Strikeforce Heayweight Grand Prix Semifinals: Sep 10, 2011

[ace3g]

http://www.strikeforce.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/SFC5_Feature21.png

MAIN CARD (Showtime)

Josh Barnett vs. Sergei Kharitonov (heavyweight grand prix semifinal)
Daniel Cormier vs. Antonio Silva (heavyweight grand prix semifinal)
Champ Ronaldo Souza vs. Luke Rockhold (for middleweight title)
Roger Gracie vs. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal
Maximo Blanco vs. Pat Healy

PRELIMINARY CARD (HDNet)

Mike Kyle vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante vs. Yoel Romero
Jordan Mein vs. Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos
Alexis Davis vs. Amanda Nunes
Chris Mierzwiak vs. Dominique Steele



Some interesting info within the past couple of days/ hours:

There were reports that Overeem was going to leave MMA for Boxing, saying he wanted to fight Klitschko.

http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/07/18/alistair-overeem-wants-to-fight-a-klitschko-if-the-fans-want-i/

Then he had an interview with MMAFighting.com where he said he wasn't going to fight at the Grand Prix Semifinals, wanted to fight in October not September.


Now this a few minutes ago on twitter from MMAFighting.com

Tatame's report on Overeem is true. Cormier will be in. Not sure if Overeem was cut or not. Official word supposed to come soon, I believe.

Now This:

RT @tatamemagazine: BREAKING NEWS: Overeem out of Strikeforce GP - A. Silva fights undefeated Daniel Cormier on Sept10 http://bit.ly/o8N2ui



---

8/29/11

Twitter put it out to the universe and got an answer - Pat @BamBamHealy officially moves into Josh Thomson's spot vs Blaco on Sept. 10

[shyne]

crazy shit.

[ace3g]

I'm a big Cormier fan, been wanting him to get an upgrade in competition for a while now. Going to be tough considering the size adv of "Big Foot" Silva, but I don't care, War Cormier!!!

[shyne]

Zuffa and the UFC got somthing up their sleeve, I can bet hes going to be fighting in the UFC sooner than we all think.

[ace3g]

Dana: "Overeem is under contract, and when his pinky toe heals up, we'll get him another fight."

http://bit.ly/noGWz2

[dbreiden83080]

What a crock of shit this is..

This was Sherdog take.



In a surprising turn of events, Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem has been removed from the promotion’s 2011 heavyweight grand prix.

Brazilian website Tatame.com broke the news Monday, only hours after Overeem made strong remarks regarding his rumored Sept. 10 semifinal matchup against Antonio Silva.

“That is not going to take place,” Overeem stated in a Monday interview with MMAFighting.com. “What’s going to happen next, I don’t know. I’ve had some threats of cutting me out of the tournament if I don’t participate. I don’t know if they’re going to do it. Personally, I don’t like to be threatened.”

Overeem went on to state that he felt the September date was too soon for him to return, and that he needed time to rest and heal after his June 18 quarterfinal decision win over Fabricio Werdum. The 31-year-old Dutchman’s words apparently did not sit well with the brass at Strikeforce and parent company Zuffa, LLC, who on Monday swapped out Overeem for unbeaten up-and-comer Daniel Cormier.

Sherdog.com has confirmed with Silva’s manager, Alex Davis, that his client will no longer fight Overeem.

“Unfortunately, it’s true,” Davis told Sherdog.com. “Overeem decided not to fight. We don’t know why, but Antonio is pretty much disappointed. ... I can’t confirm who will replace Overeem, but I can guarantee Antonio will be ready. He just arrived in Rio de Janeiro to train with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and his team for the upcoming fight.”

Silva, 31, currently rides a three-fight win streak in the Strikeforce cage. In February, the Brazilian “Bigfoot” stunned former Pride Fighting Championships heavyweight ruler Fedor Emelianenko, battering the Russian great to force a medical stoppage after two rounds.

A former U.S. Olympic wrestling team captain, 32-year-old Cormier has turned away all comers since beginning his MMA career in 2009. The American Kickboxing Academy fighter is 3-0 in Strikeforce, most recently notching a unanimous decision over tough veteran Jeff Monson in June.

[ace3g]

Champ Ronaldo Souza vs. Luke Rockhold (for middleweight title)
Daniel Cormier vs. Antonio Silva (heavyweight grand prix semifinal)
Josh Barnett vs. Sergei Kharitonov (heavyweight grand prix semifinal)
Roger Gracie vs. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal
Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante vs. Yoel Romero*
Maximo Blanco vs. Josh Thomson
Jordan Mein vs. Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos

[The TroutBum]

Who. Gives. A. Shit.

[polandprzem]

Fucker is on juice and wants more time to remove the shit from the system :)

[dbreiden83080]

Fucker is on juice and wants more time to remove the shit from the system :)

He was exposed in the Werdum fight anyway..

[HighLowLobForBig-50]

only UFC coulda fucked up this tourney. gosh dammit, im bout to lose interest in WATCHING mma.

[dbreiden83080]

only UFC coulda fucked up this tourney. gosh dammit, im bout to lose interest in WATCHING mma.

How did the UFC fuck it up? They set a date and Overeem said "Not making that date"..

[strosFan2]

Cincinnati to host "Strikeforce: Heayweight Grand Prix Semifinals" on Sept. 10 http://bit.ly/oX7vL9

[ace3g]

Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante vs. Yoel Romero slotted for Sept. 10 Strikeforce event http://bit.ly/p3Yo5W

[HighLowLobForBig-50]

How did the UFC fuck it up? They set a date and Overeem said "Not making that date"..

i could be way off base, but i have a strong feeling that if UFC doesnt buy SF, the grand prix is going along just fine with no drama or problems.

[ace3g]

Former Olympian Yoel Romero Signs with Strikeforce, Will Face Feijao In Debut
http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/07/27/former-olympian-yoel-romero-signs-with-strikeforce-will-face-fe/

[ace3g]

Strikeforce reportedly releases heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem http://bit.ly/pz1tNt

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Grand Prix just got a lot more interesting with a "true" HW Belt on the line, instead of just the Title of Grand Prix Champion

[dbreiden83080]

Strikeforce reportedly releases heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem http://bit.ly/pz1tNt

--

Grand Prix just got a lot more interesting with a "true" HW Belt on the line, instead of just the Title of Grand Prix Champion

He'll sign a UFC contract.. Nothing else makes sense..

[ace3g]

Some more details on the Overeem release; technically he is still the SF HW Champ
http://espn.go.com/mma/story/_/id/6857308/alistair-overeem-negotiation-period-zuffa-llc-not-released-representative-says

[ace3g]

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[ace3g]

UFC Confirms Ongoing Talks with Former Strikeforce Champ Alistair Overeem


Now it appears that Zuffa and Team Golden Glory are back on speaking terms, and UFC President Dana White is hoping to strike a deal with Overeem.

“We’re talking to (Alistair) Overeem,” White confirmed when speaking to Dan Le Batard on ESPN 790 in Miami. “When everything fell apart, you heard me say we can’t do business with these guys the way they want to do business, meaning his management.

“Well, they’ve changed their opinions on how they can do business with us so now we can.”

The business was essentially Team Golden Glory asking Zuffa to pay them for any fighters they managed, and then in turn they would pay the athletes. Zuffa officials were only willing to pay the fighters directly, and when the negotiations came to a stand still on that point, everything broke down.

Overeem and his teammates were released, but now with the Dutch striker back on speaking terms with the UFC, it could be only a matter of time before he’s Octagon bound.

Golden Glory’s leader Bas Boon said that a deal could be done with Overeem ending up in the UFC.

“We are even willing to make an exclusive deal for Alistair Overeem to fight in the UFC, if the terms are right,” Boon stated.

With the two sides now talking, Overeem could very well be in the UFC before it’s all said and done.

http://ht.ly/6dbrb

[dbreiden83080]

Getting Reem in the UFC would be a big deal.. He can be a star

[ace3g]

Strikeforce's Roger Gracie hopes to clear out light-heavy division, move on to UFC


With the exodus of Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Dan Henderson nearing reality, there's a belt that could be vacant very soon.

And while Strikeforce 205-pounder Roger Gracie isn't ready to begin a campaign for a title fight, he would like to make a trip to the UFC inescapable.

"I think there will be one point, hopefully, where I will have fought the top guys in my weight division and there will be nowhere else for me to fight," Gracie told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I will have to step up."

Gracie (4-0 MMA, 2-0 SF) fights former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champ Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (7-1 MMA, 2-1 SF) at "Strikeforce Grand Prix: Barnett vs. Kharitonov," which takes place Sept. 10 at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. Gracie vs. Lawal is part of the night's Showtime-televised main card.

Like many of the bookings that populate the promotion's calendar, there's uncertainty about the future of Strikeforce talent. Henderson appears headed to the UFC, and heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem is in negotiations to make his octagon debut possibly before the end of the year.

Gracie is among a handful of standout fighters who stand to benefit from Henderson's exit. Light heavyweights Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, Gegard Mousasi, Keith Jardine and Ovince St. Preux could be within spitting distance of a title shot. If Strikeforce and UFC crossovers become a reality (or the two promotions merge), the champion is in a position to capitalize.

So Gracie's road to the title may have gotten shorter, and a win over a former champ definitely wouldn't diminish his prospects. But he's undecided on whether something good will come of the recent shakeups.

"We'll see," he said. "The UFC, every single organization they bought they end up merging. We [don't] know how long they'll keep Strikeforce. They might keep it for a couple of years. They might kill it tomorrow. You never know."

For now, he's focused on his fight with Lawal. After undergoing knee surgery this past summer, Lawal hopes to return to form after a TKO loss to Cavalcante that stripped him of the belt.

Lawal brings top-shelf wrestling skills to the Sept. 10 fight, though Gracie believes he'll try to strike his way to victory. Gracie, of course, is a highly decorated jiu-jitsu player.

"I think if he can be slippery and keep the fight standing, he'll have a chance not to get submitted," Gracie said. "But I think if we fight on the ground, his chances are not very good."

Gracie is training at Renzo Gracie's academy in New York City as the date nears, and while he's surrounded by grapplers, his training hasn't changed much compared to other fights.

"I think that I train less ... in jiu-jitsu because he's not a great jiu-jitsu player, and I'm sure I won't have to worry about him trying to submit me," he said.

As to what happens after the fight, Gracie said his long-term goals haven't changed.

"I think it's just (a matter of) getting ready to be the best fighter I can be," he said. "Fight against the best guys and hopefully win them all, and one day I can look back when I retire and say I fought them all and beat them all. Now I can retire happy."

And if that means retiring with a UFC belt around his waist, so be it.


http://mmajunkie.com/news/25004/strikeforces-roger-gracie-hopes-to-clear-out-light-heavy-division-move-on-to-ufc.mma?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+mmajunkie+%28MMAjunkie.com+Fe ed%29

[ace3g]

MAIN CARD (Showtime)

Josh Barnett vs. Sergei Kharitonov (heavyweight grand prix semifinal)
Daniel Cormier vs. Antonio Silva (heavyweight grand prix semifinal)
Champ Ronaldo Souza vs. Luke Rockhold (for middleweight title)
Roger Gracie vs. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal
Maximo Blanco vs. Pat Healy

[ace3g]

JkC6cpLXeoU&feature=player_embedded

[Rip-Hamilton32]

hahah heavy weight grand prix eh? filled with scrubs

[polandprzem]

Josh Barnett vs. Sergei Kharitonov (heavyweight grand prix semifinal)
Daniel Cormier vs. Antonio Silva (heavyweight grand prix semifinal)
Champ Ronaldo Souza vs. Luke Rockhold (for middleweight title)
Roger Gracie vs. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal
Maximo Blanco vs. Pat Healy

PRELIMINARY CARD (HDNet)

Mike Kyle vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante vs. Yoel Romero
Jordan Mein vs. Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos
Alexis Davis vs. Amanda Nunes
Chris Mierzwiak vs. Dominique Steele

[mystargtr34]

I think Bigfoot wins this Grand Prix and the UFC brings him over immediately.. maybe to fight the winner of JDS/Cain vs Reem/Brock.

[mystargtr34]

Holy fuck Cormier fucking owned Bigfoot

Lol me.

[shyne]

Aka had a good night.

[dbreiden83080]

Holy fuck Cormier fucking owned Bigfoot

Lol me.

Big-foot was getting over-rated..

[ace3g]

What another fight card of bad predictions by me.....

Still a good card: Cormier vs Barnett will be a battle; who gets the 1st TD?

[The TroutBum]

What another fight card of bad predictions by me.....

Still a good card: Cormier vs Barnett will be a battle; who gets the 1st TD?

Who cares? I still can't believe that fat fuck cheater is still allowed to be anywhere near MMA. What a disgrace.