MMA fans are well aware of the abundance of heavyweight talent the UFC houses, however most don’t appreciate the depth that Strikeforce has added to their roster over the past few years.
Although the San Jose-based organization’s roster is much smaller than the UFC’s, when broken down division by division, the heavyweight class is where Strikeforce can make their biggest splash.
Obviously, no heavyweight conversation can begin without mentioning Fedor Emelianenko, arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all-time. Fedor has beaten a who’s who of MMA talent during his time in Japan and is currently riding an eight-year, 26-fight, winning streak.
Although the Russian has been criticized of late for ducking top tier fighters, “The Last Emperor” is still the best all-around MMAer in the hefty bunch. It will be interesting to see how his incredible run will come to an end.
Brett Rogers is a monster of a man and possesses the sheer power of a Mack Truck behind each of his punches. His resume reads a perfect 10-0, with all of his W’s ending in knockout fashion. In fact, none of his scraps have gone past the 2:38 mark of the 2ndRound.
In his last fight, Rogers made quick work of former UFC heavyweight champ Andre Arlovski, knocking him out cold 22 seconds into the 1stRound. As Rogers stated, he’s going to be looing to, “knock Fedor’s head into the eigth row” this Saturday at “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers.”
Former UFC and PrideFC stand-out Fabricio Werdum is a world class Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitor. Considering his impeccable ground game, Werdum holds TKO wins over UFC veterans Brandon Vera and Gabriel Gonzaga. Werdum’s striking has greatly improved over the last two years, proving that he can compete anywhere against the world’s biggest heavyweights.
Werdum will be meeting 6′ 4″, 265 pound American Top Team fighter Antonio Silva inside the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois this Saturday.
Although he boasts an impressive 13-1 professional record, Silva is a fairly underrated power in the heavyweight ranks. With strong hands, heavy leg kicks and superb BJJ, Silva is a force to be reckoned with.
Most took Silva out of the heavyweight equation after he tested positive for steroids in July 2008, however now that he’s back, you can be sure that “Bigfoot” will be starting his hunt for Strikeforce gold shortly.
Finishing off the 265-pound list is Strikeforce’s controversial heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.
The company’s top dog and designated “Fedor Target” has created quite a buzz in most MMA circles for not defending his Strikeforce title in nearly two years. Granted he’s been on the mend with a broken hand, however he did find the time to stop over in Japan to participate in a couple Dream events.
Overeem possesses incredible size and strength and is literally on a streak of tossing fighters around the ring/cage, then applying guillotine chokes with unbelievable power. Once he comes back state side, expect a box office bout between Overeem and the winner of Fedor vs. Rogers.
We are not denying that the UFC holds the highest grade of talent in mixed martial arts, however the current Strikeforce heavyweight roster is world class and would give any top five UFC heavyweights a good run.
For now, the argument about who will beat who rages on, with this Saturday serving as MMA’s heavyweight proving ground.
Follow Erik Fontanez (5thround.com) contributor on Twitter @NahmMMA and visit www.NahmMMA.com
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