Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum main card spotlight: Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum

It may be slightly weird for the Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem to be involved in a tournament for the title but the fact that ‘Demolition Man’ finally returns to the Strikeforce cage this weekend is frankly, awesome. The Dutch destroyer will look to assert his destructive dominance over the division by taking out old rival Fabricio Werdum in Dallas in what should be a fantastic main event.
Overeem in a Strikeforce cage has become a rarer sight than the loch ness monster these days, but the Golden Glory striker did steamroll over Brett Rogers a year ago in defence of his title. K-1 commitments seem to have been the order of the day for the muay thai machine with the odd spattering of MMA competition such as a 19-second massacre of former UFC contender Todd Duffee at K-1 Dynamite in December.
In 2006, Overeem squared-off with Werdum in the first meeting between the pair and it was the Brazilian who triumphed with a second round kimura. ‘Demolition Man’ is a different fighter nowadays but is still very much a striker who can adapt to the ground game when necessary. Will the surging form of ‘Vai Cavalo’ prove to be a little too much for the champion this weekend or will second time be a charm for the ‘Uber’ one?
Werdum’s reinvention as one of the baddest heavyweights on the planet came as something of a surprise considering that the former PRIDE standout was released by the UFC following a brutal first round KO to Junior Dos Santos, then an unknown quantity making his debut. But having signed for Strikeforce in summer 2009, Werdum went on to win three on the trot for the San Jose-based promotion.
‘Vai Cavalo’ made short work of knockout artist Mike Kyle, submitting the brawler with a guillotine early in round one, before impressively handling man-monster Antonio Silva for three rounds to take a clear-cut decision. However, it was his June 2010 bout with the seemingly invincible Fedor Emelianenko that really raised Werdum’s stock as the BJJ maestro tapped out the Russian with a triangle armbar early in round one.
The Verdict: Surely it would have made more sense to keep these two heavyweights on opposite ends of the draw until at least the semi-finals? Overeem and Werdum would have been early favourites to reach the final but only one top-tier heavyweight will advance in Dallas this weekend. The game-plan for Werdum is simple – do not strike with the champion. ‘Vai Cavalo’ is no joke in the stand-up department but he is light years behind Overeem in terms of KO power and technique not to mention the champion’s K-1 experience. Werdum’s BJJ is among the very best in the heavyweight division but it’s the challenge of getting close enough to ‘Ubereem’ to score the takedown that worries this writer and should be causing the Brazilian sleepless nights. There will be no giant-killing for Werdum this time around as Overeem bombards him from the clinch to get a stoppage in the second round. Overeem, (T)KO, 2^nd round.
By Steve Davies