Strikeforce's kickoff of their heavyweight Grand Prix featured plenty of submissions, knockouts and slugfests, but it will be remembered for one thing: Fedor's (possible) end.
No. 1 star -- Antonio Silva: At fight time, Silva weighed 55 lbs. more than Fedor, and he used that size advantage to dominate Emelianenko in the second round. He rained down fists, beating up Fedor's face until it was barely recognizable. Then, after the confusion cleared and it was clear Silva had won, "Big Foot" immediately headed to his opponent's corner and honored him. Next, he will face the winner of Alistair Overeem vs. Fabrico Werdum.
No. 2 star -- Sergei Kharitonov: Riding a wave of emotion from the Russian fans at the Izod Center, Kharitonov patiently waited through early strikes from Arlovski and then picked a spot to lay a bevy of punches that knocked Arlovski out of the tournament. Kharitonov gets Josh Barnett or Brett Rogers next.
No. 3 star -- Chad Griggs: His win over Gian Villante was bloody, ugly and a whole lot of fun. Griggs and his fantastic sideburns brawled Villante to a first-round win as blood poured from Griggs' ear. Now that he's beaten Bobby Lashley and Villante, Strikeforce owes him a real challenge in the heavyweight division.
Honorable mention -- Fedor Emelianenko: "The Last Emperor" gets a spot here not because of how he fought but because of how he reacted to his second loss. He praised his opponent, then made an honest assessment of his ability to fight on. On Saturday, Emelianenko acted with honor in every sense of the word.
Follow Cagewriter on Facebook and Twitter.
Pat Barry Vitor Belfort Robert Berry David Bielkheden Michael Bisping
No comments:
Post a Comment