Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship bout: Alistair Overeem vs. Brett Rogers
Prediction: Alistair Overeem via second round T/KO.
Rogers vs Overeem Odds: Currently +235 / -295
The main event of the evening sees the highly anticipated return to Strikeforce of Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem, who will be defending his title against up and coming slugger Brett “The Grim” Rogers. Overeem has been concentrating mostly on his K-1 career, but he is jumping right back into the thick of competition against Rogers, a physical monster with a surplus of punching power who continues to improve with every appearance. Considering the dynamite power both guys pack in their hands, this is not a fight you will want to miss.
Brett Rogers arrived on the national scene with a bang, blasting out a series of challengers in EliteXC and culminating with a huge destruction of former UFC Heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski. In his last fight, he wound up getting finished by #1 Heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, but not before proving that he is a real threat and putting Fedor in a lot more trouble than he is used to being in. Rogers’ punching power is incredible, and he showed pretty good wrestling against Fedor. The combination of his power, his huge size, and his physical strength makes him an extremely dangerous opponent for anyone and a huge threat to capture Overeem’s belt.
Overeem, though, is not going to go down easily. A top-level striker with brutal punches and knees, Overeem has put together a very good record in K-1 against some of the best strikers in the world. It’s easy to concentrate only on his striking because of his K-1 career, but in fact Overeem has one of the most lethal close-range double leg takedowns in the sport and a brutal ground and pound game to go with it. Overeem is incredible at using his striking to punish opponents and close the distance, and then dumping them lightning-fast and teeing off on them from top position.
This fight is probably going to come down to how much Overeem’s K-1 stint has affected his performance. If he comes in and performs at the top of his abilities, Rogers is going to be in a world of trouble. In the standup, Overeem will be prepared for anything, and has superior technique to Rogers, if not superior power. The question is how well Overeem will weave his wrestling in. If he uses his trademark quick doubles to put Rogers on his back, he will dominate this fight, but if Rogers can prevent that it will be a lot more interesting. Still, considering Overeem’s striking prowess, he has to be the favorite to win this by TKO. It’s worth noting though that Rogers is at +235 at Sportsbook, and a small bet with those odds on a guy who hits as hard as Rogers might not be a terrible plan.
Prediction: Alistair Overeem via second round T/KO.
- Throwing a small bet on Rogers isnt a bad idea @+235.
To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds. They allow you to start with as little as $20, and you can bet on all of the fights for the night.