Strikeforce Heavyweight Title Fight
Alistair Overeem TKO RD 1(Strikes) Brett Rogers
Official time of stoppage: 3:40 in round one
If most American MMA fans are not familiar with the exploits of Strikeforce’s heavyweight kingpin Alistair Overeem it’s with valid reasoning. For one, thing, Overeem has been absent in the states as he fought abroad for over two years. Aiding in Overeem’s anonymity here in the US is the fact that he is not in the UFC, a determent to mot fighters not fighting under the Zuffa banner, which has become synonymous with mixed martial arts here in America. Of course, Overeem may now have the fortuitous burden of a surge in his fan base following his evisceration of feared banger Brett Rogers this past Saturday in the headlining bout of Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery.
While Rogers’ popularity has surged following his commendable performance in losing to pound-for-pound heavyweight ruler Fedor Emelianenko, his gutsy performance belied his relative inexperience in professional mixed martial arts. Saturday night, Overeem exploited Rogers’ numerous deficiencies in dominating the St. Paul, MN behemoth every minute of the fight. Rogers’ seemed tentative, and Overeem, a Dutch kickboxing phenom, was the aggressor throughout, muscling Rogers while peppering him with whipping strikes. After effortlessly tossing the 264 pound Rogers to the ground, Overeem quickly mounted the grounded Rogers and after unleashing a barrage of punches, referee John McCarthy saw fit to end the fight.
It was a breakout performance for the Strikeforce heavyweight champion, and Overeem made it perfectly clear that he coveted nothing more than a fight with Emelianenko. Hopefully Overeem’s newfound popularity will create a public demand that Emelianenko’s management team cannot ignore.
Heavyweight Fight
Antonio Silva UD 3 Andrei Arlovski
Scores: 29-28, 29-28, 29-28
Arlovski’s days as a viable heavyweight contender may be numbered following Silva’s dominance of the once-feared striker. Most pundits who gave Arlovski a shot at winning the fight figured he would use his perceived edge in boxing to give the plodding Silva fits. What most didn’t count on was a renewed Silva continuously beating Arlovski to the punch in the stand up game. In fact, Silva was in thorough control throughout the contest, testing Arlovski’s shin with shot after shot. Give Arlovski credit for proving that his chin is not in fact made of fine porcelain, but a moral victory is far from gratifying in spite of Silva’s dominance of the fight.
Middleweight Fight
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza UD 3 Joey Villasenor
Scores: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28
Most people have tabbed Souza as the fighter to carry the Strikeforce middleweight division should Jake Sheilds jump ship to the UFC. It’s easy to see why many believe in Souza’s potential as “Jacare” has serious judo skills to complement his marked improvement in the striking game. Against Villasenor, Souza was fighting a battle tested veteran with excellent boxing skills and a powerful right hand. Souza made this fight his own, taking Villasenor down whenever he wanted and softening him up with a variety of strikes. However, try as he might to finish the fight in dramatic fashion, Villasenor’s will would not be broken. Still, while Villasenor fought gamely, Souza solidified his claim as the future of the Strikeforce middleweight division.
Light Heavyweight Fight
Roger Gracie SUB (Rear naked choke) RD 2 Kevin Randleman
Official time of stoppage: 4:10 in round two
It seems like a lifetime ago when the Gracie name was synonymous with mixed martial arts. But as the sport has evolved, the relevancy of the Gracie name has diminishing in leaps and bounds. Still, as MMA has flourished no name is as respected in the world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu quite like that of the Gracie’s. Roger Gracie represents the latest in a long line of fighters to branch from the Gracie family tree. While no one would ever doubt a Gracie’s submission skill, their striking acumen often borers on remedial. This was the case against Randleman, a pioneer in the sport and former UFC champion. Gracie used a lazy jab and uninspired striking to keep a badly faded Randleman at bay throughout the first round. Things picked up in the second as Gracie was able to land a sharp knee to the head of Randleman that knocked the veteran to the canvas. Smelling blood, Gracie pounced and after more than a minute of trying to slip in the rear naked choke, persistence paid off and Gracie was able to choke out Randleman.
It was a nice win, but Roger Gracie still has a lot to learn if he ever hopes to be a complete MMA fighter.
Light Heavyweight Fight
Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante TKO (Strikes) RD 1 Antwain Britt
Official time of stoppage: 3:45 in round one
The beauty of mixed martial arts is that momentum can change in the blink of an eye. Such was the case as Cavalcante rallied back from some precarious moments to knock Britt senseless. While Britt came out fast, a right hand thrown with nothing but bad intentions by Cavalcante floored Britt and put him out of commission for the night.
Solid win for Cavalcante who may have moved up the division ladder to establish himself as a legitimate contender for Muhammed Lawal’s Strikeforce light heavyweight title.
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