Taking a page out of the book of PRIDE, Strikeforce confirmed last week that they are kicking off 2011 with a tremendous eight-man heavyweight grand prix featuring a murderer's row of heavyweight talent, including Fedor Emelianenko, Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum.
Many were quick to reject the concept, noting that it was a “disaster waiting to happen,” but you have to give Strikeforce credit for having the cojones to set it up.
The first round brackets are booked and the tournament is set to officially commence on February 12.
I’ve taken an in-depth look at the first round pairings below.
Andrei Arlovski vs. Sergei Kharitonov: Feb. 12
Past their primes or not, this is an intriguing matchup between two excellent strikers who were once considered among the best in the world.
For Arlovski, it wasn’t that long ago when he was viewed as a top tier heavyweight, but three straight losses to Antonio Silva, Brett Rogers and Emelianenko have derailed “The Pitbull” from the upper echelon of the division.
Kharitonov, on the other hand, is fresh off a brutal knockout victory from a knee over Tatsuya Mizuno at DREAM Dynamite 2010 on New Year’s Eve.
Injuries have kept the Russian kickboxer from fighting consistently, though. He has only fought once a year from 2008-2010, going 2-1 within that time span.
As quick and explosive as Arlovski is on his feet, he’s never been known for having a durable chin.
It wouldn’t be smart to trade punches with Kharitonov and risk a fourth consecutive loss.
Arlovski needs to use his underutilized grappling abilities to either submit the Russian on the ground or grind out a decision victory.
Of course, chances are that Arlovski will get caught up in a standup battle before losing yet another fight by way of a brutal knockout or just from simply being outboxed.
Predicted winner: Kharitonov by second RD knockout
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio Silva: Feb. 12
Regarded by many as the greatest heavyweight on the planet, Emelianenko makes his return to the Strikeforce cage, after a shocking submission loss to Werdum this past June.
He will fight “Big Foot” Silva in the first round of the tournament.
This bout is going to answer many questions regarding Emelianenko’s status as a top pound for pound fighter. Some claim that the loss to Werdum was merely a fluke, while others believe it was a sign that “The Last Emperor” isn’t what he once was.
Surely, Silva will receive the underdog billing for this fight, but it would be asinine to overlook the massive Brazilian.
Silva has tremendous knockout power in his hands and is also a highly decorated Jiu-Jitsu specialist on the ground.
That being said, Mike Kyle floored Silva in the first round of their December 2010 bout.
Silva displayed a ton of durability in that fight, but I believe Emelianenko would be able to finish the job.
Predicted winner: Emelianenko by first RD TKO
Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers: TBA
Barnett isn’t exactly the most beloved heavyweight in the world. When you take into account that he is the only fighter in MMA history to test positive for anabolic steroids three times and isn’t even apologetic about it, you can understand why.
If you can somehow put that aside, Barnett is a legitimate contender with some of the best grappling in the division. A phenomenal catch wrestler, Barnett won gold in the 2009 World Jiu-Jitsu championships in the no-gi ultra-heavyweight division.
Currently riding a staggering six fight winning streak, Barnett hasn’t faced elite competition since his 2006 loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in PRIDE.
Rogers is a big brawler with massive power, known mostly for his vicious knockout win over Arlovski in 2009.
Unfortunately, he really only has a punchers chance against Barnett.
Predicted winner: Josh Barnett by unanimous decision
Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum II: TBA
This is the matchup that fans have been demanding from Strikeforce ever since Werdum shocked the world against Emelianenko. Werdum submitted Overeem five years ago in PRIDE, but a lot has changed and the rematch is highly anticipated.
“The Demolition Man” is a completely different fighter than he was in 2006. He’s much, much larger and ten times more explosive.
In the past five years, Overeem has evolved into arguably the best striker in the division, but he hasn’t competed against a high caliber opponent since his 2007 knockout loss at 205 lbs to current UFC champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
Werdum has certainly refined his Muay Thai skills over the years, but he wouldn’t last long in a pure standup battle with the champion.
If Overeem can hurt Werdum with punches early on, he can put the BJJ black belt to sleep before Werdum even has a chance to to go for a takedown.
He's clearly the most dangerous striker in this tournament and possibly the entire division; not only does Overeem possess tremendous power, but he also has incredible speed and superb technical ability.
On the other hand, Overeem hasn't been tested against a legit BJJ specialist since his loss to Ricardo Arona five years ago in PRIDE.
Werdum's grappling credentials are among the best the sport has to offer. If he can weather Overeem's early storm, it would only be a matter of time before he brings the fight down to his world—the ground.
Predicted winner: Fabricio Werdum by first RD submission
Mitch Ciccarelli is the sexiest columnist in MMA. A staff writer for Heavy MMA, featured columnist for B/R and host of Crouching Tiger Hidden Leprechaun MMA Radio, Ciccarelli is also a future United States Airman beginning basic training this March. He is also engaged to Eva Mendes and Jessica Simpson.
Follow Ciccarelli on twitter, unless you have herpes. @MitchCiccarelli
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