M-1/Fedor Accepted Alistair Overeem's Challenge

[VolcomX311]

http://mmajunkie.com/news/19170/m-1-...th-overeem.mma

Challenge issued; challenge accepted.

Mere hours after Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said he would need to sit down with M-1 Global officials to determine if a potential blockbuster fight between Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem (33-11 MMA, 3-0 SF) and perennial top-ranked fighter Fedor Emelianenko (31-1 MMA, 1-0 SF) might be possible for later this year, those officials have answered the call.

And according to M-1 Global executive Evgeni Kogan, Fabricio Werdum is all that's standing in the way.

"As we've mentioned in the past, Fedor fights whoever is put in front of him," Kogan today told MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com). "If Overeem is presented by the Strikeforce matchmakers as Fedor's next opponent, then that is who Fedor is going to fight."

After defeating Brett Rogers at Saturday night's "Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery" event, Overeem made it a point to call-out the Russian heavyweight in his post-fight speech, as well as again in the evening's post-event press conference.

Coker was quick to point out that such a bout could only be arranged with the blessings of his business partners at M-1 Global, who own Emelianenko's promotional contract.

M-1 Global now seems receptive to that possibility, though Kogan said Emelianenko simply can't focus on that opportunity at this time with a June 26 matchup with Werdum in San Jose, Calif., on the horizon.

"At this point Fedor is choosing not to look past Fabricio," Kogan said. "He is in the most intense part of his training camp in Stary Oskol right now and would like for it to be known that he is focused 100 percent on Werdum.

"The camp considers Werdum a very strong and dangerous opponent – as Fedor's brother found out a few years ago – and all attention is currently on June 26 and San Jose."

So it appears, as least for now, that Emelianenko's Showtime-broadcast bout with Werdum is all that stands in the way of a matchup with Overeem. It's a bout that makes sense for the organization, makes sense for the fans, and apparently now makes sense for M-1 Global.

"I thought [Overeem] won in very impressive fashion," Kogan said. "We respect Alistair as an opponent and think that this would be a great potential matchup."

We'll see if M1 carries this out. I love, love & respect Fedor, but I almost WANT him to lose for the sheer sake of sticking it to M1. Odd logic, I know, Fedor is a large owner of M1, but if Fedor loses his clout of invincibility, M1 would lose some of their leverage to be such shady douche-rags.

 

[AE14]

After the performance of Overeem this weekend, I think he could cause serious trouble for Fedor on their feet.

M-1 are great talkers however, so we shall see if this comes to fruition

 

[VolcomX311]

After the performance of Overeem this weekend, I think he could cause serious trouble for Fedor on their feet.

M-1 are great talkers however, so we shall see if this comes to fruition

Overeem killed it this weekend for sure. He made Rogers look worse then Kimbo on the ground.

 

[AE14]

Rogers was totally toyed with. It interests me using MMA math of course, as Fedor had trouble with Rogers.

A buddy of mine, who had never seen Overeem fight before this Saturday, was amazed and came to 2 thoughts:
1. On his game, Overeem could beat any heavyweight and
2. How does he pass drug tests?

 

[VolcomX311]

Rogers was totally toyed with. It interests me using MMA math of course, as Fedor had trouble with Rogers.

A buddy of mine, who had never seen Overeem fight before this Saturday, was amazed and came to 2 thoughts:
1. On his game, Overeem could beat any heavyweight and
2. How does he pass drug tests?

1. Well, beating Rogers, particularly off his back doesn't prove much. Overeem wouldn't ground bully or even toss to the ground Lesnar, Carwin, Cain or JDS. Certainly Overeem would do well standing, but the UFC HW elite consist primarily of strong wrestlers. Overeem has good Jits, but his wrestling is suspect, especially after spending so much time in Japan, where wrestling is particularly weak.

I think the size of Rogers' opponents plays a big part on Rogers confidence. He looked scared as hell in that ring against someone his own size & strength (Allister). Rogers looked more confident and fought more confidently against Fedor, a much smaller opponent.

It looked to me like Rogers first began to crumble even further after Allisters initial kick and especially after the second kick. I think that shook his confidence off the shelf. Rogers probably feels confident against punchers, but after Allister landed a few leg kicks, Rogers broke and looked for the ground and curled up. Rogers also couldnt handle Allisters weight on top of him and got bullied. This is where the UFC HW would be different. I think only JDS could challenge Allister on the feet, but the wrestling pedigree of Cain, Lesnar and Carwin wouldn't have let them get man-raped on the ground or even taken to the ground as Rogers was.

I think Allister does good no matter where he goes, but I don't think beating Rogers has any indication as to how well he would do in the UFC. A strikers bane is a good wrestler. I think Allister is a complete MMA'ist, as in striking and subs, but wrestling is a separate category.

True Fedor got rattled by Rogers, but again, I think it was a match-up specific situation. Rogers is a good puncher and optimal when confident and Fedor punched with him. I also think Rogers is a good puncher in a specific range, "only," and Fedor was in that range. Rogers couldn't establish any kind of distance with Allister because Rogers couldn't get in his specific range, which is why I think the kick not only broke his confidence in that sense, but it probably hurt bad as hell.

Rogers entire time on the ground, looked like the last ten seconds of a round survival mode, which is do nothing, just curl and try to live out the remaining seconds, only it was the middle of the round. Allister isn't getting that from any UFC elites.

2. Good question.

 

[VolcomX311]

But I do think Overeem would be top 4-5 easily.

 

[AntonG42O]

i just wanna see fedor fight already!! i hate waiting a year to watch him blast some average dude's head into the stands.

 

[AE14]

thats my issue with Fedor as well. Every 8 months or so, he beats a so-so to no one, and everyone goes nuts. I have a great deal of respect for him, however there are a lot of legit challengers out there, and he needs to fight them. He hasnt fought a viable fight imo since AA or even the pride days

 

[BIG R]

I agree that Rogers looked beat mentally right from the start.

I also agree that I just want to see Fedor fight once in a damn while, and maybe somebody good for a change.....

On the other hand, Dana White has let his own hype go to his head, and I wouldnt want him as my boss. He's turned into a little dictator. So I cant blame Fedor for wanting to keep a little career sovereignty.

 

[Rodja]

Overeem still needs to do 2 things before I crown him that high: chin and cardio. Since he's gained a huge amount of muscle, he has yet to be out of the 1st round and have his chin tested. When he was at LHW, both were suspect and I doubt moving up will help that situation. His striking is easily the best in the HW division and was very impressed with his performance on Saturday, but I recall him getting obliterated by Shogun 2x, Rog Nog, and Arona.

 

[Imeniaan]

overeem vs badr hari fights, whether mma style or k1 rules, are always fun to watch;

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLOCjlYqu2g"]YouTube- Badr Hari vs Alistair Overeem - K-1 World GP 2009 - Semi Final[/nomedia]

2.25 min

 

[mh625]

I think Overeem is a problem for all the top heavyweights with wrestlers like Lesnar and Carwin he is simply a superior striker, with Fedor I think just the size, reach and strength will be a very big problem.

 

[texaswolf]

Fedor hasn't fought a decent opponent in 5 years.

 

[Rodja]

Fedor hasn't fought a decent opponent in 5 years.

WTF!?

 

[texaswolf]

WTF!?

Who has he fought since Cro Cop back in '05 that is halfway decent and not washed up?

I love Fedor as much as the next guy but he hasn't really challenged himself lately.

 

[Rodja]

Who has he fought since Cro Cop back in '05 that is halfway decent and not washed up?

I love Fedor as much as the next guy but he hasn't really challenged himself lately.

Sylvia was top-5 at the time
Arlovski was top-5 at the time
Rogers was top-10 at the time

Honestly, who has Lesnar really fought? Mir!? Come one, really?

 

[AntonG42O]

Sylvia was top-5 at the time
Arlovski was top-5 at the time
Rogers was top-10 at the time

Honestly, who has Lesnar really fought? Mir!? Come one, really?

AMEN!!! Lesnar still only has 5 fights TOTAL, and some clowns here were calling him the greatest mma fighter of all time in another thread LOL

 

[Bionic]

Übereem just turned 30 so I think it's conceivable that he is natural. I don't think his physique is anything that a dedicated, young, black man with good genes and access to nutritionists and trainers couldn't achieve. I mean, anything's possible. LOL!

 

[texaswolf]

Sylvia was top-5 at the time
Arlovski was top-5 at the time
Rogers was top-10 at the time

Honestly, who has Lesnar really fought? Mir!? Come one, really?

I don't know if any of those guys should have been in the top 10 at the time is all I'm saying.

I just wish he would have come over to UFC for that one fight deal and shut up all the naysayers once and for all.

I hate Lesnar myself. I hope Carwin crushes his skull in with those huge sledgehammer sized fists.

 

[AntonG42O]

Übereem just turned 30 so I think it's conceivable that he is natural. I don't think his physique is anything that a dedicated, young, black man with good genes and access to nutritionists and trainers couldn't achieve. I mean, anything's possible. LOL!

im starting to think the same thing. if he was already pushing 225 cutting weight for LHW in 2007, 3 years and lots of grub later he could definitely be 260. if he has really been eating horse meat like he claims, thats the leanest most protein rich meat you can find. plus his trainer said he used not be able to weight train because he would get too big, so now with weight training its obviously much easier to gain weight.

you guys think there is a chance to see him in UFC? he said he didnt sign a Strikeforce contract because there were no opponents and he wanted to keep the japanese door open. there should be enough opponents in UFC after he fights Fedor. there are a few video clips of him hanging out with Dana ringside at ufc events, we all know if Dana is brown nosing the fighter is coming over lol

 

[AntonG42O]

I don't know if any of those guys should have been in the top 10 at the time is all I'm saying.

I just wish he would have come over to UFC for that one fight deal and shut up all the naysayers once and for all.

I hate Lesnar myself. I hope Carwin crushes his skull in with those huge sledgehammer sized fists.

Rogers was definitely in top ten. Undefeated, coming off a 10 second KO of Arlovski.. over there he was a #1 contender. its hard to have a top 10 of heavyweights that people will agree on. some guys dont have that many fights and some have been beating up cans. rogers probably fell into the 2nd category but theres just isnt that many heavyweights with a 9-0 record and a familiar name in US.

 

[Rodja]

Overeem had made an appearance at some UFC events some time ago and nothing ever came of it. However, you never know with Dana.

 

[AntonG42O]

Overeem had made an appearance at some UFC events some time ago and nothing ever came of it. However, you never know with Dana.

you think lesnar/carwin/etc would take him down at will or is he strong enough at this point to neutralize their wrestling?

 

[Rodja]

you think lesnar/carwin/etc would take him down at will or is he strong enough at this point to neutralize their wrestling?

Maybe. It depends how he changes his stance. Against Rogers, there was zero threat of TD, but he would have to be lower in the hips while facing an elite wrestler.

 

[texaswolf]

He would definitely make things more interesting in the HW division of UFC.

 

[VolcomX311]

you think lesnar/carwin/etc would take him down at will or is he strong enough at this point to neutralize their wrestling?

It's hard to "neutralize" a strong wrestler in the UFC HW div. The presence of the cage is the biggest factor. Short of GSP in general or when its a pure wrestler vs pure striker (and the striker is clueless with TDD's), are TD's executed with the perfect timing and speed that results in an immediate, clean TD on the spot. A lot of TD's are whiffed in the UFC, but as long as the person getting shot on isn't in a parallel sprawl, the shooter who missed usually just runs you up against the cage and scoop. This is most true in the HW division.

Carwin certainly didn't land any successful shots on Mir, he just got close enough to get his arms around him and run him toward the cage. That's a pretty common tactic in all the divisions, but the most prevalent in the HW division.

In a wrestling circle mat with boundaries, shots can be easily neutralized, but that's because they have no cage to press against to rectify the whiff. I think Overeem is quick enough to avoid getting nailed with a TD, but you don't need to "nail" a TD in the UFC and that margin of not needing to "nail it" is the biggest with the HW division where bull-strength makes up for such errors.

 

[VolcomX311]

He would definitely make things more interesting in the HW division of UFC.

Absolutely.

 

[stxnas]

I just read that Sergei Kharitonov signed with Strikeforce. He's been more or less inactive as of late and his last two fights were disappointing losses (one was to Jeff Monson).

I'm still excited to see him sign on with Strikeforce. Sergei and Overeem both train at Golden Glory now, but I believe that Sergei was the last person to beat Overeem...side note - Sergei has a win over Werdum (Fedor's next opponent). This could be interesting considering all the possibilities here (including Fedor, of course).

I'm not sure how excited the rest of you will be about this. My fellow former Pride Nut-Huggers (<---capitalized out of respect ) will my excitement though!