there is marketing potential of right bracket cos fans will want to see who is in the finals and eventual winner from the right side would get decent boost in popularity. Even Josh Barnett who is name isn't that much of a brand. Big in Japan, but not star worldwide.

I'm probably going to piss off a few people by saying this, but Fedor is a fraud. Always was. Couture would smoke him now or even in his prime. Fedor was a reasonable fighter who got turned into a legend by marketing. He had a few tough fights earlier in his career, but once the PR boys got hold of him he never faced anyone people didn't assume he could beat easily. The last two proved that it was all hype by in fact beating Fedor easily. What were the odds again, 5 to 1 in favour of Fedor? LOL!

Couture on the other hand has had practically nothing but tough fights against the best in the world, with something like 3/4ths of his bouts being for a title belt. He has participated in some of the greatest wars MMA has ever seen (Liddell v Couture jumps to mind... any of them), and has never ducked a fight. Overeem vs Fedor is never going to happen now is it? How convenient! Hell Couture has been waiting a decade or so for Fedor to face him, so Overeem got off easy. He doesn't have to pretend to be interested in the fight any more.

Sorry to rain on the parade, but Fedor was and is an over-hyped middle level fighter who has never really even been a contender, let alone the greatest of all time.

Fedor used to be great cos beside all the cans he fought before and after Nog, few were names. They are all cans today but at that time they were somewhat serious guys. Also as MMA evolved we can't compare Pride fighters to new generation of guys. Some older faces evolved, some didn't and stay one trick ponies.

Fedor might be "victim" of M-1 but maybe he isn't. Even with his one fight a year he probably earns more than UFC stars with 3 fights a year.

Can we consider him legend of the sport? Absolutely, but so we can many others. All time great? IMO such things should be put in context of certain period.

While I can see your point, I would like to point out that Couture was fighting in the UFC 3 years BEFORE Fedor's first MMA fight, and he's still there. Couture won a championship belt more recently than Fedor too. Fedor's most recent belt fight was in 2006 against Mark Hunt (not counting the bullshit WAMMA "title"), while Couture defeated Tim Sylvia to take the UFC HW title in 2007.

So the argument that you have to take account of the time periods still doesn't add up because Couture's career started before Fedor's and is still going. In terms of the number of title fights, the quality of opposition, and the record against said competition, Couture leaves Fedor in the dust .

A legend Fedor may be, but only because of the hype, not the record.

I dont think Fedor is a direct fraud. He was a great wellrespected fighter when he was in Pride. But since then he has been missmanaged by people surrounding him wanting to make a lot of money of his fame, and in the process limiting him to develop himself by not giving him any real fights. If Fedor would have went directly to UFC Im sure theings would have been different.

A shame really that Fedor "the (ex) best fighter in the world", has never fought in UFC. That automatically reduces him to just another fighter trying to make it out there...

some interesting perspectives out there... =\