Lowkick.com’s Anton Gurevich recently had the privilege to interview Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem. Overeem is gearing up for a Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix quarterfinal fight with Brazilian jiu jitsu specialist Fabricio…
Overeem is gearing up for a Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix quarterfinal fight with Brazilian jiu jitsu specialist Fabricio Werdum.
This rematch takes between the two heavyweight takes place in Dallas, Texas on June 18; Werdum submitted Overeem with a kimura in their May 2006 meeting under the Pride banner.
Overeem is regarded as the eighth best heavyweight in the world by Sherdog, while Werdum is currently ranked the No. 3 heavyweight by the same highly regarded mixed martial arts website.
Despite this fact, there are a number of fans and critics alike who do not believe that “The Demolition Man” is worthy of top-10 status due to facing lackluster competition in recent years.
“The Reem” feels that a win over Werdum is not grounds to be ranked ahead of Fedor Emelianenko, however, he believes “that a win over Werdum will close the debate if I’m a top-10 fighter or not.”
Gurevich was curious if Werdum’s win over Emelianenko would make him overconfident, to which Overeem responded, “Werdum is a professional fighter and he will be confident but not overconfident.”
The Strikeforce title holder was also asked about Fabricio Werdum’s recent comments that “Alistair Overeem is my son.”
Overeem seemed more puzzled than offended by his next opponent’s statement.
“I heard him saying that I’m his son, but I don’t understand what he really means. I think he means that he’s superior than me, because he beat me a couple of years ago. I think it’s a lost in translation thing.”
Also the current K-1 World Grand Prix champion, Overeem said that he still has no plans of embarking on a boxing career.
“My goal is to become the best MMA fighter and that’s what my focus is. Boxing is a whole different sport and you shouldn’t take it lightly. If there are no challenges left in my career, then I can consider something like that.”
Overeem was quick to clarify “But for now, there are plenty challenges.”
Gurevich then asked Overeem how interested he was in fighting current UFC contenders Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin, and Frank Mir; as well as reigning UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.
“My main focus is on winning the Strikeforce tournament, so UFC is not on my mind right now,” Overeem said.
The Demolition Man continued, “I’ve always stated that the heavyweight division in Strikeforce has the best fighters and I still think so. But still, it would be foolish to say that the UFC heavyweight fighters are not good.”
Overeem described the aforementioned UFC heavyweight household names as “very dangerous fighters that can finish fights” and also stated that “those fighters are world class for sure.”
The Reem even offered a brief analysis of each fighter, all of whom he could encounter in the Octagon somewhere down the line:
“Carwin has great knockout power, Brock is a great wrestler and athlete, Frank Mir improved his standup and has a good ground game and the champion Cain Velasquez is very durable and has great wrestling.”
Finally, when asked for his prediction of knockout or submission in the fight against Werdum, Overeem simply responded “KO.”
UFC Heavyweight Frank Mir has seen the ups and downs of his career, the UFC and mixed martial arts as a whole.After everything that’s been said and done, Mir is getting ready to enter his 10th season with the UFC, thus making him the heavyweight with t…
UFC Heavyweight Frank Mir has seen the ups and downs of his career, the UFC and mixed martial arts as a whole.
After everything that’s been said and done, Mir is getting ready to enter his 10th season with the UFC, thus making him the heavyweight with the most seniority.
Beginning at UFC 34 in November of 2001 where he defeated Roberto Traven with an armbar submission just 1:05 in to their fight, Mir has accrued a record of 12-5 with wins over Mirko “Cro-Cop,” Brock Lesnar, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Tim Sylvia and Tank Abbott to name a few.
During that time he has been the UFC Heavyweight Champion and an Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Mir is set to turn just 32-years-old four days before his bout with former training partner and fellow Las Vegas resident Roy Nelson. So, as he embarks on the journey back to the UFC mountaintop, Mir knows he needs to be impressive over Nelson if he expects to make any progress and movement up the heavyweight ladder.
As usual, Mir is taking his opponent extremely seriously and putting in a hard day’s work each and every day he trains. Maybe that’s why he was unaware that the UFC had implemented a new policy and will be offering fighters insurance in-between fights.
He also wasn’t sure if he was getting bumped up to the co-main event now that the Edgar-Maynard bout is off due to injuries.
“I am feeling really good right now, ready to go. I’m still not sure if we are being moved to the co-main event spot, I believe we are, but I am not 100% sure,” said Mir.
“Thanks for telling me about the insurance, I had no idea, that’s pretty cool. I am one of the very few fighters who doesn’t read any type of media. I would be the last person to know something.”
“I feel confident in every area with Nelson, as far as the stand-up goes the big difference is I am faster than he is and I have a bit more length than he does,” Mir told Bleacher Report.
“I am also a bit more versatile than Roy is. He is pretty much a boxer where as I like to use my knees and kicks. I know he is going to throw those big, looping over hand rights while I may come at him with different angles.”
With a win over Nelson, Mir would be riding a two fight win streak including a third round knockout over Mirko “Cro-Cop” Filipovic at UFC 119. The winner of the Junior Dos Santos-Shane Carwin bout at UFC 131 will face Velasquez when he heals from his shoulder injury; does Mir see himself falling somewhere in line after those guys in terms of a title shot?
“I think I need to have a really good showing against Roy, I need to go out there and do really well,” offered Mir.
“It may put me right under them, but doesn’t move me up very far in fact if I don’t do well it could move me back despite a victory. Nelson is coming off the loss to JDS and still struggles for recognition in our sport.”
“Listen, I know Roy is a tough dude, he hits pretty hard and doesn’t seem to ever go away. He’s very resilient, very talented and knows how to preserve his energy, but the average fan is all that familiar with him. So a win over a guy like Nelson wouldn’t earn me the attention that a win over a bigger name fighter would. It doesn’t help that he isn’t flashy and tends to not take too many chances, but the fact of the matter is, he is a dangerous fighter.”
The UFC’s heavyweight division packs a bunch of hard-hitting, versatile fighters who can beat one another on any given night. Mir was very vocal about the direction of the division and its current champion, Cain Velasquez.
“Right now in the UFC I believe I would give him the best fight right now and that’s not taking anything away from him as I feel he is the best fighter in the world right now,” said Mir.
“I would really be hard-pressed to defeat him, the only reason I pose a bigger threat than some of the other guys is because we really don’t know how well he defends submissions.”
“I think it would take someone who could keep him down for awhile and test how he fights off of his back. Obviously his wrestling is extraordinary as evidenced in his fight against Brock, but who knows how well he would do if he were put in a dangerous spot with a good submission artist. His striking is good, but he does throw short punches which got him in trouble with Cheick Kongo, but unfortunately for Kongo he could not stay on his feet.”
“I think Carwin would be a good match-up for him as well. He punches hard enough to keep his opponents honest and is difficult to put down. Carwin would probably have a good chance at stuffing Cain’s shot, but we really don’t know how well Carwin fights off his back either.”
Mir has certainly grown during his time in the UFC, not just mentally, but physically as well. For his bout with Shane Carwin that took place at UFC 111 last March, Mir weighed in at the 265lb limit.
The added size just wasn’t enough as Carwin was able to land some devastating punches and win the belt. Since that time, Mir has stayed around the same size, but has mentioned a possible drop to the light heavyweight division.
“I should be about 260-265 for this fight against Roy,” explained Mir.
“I’ve been able to stay at this weight because of the heavy lifting program I have been using. I noticed during the Mirko fight that I was kind of pushing the limits of my endurance, my doctor checked my blood and wanted me to eat a more balanced, sensible diet.”
“I thought about 205 for awhile, particular when I was doing the Vegan diet and walking around at about 250lbs.,” Mir told Bleacher Report. “I was counting calories and was serious about whether it was a possibility, but it’s just not for me. It’s a little too late to try and do that.”
“Also, my first fight is going to be against a top-level guy, there aren’t going to be any warm-up bouts and for me to fight a top light heavyweight after handling the weight cut for the first time would be rough. This isn’t a B-Level show and there isn’t going to be an opportunity for me to get used to the cut.”
Born and raised in Las Vegas, Mir finds it’s best for him to stay home and train. When he needs to work on something in particular, he can always bring someone in to lend him a hand, but for Mir, it’s more important that he has his family close when he’s preparing for a fight—that’s why Mir opened up his own gym and does his own thing.
“Having my own gym is easier because I have my family here, my kids enjoy watching my practices and I like having them around,” proudly said Mir.
“It’s hard to go to other people’s gyms because not everyone if as kid-friendly as I am.”
A few months back, I interviewed BJJ world Champion Robert Drysdale and the conversation turned to Forrest Griffin and Frank Mir. Drysdale told me that those were two of the strongest grapplers he faces and was very complimentary of Mir.
“Forrest is definitely hard to roll with and I am very flattered by Drysdale’s comments, but truth be told, he smashes us real hard,” said Mir matter-of-factly.
“He has become obsessed with improving his stand-up and I think in the next year or so he is going to be someone that everyone is familiar with in the MMA world.”
Look For Part II of My Interview With Frank Mir Next Week.
Last week major news broke out that Brock Lesnar was forced to pull out of his UFC fight with Junior dos Santos at UFC 131. Lesnar will be undergoing another bout with diverticulitis. The last time Lesnar battled the disease he was out for a year. Sinc…
Coming off the biggest win of his career, soundly defeating Fedor Emelianenko in the first round of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix, Antonio Silva had some choice words for fellow heavyweights Josh Barnett and Brock Lesnar. “Bigfoot”…
Coming off the biggest win of his career, soundly defeating Fedor Emelianenko in the first round of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix, Antonio Silva had some choice words for fellow heavyweights Josh Barnett and Brock Lesnar.
“Bigfoot” is slated to take on the winner of Fabricio Werdum—a close personal friend who defeated him in 2009—vs. Alistair Overeem in the semifinals of the grand prix.
However, Silva already has his eyes set on who he would like to take on in the finals: Josh “The Baby Faced Assassin” Barnett.
Silva has some serious questions about Barnett’s character, which has clearly rubbed him the wrong way over the years:
“Friendship, for me, is everything, but Josh is a weird guy, a guy who doesn’t greet you when you enter the elevator, doesn’t even say ‘good morning.’ It’s how he treats Brazilian fighters especially. It’s the same thing with [Barnett and] Werdum.”
The Strikeforce heavyweight continued, “But when [Barnett] sees Fedor, [UFC President] Dana White or [UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo] Fertitta, he runs to them and stays by their side all the time. He makes me sick. He’s the classic kiss-ass, a rude man …”
Silva made it clear that he would like to teach Barnett a lesson in manners, adding, “I really want to face Barnett and I’ve already said I consider him a filthy person, even though he is a great fighter, and that I’ll beat him up and close both of his eyes.”
“I’ve been fighting since 2004 and have never had any issues with another athlete, even the most stuck-up,” Silva also wanted to clarify.
The next topic on the table for Bigfoot: former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.
Some fans, and even some fighters, believe that Lesnar pulled out of the UFC 131 main event against Junior Dos Santos due to fear, dismissing the notion he is dealing with a relapse of diverticulitis.
Silva left no question on where he stands on this issue. “I don’t want to judge anyone and I really wish it’s not a big health problem for [Lesnar], but I have some doubts,” he explained.
“That big guy doesn’t like being punched. In his last fights, he was put in the fetal position by Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez, which is humiliating for a fighter.”
Ouch. Bigfoot certainly didn’t pull any punches on that statement. He concluded by saying:
“I think he pulled out of the fight against ‘Cigano,’ who is a real heavy puncher and a real tough opponent for someone who doesn’t like being punched.”
Bigfoot has criticized Lesnar in the past, mocking him for his time in the WWE with comments like “Man, I think he must return to his fake fights; that it’ll be best for him.”
Silva also mentioned that he would love to fight in the UFC one day, and if his prediction is correct, that could be sooner than later.
The big Brazilian feels that the winner of the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament will go on to face the UFC heavyweight champion next and added that “I hope I can get both belts.”
Credit Sherdog.com for breaking the initial story.
Here is the first installment of the Bleacher Report MMA rankings. Each month on the first and 15th, we will publish divisional rankings. On the first of each month, we will post our pound-for-pound rankings. The rankings were voted on by numerou…
Here is the first installment of the Bleacher Report MMA rankings. Each month on the first and 15th, we will publish divisional rankings. On the first of each month, we will post our pound-for-pound rankings.
The rankings were voted on by numerous writers on Bleacher Report and do not reflect any of their rankings personally. The rankings are an average of each writer’s vote for each weight class.
Immediately following his destruction of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128, newly crowned UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones stood face-to-face with the man he was set to meet in his first title defense, former friend and training partner Rash…
Immediately following his destruction of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128, newly crowned UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones stood face-to-face with the man he was set to meet in his first title defense, former friend and training partner Rashad Evans.
Alas, that fight was scrapped when Jones revealed a hand injury in late April. From Authentic Sports Management press release:
“This is an injury that’s been recurring since I was a college wrestler, it doesn’t affect my punching or grappling, but I am taking the time and the proper measures to correct this now, so that it doesn’t happen again. I look forward to getting back to training and to my first title defense. As for Rashad, let’s see what happens with Phil Davis. I will be watching that fight with great interest.”
Davis was moved in to Jones’ spot and he and Evans will meet at UFC 133, which will take place in Philadelphia on Aug. 6.
Jones had been scheduled to have surgery to correct his hand injury, but after meeting with the surgeon on May 13, Jones’ manager, Malki Kawa, announced via twitter, “We went to meet with the surgeon on wed and after he looked at @Jonnybones he thought that surgery was a bit evasive and bones didn’t have (to have the surgery)”
Jones recently spoke to MMACanada.net about the decision to forgo the surgery, “The way the doctor explained it to me, he would actually be doing me a disservice to cut me open, drills holes in my bones and file my bones down. He said, ‘considering you’re an athlete, surgery may not be the best thing for you.’ He put me through a lot of tests and he thought that I could live without the surgery and let it heal.”
As far as the fight against his former friend and training partner, “For all the people panicking at home, me and Rashad Evans are going to fight,” Jones said. “We both have a lot of fights left on our contracts, be patient guys, be patient.”
Jones is expecting to return to the Octagon in 2011. The champion said that his possible opponents would be the winner of the Evans versus Phil Davis fight, or possibly Lyoto Machida or Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.