Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Results: Barnett, Cormier roll
Posted by Drew Ellis (09/11/2011 @ 11:36 am)
Well, I was wrong.
Sometimes things just don’t go your way when picking MMA fights and Saturday was that example.
I was 1-3 in my Strikeforce picks, with my lone win being Josh Barnett choking out Sergei Kharitonov.
It was a great win for Barnett, who now advances to the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Finals against the surprise contender, Daniel Cormier.
Cormier, the Olympic wrestler, used his striking to topple Antonio Silva and advance to the finals. He landed a pair of big punches early in the fight, with the second one sending Silva to the ground. From there, Cormier finished the fight with a pair of big hammer fists.
Cormier has now propelled himself into the heavyweight spotlight and a battle with fellow wrestler, Josh Barnett, should make for an interesting championship.
Cormier may have the edge with his striking and wrestling ability. That could help him stay off his back against Barnett, who should have a submission edge on the relatively new fighter.
In the other two featured bouts, Luke Rockhold upset Ronaldo Souza to win the Strikeforce Middleweight title. I didn’t give Rockhold much respect entering the bout, but he grinded a nice win over Souza, using his striking and submission defense to keep the fight in his favor. Question is, does this give Rockhold a chance to move to the UFC for a unification bout? Or does he still not catch the eye of the UFC brass?
Muhammed Lawal returned to action by KO’ing unbeaten Roger Gracie. King Mo’s big right hands ended the fight in the first round and gave him one of his most impressive wins to date.
Posted in: Events, Fighters, News, Results, Strikeforce
Tags: Antonio Silva, Barnett vs. cormier, Daniel Cormier, heavyweight finals, Josh Barnett, King Mo, luke rockhold, MMA results, muhammed lawal, roger gracie, Ronaldo Souza, Sergei Kharitonov, Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, strikeforce middleweight championship, Strikeforce Results, top 10 heavyweights, top 10 light heavyweights, top 10 middleweights, Zuffa
Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Picks & Predictions
Posted by Drew Ellis (09/10/2011 @ 11:00 am)
The semifinals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix take place on Saturday night and also a pair of intriguing side bouts.
Here are my picks for the four bouts that will be featured on tonight’s Showtime card.
Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinals – Josh Barnett vs. Sergei Kharitonov – I think Barnett will be smart and handle Kharitonov similar to how he did Brett Rogers. Look for Barnett’s wrestling to eventually lead to a submission finish in the second or third round.
Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinals – Antonio Silva vs. Daniel Cormier – Silva vs. Overeem would have been a bigger draw for Strikeforce, but now their champ is with the UFC. Still, Silva has shown some improving skills and I think he will be able to handle Cormier, who is still developing his skills. Cormier can wrestle, but Silva is stronger and should have better conditioning. I look for Silva to out-strike and out-grapple Cormier to earn a decision victory.
Strikeforce Middleweight Championship – Ronaldo Souza vs. Luke Rockhold – Rockhold is a nice little fighter, but Souza should have no trouble with him. The submission wizard should find a way to work his magic in this fight and force a tap. Rockhold hasn’t faced a lot of tough talent and is just proof that Strikeforce doesn’t have much of a middleweight division.
Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Bout – Muhammed Lawal vs. Roger Gracie – King Mo hasn’t fought in over a year and young Roger Gracie is off to an impressive start to his career, submitting the likes of Trevor Prangley and Kevin Randleman. Lawal is going to want to keep this fight standing, but he has a strong wrestling background that may ultimately lead to his demise. I see the better-conditioned Gracie using his skills to get the fight to the ground and choking out the former Strikeforce champ.
Posted in: Events, Fighters, News, Predictions, Strikeforce
Tags: Antonio Silva, Barnett vs. kharitonov, Daniel Cormier, grand prix semifinals, heavyweight division, heavyweight semifinals, Josh Barnett, luke rockhold, MMA heavyweights, mma picks, mma predictions, muhammed lawal, roger gracie, Ronaldo Souza, Sergei Kharitonov, silva vs. cormier, Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, strikeforce light heavyweights, strikeforce middleweight championship, strikeforce picks, strikeforce predictions
