The long talked about Strikeforce heavyweight tournament seems to have finally become official. The tournament has been rumored for months, but was being held up by the contract status of Fedor Emelianenko. Strikeforce and M-1 Global agreed to terms on a new contract and suddenly we have ourselves and eight man tournament.
The matchups have been announced for this highly anticipated tournament which will begin on February 12th at the IZOD Center in east Rutherford, NJ with the first two quarterfinal fights. The other two quarterfinal fights will happen sometime in March at an event yet to be named.
With his new deal in hand Fedor Emelianenko (32-1, 1NC) will take on Antonio Silva (15-2), while former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (15-8) will face Sergei Kharitonov (17-4) in New Jersey to kick off the tournament.
The following month the final two quarterfinal fights will see K-1 grand prix winner and newly crowned interim DREAM heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem (34-11, 1NC) taking on Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1) in easily the best matchup of the quarterfinals. The first round will be completed with the return of Josh Barnett (26-5) coming back from suspension taking on Brett Rogers (11-2).
To make life easier for MMA everywhere, below you’ll find an unofficial Strikeforce Heavyweight tournament Bracket. As the tournament gets closer make sure to check back as we will be doing a bracket contest.
The tournament quarterfinal matchups and possible matchups really make this tournament interesting, the possibility of finally getting to see Fedor vs. Overeem is all that needs to be said. The winner of the eight-man Grand Prix will be crowned heavyweight champion according to executive vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports, Ken Hershman.
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