Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Odds: Barnett, Silva Favored
Posted by Drew Ellis (09/04/2011 @ 4:36 pm)
The semifinals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix takes place this upcoming Saturday night and we have the latest odds on the big matchups.
Bullz-Eye.com has the odds for the two semifinal contests, which features Josh Barnett and Segei Kharitonov and Daniel Cormier taking on Antonio Silva.
Barnett walks into his bout as the favorite with a betting line of -280 against Kharitonov, who has odds of +220. Barnett (30-5) is coming off a second-round submission win over Brett Rogers while Kharitonov (18-4) knocked out Andrei Arlovski in less than three minutes of his quarterfinal match.
In this semifinal, Barnett has the grappling edge while Kharitonov appears to have the KO power in his striking. Whoever can dictate the location of the fight will likely get the victory.
In the other semifinal, Silva (16-2) is the favorite to win with odds of -175 while his opponent Cormier (8-0), has odds of +145 to win. Silva defeated Fedor Emelinanenko by second round TKO to reach the semifinals while Cormier is filling in for Alistair Overeem, who was removed from the tournament due to his unwillingness to fight in September because of an injury.
Cormier is a strong wrestler with some good submission skills while Silva has started to put together a complete fight game. Silva has big punches and a smother grappling style. He looked the most impressive of any fighter in the quarterfinals, but now fights somewhat of an unknown in Cormier, who has just eight pro fights.
The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix will take place from the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati on Saturday. The show will air live on Showtime at 10PM ET.
Posted in: Betting Odds, Events, Fighters, News, Strikeforce
Tags: Antonio Silva, cormier vs. silva, Daniel Cormier, fight lines, fight odds, gambling odds, Heavyweight Grand Prix, Josh Barnett, kharitonov vs. Barnett, mixed martial arts, MMA, mma betting odds, MMA heavyweights, mma middleweights, mma money lines, mma wagers, muhammed lawal, Sergei Kharitonov, strikeforce heavyweights, strikeforce lines, strikeforce middleweight championship, strikeforce odds, top 10 heavyweights
Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum Picks & Predictions
Posted by Drew Ellis (06/18/2011 @ 11:00 am)
Strikeforce puts on one of its biggest events in the history of the promotion when the second half of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix takes place from the American Airlines Arena on Saturday night at 10 p.m. ET.
Here are my picks for the four bouts that will be on the main card.
Heavyweight Grand Prix – Alistair Overeem (34-11) vs. Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1) – Overeem doesn’t have a match in this weight class in Strikeforce in my opinion. He has really beefed up and continues to have the same striking ability he has always had. Only a true wrestler has the skill set to take him out, and Werdum isn’t a wrestler. I look for Overeem to pick apart Werdum and earn a second round TKO.
Heavyweight Grand Prix – Josh Barnett (29-5) vs. Brett Rogers (11-2) – Barnett is the better fighter but Rogers does have knockout ability with one punch. Look for Barnett to play it safe early on and survive the storm from Rogers before scoring some takedowns and eventually choking out his opponent in the second round.
Lightweight Bout – K.J. Noons (10-3) vs. Jorge Masvidal (21-6) – Masvidal is tough but he hasn’t quite slugged it out with the talent that Noons has in recent years. If this is going to be a slugfest, I look for Noons to come out on top. Strikeforce would like to get Noons and Gilbert Melendez in a fight together, and I think an impressive second round KO for Noons will do just that.
Heavyweight Bout – Daniel Cormier (7-0) vs. Jeff Monson (42-11) – Cormier has had a nice little start to his MMA career, but Jeff Monson is a smart fighter that will find a way to get Cormier to the ground. Once it hits the mat, Monson will dominate the fight and eventually score a submission in the first five minutes of action.
Posted in: Events, Fighters, Predictions, Strikeforce
Tags: Alistair Overeem, Brett Rogers, Daniel Cormier, Fabricio Werdum, Heavyweight Grand Prix, Jeff Monson, Jorge Masvidal, Josh Barnett, K.J. Noons
Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Preview: Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum
Posted by Drew Ellis (06/16/2011 @ 2:46 pm)
So just how far along has Alistair Overeem come over the last few years?
The Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion looks to prove he deserves to be in the discussion for top heavyweight in the world on Saturday when he takes on Fabricio Werdum in the first round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Werdum holds a submission win over Overeem back in 2006 as part of PRIDE. Since then, both men have had highs and lows, and both seem to be at a peak in their careers.
Here is a look at both fighters and my pick for this contest.
Alistair Overeem (34-11) – The Strikeforce kingpin has looked unbeatable in recent years due to his overwhelming kickboxing skills. Standing 6-foot-5 and beefed up to 253 pounds, Overeem brings thunderous power to every kick and punch he throws. He has won his last three fights by knockout, all coming in the first round. Prior to that, he scored three-straight submission victories, and he actually has 19 submission wins to his credit in his lengthy career. Overeem’s last loss came in 2007 to fellow Grand Prix fighter, Sergei Kharitonov. His biggest weakness in this bout will be his submission defense against a fighter with the skills of Werdum, but his striking will be far superior.
Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1) – Werdum broke into the top heavyweight discussion after being the man to end Fedor Emelianenko’s lengthy winning streak last June. Now, Werdum looks to prove that his win was for real as he hopes to beat Overeem for a second time. Werdum is a grappling specialist with mediocre striking. In this fight, he will be facing a much larger Overeem than he faced years ago. Getting his opponent to the ground this time may be a great challenge. Werdum can’t possibly win this fight on his feet either, so pulling guard may have to be an option for him.
Who Will Win: I think both men are different fighters than they were years ago, and Overeem has advanced further than Werdum. I look for Overeem to stay off his back on keep the fight standing, where he should be able to pick apart Werdum and earn a second round TKO.
