· “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva” Results
Strikeforce kicked off their much-publicized heavyweight tournament with a bang, albeit not the bang most anticipated. Thousands of fans packed into the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. Saturday to see some of the sports most talented big men compete. With each passing moment, the story of the night would get bigger and bigger. It began with Valentijn Overeem’s swift submission via old-school neck crank and ran all the way through a battered and bloody Fedor Emelianenko softly saying good bye to the sport after he was unable to compete following a brutal second round beating from Antonio Silva.
Emelianenko may not be the only man to have fought his last mixed martial arts contest. Former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski could have fought his final bout as well, following another knockout loss, this time to Sergei Kharitonov. While these two mainstays at the top of the division may be on the way out, up-and-comers Chad Griggs and Shane Del Rosario have elevated themselves in the eyes of millions with their strong performances as alternates in Strikeforce’s eight-man heavyweight tournament.
Antonio Silva defeated Fedor Emelianenko by TKO (doctor's stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2
It was a close and busy opening round for both fighters. Both Emelianenko and Silva traded exchanges the entire round. Each man scored well with big punches and continued the exchanges all the way through. At the end of the round, the score was close, with neither man looking to have established an edge. However, the second round would be the opposite. Right off the bell Silva, ducked under a wild Emelianenko punch and took the Russian down. From there, Silva continuously postured up and pounded away on the former Pride champion. In the moments Silva wasn’t bashing away on his opponent, he was looking for a submission, taking Fedor’s back on several occasions and at one point threatening to finish with an arm-triangle choke.
At the end of the round the referee took a long look at Emelianenko’s right eye, which was bleeding and swollen shut. Between the rounds, the doctors determined that he would not be able to safely continue on, giving Fedor his second consecutive loss. During the post-fight interview with Gus Johnson, Emelianenko may have signaled the end to his legendary career. He thanked God and the fans and stated, “maybe it’s time to leave.”
Sergei Kharitonov defeated Andrei Arlovski by KO (strikes) at 2:49 of Round 1
Former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski began the bout looking like a new fighter. He used tremendous footwork to avoid the power of Sergeir Kharitonov, but eventually the former Pride standout caught up to Arlovski, blasting him with straight left and stumbling him. As Arlovski looked to skate away a looping right landed flush on “The Pitbull’s” jaw, knocking him to the canvas. Several punches later, the referee was forced to step in and call a stop to the bout.
Shane Del Rosario defeated Lavar Johnson by submission (armbar) at 4:31 of Round 1
Undefeated rising star Shane Del Rosario continued his rise toward the top with a strong well-rounded performance of heralded Lavar Johnson. The fight appeared nearly even while standing, with both fighters showing moments of advantage, but the difference came when the fight hit the ground. Del Rosario got a late takedown after slipping a Johnson punch. After moving to mount Johnson was not able to get out from underneath Del Rosario, eventually leaving his arm extended too far which resulted in an impressive armbar victory for Del Rosario.
Chad Griggs defeated Gian Villante by TKO (strikes) at 2:49 of Round 1
Chad Griggs may never win a technical performance award, but his fight Saturday against Gian Villante was an exciting affair. Both fighters hurt and looked to finish in the first few moments of the fight. Both went toe-to-toe and strike-for-strike for almost all of the fight. Griggs survived a perfectly executed head kick to land a strong hook that backed off Villante. As Villatnte escaped, Griggs chased him down and landed a wild right to knock Villante off his feet, ending the fight.
Valentijn Overeem defeated Ray Sefo by submission (neck crank) at 1:37 of Round 1
Despite having a distinct advantage in the striking game, and showing in the early seconds of the bout, Ray Sefo proved again why mixed martial arts is much more than punches and kicks. After weathering an early storm of strikes from the kickboxing star, the older of the Overeem brothers secured a takedown and made quick work of Sefo. Overeem applied a vice-like grip around Sefo’s head and pulled on the combat sports veteran's neck. With no apparent defense, Sefo tapped out, giving Overeem his seventeenth submission victory.
Other Bouts:
- John Cholish defeated Marc Stevens by submission (kneebar) at 3:57 of Round 2
- Igor Gracie defeated John Salgado by technical submission (arm-triangle choke) at 3:04 Round 2
- Sam Oropeza defeated Don Carlo-Clauss via submission (strikes) at 4:10 Round 1
- Josh LaBerge defeated Anthony Leone via TKO (cut) at 5:00 Round 1
- Jason McLean defeated Kevin Roddy by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
