Strikeforce Heavyweight GP bout: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio Silva
Odds: (-525 Emelianenko /+325 Silva )
Betting Pick: FEDOR
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In the main event of the evening, long-time Heavyweight king Fedor Emelianenko will look to prove that his loss to Fabricio Werdum, the first legitimate loss of his storied career, does not spell the end of his dominance. Standing in his way is Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, one of Strikeforce’s most successful Heavyweights. At his best, Fedor is at least a match for anyone in the division, but Silva is a formidable foe and it remains to be seen how Fedor will handle his first real loss in over a decade of fighting.
Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, one of Strikeforce’s biggest Heavyweight attractions, is a very effective and well-rounded fighter although he doesn’t look like your prototypical athlete. Silva has very heavy hands, good wrestling, and a great ground game. He is not always the most prolific submission finisher, but he has excellent jiu-jitsu, thudding ground and pound, and great positional control. Fedor proved in his last fight that he can be submitted, and Silva has the sort of dogged determination in the ground game, not to mention the size and technical ability, that he could put Fedor in some very bad positions if he can manage to impose his will.
Emelianenko was the undisputed king of the Heavyweight division for years, tearing through all of his opponents and, even more impressively, tending to beat them all at their own games. In their primes, he brutalized Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on the ground and made Mirko Cro Cop look amateurish in a striking battle. Fedor is one of the most dangerous finisher’s in the sport’s history. His punching is extremely powerful and unorthodox, and he can send knockout punches at an opponent from a variety of unusual angles that are hard to deal with. On the ground, he has amazing submissions from both the top and off his back, and his ground and pound is pretty much the stuff of legend.
I think that, like most every conceivable fight, this one favors Emelianenko. On the feet he is quicker and more powerful than Silva, and his submissions are arguably better too. The gap is smaller on the ground, and Silva could have success there, but no one has ever been able to consistently force Emelianenko to the ground. He was submitted by Werdum after rocking him with a huge punch and then recklessly diving into his guard, a mistake I doubt he will repeat this time around. I don’t think Silva has the type of dominant wrestling it would require to get Fedor on his back, and it is just a matter of time before Fedor lands one of his trademark crushing power punches and earns the T/KO victory.
Prediction: Fedor Emelianenko via second round T/KO.
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