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FIVE ROUNDS WITH STRIKEFORCE: HEAVY ARTILLERY

After two and a half years away from the promotion, Alistair Overeem finally returned to Strikeforce to defend his Strikeforce Heavyweight Title against Brett Rogers. Also on the card, the Gracie Family returns to prominence and the middleweight division got a new top contender.

Round One: Was It Worth The Wait?

Two and a half years is a long wait between title defenses, but that is how long the Strikeforce fans had to wait for Alistair Overeem to make a title defense. This past Saturday Night, Alistair Overeem finally returned to Strikeforce to defend his championship against Brett Rogers. Despite the thirty month wait, Alistair Overeem took a little over three minutes to completely maul and destroy Brett Rogers, possibly carving a path to Fedor Emelianenko. Alistair Overeem stated in a pre-fight interview that he hadn’t fought recently in Strikeforce because there was not enough competition in the division. However, with a heavyweight division that features Fedor Emelianenko, Fabricio Werdum, Andrei Arlovski, Brett Rogers, Antonio Silva, Bobby Lashley and others, it looks like Alistair Overeem cannot make that claim anymore.

Next Round For Alistair Overeem: One word….”Fedor”

Next Round For Brett Rogers: Rematch with Andrei Arlovski or a battle with Bobby Lashley

Round Two: Has “The Pitbull” Been Put To Sleep?

A lot of talented fighters enter the cage every month at Strikeforce events, but few enter with the aptitude for success that Andrei Arlovski has. Andrei Arlovski is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and has fought many top MMA fighters like Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Brett Rogers, Fabricio Werdum and several others. However, that bite of “The Pitbull” isn’t as viscous as it once was, because Antonio Silva pounded Andrei Arlovski to achieve a unanimous decision victory. Antonio Silva is the only Elite XC Heavyweight Champion and now is a step closer to an opportunity at the Strikeforce Heavyweight Title. While Andrei Arlovski will always bring tons of name value to any card he competes on, can the bite return to one of MMA’s top heavyweight fighters?

Next Round For Antonio Silva: Fedor Emelinanenko/Fabricio Werdum loser

Next Round For Andrei Arlovski: A rematch with Brett Rogers

Round Three: The Future Of The Strikeforce Middleweight Division Has Arrived

With all of the talk surrounding the possible departure of current Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields to the UFC, very little has been said about the future of the division. The future was standing inside the cage on Saturday Night, as Ronaldo Souza scored his second straight victory in Strikeforce, this time over Joey Villasenor. This victory follows a victory Ronaldo Souza scored over Matt Lindland this past Spring, which coupled together, makes Ronaldo Souza a top contender for the Strikeforce Middleweight Title. If the potential that Jake Shields does leave Strikeforce becomes a reality, then one must consider that Ronaldo Souza would be one of the top candidates to compete for the championship.

Next Round For Ronaldo Souza: If he stays with Strikeforce, Jake Shields, if not, Dan Henderson.

Next Round For Joey Villasenor: Strikeforce Challengers Series

Round Four: The Gracie Family Name Is Being Restored

With all of the recent failures of the “first family of MMA”, The Gracie Family, it was pretty good to see a Gracie finally come out on top. Recently, Renzo Gracie and Rolles Gracie have been fallen short in their UFC fights, but Roger Gracie wound up defeating a UFC veteran in Kevin Randleman on Saturday Night. Roger Gracie stated in the post fight press conference that he is willing to fight more in the future, which is great for both The Gracie Family and Strikeforce. Despite competing in only his third MMA fight this past Saturday Night, Roger Gracie already holds victories over Yuki Kondo, Ron Waterman and now Kevin Randleman. As for Kevin Randleman, the fallen opponent of Roger Gracie, the future isn’t as bright as it is for The Gracie Family.

Next Round For Roger Gracie: Laver Johnson, Shane Del Rosario or Lolohae Mahe

Next Round For Kevin Randleman: His release from Strikeforce

Round Five: Wasn’t There Supposed To Be A Head To Head MMA Battle Saturday Night?

If anybody had read the column I posted this past Monday, I wrote about the Shine Fights pay-per-view that was scheduled to happen opposite of the Strikeforce event. However, after some legal maneuvering from Don King Productions, the Shine Fights pay-per-view was nixed by the North Carolina Athletic Commission. While it was terrible for the fans who were attending the event and the promotion itself, Strikeforce then had the advantage to attract a larger audience for their event. While the future of Shine Fights is cloudy at best, Strikeforce took their new found opportunity to potentially attract new viewers to their live broadcast.

Next Round For Strikeforce: Strikeforce Challengers 8

Next Round For Shine Fights: Traveling through a cloudy future.

You can contact David Tees at bigtees360@yahoo.com

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