Scott Harris | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Strikeforce Results: Five Reasons Antonio Silva Will Beat Alistair Overeem

Alistair Overeem’s victory over Fabricio Werdum Saturday at Strikeforce Dallas set up a huge heavyweight battle between Overeem, the current Strikeforce champion, and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, one of the hottest heavyweights on the planet.The winner wil…

The winner will advance to the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix final.

With the UFC’s parent company having recently purchased Strikeforce, and with neither of these men displaying a lot of shyness when it comes to expressing their aspirations for the Octagon, there’s a lot more potentially riding on this fight than a flashy trophy.

This should be a great fight between two massive human beings, but I think Bigfoot is in a good position to pull the mild upset in this one.

Here are five reasons why.

Begin Slideshow

Strikeforce Overeem vs. Werdum: Brock Lesnar and the Top 10 Heavyweights in MMA

The Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix completed its opening round Saturday in Dallas. Strikeforce champion and tourney favorite Alistair Overeem scored a clear—if, eh, unsatisfying—unanimous decision win over Fabricio Werdum, setting up a …

On the other side of the bracket, Josh Barnett will face Sergei Kharitonov in the next round after choking out an increasingly lackluster Brett Rogers in the second round.

With four of the world’s better heavyweights in action, it stands to reason that last night’s outcomes will shake up the world MMA rankings for this class. Did this win finally land Overeem in the top five? Does Werdum stay in the top 10? What about Barnett and Rogers?

Here’s one stab at a top 10 ranking.

Begin Slideshow

Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix: Ranking the Striking of All 6 Fighters Left

After a four-month layoff, the first round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight World Grand Prix 2011 tournament will finally conclude this Saturday. In one quarterfinal match, Josh Barnett faces Brett Rogers for the right to fight Sergei Kharitonov, who kno…

After a four-month layoff, the first round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight World Grand Prix 2011 tournament will finally conclude this Saturday.

In one quarterfinal match, Josh Barnett faces Brett Rogers for the right to fight Sergei Kharitonov, who knocked off Andrei “I Can’t Get a Break” Arlovski back in February.

Then, Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem squares up with “Fedor Slayer” Fabricio Werdum to see who will face Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in the second semifinal match, which at this pace would be scheduled for sometime after the presidential election.

Lots of interesting and divergent skill sets among these six, but one commonality they share is in the striking department. All six know how to throw, even if some do it a little better than others.

Needless to say, that causes more than a little excitement among fans. Add that some of these guys have battled before, and you’ve got a tournament rife with intrigue and the potential for serious fireworks.

Let us now break down and rank the striking skills of each of the remaining Grand Prix combatants.

Begin Slideshow

Strikeforce Dallas: Power Ranking Alistair Overeem’s 10 First-Round Beatdowns

Alistair Overeem has heard the talk. He knows you think he’s overrated. He knows you think he’s just a musclebound bully. He knows you don’t think his knockouts, while spectacular, ever come against anyone of consequence. And he knows you d…

Overeem understands all that. But if it’s all so true, why am I a little afraid for Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce Dallas this Saturday?

It’s probably because Overeem seems more than a little motivated to use Werdum as a proxy for all those Internet critics, then as a springboard to the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix title and, ultimately, the Octagon.

Whether any of it actually happens (and whether the doubts over his UFC readiness are justified) is anyone’s guess. But it’s all possible when you’re capable of finishing fights as quickly as Overeem.

Whether he is overrated or not, I can count on one hand the number of fighters with as much demonstrated stopping power.

To get you prepared (or perhaps desensitized) for the violence you might witness this Saturday at Strikeforce Dallas, we proudly present a power ranking of Overeem’s 10 career first-round knockouts. Please enjoy.

Begin Slideshow

UFC on Versus 4: Five Burning Questions That Will Be Answered June 26

UFC on Versus 4—or as it is officially known, UFC Live: Marquardt vs. Story—is set to take place June 26 in the Steel City.
For a free event, this card is stacked both with matchups and intrigue. The main-event collision between Nate M…

UFC on Versus 4—or as it is officially known, UFC Live: Marquardt vs. Story—is set to take place June 26 in the Steel City.

For a free event, this card is stacked both with matchups and intrigue. The main-event collision between Nate Marquardt and Rick Story is, of course, the best fight on paper and carries the most import for the larger championship conversation.

But plenty of other fighters have a lot on the line in this one, and as such the event could help separate the wheat from the chaff in several UFC divisions.

Here are five of the most pressing questions heading into the event.

Begin Slideshow

The Next 15 UFC Fighters Who Will Retire, Leave or Be Cut

No other sport mirrors the kill-or-be-killed world of nature like mixed martial arts. Although inside the Octagon, it’s more like cut or be cut.
With new talent flooding the UFC in the wake of the Strikeforce and WEC purchases (and…

No other sport mirrors the kill-or-be-killed world of nature like mixed martial arts. Although inside the Octagon, it’s more like cut or be cut.

With new talent flooding the UFC in the wake of the Strikeforce and WEC purchases (and with the UFC’s general ability to cherry-pick top prospects from promotions it doesn’t own), it makes sense that you’d have to thin the herd with some regularity. In addition, given the toll the sport can take, retirements are another part of the equation. And once in a while, fighters are even compelled to leave the promotion for other reasons entirely.

Here are 15 fighters who may be poised to retire, leave or receive their walking papers from the UFC.

Begin Slideshow