Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix: Ranking the Striking of All 6 Fighters Left

After a four-month layoff, the first round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight World Grand Prix 2011 tournament will finally conclude this Saturday.

In one quarterfinal match, Josh Barnett faces Brett Rogers for the right to fight Sergei Kharitonov, who knocked off Andrei “I Can’t Get a Break” Arlovski back in February.

Then, Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem squares up with "Fedor Slayer" Fabricio Werdum to see who will face Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in the second semifinal match, which at this pace would be scheduled for sometime after the presidential election.

Lots of interesting and divergent skill sets among these six, but one commonality they share is in the striking department. All six know how to throw, even if some do it a little better than others.

Needless to say, that causes more than a little excitement among fans. Add that some of these guys have battled before, and you’ve got a tournament rife with intrigue and the potential for serious fireworks.

Let us now break down and rank the striking skills of each of the remaining Grand Prix combatants.

6. Josh Barnett

Though Barnett can flash a little bit of leather, he’d be the first to admit that he is a grappler first and foremost.

That’s surely where he’ll try to go this Saturday against the brawling Brett Rogers.

5. Fabricio Werdum

It’s tempting to write off Werdum as a jiu-jitsu specialist, and that’s certainly his wheelhouse. But he also has some solid standup.

He knocked out Brandon Vera once and Gabriel Gonzaga twice. That’s not nothing.

Still, Werdum tends to be far more comfortable on the ground and hunting for a submission.

4. Brett Rogers

I'm really not trying to pick on Arlovski with the pic selection. Why do all his knockout photos always look so awesome?

I was talking about something. Right, so I like Brett Rogers, but it’s pretty safe to say there aren’t a whole lot of moving parts in his game.

And yet, there’s a reason he’s being paid to fight. That would be his striking power. Basically, the guy hits like a train.

Though he loses points for a lack of polish, his one-punch knockout ability means no opponent can write him off. Just ask Andrei about that.

3. Antonio Silva

Like Werdum, Silva’s base is Brazilian jiu-jitsu. But unlike his countryman, Silva seems to prefer to keep the fight on the feet.

Given Bigfoot's large paws and surprisingly twinkly toes, that preference makes sense. But when he does use his strong grappling foundation to take the fight to the ground, he still likes to let his fists do the talking.

You don’t have to go back very far for an illustration, of course. Most fans remember Silva’s last bout in February, when Silva held his own with Fedor Emelianenko on the feet in the first round, then pummeled The Last Emperor on the ground for most of the second en route to a TKO win by doctor stoppage.

It’s a trend that has held throughout his career, which includes 10 victories by KO or TKO and one tap from strikes. Seven of those came in the first round.

That means that 69 percent of his wins have come by way of his striking game, and nearly half of victims not surviving the opening salvo.

2. Sergei Kharitonov

Kharitonov may be one of the most underrated strikers in the sport today. Whether the attack point is his fists, knees or feet, Kharitonov throws incredibly heavy stuff, and he throws it with bad intentions.

He doesn’t have a great deal of recent MMA experience (only five fights in the past four years), but his robust boxing and kickboxing background, combined with his willingness (eagerness?) to go toe to toe, make him an absolute load for any opponent when the fight is on the feet.

1. Alistair Overeem

I don’t see how you can give the top spot on this list to anyone else.

The man is a K-1 champion, which essentially makes him one of the best kickboxers on planet Earth. I know this isn’t kickboxing, but that skill is not exactly irrelevant, either.

Overeem believes this is his time. And if it is, it will be on account of his razor-sharp striking game.

If this was an attempt to power rank the quality of a fighter’s opponents, or whatever, maybe there’s a debate.

But since we’re talking about the bread and butter of a fighter who is 34-11 and the Strikeforce heavyweight champion, I’d say the top spot here is pretty much a no-brainer.