There was a time when the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix tournament was going to take the mixed martial arts (MMA) world by storm. The smaller San Jose based promotion had managed to assemble eight heavyweights with legitimate credibility (for the most part) that rivaled that of Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) 265-pound weight class.

But, like most things in life, nothing ever goes the way you plan it.

Indeed, Fedor Emelianenko was bounced in the first round while Alistair Overeem was released and ran off to the greener pastures of UFC. The two biggest names in the bracket failed out, albeit in differing ways, leading many an MMA fan to simply write off the grand prix as a failed experiment by a promotion in over its head.

The good news in all this is it finally, mercifully, comes to an end tonight (Sat., May 19, 2012) with the Strikeforce: "Barnett vs. Cormier" event that takes place on Showtime from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, featuring Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier.

At the very least, it should go out with a bang.

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Strikeforce: "Barnett vs. Cormier" goes down tonight (Sat., May 19, 2012) from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, and features the conclusion of the ambitious heavyweight grand prix tournament.

Finally.

Josh Barnett got to the big show by running through his side of the bracket via consecutive arm triangle submission victories over Brett Rogers and Sergei Kharitonov, respectively.

Daniel Cormier, meanwhile, needed just one win to get to the finals thanks to his replacing Alistair Overeem after he was dumped from Strikeforce in favor of the UFC. "DC" knocked out Antonio Silva in the first round of the semifinals but broke his hand in the process, leading to the long wait for tonight's final showdown.

So who wins this titanic clash of big men?

Our resident Nostradumbass sees the match-up going the distance and Barnett riding his experience to a split decision victory. But what about the pros? Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) got predictions from a few of the heavyweights competing on the UFC 146 card on May 26 in Las Vegas.

Let's see who Junior dos Santos, Frank Mir, Cain Velasquez and Antonio Silva think will win tonight's showdown.

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It's almost to the point where you feel like you should feel sorry for Gilbert Melendez. Almost.

The Strikeforce lightweight champion has been languishing in the second tier promotion as one of the most talented 155-pound fighters on Earth. He'll continue to do so for the foreseeable future, too.

Tonight (Sat., May 19, 2012), he defends his title against an old rival, Josh Thomson, in the co-main event of the Strikeforce: "Barnett vs. Cormier" fight card set to go down on Showtime from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

That's part of why sympathy seems prudent. This is the third fight between these two and while they've split the first two meetings, their careers have gone on entirely different trajectories since they last met back in Dec. 2009. Melendez has been dominant, destroying Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Jorge Masvidal, respectively.

He's been so good, in fact, that UFC President Dana White started speaking openly about bringing him over to swim with the sharks inside the Octagon. But that talk suddenly stopped, for reasons that were never made apparent, and "El Nino" has been stuck in Strikeforce ever since.

And that means he's at the mercy of the talent pool available outside the UFC, which, in short, is quite shallow.

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The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament, featuring a live finale of Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier this Saturday night (May 19, 2012) at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, finally concludes after a long and tumultuous journey.

Not that anyone still cares.

It's a disappointing end to one of the promotion's most ambitious endeavors, which has now become less about crowning a tournament king and more about padding a resume for prospective employers in Las Vegas. We recently learned that Strikeforce has torched its heavyweight division and most of the valuable parts have already been picked from the burning wreckage.

Look no further than the UFC 146: "Dos Santos vs. Mir" fight card for proof, where Shane del Rosario, Lavar Johnson and Antonio Silva try to get themselves "into the mix" later this month in "Sin City."

Expect the winner, and perhaps even the loser of "Barnett vs. Cormier," to soon follow.

I called it a disappointment, but I'm not suggesting "The Warmaster" and "DC" won't hold up their end of the bargain and deliver a thrilling finale -- they most likely will -- but it's hard to flash back to the opening brackets and not wonder what could have been, rather than what was.

So what went wrong?

The easy "out" is to blame ZUFFA's inevitable purchase of Strikeforce. While it certainly complicated matters, there's very little evidence the tournament would have unfolded any differently.

Here's why.

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Strikeforce returns to Showtime tonight (Sat., May 19, 2012) with its "Barnett vs. Cormier" event, which will begin around 8 p.m. ET with its preliminary card broadcast airing LIVE on Showtime Extreme.

Then it's time to kick it on over to the main Showtime channel for the main card portion of the event, headlined by the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix tournament final between Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier, beginning promptly at 10 p.m. ET.

Don't get Showtime as part of your subscription package?

You can call up your local cable and/or satellite provider, of course, or you can click here to order it up so you can make sure you're able to tune in for tonight's mixed martial arts (MMA) extravaganza.

However, if you need your Strikeforce results as soon as possible, and don't have a provider that carries the network and have zero desire to order the channel just for tonight's event, MMAmania.com will deliver up-to-the-minute results and live fight coverage, including round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of all the "Barnett vs. Cormier" action before, during and after the event RIGHT HERE.

More details on tonight's Strikeforce fight card and line-up after the jump.

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Two of the top heavyweights in the world will be battling for the coveted Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix championship tomorrow night (May 19, 2012) as veteran Josh Barnett takes on undefeated former Olympian Daniel Cormier in the main event of Strikeforce: "Barnett vs. Cormier" in San Jose, California.

Josh Barnett has returned from MMA purgatory to become a prominent player in the heavyweight division again. After cruising past former title challenger Brett Rogers, he manhandled Sergei Kharitonov to advance to the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix finals. If he can get past Cormier, he could be in line for the UFC title picture once the remainder of the division is consolidated.

Daniel Cormier emerged from prospect to powerhouse in 2011, defeating veteran Jeff Monson and then obliterating top 10 ranked heavyweight Antonio Silva via first round knockout to literally punch his ticket to the tournament finals. Cormier exploded from unranked to top 10 talent himself with his performance and the American Kickboxing Academy product is hoping to continue to build on his tremendous momentum.

Will the grizzled "Warmaster" be able to utilize his tremendous experience advantage against Cormier? Will Cormier's Olympic caliber work ethic and athletic ability be the big equalizer? What's the key to victory for both men?

Let's find out:

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Strikeforce is ready to (finally) tie a ribbon around its heavyweight grand prix tournament tomorrow night (May 19, 2012) LIVE on Showtime from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

"Barnett vs. Cormier" will feature a headlining heavyweight hoedown between longtime mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran Josh Barnett taking on undefeated fight phenom Daniel Cormier in the night's main event. Elsewhere on the card, Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez puts his 155-pound title on the line in a rubber match against former division titleholder Josh Thomson.

Remember: MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight night (Sat., May 19, 2012), which is slated to air at 10 p.m. ET on Showtime. The latest quick updates of the live action will begin to flow earlier than that around 8 p.m. ET with the "Prelim" bouts on Showtime Extreme.

So who keeps themselves relevant on Saturday night?

After the jump, I'll be taking a quick look at all the main card action, as well as provide quick picks for all the undercard match-ups. There's a total of eight fights in all, and best of all, they're available to Showtime subscribers only for free!

Let's get to it.

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The Strikeforce lightweight title is on the line with two warriors gear up for their trilogy fight this Saturday night (May 19, 2012) as 155 pound champion Gilbert Melendez looks to defend his belt against Josh Thomson in the co-main event of Strikeforce: "Barnett vs. Cormier" in San Jose, California.

Josh Thomson came back from a long layoff to defeat former welterweight title challenger K.J. Noons in his last bout, a performance he wasn't particularly proud of, but he got the title shot anyways due to the lack of depth in the promotion. He has a very interesting history, having spent 50 minutes thus far in the cage against Melendez, splitting their first two bouts and he'd love to win the rubber match.

Gilbert Melendez is widely regarded as one of the best lightweights in the world. He's unbeaten in nearly four years and has avenged both of his losses. He still wants to be the number one ranked 155-er and he'll need to have a dominant showing against Thomson, the last man to beat him, if he wants to prove it.

Will "El Nino" bring the heat against Thomson on Saturday night? Can Thomson gut through his nagging injuries and pull off the upset? What's the key to victory for both men this weekend?

Let's find out:

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