Tag: Alistair Overeem

Strikeforce: Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum, a Head-to-Toe Breakdown

It’s about damn time, ladies and gentlemen.The Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem is going to fight a top-10 heavyweight.For years now, Alistair has been running through opponents and the hype surrounding him has been building. However, …

It’s about damn time, ladies and gentlemen.

The Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem is going to fight a top-10 heavyweight.

For years now, Alistair has been running through opponents and the hype surrounding him has been building. However, while he has managed to topple some solid fighters, he has not yet faced off against an elite member of his division.

Enter Fabricio Werdum.

Werdum is considered by many to be a top-five heavyweight. He already owns a victory over Overeem, having defeated him by submission back in 2006.

Fabricio is also the first man to legitimately defeat Fedor Emelianenko and has a victory over the only other man to legitimately defeat Fedor, Antonio Silva.

This is a big test for Overeem, but if he passes it, he will finally prove to the world that he is an elite heavyweight.

Does Alistair have what it takes to avenge his loss to Fabricio?

Let’s take a look…

Begin Slideshow

Strikeforce Overeem vs. Werdum: Ranking the Top 10 Strikeforce Heavyweights

The UFC may bolster the thickest stable in every weight class, but Strikeforce more than holds its own in the heavyweight division.
The infusion of guys like Alistair Overeem, Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Fabricio Werdum, and Antonio Silva has turn…

The UFC may bolster the thickest stable in every weight class, but Strikeforce more than holds its own in the heavyweight division.

The infusion of guys like Alistair Overeem, Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Fabricio Werdum, and Antonio Silva has turned a dying division into Strikeforce’s premier weight class.

On June 18, the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix continues with two monumental quarterfinal match-ups.

The June outbreak of MMA keeps on rolling, and it’s Strikeforce’s turn to host the festivities. In preparation for the upcoming event, Bleacher Report counts down the top-10 fighters on the Strikeforce heavyweight roster.

Begin Slideshow

Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum, and the 10 Biggest Wins of Overeem’s MMA Career

Saturday night, June 18, 2011, Strikeforce will be concluding the first round matchups of the Heavyweight Grand Prix. Brett Rogers will take on Josh Barnett in what appears to be a lopsided bout, but it’s MMA and anything can happen.Alistair Overeem vs…

Saturday night, June 18, 2011, Strikeforce will be concluding the first round matchups of the Heavyweight Grand Prix. Brett Rogers will take on Josh Barnett in what appears to be a lopsided bout, but it’s MMA and anything can happen.

Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum is a fight that Overeem has wanted for a while. The first meeting, it was an overall close fight. Both were pretty much even through the fight, with Overeem edging the first.

The second it went to the ground and what does Werdum do best? Submit people and 3:43 in the second he caught Overeem with a Kimura and Overeem tapped.

Many people will state that this fight was years ago, so it doesn’t matter. Well, the fight happened so it is very relevant. Since that fight, what have both men accomplished? 

Alistair Overeem: 11-4 1 NC (1-3 against top 10)

Fabricio Werdum: 6-3 (5-3 against top 10)

The level of competition favors Werdum, yes Overeem has fought more guys, but he isn’t fighting guys who help him in a way to move his stock up. Nine of the 15 opponents Overeem has faced in that span were coming off of a loss, of the six others four of those had lost in their last two-three fights.

Many people hype up Overeem and claim he is the best, and that is wonderful, except the fact that there is not a single argument “MMA” related that states he is a top five or even top seven Heavyweight. To be the man, you have to beat the man. 

Fabricio Werdum, has had nine fights since the bout, most notably defeating the greatest fighter of all time, Fedor Emelianenko. In the span he defeated both Emelianenko’s (both were top 10 at the time of the fights). He defeated Antonio Silva; the only man who was not a top 10 fighter going into their fight with Werdum was Mike Kyle. 

Werdum is a hard person to rank. Yes, he has beat top contenders, but 6-3 over the past three years as well as being inactive since the Fedor fight doesn’t help him. Lucky for him, the heavyweight division isn’t very deep at the moment, so his top 5 status is secure.

 

Who has the advantage in this fight? Who will win?

Alistair Overeem has the clear advantage in this fight. In the past year he has been active while Werdum was nursing injuries. That being said, that isn’t a reason to count Werdum out or anything, but the layoff may have some effect. 

Werdum has been working extensively on his stand up, and as we all know his BJJ is some of the best in the game. Overeem clearly has the striking advantage, but Werdum has the cardio and speed advantage.

If Werdum can keep Overeem moving and not get trapped in his clinch, he can cause Overeem to gas out. If Overeem gets in tight, then odds are it is lights out for Werdum. 

Werdum has been working hard on his wrestling, and when was the last time you saw Overeem fight anyone with wrestling? Exactly, you have never seen it.

If Werdum can set up takedowns, then he can really mess with Overeem’s mind. Can he hold him down? Not at first, but after a while he could truly tire Overeem and capitalize.

In this fight, it is truly a fight for Overeem to prove his standing in the heavyweight division. In a lot of eyes, if Werdum wins, it is a huge upset when in all truths it should be the opposite.

If a smart pace is pushed and he can pick his shots correctly, then Overeem will win. If he can use his speed and set up solid takedowns and tire out Overeem, then Werdum will win.

My call: Fabricio Werdum via third-round submission.

Now we will look at the 10 biggest wins in Alistair Overeem’s career.  

Begin Slideshow

Overeem and Werdum Want UFC Fights, Water Wet, Sky Blue

“Say ‘Cheese’ fellas! We’re going to the UFC! Drinks are on me tonight.”

You know, we haven’t always been as friendly and respectful to Scott Coker and company the past few years as we could have been. Some of you have even called us haters, right here to our damn faces. However, since this is CagePotato and not CompletelyProfessionalMMAReporting.com, and since most of you assholes come here because we’re assholes, we figure that’s just peachy. That said, Strikeforce does manage to put together some stacked shows, when they’re given enough time between events.

Case in point: Strikeforce’s June 18 show in Dallas boasts a boatload (a large boat, son) of names taking part in the Neverending Story that is the SF heavyweight Grand Prix. Overeem vs Werdum is obviously the big one, but we’ve also got Josh Barnett vs Brett Rogers, Cormier vs Monson, the other Overeem vs that guy with the sideburns, KJ Noons , JZ Cavalcante vs Justin Wilcox… this is a stacked effing card, you pricks. So there, we said something nice. We marked it on our calendar, so it will be nothing but assholery and dick jokes until the autumnal equinox.

Or until the next UFC-Strikeforce superfight, whichever comes first. And with the recent news that cross-promotional fights are on the table for UFC and Strikeforce, we expect to hear SF champs making their case for a superfight of their own.

“Say ‘Cheese’ fellas!  We’re going to the UFC!  Drinks are on me tonight.”

You know, we haven’t always been as friendly and respectful to Scott Coker and company the past few years as we could have been. Some of you have even called us haters, right here to our damn faces. However, since this is CagePotato and not CompletelyProfessionalMMAReporting.com, and since most of you assholes come here because we’re assholes, we figure that’s just peachy. That said, Strikeforce does manage to put together some stacked shows, when they’re given enough time between events.

Case in point: Strikeforce’s June 18 show in Dallas boasts a boatload (a large boat, son) of names taking part in the Neverending Story that is the SF heavyweight Grand Prix. Overeem vs Werdum is obviously the big one, but we’ve also got Josh Barnett vs Brett Rogers, Cormier vs Monson, the other Overeem vs that guy with the sideburns, KJ Noons , JZ Cavalcante vs Justin Wilcox… this is a stacked effing card, you pricks. So there, we said something nice. We marked it on our calendar, so it will be nothing but assholery and dick jokes until the autumnal equinox.

Or until the next UFC-Strikeforce superfight, whichever comes first. And with the recent news that cross-promotional fights are on the table for UFC and Strikeforce, we expect to hear SF champs making their case for a superfight of their own.

As a few of you pointed out yesterday, Gilbert Melendez has every right to be thrown in the UFC lightweight title mix, but don’t expect to see that materialize anytime soon. The difference is that the lightweight division is drowning in contenders right now, while UFC matchmaker Joe Silva has recently started studying lucid dreaming and astral projection to come up with suitable challengers for Georges St. Pierre. GSP and Nick Diaz have both drained the pool of valid contenders, so the matchup (whether it goes against “business as usual” or not) was a no-brainer.

So let’s talk about interesting divisions. The UFC’s heavyweight class has historically been the promotion’s shallowest, while Strikeforce has essentially staked its reputation on having an elite group of 265ers, so there’s a bit of parity between the two. With Strikeforce’s Grand Prix going on (and on….and on…..), the promotion will look to determine its own rankings as objectively as possible. To date, however, there have been no plans for the tournament champion after he’s crowned.

Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem have some ideas, though. The winner of their June 18 battle will likely be the favorite to win the tourney crown, and both fighters are making noise about wanting a shot at the UFC champ after the GP is over (which is currently forecast to finish in June of 2016, at the current pace). With Diaz-GSP now official for October, it’s not hard to believe that the eventual tournament winner will be challenging the UFC champ quickly. Of course, there’s no telling who the representatives will be (Dos Santos and Overeem, shhhhh don’t tell nobody), but if someone were taking bets about which division will be consolidated first under the Zuffa banner, we’ve got a five spot and a dirty CP shirt we’ll put on the heavyweights.

[RX]

Alistair Overeem Aims to Win Tourney, Unify Belts and Become World No. 1

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, NewsAlistair Overeem is already the Strikeforce and DREAM heavyweight champion, but that’s not nearly enough for the hulking, 31-year-old Dutch star.

Nearly done preparing for his biggest opportunity on U.S. soil, Overee…

Filed under: , ,

Alistair Overeem is already the Strikeforce and DREAM heavyweight champion, but that’s not nearly enough for the hulking, 31-year-old Dutch star.

Nearly done preparing for his biggest opportunity on U.S. soil, Overeem admitted on Tuesday that he has major hopes for 2011, including winning the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, unifying the Strikeforce and UFC belts, and becoming the undisputed top-ranked fighter in his weight class.

Overeem, who will be facing Brazilian Fabricio Werdum on June 18 in Dallas, said it’s one thing at a time, but the big picture also remains in focus.

“Actually, I see this Grand Prix as an opportunity to show to fans in the U.S. and all over the world that I’m the No. 1 fighter,” he said. “And No. 1 doesn’t come by beating no-names. You have to beat the names. This tournament holds big names, all sorts of names. Every fighter in the tournament is good, and experienced. You’ve got to beat the best to become the best.”

He will have to start with a man who holds a win over him. Over five years ago, in May 2006, he faced Werdum in the first round of PRIDE’s Open Weight Grand Prix tournament. Overeem, who was still fighting as a light-heavyweight at the time, lost in the second round after submitting to a kimura. It was the first of five losses in a seven-fight stretch.

Those struggles, of course, could not have foretold the “Ubereem” wrecking machine that was just around the corner. After ending that rough period of losses, Overeem hasn’t tasted defeat, going unbeaten over his last 10 fights.

That, along with his rapidly increasing kickboxing skills, has given rise to the belief of some that Overeem is the best heavyweight in the world. Given the recent announcement that Strikeforce’s Nick Diaz will come over to the UFC to challenge welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, it seems more likely than ever that whoever emerges from the Strikeforce Grand Prix will one day face the UFC champ. Overeem says it’s an idea he hasn’t given much mind to, but acknowledged such a fight might be demanded by fans.

“There might be crossover fights but for the time being, it’s not on my schedule,” he said. “If I win the tournament, I personally, and I believe many fans, would love to see the winner of the tournament vs. UFC champion Cain Velasquez.”

Further, Overeem says that his plan is indeed to unify the belt as he continues to increase his presence in the U.S. market. There’s just one roadblock in the way, the same one that stopped him in his tracks once before.

Given the time since then, the hard work he’s put in, and his confidence level, Overeem’s confident he’ll get his revenge, and then move on to bigger and better opportunities.

“The fight will be different than last time,” he said. “You’re going to see the aggressive Overeem. I’ll be looking for a KO from the opening seconds. Fabricio is a different fighter, but i’m definitely a different fighter. He’s been training, preparing for my arsenal. I believe he’s confident. I’m confident. We’ll see how it plays out.”

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Alistair Overeem Aims to Win Tourney, Unify Belts and Become World No. 1

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, NewsAlistair Overeem is already the Strikeforce and DREAM heavyweight champion, but that’s not nearly enough for the hulking, 31-year-old Dutch star.

Nearly done preparing for his biggest opportunity on U.S. soil, Overee…

Filed under: , ,

Alistair Overeem is already the Strikeforce and DREAM heavyweight champion, but that’s not nearly enough for the hulking, 31-year-old Dutch star.

Nearly done preparing for his biggest opportunity on U.S. soil, Overeem admitted on Tuesday that he has major hopes for 2011, including winning the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, unifying the Strikeforce and UFC belts, and becoming the undisputed top-ranked fighter in his weight class.

Overeem, who will be facing Brazilian Fabricio Werdum on June 18 in Dallas, said it’s one thing at a time, but the big picture also remains in focus.

“Actually, I see this Grand Prix as an opportunity to show to fans in the U.S. and all over the world that I’m the No. 1 fighter,” he said. “And No. 1 doesn’t come by beating no-names. You have to beat the names. This tournament holds big names, all sorts of names. Every fighter in the tournament is good, and experienced. You’ve got to beat the best to become the best.”

He will have to start with a man who holds a win over him. Over five years ago, in May 2006, he faced Werdum in the first round of PRIDE’s Open Weight Grand Prix tournament. Overeem, who was still fighting as a light-heavyweight at the time, lost in the second round after submitting to a kimura. It was the first of five losses in a seven-fight stretch.

Those struggles, of course, could not have foretold the “Ubereem” wrecking machine that was just around the corner. After ending that rough period of losses, Overeem hasn’t tasted defeat, going unbeaten over his last 10 fights.

That, along with his rapidly increasing kickboxing skills, has given rise to the belief of some that Overeem is the best heavyweight in the world. Given the recent announcement that Strikeforce’s Nick Diaz will come over to the UFC to challenge welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, it seems more likely than ever that whoever emerges from the Strikeforce Grand Prix will one day face the UFC champ. Overeem says it’s an idea he hasn’t given much mind to, but acknowledged such a fight might be demanded by fans.

“There might be crossover fights but for the time being, it’s not on my schedule,” he said. “If I win the tournament, I personally, and I believe many fans, would love to see the winner of the tournament vs. UFC champion Cain Velasquez.”

Further, Overeem says that his plan is indeed to unify the belt as he continues to increase his presence in the U.S. market. There’s just one roadblock in the way, the same one that stopped him in his tracks once before.

Given the time since then, the hard work he’s put in, and his confidence level, Overeem’s confident he’ll get his revenge, and then move on to bigger and better opportunities.

“The fight will be different than last time,” he said. “You’re going to see the aggressive Overeem. I’ll be looking for a KO from the opening seconds. Fabricio is a different fighter, but i’m definitely a different fighter. He’s been training, preparing for my arsenal. I believe he’s confident. I’m confident. We’ll see how it plays out.”

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments