Tag: Andrei Arlovski

Fight Video Roundup: All 12 Previous Meetings Between Strikeforce Heavyweight GP Participants [UPDATED]

(Remember when Sergei Kharitonov sent Alistair Overeem’s lifeless body through the ropes at K-1 Hero’s 10? No? Then you really need to watch these videos…)
In our excitement for Strikeforce’s potentially insane heavyweight tournament, one point see…

Sergei Kharitonov Alistair Overeem MMA photos K-1 Hero's 10 Middleweight Tournament Final Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix
(Remember when Sergei Kharitonov sent Alistair Overeem‘s lifeless body through the ropes at K-1 Hero’s 10? No? Then you really need to watch these videos…)

In our excitement for Strikeforce’s potentially insane heavyweight tournament, one point seems to be getting lost in the narrative — namely, that these guys have already fought each other many, many times before. Five of the eight competitors (Werdum, Arlovski, Overeem, Emelianenko, Rogers) have previously faced at least three other fighters in the tournament field. Fabricio Werdum has actually fought everyone except Brett Rogers and Josh Barnett, and only Barnett himself has managed to go his entire career without bumping up against anybody else in this year’s bracket.

All told, there’s eleven twelve fights worth of shared history among the Strikeforce HWGP competitors, dating back over five years. To help you study for the quarterfinals next month, we’ve posted them all below in chronological order…

UPDATE: We originally forgot to include Fabricio Werdum’s decision win over Antonio Silva. So actually, there have been 12 previous meetings, not 11. The video has now been added. 

(Sergei Kharitonov def. Fabricio Werdum via split decision; PRIDE 30, 10/23/05)

(Alistair Overeem def. Sergei Kharitonov via TKO, 5:13 of round 1; PRIDE 31, 2/26/06)

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Strikeforce Tournament Could Crown MMA’s Top Heavyweight

Filed under: UFC, StrikeforceThere’s no such thing as “the heavyweight champion of the world” in mixed martial arts. That’s a title that various promoters can bestow on their fighters, but the reality is that the promotions have their own heavyweight c…

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There’s no such thing as “the heavyweight champion of the world” in mixed martial arts. That’s a title that various promoters can bestow on their fighters, but the reality is that the promotions have their own heavyweight champions. If those champions won’t fight each other, then we never really know, for sure, who the champ is.

But there is usually a consensus opinion among MMA fans and the MMA media about who the top heavyweight is. For years, the top heavyweight was Fedor Emelianenko, which meant that the No. 1 heavyweight resided outside the UFC. The combination of Fedor’s loss to Fabricio Werdum and Cain Velasquez‘s victory over Brock Lesnar, however, solidified Velasquez, in the eyes of most observers, as the No. 1 heavyweight.

None of the fighters participating in Strikeforce’s eight-man heavyweight tournament will get the opportunity to wrest control of the mythical heavyweight crown away from Velasquez inside the cage. But the tournament will give the winner a lot of ammunition for an argument that he is, in fact, the best. And the tournament gives Strikeforce its best chance of making a legitimate case that its champion — and not the UFC’s — is the best heavyweight.

Scott Coker Discusses Heavyweight Tourney, Re-Signing Emelianenko

Filed under: Strikeforce, News, interviewStrikeforce CEO Scott Coker faced his share of criticism in 2010 for the perceived difficulty in putting his heavyweight fighters in the cage together. That criticism came to a screeching halt on Tuesday, when M…

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Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker faced his share of criticism in 2010 for the perceived difficulty in putting his heavyweight fighters in the cage together. That criticism came to a screeching halt on Tuesday, when MMA Fighting broke the news that an eight-man tournament had been finalized that would feature some of the promotion’s biggest names.

The tournament, which begins on Feb. 12, is expected to run over several months and is expected to culminate with the winner as the Strikeforce heavyweight champion (more on that later).

Just hours after his big announcement, Coker spoke with MMA Fighting about the tournament, bringing Fedor Emelianenko back into the fold, the possibility of Strikeforce on pay-per-view and more.

Title Could Change Hands Three Times in Strikeforce’s Heavyweight Tourney

(Image courtesy of Strikeforce via MMA Convert)
Strikeforce has just released the bracket for their clusterfuctacular heavyweight tournament, which should clear up some of the conflicting reports about who’s fighting who. What it doesn’t specify is w…

Strikeforce heavyweight tournament bracket Fedor Werdum Overeem Barnett Silva Rogers Kharitonov Arlovski
(Image courtesy of Strikeforce via MMA Convert)

Strikeforce has just released the bracket for their clusterfuctacular heavyweight tournament, which should clear up some of the conflicting reports about who’s fighting who. What it doesn’t specify is when these fights are taking place. We know that Emelianenko vs. Silva and Arlovski vs. Kharitonov are both happening February 12th in New Jersey. Overeem/Werdum and Barnett/Rogers are tentatively slated to go down in April, exact date and location TBA. And the semi-finals and finals? Your guess is as good as ours, bro. With a little bit of luck, this entire dirty business will be settled by the time President Trump takes office.

(Personally, I think that getting all these guys together for a single-night tournament is the only way you can insure that the semi-finals and finals will actually take place, but we’re trying to stay positive here. For what it’s worth, Scott Coker is adamant that Josh Barnett’s licensing issues will not bar him from competing in the GP.)

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Strikeforce Heavyweight Tourney Is Gutsy, but Is It Smart?

Filed under: StrikeforceWhatever problems Strikeforce may be forced to confront in 2011, a lack of ambition certainly won’t be one of them. Not in the heavyweight division, anyway. Not after Tuesday’s big news.

As MMA Fighting’s own Mike Chiappetta re…

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Whatever problems Strikeforce may be forced to confront in 2011, a lack of ambition certainly won’t be one of them. Not in the heavyweight division, anyway. Not after Tuesday’s big news.

As MMA Fighting’s own Mike Chiappetta reported earlier Tuesday, Strikeforce is planning an eight-man, single-elimination heavyweight tournament set to begin in early 2011. If the current plan holds, it should feature everyone from Fedor Emelianenko and Fabricio Werdum to recent acquisition Josh Barnett and champion Alistair Overeem.

Coming from an organization that has struggled at times to get any two notable heavyweights into the same cage at the same time, it’s hard not to wonder if Strikeforce can even pull off something as complicated and prolonged as a high-profile heavyweight tournament. Even if we assume that CEO Scott Coker and his crew can make it happen, does that necessarily make it a good idea?

Overeem vs. Werdum Among Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament Pairings

Filed under: Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, M-1 Global, NewsEight Strikeforce heavyweights have all signed to compete in a single-elimination tournament to begin on Feb. 12, sources have confirmed to MMA Fighting.

While several of the matchups have …

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Eight Strikeforce heavyweights have all signed to compete in a single-elimination tournament to begin on Feb. 12, sources have confirmed to MMA Fighting.

While several of the matchups have been rumored for some time, MMA Fighting can report the addition of Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem to the field. A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed that Overeem will take on Fabricio Werdum.