10 things we learned: Heavy Artillery
Alistair Overeem is Dangerous We knew Overeem had been smashing on lower level competition and doing good things in K-1…
Alistair Overeem is Dangerous
We knew Overeem had been smashing on lower level competition and doing good things in K-1 over the last two years, but few expected to see the Strikeforce heavyweight champion to run through Brett Rogers the way he did last night in St. Louis.
From the opening bell, it was apparently that Overeem was on a different level than his opponent. The Demolition Man was the bigger, stronger and faster fighter, landing with power and rocking Rogers. By the 3:40 mark of the first round, referee Big John McCarthy had no choice but to step in and save Rogers from further damage, as Overeem rained down blows on his defenceless foe.
Overeem vs. Emelianenko has to happen
There are only two men in the Strikeforce heavyweight division worthy of competing for the title. One is the man who holds the belt, Alistair Overeem, and the other is the man many believe is the uncrowned champion, Fedor Emelianenko. After Fedor defeats Fabricio Werdum in June – and he will defeat Fabricio Werdum in June – this is the only fight that makes any sense.
That said, making fights that make sense isn’t the easiest of tasks in MMA in general, and when you throw the M-1 team into the mix, things get even trickier. Overeem called out Emelianenko last night, and has said repeatedly that it’s Fedor’s management that is keeping this contest from happening.
But Overeem’s dominant performance puts them in a corner – avoiding this fight lends credence to all the critics who say Emelianenko has been ducking top competition of late – and could be the catalyst to making this dream matchup a reality.
Antonio Silva is a legitimate threat
Some will argue that beating Andrei Arlovski proves little, but that’s a topic for later in this piece. What last night’s win for the American Top Team trainee showed is that Silva is continuing to improve his boxing and his cardio, two things that will serve him well as he climbs the heavyweight ladder in Strikeforce.
His power has always been evident, and he entered the MMA world on the strength of his submission game, but now, Silva is becoming a complete fighter and his size will make him a handful for anyone. Despite being of equal height, Arlovski gave up twenty pounds to his opponent last night, and that helped Silva control the action against the fence. And let’s be honest: with a giant cranium – literally – he’s going to be a hard guy to knock out.