Strikeforce Preview: Power Ranking Each Submission Artist in the HW Tournament

Most heavyweights prefer to go for the big knock out, but the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix also has a surprisingly deep roster of talented submission artists.

Of course not all submission artists are created equal.

The stakes are high and that means if a fighter starts to feel that he has an advantage on the ground, he is going to force the issue and look for a submission.

This is how they stack up.

8. Brett Rogers

Brett is the one man on this last to not show much of a submission game.

He fits the prototypical "big guy going to knock you out" model to a tee.  

He has never been submitted so he has some submission defense and can apparently hold his own on the ground.

It is possible that Rogers could surprise us, just do not go expecting him to be one exchanging submission attempts.

7. Sergei Kharitonov

Much more of a striker and kickboxer than a submission specialist, Kharitonov still has a background in Sambo training.

His submission game is very polished as he has only been submitted once in his career, and that was to Jeff Monson's infamous north-south choke.

Offensively, Sergei has submitted four men due to armbar.  Most notably he submitted former NCAA Division 1 wrestler Mike Russow in 2007 to give the American his only loss to date. 

6. Andrei Arlovski

Arlovski has an excellent submission game thanks to being an elite competitor in Sambo.

Competing and winning tournaments since he was a youth, Andrei Arlovski is now recognized with the prestigious title "International Master of Sports" in Sambo.

In MMA he has submitted competition with a guillotine, an armbar and a 2005 heel-hook over Tim Sylvia. Arlovski has never been submitted.

5. Antonio Silva

Antonio Silva is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  

Most of his fights he wins by way of knock out, but he was only the second person to submit Jim York and the only person to submit Jonathan Wiezorek.

Certainly a talented grappler, Silva fought the No. 1 man on this list to a close decision in a fight that had a lot of back and forth exchanges on the mat. 

4. Alistair Overeem

Alistair Overeem does not have the grappling credentials that some of the others on this list have, but he still has some incredibly devastating submissions.

Overeem knows how to find ways to win and was won fights by way of rear-naked choke, triangle choke, keylock, and armbar.  

His best technique, however, is his guillotine.  He has submitted eight fighters by way of guillotine, including BJJ black belt Vitor Belfort.

3. Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor Emelianenko could have made it to one of the top two positions if it had not been for his infamous submission loss to Fabricio Werdum last year.

Regardless, he is still one of the most talented submission artists in MMA.

Fedor is an "International Master of Sports" in Sambo and a multiple time world champion in Combat Sambo.

With incredible hip mobility and talent at executing a range of submissions, there is no ground position that Fedor does not pose a threat for submission.

2. Josh Barnett

One of the premiere submission and catch wrestling specialists, Barnett was awarded an honorary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt simply in recognition for his accomplishments and abilities.

Over the past 13 years, Barnett has competed against some of the biggest and best competition that MMA has to offer.

Over that time Barnett has accrued an impressive 13-wins by way of a variety of submissions and has never lost by way a submission hold.

1. Fabricio Werdum

A multiple time world champion, Fabricio Werdum is one of the most accomplished Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu heavyweights of all time.

More than half of his wins have come by way of submission.

Werdum even has submission wins over the No. 3 and No. 4 guys on this list.

Because he is such an exceptional submission artist, Fabricio is a threat to any fighter in the world, and a real contender to take the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament.

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