Fedor Emelianenko vs Fabricio Werdum "99 Percent Confirmed" for Strikeforce in April
by Kid Nate on Jan 20, 2010 5:38 PM EST
in MMA News
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Per Tatame.com:
Fabrício Werdum revealed to TATAME.com that the rumored fight against Fedor Emelianenko will probably take place in April 16th. "The fight against Fedor is 99% confirmed to April 16th.
James Kimball of MMA Mania elaborates:
This news isn't much of a surprise. With Alistair Overeem seemingly content to stay out of the current heavyweight picture, there really is no other opponent under the Strikeforce banner that can even make for a competitive fight with Fedor.
Now as to where the fight (presumably to serve as the main event on Strikeforce's return to CBS) is going to take place, that issue appears to still be up in the air.
Fedor vs Werdum is by no means a dream fight, but Werdum is the #11 heavyweight in the world per the USAT/SBN Consensus MMA Rankings and his jiu jitsu skills and size represent a real threat to any human being, even Fedor. It's the kind of headliner that will require a very strong supporting fight to air on CBS. Not sure that Jake Shields vs Dan Henderson is that fight.
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Hmmm..
Why wouldn’t Overeem want to fight in the US… Could’ve dream up a reason. :-X
Creator of the FightMatrix rating system.
by JCS_FM on Jan 20, 2010 5:46 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
He passed when he fought Buentello for the HW belt, which coincidentally was a one fight deal.
I think Alistair not fighting in America, or for StrikeForce, is perfectly reasonable. He gets paid big money to fight in Japan, and especially K-1, not to mention SF didn’t even have a HW division until about 6 months ago. Every article complaining about Overeem not defending his belt should really be about why SF hadn’t already stripped him of it. I doubt he would even care.
If he passed three or four fights in a row..
then I’d be impressed.
Creator of the FightMatrix rating system.
If he did it once he can do it again. Why does no one question whether Sherk will piss hot again? At least he got caught. In California, where Overeem passed, no less!
Passing once is good enough for me… if he passes another three or four times, what does that prove? Certainly you won’t begin to believe he is clean. You’ve already made up your mind and nothing will change it. What does another three or four passed tests do for you? All it would do is back up the idea that he has his cycles timed well.
His natural weight while fighting at LHW was 102kg (~225lbs). He never lifted and basically starved himself so he could cut to 205. Don’t tell me someone who begins to lift for the first time in their life and starts eating more than like 800 calories a day cannot gain 20lbs naturally over the course of a year or two.
Only Frank Mir can gain weight like that
and not have sustained speculation about steroid use.
Quite frankly, the “evidence” against Overeem is no worse than the evidence against Pacquiao.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
Frank Mir isn’t as cut as Overeem. Personally I think that’s the only thing that keeps people from calling him a juicer.
i think Megareem not fighting in US keeps people from calling him a juicer.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
lrn2read… I said if Mir were more cut up people would call him a juicer.
I think if Overeem fought in the US and passed drug tests… people would still say he’s using. Either way.
If Mir is as cut as Megareem, sure there would be aholes saying he is juicing, but if he keeps fighting in the US.. They will eventually shut up.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
AO has passed two drug tests in the US within 9 months of each other… that’s pretty compelling to me. Another 4 passes won’t change my opinion, and I doubt it would change anyone else’s.
im not saying that Overeem is juicing because he aint tested positive. im just saying that the reason people are so skeptic about him because he hasnt fought in the US for a while now, specially when it looks like you are trying to avoid it as much as you can.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
That’s asinine. Why would he avoid the US? Because of SF’s stacked HWT division? Because of mandatory drug tests he has already passed before? Or could it be he isn’t as recognizable or nearly as well paid as he is overseas…?
Nah.
Overeem wants to get paid. That’s the primary reason.
Beyond that there have been accusations about him and his gym… but if he’s getting paid – some real guaranteed money then he’ll cycle out easily if those accusations are true.
So it’s not because of steroids he doesnt fight here – it’s for monetary reasons… and if steroids has something to do with those monetary reasons then we can only guess about that.
Right...
The accusations were thrown out by a guy who got clobbered by other GG Gym members. I put as much stock in that interview and Floyd Senior talking about Pacman.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
Eh...
Kongo makes me say “Pause.” every 15 seconds because of Joe Rogan talking about how ripped he is, and nobody gives him shit. Mir gains tons of weight in a matter of months, nobody bothers him. Overeem gains weight over a year or two after repressing his weight intentionally, and now he’s the number two scapegoat for steroid use in MMA, behind Barnett.
While we are on the subject, look at guys like Monson and Barnett. One admitted to using, the other has tested dirty three times. Neither of them are cut. In fact, they look more like Mir than they do Overeem.
As for trusting AO after testing… my quote from below.
Barnett passed three in a row
Two in California, and one in Nevada. Hell, in Nevada, his opponent got popped for roiding.
Overeem testing clean doesn’t mean he’s clean, just like him not being tested doesn’t mean he’s dirty.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
Barnett passed three in a row
Two in California, and one in Nevada. Hell, in Nevada, his opponent got popped for roiding.
Overeem testing clean doesn’t mean he’s clean, just like him not being tested doesn’t mean he’s dirty.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
Not Bad.
Not great, but not bad. This is the silver lining from the whole Affliction/Fedor/UFC debacle. Werdum is a legit fighter, and I’d rather see Fedor fight him than cans & freakshows in Japan. Given how Bigfoot lit Werdum on the feet, Fedor shouldn’t have any trouble, unless he decides to fight him on his own turf (i.e. the ground). Still, it’s free, so I’m not going to complain too loudly.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Jan 20, 2010 5:46 PM EST reply actions
So we have Overeem being considered to strip him of the belt and we have Fedor against one of the top HW’s in Strikeforce. Unless they bring in a Dream HW (guys help me out here), what matchup is good for the SF HW title except this?
Seriously, I know you guys know more than I do.
You will see a very angry Brent should that happen
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 20, 2010 9:37 PM EST up reply actions
99% sure Fedor is going to win. 99% blah about it.
by snakecharmer1340 on Jan 20, 2010 5:55 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
This can be said about anyone Fedor, GSP, BJ Penn (LW), Anderson Silva, etc.
=)
by MMASuPreMaCy on Jan 20, 2010 5:56 PM EST up reply actions
And BROCKLESNARRRR!!!!!
"The moment you stop thinking you're the best, it's time for you to get out the game." -'King' Mo Lawal
Fedor isn’t 99% favored against Lesnar, Mir, Carwin, Dos Santos, Velasquez, or even Overeem.
by Timmy B on Jan 20, 2010 6:03 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Preeeeeetttttyyyyyy sure you missed the point there slick.
by ufc4 on Jan 20, 2010 6:30 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
And you cant compare Fedor to GSP, BJ or Anderson. Those guys have fought and beaten the best guys of today. Fedor has beaten the best guys of 2005.
Who are the best guys of today who at heavyweight?
by scrambledeggs on Jan 20, 2010 7:14 PM EST up reply actions
Yes I’m well aware those guys are 4 quality fighters. Brock and Velasquez both being studs but your comment earlier made it sound as Fedor hasn’t fought top comp. since 2005 and will continue not to and that’s just false.
by scrambledeggs on Jan 20, 2010 7:53 PM EST up reply actions
JDS..really ??? i know he is a talented looking upcoming guy but his fight against a very washed up crocop was far from impressive…..so i see 3, 3 people with barely legit records.
by Killuminati on Jan 21, 2010 12:49 AM EST up reply actions
Ha.
You think JDS beating Werdum, Struve, Cro Cop, and Yvel by brutality all in a row, with only one of them making it out of the first round, is less impressive than Cain’s decision over Kongo and ref stoppages against Rothwell, Stojnic, and Jake Obrien? Even considering that Cain’s chin appears to be a major issue while dos Santos didn’t flinch from getting hit by Cro-cop or Yvel? Or that Cain has outgrappled strikers while dos Santos has outstruck two of the most feared HW strikers in MMA?
Is there a dinner car on that hype train you’re riding?
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
by pdl on Jan 21, 2010 1:10 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Arlovski, Sylvia and Rogers are top ten HWs when Fedor fought them.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
I understand that what someone’s done after the fact shouldn’t affect something done before it, but Sylvia’s performance after that Fedor fight really sucks a lot of air out of Fedor’s victory.
I disagree.
Showing up 50 lbs heavier (of non-functional weight) and then getting clocked by a former champion boxer wearing 4oz gloves has nothing to do with Fedor’s beautiful blitz to RNC. His loss to Nog right before, only ok showing against a Vera with a broken hand, and loss to Couture reflect more poorly on the Tim Sylvia who fought Fedor than the Mercer fight does.
Then again, I really dislike Tim Sylvia.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
Who is this Fabricio Werdum guy? Is he the same dude who got KO’d by Junior Dos Santos? lol
This fight does nothing for me. Werdum is a borderline Top 10 guy, I don’t debate that. He just has nothing for Fedor.
It is the
best Strikeforce can do at this time. I applaud them for it. Wedurm is 10 times more compelling than Megareem. If Mr Werdum decides to train and his head and body are right he is capable of beating Fedor.
I have Fedor round 2 TKO.
I think Overeem is the more compelling fight, Strikeforce should strip him if he is not available for the April card, but Werdum is a solid contender for Fedor. His striking has improved, and he looked about 20 pounds lighter after he fought JDS. That loss was a wakeup call for him.
megareems MMA record
since 2007 is all cans, not much to be impressed with.
Heaadliner?
Woah man, woah.
Keep firing Assholes!
Mind numbing, tedious and ultimately self defeating.
I went through like 180 responses in the last Lesnar post and you straight up let the entire board down.
Did you see the size of that chicken?
I’ve seen this story going around the last couple days and I still don’t get it- how is something “99% confirmed”? Either it is or it isn’t.
by ufc4 on Jan 20, 2010 6:28 PM EST via mobile reply actions
whatever about this fight but just want dana to start sending him fruit baskets or an assortment of different nuts or whatever the fuck russians take for showings of gratitude so that he signs with the UFC after his next fight. Just so fedor can whoop on that disguised rush limbaugh in a muscle suit so very badly. Eventhough I have a feeling Mir ain’t something to be fucked with when they fight again.
What a useless fight. Hendo vs Shields is also a useless fight.
From a competitive and style perspective these are meaningless fights…
Even from a programming angle this could backfire big time.
There’s a very good possibility Shields could dry hump Hendo’s leg for 5 rounds holding on for dear life and Dan could be content with that (when was the last time shields was finsihed)…. Hendo was once called “Decision Dan” for a reason.. Also Let’s not forget why Hendo is in strikeforce – (just like most everyone else) he’s in there to get an easy paycheck.
Next we have Werdum who could butt Scoot for 15 minutes in the main event to deliver Fedors easy paycheck.
This is just horrible matchmaking. This card so far is worse than there first.
Doesn’t look good… Especially since you’re more than likely gonna go up against a UFC Live event that same night.
If it’s Mousasi vs Kingo Mo then that’s an interesting fight… however King Mo is also looking for an easy paycheck… that’s their big selling point when you sign with strikeforce.
I would be shocked if King Mo actually signed the contract to fight Mousasi. He seems like more talk than action right now.
I doubt Mousasi’s manager lets him anywhere near Hendo or King Mo, both of which could potentially grind out boring decisions over him. If Mousasi makes it through his current contract without an L, there is a huge payday waiting for him. People are itching to put Mousasi on p4p lists and I can’t believe that the UFC would be too stupid to know that they are on the verge of having a second Fedor on their hands.
Curious, who the UFC will have available to fight on a UFC live show? It seems like every major, marketable fighter is already booked this Spring.
I think the problem is that you’re not being cryptic enough with your communication.
Keep firing Assholes!
Mind numbing, tedious and ultimately self defeating.
by Ubernoober on Jan 20, 2010 7:26 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Timmy B pretty much nailed it below… I keep saying im gonna do a fan post on Strikeforce’s demise – but fuckit im just gonna summarize it right here so I dont have to go through that headache and people can rip me off later:
The jist of the piece was pretty much outlining why strikeforce failed but way before anyone else started blogging about it (after the fact)… just like I outlined how affliction was going under…. Im going to do so here:
The premise is simple. After Strikeforce implodes everyone will parrot the same thing pretty much boiling down to “too many chiefs in the kitchen” sort of thing… just like they did with affliction and Elite after chearleeding them for months and AFTER the apparent fact of their demise.
That characterization of too many chiefs is close but I dont think it will be entirely accurate.
Strikeforce is a house of cards with 5 entities on each end holding it together so the wind doesnt knock it down…. and it’s pretty damn windy. That about sums it up.
The Entities: CBS, M-1, EA, Fighters, Showtime.
If one of these entities are compromised the whole house will begin to tumble down.
Let me run through them:
CBS: they were last place on the first show and lost 2 million viewers from what they average in that time slot. They had great demo gains giving strikeforce another shot. what happens if the demo gains are slashed in half?
A live UFC counter program will slash the demo’s by at least half making the venture entirely pointless for CBS.
This is High Probability Outcome
M1: M1 controls 2 of their primary fighters. If CBS is off the table would M1 still stick around? Assuming CBS is still on the table after investing all this time in building up Fedor and Gegard, If Zuffa finds some way to sign them conversely would CBS still stick around?
Medium Probability Outcome.
EA: IF CBS is off the table the game exposure is minimized. Assuming CBS is still on the table, EA will still be bidding hard on the UFC game later this year if for nothing else than to cut THQ’s legs off. This will take EA out of the mix.
High Probability Outcome
Fighters: Specifically their fighter contracts. You’ll notice with their fighters – once they become a star they want to leave. The double edged sword of building a star means you have to and be capable of paying them like one. The way they structure their contracts and the fact that one of their presumed selling points of the “easy paycheck” (padding their records by fighting scrubs) will continue to bite them in the ass.
Which leads to their hail marry pass… they’re hail marry pass will be a ppv. This will be the last move on their part… the “river card” if you will… and it will not be pretty.
Finally we have the last entity on the table holding the last remaining cards:
Showtime:
Showtime is a premium channel. A premium channel means It can get away with being second place to HBO in programming and boxing but it makes no sense in their business model to be second place to rinky dink basic cable stations like spike and versus.
With UFC debuting on versus you have top tier MMA on 2 free basic cable stations. NFL on spike and versus… CFL on showtime… doesn’t compute.
It’s one thing for Hdent to televise b-league mma but for showtime it makes no sense. Having to answer to a board is a bitch… and this will be the end of it.
It gets worse… Strikeforce is not just being pressured by Zuffa but they are also being flanked by organizations like shine fights and Bellator.
Coker may not close up shop but they will go back worse off than they started…. and definitely worse off then where they could have been if not for this foolishness.
Finally, I dont see any probable paths to victory (victory being defined as emerging as a true “pepsi” to Zuffa’s “coke” ), however I see many numerous paths for their destruction… building a business on a house of cards held by 5 different entities you do not control being the defining reason.
by mmalogic on Jan 20, 2010 8:24 PM EST up reply actions 9 recs
I wont argue with this because I don't care to
but I’ll point out that if you think Bellator and Shine are putting dents in Strikeforce, you should also add MFC to that list.
And I’d like to add that the Pepsi to Coke thing kinda sucks. I think it’s what they want, but it’s a losing proposition. They should try to be the Burger King to McDonalds. Have a competing product, but know that you’ll never be as big. Just stay bigger than Jack-In-the-Box (which they used to be).
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
I think another issue for Strikeforce in the fighter area is that they seem to hang their hat on the stars they sign. If one huge fight or one huge fighter falls apart, so can the company. (ala Kimbo/EliteXC) Lesnar might be a huge star for the UFC, but if he would have had to quit b/c of medical or if he loses; the UFC would be fine. I wonder how well Strikeforce would do if Lashley, Mousasi or another lost badly; or Fedor. Might hurt.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
by JeremyShane on Jan 20, 2010 10:51 PM EST up reply actions
"too many chiefs in the kitchen"
too many chiefs, not enough indians…OR…too many chefs in the kitchen????
You make very valid points. Strikeforce does not have enough control over their own product.
Have you seen the number of big fights that have been rumored for April or early May? Including…. Kimbo, Silva/Belfort, Penn/Edgar, Rua/Machida, Evans/Rampage…. Something tells me one of these fights will be on free TV…..
Except that the fights you listed, with the exception of Kimnbo – Silva/Belfort, Penn/Edgar, Rua/Machida, Evans/Rampage – have already been booked on ppv card . They’re going to pull those fights off those cards?
The cards are all being rumored at this point. The UFC has not officially announced anything past March. I think there is a definitive reason for this. They are waiting on Strikeforce to make their move.
In all of my years as a fan of MMA, I have never seen the UFC have so many big fights rumored for such a small period of time. It just doesn’t make sense to stack them all into 2 cards unless they have bigger plans for it.
And I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Abu Dhabi stuff just be BS. They could be telling people this just to trick Strikeforce into thinking they are going overseas, when in reality they plan on putting all the big fights on here in the US. Heck, they don’t even have the arena built for them yet, that is a pretty good indication…..
It’s not that the card is overseas. It’s what channel would it play on (Spike I presume) and who would fight on that card. Moving BJ Penn and Anderson Silva from ppv card to a free show is not only going to cost the UFC a lot of ppv revenue -they make a hell of a lot more on ppv than they do on free tv – but the fighters like BJ and Silva who get a cut of said ppv revenue will want to be compensated,
Dont worry about the monetary costs…Let’s just say it’s alot cheaper long term and alot more effective than changing the payscale to keep hendo.
Conversely how many viewers will hendo add to the fedor show? bupkus. Hendo vs Shields? negative bupkus.
How much of their budget is he eating up? based on his signing bonus… more than enough.
You don’t play checkers with chess masters. And you dont bring a fucking knife to fight a nuclear armed military.
Wal-mart has been known to go into specific market and price their inventory at a price below market value in order to put the mom & pop shops out of business. Losing money short term for long term gain is nothing knew to the business world. So it doesn’t shock me that the UFC would use this tactic here. They have the money to do it. Makes sense.
Well they do have an extra $125 million to play with.
I do have to disagree with one of your comments, and that’s Hendo’s pay:
How much of their budget is he eating up? based on his signing bonus… more than enough.
If anything I would assume that StrikeForce got Hendo at a bargain, compared to what he was originally asking for. The reason? Zuffa very publicly pulled out of negotiations and handed him to StrikeForce. Since he now had no leverage with StrikeForce, I doubt they caved into his demands. Zuffa’s did this to send a signal that they reverse to get into bidding wars or used as a bargaining chip by fighters like Dan, not to get Strikeforce to overspend.
They didnt get him on the cheap….with his signing bonus he’s by far the second highest paid fighter on their roster.
The public display was to get Strikeforce not to offer Hendo anything reasonable so he would come back and sign what Zuffa though he was worth… if they ended up coming up higher then even better.
If you think Hendo signed a deal for less money I have a bridge to sell you. He’s not getting alot more but he’s getting easier opponents for good money.
Elite XC books Kimbo, it's a disgrace.
UFC books Kimbo, and it’s a big fight. Curious.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
EliteXC booked Kimbo as a main event, presented him as a world class fighter, and fed him cans.
The UFC is booking him on the undercard, talking about how he is just a fighter who needs to improve, and is feeding him guys who have a 50/50 shot of beating him.
Hell if I know.
I don’t see any spin either, which is probably the first thing I’ve agreed with you on.. mmalogic spins stories (very well, I might add. See below). SuPrEmAcY spins stories (also quite well). You just talk out of your ass.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
Pretty much what I was going to say. (And no, it’s not spin)
EliteXC hung their hat on Kimbo as a main event star. If UFC starts having him headline, then someone can complain.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
by JeremyShane on Jan 20, 2010 10:54 PM EST up reply actions
I don’t see how this fight is any more useless than Penn v Edgar or GSP v Hardy, but i’m sure u can somehow spin both of those to look like extremely important fights that have to happen right?
Sorry, he Jason Bourned me.
Penn and GSP have already beaten the best guys of today. Hardy and Edgar are new blood who are coming off of consecutive wins.
Fedor has beaten the best guys of 2005 (today it’s 2010) and now he’s fighting a scrub.
Edgar is coming off of consecutive wins and beat the former LW champ (sherk). Hardy is unbeaten in the UFC and just beat the contender (swick).
Werdum lost 2 out of his 3 fights in the UFC and just got his head amputated off by JDS.
You dont need to spin it…
I don’t know about u, but i love watching Penn, GSP & Fedor fight, no matter who the opponent.
All 3 fights involve a fighter from everyone’s top 5 PFP list.
All 3 fights pretty much have a guaranteed outcome.
All 3 fights will be good to watch, but i suppose for u brand is everything right?
Sorry, he Jason Bourned me.
No for me the lines are everything as they tell the entire story. Go look at the lines when the werdum vs Fedor fight comes out and compare it.
This is like GSP fighting Dustin Hazelett. It’s Like BJ Penn fighting Clay Guida.
GSP has cleaned out his division and is fighting the next best contender… same with BJ. That’s why its not useless.
Fedor hasnt fought the top 5 best HW’s and is now fighting a non top 10 guy. Worse the only guy stylistically that would make an interesting fight against fedor (overeem) he isnt fighting. That’s why it’s useless.
Same with Hendo. The best fight for him is against Gegard, but that’s not happening so we get a potential fuck fest with a 170lber. It becomes a pointless exercise when you are skipping over fights that make sense to set up fights that don’t.
Agree
I’ll watch Fedor any time for free, but…
If GSP or BJ retired tomorrow guys like Sanchez, Koscheck, Hardy, Daley, Fitch, Ken Flo, Maynard Edgar would all have shots at winning the UFC belt (I.e. the real championship belt).
If Fedor retired, Werdum has no chance of becoming the best HW in the world.
Also Werdum has no path to victory. The fight is only going to the ground when Fedor wants it too. Its a terrible style matchup. At least Brett Rogers was interesting…this is just terrible.
I’m guessing the lines for Werdum/Fedor will be in the same neighborhood as GSP/Hardy. That’s already moved to +450 and beyond on most books. Highest I’ve heard it being is +534 for Hardy, and the money is still coming in on GSP. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t settle in around +550, which is about where Werdum will end up.
by VirtualBalboa on Jan 21, 2010 3:40 PM EST up reply actions
Fedor/Werdum Thoughts:
meh
Keep firing Assholes!
Mind numbing, tedious and ultimately self defeating.
Werdum could pose a real threat against Fedor if he applied himself. He’s fought well in the past and has some impressive names in his win list.
Problem is he hasn’t looked good lately. Silva nearly won that fight by just outstriking him. Fedor will dominate on the feet. I think it’ll depend on whether Fedor wants to ground and pound him. If he refuses to engage on the ground, he wins. If he doesn’t, Fabricio could catch him in a triangle choke. Fedor’s ground n’ pound could play into his strategy.
That said? Fedor, KO, round 1.
If Nog couldnt put Fedor in a sub. i doubt Werdum will.
"Everyone has a game plan, untell they get hit." -Mike Tyson
by mma is #1 on Jan 20, 2010 7:01 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Werdum’s head-punch resistance is nowhere near as good as Nog’s either.
Keep firing Assholes!
Mind numbing, tedious and ultimately self defeating.
Werdum lost to Dos Santos, Arlovski, Nogueira, & Kharitonov. And his best wins are over Gonzaga and Overeem.
He is definitely a gate keeper of sorts. Doesn’t pose much of a threat to Fedor.
He also beat Aleks Emelianenko, which was a pretty good one, especially for the time.
I wouldn’t exactly call him a “gatekeeper.” Gatekeeper to being world class, maybe.
Yes, Gatekepper to the Top 10 is probably the best way of putting it.
There are different levels of gatekeepers. And Werdum is not a horrible fighter, but we have already seen his limitations. He couldn’t outgrapple Nogueira. He got beaten on his feet by Arlovski and Dos Santos. He was getting beaten by Silva before the guy gassed….
No disrespect to Verdum.
He’s a talented guy. But a compelling matchup for Fedor? Not really. It is a disservice to us all that Fedor isn’t fighting the Mir’s , Carwin’s and Lesnar’s of the world. This is like having a Ferrari with a speed governor on it. Frustrating.
“Besides Brock, there’s not much difference between the fights Fedor will have in with Strikefarce”… Paraphrased from the genius over at USA Today when Fedor just signed.
What these guys dont understand is that Zuffa is an evergreen and dynamic manufacturing plant where the best is constantly rising to the top. Everything else is static and useless.
Strikefarce is like going to an old supermarket and you know you’re getting stale bread because there’s no turn over and they cant afford refrigerators…
The fresh and quality goods are stocked at the counters at UFC and WEC.
Just not an interesting matchup
at least Rogers had that “you never know, man” factor going for him.
Yeah, overall I say thumbs down
This would have been a decent match a few years ago but Werdum has been exposed by JDS. Poor up and down training habits, terrible defense and head movement and a real suspect chin. I would guess he has somewhat of a shot if he can pull guard with his JJ. But being that Big Nog could not do anything with Fedor in that regard the chances are slim to none. Then, the sad thing is that after this match, who is on the horizon?. More little guys like henderson and king mo is all can think of. Some future at Strikeforce eh?
This is really the only match they can do, so i guess it’s good that they’re going to go ahead and do this instead of getting our hopes up for overeem right now when it probably won’t happen.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say they are waiting to see if Barnett gets cleared by the CSAC before clearing this fight. I think they’d much rather book Barnett-Fedor and have Werdum face Overeem on either this card or a later one. Just a hunch.
it’s getting a little late for that though, isn’t it? Does he need to finish the hearing before getting cleared or can he just drop that thing and just reapply?
I think Barnett is too much risk for a cbs card that is 3 months away. This isn’t as bad as the lashley situation, because at least both fighters will have this 99% confirmed fact to give the fighter’s themselves enough time to prepare for the fight, but that situation should be weighing on them and wanting them to get this fight 100% locked down sooner rather than later.
I think that Barnett was their original plan but everything has been held up with the court delays, so they’re in a holding pattern. If Barnett passes he’s in, otherwise they have Werdum waiting as backup.
And as for worry about Barnett passing a test, if they can’t get Overeem booked against Werdum they could have Werdum-Arlovski and use Werdum as their backup plan. Plus I don’t think Barnett will fail knowing he has to pass a test to relicense and another on the fight date. The only reason he was caught before with the Affliction mess is because the test took him by surprise. Remember when they couldn’t find him for that quick Elite XC Arlovski fight? How much do you want to bet he turned off his phone because he knew he wouldn’t be “ready”.
I know they need someone to make the fight, but because of the number of failed tests, if I’m SF, I wouldn’t even think about talking to Josh Barnett unless he showed up with his license completely taken care of and done. barnett has issues with all drug tests, and SF hasn’t had the best run of luck with the commissions lately. I think every second spent planning around barnett is a wasted second until he is officially cleared to fight.
Normally I would agree with you, but StrikeForce needs to make a splash with these fights, and Barnett gives you that. You make Barnett go through weekly tests, have a contract that stipulates a large financial penalty if he fails, and then you wait until he passes the first round of tests before you announce the fight in early February. If you’re lucky you can get Overeem on the card against Werdum for the StrikeForce belt (there is some justification for this because the two were schedule for a title match in August) and the winner gets the Barnett/Fedor winner. Throw in Hendo/Shields and maybe Gegard/ KIng Mo ( although I’d hope they’d wait on Mo) and you got a really good lineup. Something they’ll need to grab attention while UFC 111, 112, and 113 are going on.
alot of fans loathes Barnett right now. I really do feel that Barnett has to somehow gain some respect back by fighting clean at other MMA shows and winning before any fan supports him. If ever he fights Fedor, its going to be only his family that would not to wish for a Fedor KTFO.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
That’s why I think they should book him. Everybody may be pissed at him, but that doesn’t mean they wont tune in. They may say they won’t but they will, if only to see him get his ass kicked. Also, StrikeForce will garner a lot more attention putting this fight on, with the mma blogs and the mainstream press, then they will with a Werdum match.
do you know how much barnett costs for a fight like that? Werdum is like the mexican guy who’ll change your oil for 5 bucks instead of spending 50 for the american guy to do it.
They’re trying to do too much while cutting corners at the same time… it doesn’t work.
Everyone is becoming annoyed with the match making. It’s like an exhibition instead of a real competition.
You have Hershall walker and Lashley fighting some can who’s coming in to just collect his paycheck on the main card but you dont televise the guys who will fight for your title next?
Im just tired of Kid Nate having an orgasm every 48 hours over what amounts to nothing more than a harlem globetrotters show.
You want a one sided exhibition? You want guys coming in off a weeks notice to collect their paychecks…. You should watch the Harlem Globetrotters.
Its pretty scary to nitpick you
but the Globetrotters dont have Michael Jordan.
And i loved it when MJ was making Ehlo his poster child.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
StrikeFarce
You have to capitalize the “F”.
by John Nash on Jan 21, 2010 12:58 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
So True
'He built his whole reputation as a waffle house chef. They’ve been serving him up ham and eggs with a side of canned tomatoes' - Don Frye on Fedor Emelianenko
by Well Read Idiot on Jan 21, 2010 8:45 AM EST up reply actions
I never thought of that, but i always loved Tim Duncan because he never got excited in games. He would just go up and down the court getting his double double every game of the season.
by sloppyknoll on Jan 21, 2010 12:43 PM EST up reply actions
I like this fight. This is the best one we have right now for Fedor. I have moved on w/ whole Fedor and UFC fiasco, so until he gets signed by the UFC, these fights would do. Hell, the Rogers fight was very entertaining, Werdum might be able to make it competitive too, who knows? As long as Fedor is not fighting the Matt Lindlands, I am a happy MMA fan and then enjoy posts about SF demise and how good the UFC is.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
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