Overeem beats Werdum and advances in Strikeforce GP

alistair overeem (left) wins Fabricio Werdum (right)

The heavy weight alistair overeem he proved this Saturday, in Dallas, in the United States, why he is considered one of the best fighters in the category in the world. In front of the Brazilian Fabricio Werdum, the Dutch fighter, in a fight without great emotions, showed excellent takedown defense and good striking strikes to defeat the black belt from Rio Grande do Sul in a unanimous decision by the judges. The fight was valid for the quarterfinals of the Strikeforce heavyweight GP.

Entering the fight under the banner of the Dallas Mavericks, the local NBA champion team, Overeem won the support of the public before the fight even started. But the crowd's screams didn't make the Dutch athlete unleash his heavy artillery of punches from the start. With a cautious strategy, Alistair remained planted, waiting for Werdum's takedown attempts, and releasing good blows on the counterattack. The Brazilian, in turn, moved forward, hitting his opponent more, but always without force. Having difficulty fighting on the feet, Fabrício desperately looked for Overeem's legs, with all his attacks always well defended.

In the second round, history repeated itself: Alistair, planted, throwing punches on the counterattack, and Fabrício, insistently, throwing himself to the ground, calling the Dutchman into his guard. With the lack of combativeness from both athletes, the public booed the duel, which dragged on without much emotion.

In the last and decisive round, Overrem once again had an advantage in the stand-up fight and even accepted the ground fight, where he remained on top, without taking many risks. With just over 20 seconds left until the end of the fight, the black belt from Rio Grande do Sul, who was at a disadvantage on the judges' scorecards, went for it all or nothing and managed to land a beautiful leg-lock. Overeem still tried to defend himself, but the bell saved the Dutch fighter. In the end, the side judges unanimously decided for the victory of alistair overeem (29×28, 30×27, 30×27). With the triumph, the Dutch fighter guarantees a place in the semi-finals of the tournament and will face another Brazilian: Antonio “Pezão” Silva, who had defeated the Russian Fedor Emelianenko, in February

Barnett beats Rogers and also advances in the GP
In the other fight valid for the heavyweight GP, the experienced Josh Barnnett showed that he still deserves a lot of respect. The 34-year-old American didn't give his compatriot a chance Brett Rogers, and after dominating the duel in the first round, he finished the fight with a kata-gatame in the second round. With the triumph, Barnett will measure forces against the Russian Sergey Kharitonov, in the other semifinal of the tournament.

Brazilians do not win in the preliminary card
The Strikeforce fight program also featured two more Brazilians in action, both appearing on the preliminary card. Magno Almeida he debuted in the organization against Conor Heun and had a very balanced duel, but at the end of the three rounds, the side judges gave the victory to the North American fighter (29×28, 29×28, 29×28). Already Gesias Cavalcante sought rehabilitation in the event against Justin Wilcox, since in his debut he ended up defeated by Josh thomson. However, in the second round, the Brazilian athlete accidentally hit the American with his finger in the eye. The doctors examined the athlete and as he was no longer able to continue the duel it was determined as a No Contest (no result).

Check out the complete Strikeforce results below:

main card:

alistair overeem derrotou Fabricio Werdum in the unanimous decision of the judges;

Josh Barnett submitted Brett Rogers with a kata-gatame in R2;

Jorge masvidal defeated KJ Noons via unanimous decision;

Daniel Cormier defeated Jeff Monson via unanimous decision;

Chad Griggs defeated Valentijn Overeem via TKO in R1;

Preliminary card:

Gesias Cavalcante and Justin Wilcox – No Contest. Gesias accidentally hit Wlicox with his finger in the eye;

Conor Heun defeated Magno Almeida in the unanimous decision of the judges;

Nah-Shon Burrell defeated Joe Ray via unanimous decision;

Todd Moore defeated Mike Bronzoulis via unanimous decision;

Isaac Vallie-Flagg defeated Brian Melancon via split decision