Mixed martial arts has always been a sport full of interesting and entertaining showmen. Last night in Strikeforce’s Overeem vs. Werdum fight card, we got a chance to see one of those personalities shine when one of the sport’s all-time leg…
Mixed martial arts has always been a sport full of interesting and entertaining showmen. Last night in Strikeforce’s Overeem vs. Werdum fight card, we got a chance to see one of those personalities shine when one of the sport’s all-time legends, Josh Barnett, defeated Brett Rogers in the quarterfinals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament.
Barnett owned the fight from the opening bell to the final stoppage, but it was his antics after the fight that may be remembered most by some fans.
While most fighters just stand in the cage after their fights and uncomfortably respond to usually-pointless questions from the person interviewing them, Josh Barnett snatched the microphone from Gus Johnson and began to cut a pro wrestling-like promo.
It was an entertaining finish to an already impressive performance in the cage for the “Baby-faced Assassin.”
But Barnett isn’t alone as being one of the best showmen in the sport. Here are 15 of the best showmen in mixed martial arts today.
With Alistair Overeem and Josh Barnett putting the first round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix to rest, there are now four fighters remaining in the tournament.One semifinal matchup will see Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Overeem face off a…
With Alistair Overeem and Josh Barnett putting the first round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix to rest, there are now four fighters remaining in the tournament.
One semifinal matchup will see Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Overeem face off against former EliteXC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Silva. Meanwhile, the other semifinal will see former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett meet up with dangerous striker Sergei Kharitonov.
However, for the purposes of this article, we are going to be looking at the remaining field as a whole rather than breaking down each semifinal matchup.
Josh Barnett’s Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix quarterfinal bout against Brett Rogers was just another day at the office. The former UFC champion warmed up prior to the fight backstage in a mini wrestling bout, which involved some vintage Ric Flair …
Josh Barnett’s Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix quarterfinal bout against Brett Rogers was just another day at the office.
The former UFC champion warmed up prior to the fight backstage in a mini wrestling bout, which involved some vintage Ric Flair chops and a backbreaker finish.
After the warmup, Barnett entered the cage to compete on North American soil for the first time in over two years. His return didn’t disappoint as eager fans watched him put on a technical clinic and pick up the second-round submission victory Rogers.
While many will always criticize Barnett for testing positive for banned substances on three separate outings, it would be incredibly foolish to dismiss his skills. There aren’t many world-class wrestlers in the heavyweight division, and Barnett is one of the few fighters that fits that bill.
He has the ability to take down and control any fighter in the entire tournament. The only fighter with the ability to seriously threaten from his back is Fabricio Werdum, but he was ousted by Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem in Saturday’s main event.
With the semifinal bouts finally set, who should be the favorite to win the Grand Prix?
Overeem walked into the American Airlines Center on Saturday night with that honor, but after his performance against Werdum, it’s hard not to like Barnett’s chances.
It’s definitely understandable why some may disagree with that statement. Werdum is a much better fighter than Rogers. With Overeem defeating the tougher opponent, how can Barnett surpass him as a tournament favorite?
There isn’t a single easy bout in this tournament, but Barnett is on the most favorable side of the bracket. After an incredibly tough bout against Werdum, Overeem now faces an even stiffer challenge stylistically in Antonio Silva.
Meanwhile, Barnett coasted through Rogers and slid into the semifinals slot against Sergei Kharitonov. There are a plethora of media outlets deeming Kharitonov as the dark horse of the tournament. The Russian Kickboxer is an attractive pick, and he certainly has the skills to make waves in the tournament.
Still, Kharitonov has shown his struggles against strong grapplers, most recently in his April 2009 submission loss to Jeff Monson.
It isn’t far-fetched to think Barnett gets the fight to the ground and locks up another submission or grinds out a unanimous decision.
Overeem is still one of the most dangerous heavyweights in the world, but he doesn’t have the same aura he did before he fought Werdum. As fans watched “Ubereem” dominate all comers, his problems in past fights somehow disappeared without ever being tested, until now.
Overeem still showed cardio issues and a tendency to fade as a fight goes into deeper waters. He also showed some major holes in his striking defense. Barnett most likely wouldn’t be able to exploit Overeem on the feet, but he should be able to take the fight to the floor and wear the big man down.
Silva could pose problems for Barnett, but he already showed that he was susceptible to being put on his back in his bout with Werdum back in November 2009.
Barnett isn’t the popular choice. Despite his extended WWE-like post-fight promo, most fans will continue to root against him. He has definitely talked the talk. Can he finally walk the walk?
To those riding the Alistair Overeem hype train, are you still on board?Surely, a few “faithful” fans tiptoed off the bandwagon after watching his lackluster performance on Saturday night in his Strikeforce Grand Prix quarterfinals bout with Fabricio W…
To those riding the Alistair Overeem hype train, are you still on board?
Surely, a few “faithful” fans tiptoed off the bandwagon after watching his lackluster performance on Saturday night in his Strikeforce Grand Prix quarterfinals bout with Fabricio Werdum.
The highly anticipated bout turned out to be a back and forth slop fest that invalidated Josh Barnett’s claims that the best heavyweight in the world would come out of the Strikeforce tournament.
It was still a major victory for Overeem, who avenged a May 2006 loss and picked up his first win over a ranked heavyweight. The win vaults “The Demolition Man” up the heavyweight ranks, but it won’t be as high as some presumed.
Before the fight against Werdum, Overeem was pretty much the uncrowned king of the heavyweight division. He hadn’t defeated a ranked heavyweight, but the added size and incredible winning streak propelled the faith in most fans.
Despite victories over Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Silva and Overeem, Werdum came into the bout as a huge underdog. The majority of the media were calling for Overeem to walk through Werdum and pick up the first-round knockout.
Instead, fans were grounded by the slow battle between two cardio-depraved heavyweights. For those that have watched Overeem compete over the years, the bout against Werdum had a few sprinkles of déjà vu.
Overeem’s gas tank only held up a little over a round, and we started to see him fade as he has many times in the past.
He should definitely get props for hanging tough and earning the decision. The Overeem of the past would’ve looked for a way out.
Werdum’s performance was just plain awkward. He actually looked like the more efficient striker in the standup exchanges, but instead of working his strikes and capitalizing on a fading Overeem, the majority of his time was spent on his back smiling and pleading for Overeem to haplessly jump in his guard.
Plenty of fans have put Overeem on a pedestal as the best striker in the heavyweight division, but he was almost bested in the exchanges by a submission specialist. Werdum’s hands are definitely underrated, but he isn’t necessarily considered a world class striker.
What about guys like Junior dos Santos?
It only took Dos Santos a little over a minute to sing Werdum his lullaby at UFC 90. Overeem showed major defensive holes in his ability to block punches and effectively counter. Power is an incredible equalizer, but it can also work against you if you can’t land that fight-ending shot.
Overeem’s win puts him behind Cain Velasquez and Dos Santos in the heavyweight rankings. Die-hard Overeem fans will likely disagree, but the entire heavyweight division runs through Dos Santos and Velasquez, who have both consistently fought the tougher opposition.
Where does Overeem go from here?
He’s going to have a major task on his hands in dealing with “Bigfoot” Silva in the semifinals. Silva is another elite level striker that will capitalize on any lingering holes in Overeem’s standup.
It would be nice to see Overeem pump out a jab or utilize smaller strikes to setup bigger ones. He tends to wear himself out by only throwing power punches.
Regardless of his performance, Overeem 2.0 still has the potential to do big things in the sport.
If you’re still on the bandwagon, you may want to buckle up. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
The big fight between Josh Barnett and Brett Rogers in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament was the semi-main event from tonight’s card in Dallas. Despite playing second fiddle to the main event between Alistair Overeem and Fabri…
The big fight between Josh Barnett and Brett Rogers in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament was the semi-main event from tonight’s card in Dallas. Despite playing second fiddle to the main event between Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum, this fight could very well put out the dark horse candidate to win the tournament.
The winner of this fight will face K-1 kickboxer and highly underrated heavyweight MMA fighter Sergei Kharitonov.
The fight began with Rogers and Barnett meeting in the center of the cage. Rogers, who normally appears very confident on his feet, seemed somewhat nervous with the also heavy-handed Barnett across from him.
After exchanging a few punches, Barnett pushed Rogers into the cage and went for the takedown. Rogers looked like he was going to defend the takedown, but Barnett flat out lifted him up and slammed the 260-pounder onto the mat, right into side control.
Rogers struggled mightily throughout the rest of the round to get off the ground but was unable to do it. Barnett, one of the top catch wrestlers in the heavyweight division, worked his ground game, landing some ground and pound and even going for some submissions.
Barnett achieved mount on two occasions during the round. Although he was unable to finish in the first round, he did completely dominate it.
Going into the second round, Rogers was clearly winded and looked a little shell-shocked. He came out and landed a few nice shots, but Barnett countered with a big hook that clipped him. Rogers immediately shot in and went for a takedown but was off balance from the punch, and Barnett countered it into a slam right into his third mount position of the fight.
From there, it was all over. A rocked Rogers was unable to prevent “The Babyfaced Assassin” from applying a side choke. Barnett did his best to escape but eventually tapped, giving Barnett a victory which looked relatively easy.
After the fight, Barnett looked like a pro wrestler as he took the microphone and cut a promo. “One by one,” he declared, “I’m going to pile the bodies up until I’m the last man standing.”
Probably one of the more interesting bouts in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, Brett Rogers, designated as “The Grim Reaper” in most circles of MMA due to his ability to finish fights quickly and in brutal fashion, gets the biggest test of his c…
Probably one of the more interesting bouts in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, Brett Rogers, designated as “The Grim Reaper” in most circles of MMA due to his ability to finish fights quickly and in brutal fashion, gets the biggest test of his career since his title fight with Alistair Overeem in former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett.
Of course, Barnett has said that he’s no longer “Babyfaced,” so his old nickname may not apply much to him now, but the claim of being one of the best Catch-Wrestlers in the business and having a very well-rounded game–which he can use aggressively without being reckless–still applies.
Rogers has some good Muay Thai and some very notable Boxing, which is a problem for Barnett to begin with, but the key here for the “leaner and meaner” Rogers is to use some wrestling in reverse.
If this event live from the American Airlines Center in the city of Dallas, Texas–roughly 30 minutes from where I reside quite proudly, I might add–is your first event and you don’t know how to use wrestling in reverse, the basics of it is this:
If Barnett goes in for a takedown, Rogers must sprawl to stuff the takedown attempt, stand up as quickly as he can, and throw an uppercut before landing a nice one-two combo whenever possible.
If defending the takedowns opens the doors for a chance to stand in the pocket, even better, but unless Rogers has evolved to where he actually has some takedowns and some overall Wrestling that’s good enough to at least neutralize Barnett’s strengths, his best bet is to keep it standing and go for the finish.
If it’s any extra motivation: Rogers is a heavy underdog to win here tonight, so what better way to shock all of MMA (and create a stylistically intriguing fight with Sergei Kharitonov) than to knock Josh Barnett out?
