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.