Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinals

[INDYjon22]

Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinals

• Heavyweight Bout: Josh Barnett vs. Sergei Kharitonov
• Heavyweight Bout: Daniel Cormier vs. Antonio Silva

Strikeforce Middleweight Championship

• Middleweight Bout: Luke Rockhold vs. Ronaldo Souza
• Light Heavyweight Bout: Muhammed Lawal vs. Roger Gracie
• Lightweight Bout: Pat Healy vs. Maximo Blanco

Undercard

• Light Heavyweight Bout: Yoel Romero Palacio vs. Rafael Cavalcante
• Light heavyweight Bout: Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Mike Kyle
• Welterweight Bout: Evangelista Santos vs. Jordan Mein
• Women's Bantamweight Bout: Amanda Nunes vs. Alexis Davis
• Middleweight Bout: Chris Mierzwiak vs. Dominique Steele

The Strikeforce Grand Prix finally returns, and in much quicker fashion then the second half of the first round. The Semi-finals will begin and end in about 1 week and at least one of the fights remaining looks to be very exciting. Strikeforce 36 is also supported by a solid main card, and a star studded undercard surprisingly.

Grand Prix favorite Josh Barnett will square off against the dark horse of the tournament, Sergei Kharitonov. Both guys are heavy handed and well versed in all areas of their games. Barnett is probably the better all around fighter but Kharitonov cannot be slept on. He is definitely the more powerful striker and if it stays standing he has a great chance of knocking Barnett out. I think this fight will be awesome to watch.

The other Semi-final fight pits Antonio Silva against Daniel Cormier. Cormier is a world class wrestler but is filling the void left when Alistair Overeem left the tournament and Strikeforce. I personally don't think Cormier is ready for this tournament but he is getting a very winnable fight. Silva can be taken down and held. Cormier just needs to avoid getting into grappling matches on the feet with Silva and his ground n' pound. Not a terribly exciting fight but it could be worse.

Jacare Souza defends his Middleweight title against Luke Rockhold. Rockhold is a home grown talent in Strikeforce. I'm sure the company would love nothing more then to have him as champion. It won't be easy though, Souza has proven to be a fighting champion and I think his experience will carry him through Rockhold. Souza has shown improvement with each fight since winning the belt, and even before then. I don't think his reign will end here.

King Mo finally returns against Roger Gracie. Roger Gracie looks like he could be the best Gracie since the originals were in their primes. He is undefeated and continues to grow as a fighter with each fight. That said, even with the big layoff, I think King Mo will be to big and strong for Gracie to handle. I think Mo wins via ground n' pound.

Rounding out the main card is a Lightweight battle between Pat Healy and Maximo Blanco. I don't know much about Blanco other then he is very highly regarded and a big prospect in the sport. Healy is always a tough fighter, but I am only watching to see what Blanco looks like and to finally see the hype.

The undercard is also pretty sexy. Former Light Heavyweight champion Rafael Cavalcante returns to the undercard in hops of working his way back to another title fight. Contender Mike Kyle also comes back. Kyle is a very tough and fun fighter to watch. And, Evangelisto Santos will try to bounce back from his title loss to Nick Diaz. All three guys are exciting and fun to watch and hopefully their fights make it to the main broadcast.

This may be the most star studded Strikeforce card of all time, even though it may not seem like it. The card has name value from top to bottom and besides the Cormier/Silva fight everything else should be a lot of fun to watch.

 

[CapnKabuki]

Lemme just say one thing before I get into my opinion on the Grand Prix itself; Title fights should always be the main event. I don't care what other fights are on the card, the title is the most important thing in the company. Putting 1, let alone 2 fights go on after a title fight devalues the belt in my opinion. I understand why they're doing it this way, and let's face it, hearing "Jacare vs. Rockhold" isn't gonna bring in the ratings like hearing "Heavyweight Grand Prix" will, but that's just my feelings on it. Devalues the belt when it's anything but the main event.

Anyway, now that I've gotten that out of the way, this is the card I'm actually disappointed in missing, since I no longer have Showtime. I said it from the moment Fedor was taken out, Barnett would be in the finals. My feelings haven't changed, as I see him just being too much for Kharitonov to handle, on the ground especially. I don't see Barnett submitting him, and I certainly don't see it being a KO or TKO either, so my guess is a UD for Barnett, in a fight that he looks to be in trouble in the first, but powers back and dominates the remaining two rounds.

Bigfoot vs. Cormier is easily the most interesting fight on the card. Had Overeem not been released, I would have no problem simply saying Alistair would win and win in dominating fashion, but, we all know what happened. A lot of things will be major factors in this fight; How will Cormier handle the pressure of being in such a high profile match-up like this? Will Cormier's wrestling be too much for Bigfoot to handle? Will Bigfoot experience the same fall from grace that Werdum did after he beat Fedor? All these things will play a huge factor, but in the end, I'm gonna have to give it to Cormier. I think he'll use his wrestling to his great advantage, hold Bigfoot down and grind out a decision in a rather boring fight.

As for the Middleweight Championship, this pick is rather easy for me, Jacare by submission, probably in the 3rd. Rockhold isn't ready for this fight, and it'll show. Very easy night for Jacare I'm guessing.

King Mo vs. Roger Gracie is another easy one for me. I just feel that Mo is still completely devastated by his first loss, and he won't be fully recovered from it, and Gracie will take advantage and submit him.

All in all, very interesting card, and I wish that these dorms had Showtime, because I'm dying for some fights over here.

 

[JWGunslinger]

So glad it's finally time for the Semifinals! It's gonna be a great card with an exellent main event!

On the undercard Santos, Kyle and Cavalcante should score wins, and Pat Healy will probably win a hard fought battle.

Muhammad Lawal vs Roger Gracie: I really like Roger Gracie, I like that we finally have a big Gracie who can fight unlike Rolles. But Roger is a guy who'd technique is a thing of beauty and is a blast to watch. King Mo is a tough SOB and he will be Roger's toughest test yet for sure, but I think he has what it takes to finish Lawal. Gracie by Armbar

Luke Rockhold vs Jacare Souza: Rockhold has been talking some pretty big smack, saying that he and AKA are going to start winning fights against Brazilians for America. As much as i'd like to say AMURICA and wave my flag Rockhold is not the American that will beat Souza. Jacare is a stud and it's going to take a beast to take him out, not to mention Luke hasn't fought since feb 2010. Rockhold will look impressive early but get taken out of his comfort zone(the 1st rnd) and be submitted. Jacare by Guillotine

Antonio Silva vs Daniel Cromier: I was so excited for Silva vs Overeem, now we get Silva vs Cromier......I think Cromier is a talented young guy but he is not ready for this tourney and Silva will catch him. Bigfoot by TKO

Josh Barnett vs Sergei Kharitonov: Ohhh what a fight, this is going to be the best fight on the card IMO. I think either of these guys could take the win, anyone who's still calling Sergei a Darkhorse is an idiot. If it stays on the feet I think Kharitonov will clip JB but if Josh can get him down he can control him and hopefully submit him. Barnett by Americana

 

[jmt225]

Great show here.

Josh Barnett vs. Sergei Kharitonov should be a one-sided fight. However, who ends up dominating is anyone's guess. It all depends on Sergei's takedown defense. If he can stop Barnett from taking him down, then he should kick his ass on the feet and either win a decision or eventually be able to put him away via TKO. However, if Barnett is able to get Sergei to the ground... it should all be Barnett from there. Sergei's no slouch on the ground, but he still can't handle someone like Barnett being on top of him.

Daniel Cormier vs. Big Foot Silva is also an unpredictable fight to call. I mean, at first glance it would seem like Big Foot Silva is clearly the favorite and should easily win this fight, but that's not the case at all. Sure, Big Foot will be 285 by fight time, and Cormier is a natural 205er, but Cormier is one of the best wrestlers in MMA (if not THE best), and he trains daily with the UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez. What wrestler does Big Foot Silva train with? Rashad Evans. You see? This could really go either way. I think Big Foot needs to finish Cormier off in the first, otherwise he will get lay and prayed on in the 2nd and 3rd Rounds when Big Foot starts to tire out. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

Jacare vs. Luke Rockhold should be an easy win for Jacare. Strikeforce has been hyping up Rockhold for a very long time now, but we still never got to see the guy against a top quality opponent. He was basically handed this opportunity, and he will get his ass kicked for it.

King Mo was able to keep Gegard Mousasi from tapping him out on the ground, but I don't think he'll be able to keep Roger Gracie, the best Jiu-Jitsu practitioner in Mixed Martial Arts, from doing so. If this fight goes to the ground, Gracie should be able to catch Mo, simple as, especially since Mo is underestimating Gracie's ground game to begin with. However, if Mo can keep it on the feet, then he should be able to knock Gracie's ass out. Fight can go either way.

 

[Fizzy]

Only interested in seeing Roger Gracie on this card. I've been majorly against this GP since the beginning and that hasn't changed one bit. I think it's a pointless waste of time and only has become more so since Overeem isn't in it anymore(he shouldn't have been in it in the first place.) I hope Sergei fucks Barnett's day up. Hate that cunt, Barnett. I also hope Big Foot beats Cormier because he trains with Nog and Anderson, but it will be a very tough fight if it goes more than a round.

Gracie vs Mo is an extremely intriguing fight. I hate "King" Mo with a passion, but I cannot deny his wrestling skills. The dude is as legit as they come in reference to wrestling pedigree and it has translated fairly well into MMA. Roger Gracie is the best BJJ artist in the world, not just MMA, but the world. See why this fights intriguing? Fantastic wrestler vs fantastic BJJ practitioner. The logical thing to happen would be Mo keeping the fight standing where it's anyones game with the slight edge to Mo. Both have improving stand up but i'll give Mo the advantage there for now. The thing that gets me is Mo acting like Roger's ground game isn't great He even said he has a chance to sub him. I will say this, if Mo takes Roger down, he will be subbed within a few minutes. Roger isn't Gegard, if you take him down, you're getting subbed. Will Mo keep it standing, or take him down? That's why this fight is so damn interesting.

 

[JWGunslinger]

Not my best prediction night but man we got some killer fights in the semi finals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix!

Firstoff I was seriously pissed that Blanco didn't get DQ'd for foot fucking Healy while both of them were on the ground, that is not a 1 point deduction especially if he is hitting him with several instead of one accidental pop. But I was very happy in the end to see Healy come back from that and take him out with a RNC.

Sad to see Roger lose but as soon as the fight started it became apparent that he was not going to get past Mo's striking and take him down. Hopefully he has a successful return, good win for Mo.

Rockhold vs Souza was a battle, not the greatest battle but a battle none the less where we saw two guys leave it all out there. I was happily surprised to see Rockhold take punishment and keep going and seeing him really fight like he wanted it, while Jacare didn't seem to have the drive at times throughout the fight. I thought it was a close fight but happy for Rockhold, he fought his heart out for it.

On the subject of Daniel Cromier I have to admit I was very wrong about him in this fight, I didn't give him much of a chance and he kicked Bigfoot's fucking ass. He looked awesome and made me wonder how Bigfoot was beating up Fedor not that long ago, I was wrong about Cromier not being ready, he is without a doubt up to the challenge.

Josh Barnett, gosh I love this guy so much as an entertainer, fighter and metal fan I was so nervous when Kharitonov started throwin those big russian mitts I had to step outside while my friends watched but I was very happy to hear the cheers of my boys when Josh took him down and then it all lead to Josh sinkin in my favorite submission for the second fight in a row. Josh Barnett and Daniel Cromier advance to the finals, obviously my pick and hope is for Josh but Cromier is going to be soooo difficult for him to deal with so hopefully he and Eric Paulson can come up with a good gameplan to deal with Cromier.

Decent night of fights, the two semi final fights were exellent and I cannot wait for the next and final part of the tourney.

 

[INDYjon22]

Very fun card last night. Lots of finishes and exciting ones at that. Here's a quick run down and thoughts.

Feijao, Mein and Mike Kyle all looked good on the undercard. It is some bullshit that Feijao went from being Light Heavyweight champion to fighting on the undercard and he showed why he should be on the main card. The guy has some serious talent and is a threat for a lot of guys. Mike Kyle is just an exciting fighter and I would love to see him make a run at the LHW title. And Mein was the most impressive. 21 years old and has 30 career fights already, with 23 wins. This kid has a nice future ahead of him.

I don't like Pat Healy but he impressed me with his win over Maximo Blanco. Blanco looked decent, but Healy pretty much out classed him in the second round. Healy will likely get a bump up into competition and probably get tooled back to being a gatekeeper of some sort.

I don't like King Mo but he did exactly what I thought he would do and that is knock out Roger Gracie. We all wondered if Gracie had a chin and he got exposed big time. I think he will bounce back but he won't be a champion. King Mo vs. Feijao makes the most sense for both guys at this point with the winner getting a title shot.

Luke Rockhold impressed the hell out of me. I love Jacare but Rockhold gave him one hell of a fight and won a well deserved fight. Jacare will be back, but honestly I would like to see both guys in the UFC Middleweight division anyways. I don't really know who is going to challenge Rockhold at this point since Lawler and Manhouf are both coming off of losses. I guess Tim Kennedy will get the next crack at the belt, again.

Daniel Cormier impressed the fuck out of me. I knew he had a bright future but I honestly thought he was to small to take on the big Heavyweights. He proved me wrong. Knocking out Bigfoot is no easy accomplishment but he did it. It makes me all that much more excited for the Grand Prix finals.

The Sergei/Barnett fight played out how I figured it would. Kharitonov tooled Barnett on the feet and then Josh decided to take it to the ground. From that point on Barnett destroyed Sergei. Exciting fight and sets up one hell of a finals for the Grand Prix. Barnett vs. Cormier could literally go either way. Can't wait to see it go down.

Exciting show with a lot of awesome finishes. Definitely worth watching and reminds me of why I love this company. Sure their booking and commentary leaves a lot to be desired but the fights make up for it.

 

[CapnKabuki]

I unfortunately didn't get to see the fights live, thought I did see the Lawal vs. Gracie and Bigfoot vs. Cormier fights. I will say that Gracie looked like a fish out of water in the stand up, he needs to work on that and fast if he's gonna succeed. I don't believe all these articles I'm reading about how because of this loss, "The Gracie legacy ends," any of that bullshit. Not every Gracie can go 400-0 like Rickson. (obviously I know that number is complete and utter fabricated nonsense, but you get the idea) One loss does not diminish the fact that Roger might be the best BJJ practitioner in the game today, it just highlights the very glaring flaws in his repitiore. And I'm not even a fan of Roger Gracie for that matter! Just had to get that out.

Onto Cormier, I expected him to win, yes, but did I expect him to come out and completely obliterate Bigfoot? Hell no I didn't. This guy is becoming more of a complete mixed martial artist with every fight, and I can see either him or Barnett winning this tournament, should it happen, what with Cormier breaking his hand on Bigfoot's mountain of a face.

Can't say much about the Middleweight title fight or Barnett vs. Kharitonov because I haven't actually watched them yet. Though, from reading the results of them, I will say that I'm not all that surprised at what Barnett did, because it's exactly what he did to Brett Rogers, it just took him less time this time around. However, I was shocked at the title fight's results. I had never even heard of this guy aside from when I played EA MMA, and I basically just beat his face into a Frank Mir-esque hamburger in 30 seconds with my created fighter, but other than that, I have absolutely no idea who he is.

While I'm at it, I'd like to point out a ridiculous article I saw on Bleacherreport the day after the fights. There was an article with the title "Can Luke Rockhold beat Anderson Silva?" ...Are you fucking kidding me? Really? The guy beats Jacare Souza, a guy who is a few rungs down the ladder from Anderson Silva. Anderson would fucking destroy Rockhold, the man is on a completely different plane of existence in the world of Mixed Martial Arts, and I honestly don't see him leaving it until he retires, which I think he'll do while remaining undefeated. But I'm getting off track and ranting, so I'll stop. From what I read, an excellent night of fights, which saddens me because it got so little promotion from anywhere in the week leading up.