Strikeforce Grand Prix Heavyweight Tourney Continues

Mixed martial arts will be back in the spotlight in a big way this weekend, thanks to the continuation of the innovative Strikeforce World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament.

That’s right MMA gamblers, thanks to Saturday’s quickly approaching Heavyweight Tournament, which gets underway on Saturday, June 8 live from American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX., mixed martial arts fanatics everywhere will get several opportunities to cash in with a winning wager on the value-packed, star-studded event.

The Strikeforce World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament continues with two more two quarterfinal matchups as Heavyweight World Champion Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem faces Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Fabricio Werdum , the only man to tap out Fedor Emelianenko, while the and hard-hitting Brett “The Grim” Rogers meets former UFC champion Josh Barnett .

The grand prix tourney will air live on Showtime at 0:00 PM ET – and thanks to my always original, fun-filled betting breakdown, devoted BetUS MMA betting enthusiasts will get the insight they’ll need in order to cash in with at least two potentially-winning wagers.

Okay MMA betting buffs, let me get started with the breakdown on the top two fights and their value-packed MMA betting odds at BetUS.

Strikeforce Odds Fabricio Werdum +50 Alistair Overeem -350

Name: Fabricio Werdum Age: 34 Nickname: Vai Cavalo Record: 4 – 4 – Association: Werdum Combat Team / Kings MMA Height: 6’4″ Weight: 38lbs Birth Date: 977-07-30 City: Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul Country: Brazil

Analysis: Fabricio Werdum has won three straight fights coming into this bout, including his shocking first round submission win over Fedor Emelianenko at their Strikeforce/M- Global bout on June 6.

The well-rounded Werdum has recorded four of his 4 career wins via knockout, eight via submission and two more by way of decision. Werdum has also suffered one KO loss and three decision losses in his career.

By the way, Werdum beat a young Overeem by way of second round submission way back on May 5, 006 at Pride Total Elimination Absolute.

Name: Alistair Overeem Age: 3 Nickname: Demolition Man Record: 34 – – 0 Association: Golden Glory / Tatsujin Dojo Height: 6’5″ Weight: 53lbs Birth Date: 980-05-7 City: Amsterdam Country: Netherlands

Analysis: Alistair Overeem has won six straight fights and nine of his L/0 not counting a ‘no contest’ bout against Mirko Filipovic in 008 and is clearly not the fighter that has suffered a whopping losses in what has quickly turned into a stellar career. The kickboxing, Muay Thai and submission grappling specialist has recorded 4 wins via KO, 9 by way of submission and just one via decision. Overeem has also suffered six KO losses, two via submission and three by way of decision.

Fight Analysis: Not only is Alistair Overeem a better fighter than Fabricio Werdum at this point of their respective careers, but he’s also going to come into this fight with some serious revenge on his mind after losing to Werdum five years ago in their only meeting.

Overeem is a more than capable striker with excellent power who can throw a variety of punches from a multitude of angles – and unmatchable knee-kicking skills.

Of course, Fabricio Werdum isn’t exactly chopped liver and will not go down easily. However, Werdum also struggles against top-notch strikers with solid takedown skills and I believe that is exactly what will happen in this bout against Overeem.

I know it’s a possibility that Werdum could score a shocking KO win, but I don’t see that happening now as Overeem is just too good, both offensively and defensively.   I’m going to urge BetUS MMA betting buffs to keep it simple and back Alistair Overeem to get the KO or submission win in the second round.

The Pick: Alistair Overeem via Second Round KO

Strikeforce Odds Brett Rogers +300 Josh Barnett -400

Name: Brett Rogers Age: 30 Nickname: The Grim Record: – – 0 Association: Ambition MMA Height: 6’5″ Weight: 64lbs Birth Date: 98-0-7 City: St. Paul, Minnesota

Name: Josh Barnett Age: 34 Nickname: The Babyfaced Assassin Record: 9 – 5 – 0 Association: CSW Height: 6’3″ Weight: 5lbs Birth Date: 977–0 City: Seattle, Washington

Fight Analysis: Brett Rogers bounced back to beat Ruben Villareal via unanimous decision in October following consecutive losses to Fedor Emelianenko and Alistair Overeem.

Rogers isn’t overly well-rounded as he specializes simply in boxing and Muay Thai, but his KO power may be unmatched in the heavyweight division as his nine KO wins in 3 career MMA bouts attests. Of course, Rogers also suffered KO losses in his only two defeats, so his chin could be a bit suspect.

Josh Barnett has won a half-dozen consecutive fights coming into this battle and has shown he is capable of winning in a variety of ways by racking up three submission wins, two KO victories and one unanimous decision win during the six-fight stretch.

Barnett specializes in catch wrestling and boxing and will look to take this fight to the ground against the hard-hitting Rogers.

Brett Rogers will be lacking in the experience department in this bout, but I believe his recent experiences against Fedor and Overeem will allow him to narrowly beat Barnett in this bout.

Rogers may not have the ground game of Barnett, but he proved to be at least capable in giving Fedor a tough way to go in their bout – and his one-punch KO ability will be the difference in this bout.

This matchup could very well turn out to be a Fight of the Night candidate,  but in the end, I like Brett Rogers very narrowly.

The Pick: Brett Rogers via Second Round KO

Here’s a look at the rest of the Strikeforce Grand Prix card.

Undercard Daniel Cormier vs. Jeff Monson 3 Rounds heavyweights Valentijn Overeem vs. Chad Griggs 3 rounds, heavyweights Jorge Masvidal vs. K.J. Noons 3 rounds, lightweights;

Preliminary Card Gesias Cavalcante vs. Justin Wilcox, 3 rounds, lightweights Conor Heun vs. Magno Almeida, 3 rounds, lightweights Nah-Shon Burrell vs. Joe Ray, 3 rounds, welterweights Mike Bronzoulis vs. Todd Moore, 3 rounds, welterweights Brian Melancon vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg, 3 rounds, lightweights

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