On September 10, Strikeforce will showcase the semifinals of their World Heavyweight Grand Prix when both bouts will be featured alongside three more fights that include a Middleweight title bout, a well anticipated Light Heavyweight bout die hard fans have been waiting for, and a Lightweight bout that even with the late replacement of one fighter the fight should still start off the card with excitement. The main event will be one of the two semifinal bouts for the Heavyweight tournament that will pit an exiled former UFC Heavyweight champ against a dangerous Russian striker. The co-main event is the second half of the semifinals when a towering Heavyweight appropriately nicknamed "Bigfoot" takes on a tournament alternate when he meets a decorated NCAA1 All American wrestler. The midway bout will be contended for the Strikeforce Middleweight title when the champion looks to defend his title for the second time against a challenger riding a six fight win streak. The second bout on the card will pit two skilled Light Heavyweight grapplers against each other when a decorated NCAA1/NCAA2 wrestler and former division champion takes on an undefeated submission ace who is a descendant from the sport's founding family. The opening bout will be a Lightweight competition where an American veteran of the sport takes on a dangerous Venezuelan striker making his debut on American soil. While the event took a major hit following the release of the promotion's Heavyweight champion after he could not continue in the tournament, this event still has the potential to deliver some real excitement.
Main Card Bouts:
Josh "The Warmaster" Barnett (30-5-0) vs Sergei Kharitonov (18-4-0)
Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva (16-2-0) vs Daniel Cormier (8-0-0)
(C)Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (14-2-0(1)) vs Luke Rockhold (7-1-0)
Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (7-1-0) vs Roger Gracie (4-0-0)
Pat "Bam Bam" Healy (25-16-0) vs Maximo "Maxi" Blanco (8-2-1(1))
Strikeforce World Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinals
Barnett vs Kharitonov
The main event will be a well anticipated bout in the semifinals when exiled former UFC Heavyweight champion and former PrideFC star Josh Barnett takes on heavy hitting Sambo practitioner and fellow PrideFC veteran Sergei Kharitonov. Barnett comes into the bout on a seven fight win streak that includes wins over former UFC Heavyweight contenders Jeff Monson and Pedro Rizzo, dangerous striker Gilbert Yvel, and his successful return to fighting on American soil when he earned a Rnd2 Submission win over former Strikeforce contender Brett Rogers in the tournament quarterfinals at Strikeforce: Overeem vs Werdum. Kharitonov comes in on a two fight win streak with a Rnd1 KO over Tatsuya Mizuno and a Rnd1 KO over former UFC Heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski in the tournament quarterfinals at Strikeforce: Fedor vs Silva. While both fighters are skilled in the stand up and on the ground, this fight is seen by many as a striker vs grappler match up. Barnett is seen as more of a ground fighter using his catch wrestling to get the fight down and use his BJJ skills to look for submissions or control from the top where he can land some ground-&-pound. Kharitonov is more of a stand up fighter with a kickboxing background and uses his Sambo skills well to counter what ground skills his opponents use. With that, the advantage in the stand up will go the way of Kharitonov with a technical striking game and making good use of his heavy hands to land powerful shots. While Barnett is no easy opponent in the stand up, he may have difficulty to avoid the power of Kharitonov, and some would look at this as another match up against somebody like Mirko Cro Cop who picked him apart back in PrideFC. The advantage on the ground will clearly go the way of Barnett with a strong grappling background and the strength to pick up his fellow Heavyweights. Many see Barnett's chances of winning this fight coming on the ground, though Kharitonov may have the takedown defense to keep the fight standing and can even pull off submissions of his own on the ground. With these factors, the game plans for both fighters seem clear with Kharitonov making it no secret that he is always looking for the knockout and will look to keep the fight standing, while Barnett will undoubtedly look to get the fight to the ground and maintain control either looking for the submission or finish with ground-&-pound. Barnett is picked as a favorite in this fight with the strength to get the fight to the ground and considered underrated by some analysts seeing that average American MMA fans forgot about him. While Barnett may be the favorite, others see Kharitonov having the capability to finish the fight before it hits the ground.
Silva vs Cormier
The original match up was to pit Strikeforce Heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem against Antonio Silva in the semifinals, but Overeem refused to fight on the assigned date claiming that he was promised another date and would need that extra time to recover from injuries. After Overeem's release from the promotion, Cormier was brought in as a tournament alternate to compete in his place.
The co-main event for the night will pit a powerful Heavyweight against a fast paced grappler when former EliteXC Heavyweight champion Antonio Silva takes on elite Olympic caliber wrestler Daniel Cormier. Silva comes into this bout on a three fight win streak that includes a Unanimous Decision over former UFC Heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski, a Rnd2 TKO over Light Heavyweight contender Mike Kyle, and a Rnd2 TKO over former PrideFC Heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko in the tournament quarterfinals at Strikeforce: Fedor vs Silva. Cormier comes into this bout on an undefeated eight fight win streak with a recent Unanimous Decision over former UFC Heavyweight contender Jeff Monson to earn his spot as a tournament alternate at Strikeforce: Overeem vs Werdum. In this bout the striking advantage will for sure go the way of Silva with a 10" reach advantage and the more experienced striking game. With a black belt in karate and an accurate striking technique that combines well with his heavy hitting power, Silva has a striking game that is dangerous against any other Heavyweight. While Cormier has no striking experience prior to his MMA career, his kickboxing game has developed well and he has looked to show his stand up skills in his recent bouts. While he has a developing striking game and is a training partner with Mike Kyle who nearly knocked Silva out in their match up, Cormier may not be able to match the power of the larger Heavyweight. As for the grappling advantage, that could be considered even or go either way. Silva is a black belt in both BJJ and Judo and knows how to use his size and technique to overpower his smaller opponents. Cormier is a decorated amateur and collegiate wrestler as well as a member of Team USA both in 2004 and 2008 for Olympic wrestling. Cormier's elite wrestling is capable of taking down almost any other Heavyweight and will most likely be tested when facing Silva. With the greater experience in the sport Silva could take the advantage, but Cormier has an aggressive pace and drive that could decide who really has the advantage. A key factor in this bout may be agility. As the bigger of the two Silva could weigh from 280-300lbs come fight night and has to carry that weight with every step he makes. Cormier is the smaller Heavyweight who last weighed in at 239lbs against Monson and has said he could even fight at Light Heavyweight if he wanted to. With the lighter frame and unrelenting cardio that comes with most elite wrestlers, Cormier could be the faster fighter and that could help him with avoiding the strikes of Silva, give him greater capability to get in and out to land strikes, and allow him to set up takedowns with his pace alone. Silva may look to utilize his reach to pick at Cormier from a distance and use his size and grappling to take the fight to the ground where he can land some powerful ground-&-pound. Cormier will look to use his speed to set up strikes and avoid those of Silva as well as take him down for some top control. The favorite in this bout will be Antonio Silva for sure.
Middleweight Title Bout:
(C)Souza vs Rockhold
The midway bout will feature a Middleweight title competition when Strikeforce champion Ronaldo Souza takes on the relatively unknown Luke Rockhold. Souza will come into this bout riding a four fight win streak that includes winning the vacant title against American war veteran Tim Kennedy via Unanimous Decision and his first title defense with a Rnd3 Submission over heavy hitting Robbie Lawler at Strikeforce: Diaz vs Cyborg. Rockhold comes into this bout riding a six fight win streak with all of them being first round finishes including his last bout where he defeated Paul Bradley via Rnd1 TKO with knees to the body at Strikeforce Challengers 6: Kaufman vs Hashi. Both fighters are coming in off a long layoff with Souza last defending his title in January and Rockhold last fighting in February. Due to the lack of maintainable talent in the division and the same challengers standing atop the promotion's ranks, Strikeforce had to look for a new challenger to face Souza and chose Rockhold who has gone undefeated in the promotion and has never been promoted really at all. For the advantage in the stand up, that will have to go the way of Souza with more experience and elite training with top ranked fighters like the Nogueira brothers and UFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva. While always seen as a strict BJJ fighter, Souza has looked to showcase his developing striking game taking advantage of his opponents' who simply wait for him to look for a takedown. Being less known and seen as a ground fighter as well, there is little to go on for the striking of Rockhold, though he also trains with an impressive stable of elite fighters with great striking capabilities like UFC Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, UFC Welterweight/Middleweight Josh Koscheck, former Strikeforce champion Cung Le, and Light Heavyweight contender Mike Kyle. When it comes to the advantage on the ground, the advantage will go the way of Souza with the better grappling experience and credentials having won elite competitions like the ADCC and CBJJ championships multiple times. While also a ground fighter, Rockhold is not considered anywhere near the level of Souza when it comes to grappling. Looking at the advantages in this fight, Souza will probably look to showcase his stand up game more in this bout taking on an opponent that many consider to be nowhere near his level in either field. Even if he were to keep the fight standing, Souza will be more than capable of taking the fight to the ground where his experience could quickly overwhelm his opponent. For Rockhold, keeping the fight standing would be his best way of winning the fight avoiding the ground game of Souza. Rockhold's best performance with his stand up was his previous bout where he landed repeated power punches and head-kicks leading up to him landing two powerful knees to the body that sent his opponent to the mat and earning the stoppage. Rockhold's ground game will most likely be used defensively to keep the fight standing and to get back to his feet should he be taken down, though with his wrestling experience and training with elite wrestlers he may look to use a lay-&-pray approach to take Souza down and stay tight on him to not allow any room for a submission attempt. Overall the favorite in this bout will be Souza to defend his title, making Rockhold the heavy underdog.
"King Mo" Lawal vs Gracie
The second bout on the card will be at Light Heavyweight when an All-American wrestler takes on a member of MMA royalty when former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal takes on undefeated elite 2nd degree BJJ black belt Roger Gracie. Lawal will come into the bout just over a year since his last bout where he suffered his first professional loss and also lost his title to Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante by Rnd3 TKO at Strikeforce: Houston. Gracie will come into this bout on an undefeated four fight win streak that includes a Rnd2 Submission over former UFC Heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman and a Rnd1 Submission win over AKA product Trevor Prangley at Strikeforce: Diaz vs Cyborg. While both fighters are masters in their own respected grappling disciplines, some will look at this fight as a striker vs grappler match up. When it comes to the advantage in the stand up, Lawal will be the favorite in this field. With heavy hands and more of a boxing approach with some developing kickboxing skills, Lawal has the capability to end the fight with a single punch. While possessing the longer reach and bigger frame, Gracie is like much of his family looking to rely on his disciplined BJJ background closing the distance and getting into a clinch where he can look for takedowns, though in his bout with Randleman he did show some skill in striking. When it comes to the field of grappling, both fighters come in with their own credentials that prove they are among the elite in their respected disciplines. For Lawal, his credentials in wrestling include being a NCAA1 All-American, a 2x NCAA2 All-American, a decorated Amateur and collegiate wrestler, and has represented the United States in wrestling competitions. For Gracie, he is a 2nd degree black belt in Brazilian/Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and has competed in some of the most recognized submission grappling competitions across the world including taking fist place in multiple ADCC, IBJJF, and CBJJ tournaments. With Lawal having the capability of utilizing powerful ground-&-pound and lay-&-pray approaches on the ground, he could grind out Gracie and wear him out. With Gracie being such a skilled and dangerous submission grappler, he could catch Lawal in a submission in almost any position on the ground. With the more visible striking advantage and the wrestling to keep this fight standing as well as neutralize the BJJ of Gracie, Lawal will be picked by many as the favorite to win this bout.
Healy vs Blanco
The first bout on the card suffered a late replacement when former Strikeforce Lightweight champion Josh Thomson received a foot injury while training for this bout. Having recently fought and coming out relatively unscathed, experienced veteran Pat Healy was brought in to fight in Thomson's place.
The opening bout on the card will feature a Lightweight match up when experienced veteran Pat Healy takes on debuting heavy hitting Venezuelan Maximo Blanco. Healy will come into this bout on a two fight win streak that includes a Unanimous Decision over then undefeated Lyle Beerbohm in a never ending grappling exchange and a recent Unanimous Decision over Eric Wisely at Strikeforce Challengers 18: Gurgel vs Duarte just one month prior to this match up. Blanco will come into this bout on a six fight win streak with five of those wins coming by way of (T)KO and his last fight being in December of last year when he earned a Unanimous Decision over Won Sik Park at SRC: Soul of Fight. In this bout, the stand up advantage will go the way of Blanco with explosive knockout power that had lead to a few of the most memorable knockouts in 2010 while fighting in Japan. While the more experienced fighter coming into this bout, Healy has always stuck to his grappling background in fights. With that, the grappling advantage will most likely go the way of Healy. With an aggressive approach Healy looks to close the distance and look for takedowns where he uses positioning to control his opponents. While always showing off his striking, Blanco actually has a wrestling background of his own that actually earned him a scholarship to attend and compete for a Japanese university. With that, Blanco really uses his grappling background as a defensive measure to keep the fight standing. Even with Healy being more experienced, the favorite for many die hard MMA fans who followed Japanese MMA will be Blanco.
An "X" factor that could also have a major affect on Blanco is the fact that he will be competing in a cage for the first time in his career. Like most fighters coming to compete in American MMA and leaving Japanese MMA, Blanco is used to fighting in a boxing style ring, which has proven to be a major transitional issue for fighters coming from Japan. As if it were a psychological issue for fighters transitioning from Japan and other foreign promotions that prefer the ring, many fighters have had difficulty adapting their styles and usual tendencies to being utilized in and with the cage. With Healy being the more experienced "cage" fighter and Blanco making his debut on American soil in a cage for the first time, will that affect the overall outcome of the bout?
While casual and even some die hard MMA fans will be less enthusiastic about this event after the recent situations that plagued the Heavyweight Grand Prix and the resulting semifinals not screaming with big names in the division, true die hard fans will be looking at this event with great anticipation. The fact that in the recent pre-event conference call where Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed that the winner of the tournament will not become the promotion's new Heavyweight champion fuels the rumors that the promotion is nearing its end ,possibly after the end of this year, and leads to speculation that the winner of the tournament could be on the fast track to eventually fighting for the UFC division title some time in the future. For each fighter involved in this tournament, winning their bouts and the tournament has individual rewards and meanings to each competitor. For Barnett, a win helps bring him back in the positive spotlight in being recognized as an elite Heavyweight and promotes his campaign to be allowed back into the UFC to fight the best in the world, while a loss could resurrect his sour attitude towards Zuffa and derail his resurgence in American MMA. For Kharitonov a win earns him better recognition in American MMA and could ensure his continued employment under Zuffa, after his camp Golden Glory and Zuffa had some business disputes that led to the release of five of his teammates. For Silva, a win continues to bring him popularity in American MMA after his biggest win over Fedor Emelianenko and raises his stock with fans calling for him to fight in the UFC. For Cormier coming in as an alternate against a dangerous opponent like Silva, a win would go a long way in raising his stock earning the biggest win in his career and officially moving him into the tournament finals when nobody expected him to be necessary as an alternate. For the Middleweight bout in the midway point of the card, a win for the champion Souza will do little to boost his stock against a lesser known opponent, but will extend his win streak and prove to Zuffa that he is ready for the transition to the UFC. For Rockhold, a win brings him good recognition having pulled off an upset where he is a heavy underdog. For the second bout on the card, a win for Lawal and the manner of victory earns him a win over an elite grappling ace and adds a big name to his record, and even helps make a statement that he is back after such a long layoff. For Gracie, a win for him also earns him a victory over a powerful grappler and great recognition extending his undefeated record to 5-0. And finally for the opening bout of the night, while not the most recognized on the card, will prove some importance for either fighter. For Healy, a win for him against an opponent as dangerous as Blanco helps prove that his career is on the right track with three straight wins over tough opponents. For Blanco, even though he won't be fighting Thomson who was a former Strikeforce Lightweight champion, defeating a tough and enduring opponent like Healy brings him recognition from die hard fans in his transition to American MMA, especially if he comes in to showcase yet another exciting knockout that comes with his fast pace. With Strikeforce not expected to exist following the end of this year, every fighter on this card will need to look at their own bouts as the most important in their careers to earn them great recognition in the eyes of Zuffa before the expected transition to the UFC. While the casual fight fan may not be looking at this event with great anticipation, die hard fans who have followed Japanese MMA and promotions other than just the UFC will be looking at this event with great expectations.
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