Neil Grove (8-2) is "in the mix" for a possible fight against Alistair Overeem or Josh Barnett at DREAM 13:
"Grove’s camp is hoping to hear something within the next week or so."
HT: fightersonlymagazine.co.uk, photo via mmaweekly.com
DREAM.13 coverage
about 2 years ago
Nick Thomas
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Just so that everyone remembers: this is the same Neil Grove who was subbed by Mike Ciesnolevicz – a lightheavyweight – at UFC 95. Think about it before you try and defend this kind of matchmaking for Overeem. At this point Barnett would almost make sense, though it would still be ritual homicide. (Oh, are we not supposed to mention death now?)
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
Not sure why you would write the guy off from one sub loss. Grove is actually a really tough dude and all of his wins are by KO (most in the first round). I’m surprised the UFC cut him after one fight.
by William Wilson on Mar 1, 2010 12:33 PM EST up reply actions
He’s huge and has massive power. He’s also clueless on the ground and not particularly fast. I’m not writing him off, but either Overeem or Barnett would beat him up and down. About the best HW I’d give him any kind of a shot against is maybe Roy Nelson, but even that would be a longshot. Overeem is way too fast and just as powerful; Barnett is probably stronger, and would have him on the ground and pretzle shaped in no time.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
Hey, atleast
Overreem is stepping up his competition level….
James Thompson, Fujita, Now Grove…
It is like Overreem and his management Know he is not good, but for some reason he is marketable…
Like an international Kimbo Slice…
Lmao!!! best ubereem comparison EVA!!!!!!!!
by Rayce. on Mar 1, 2010 1:55 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
All MMA fighters tend to be tough dudes, it goes along with being a professional prize fighter. That doesn’t tell us much about how good they are.
I think Grove might be a decent match up with Overeem as he’s a stand up fighter with big power much like Overeem. It’s not a good fight by any means but it’s not all that bad and it should deliver fireworks at least. Now Grove against submission specialist Josh Barnett is another story. For as much hate as Josh gets it’s hard to discount what he is capable of and Grove’s weakness plays right into Barnett’s biggest strength.
I’d feel better about him living through a fight with Barnett than with Overeem.
Why not just have Overeem vs. Barnett for the Dream HW belt?
twitter.com/thisredengine
Because that would be responsible match-making?
Seriously, somebody has to step in and make Overeem take a real MMA fight with a legit opponent. How people argue that he’s a top ten HW and defend this kind of match-making is beyond me.
by Worldisart on Mar 1, 2010 12:28 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Anyone considering him top 10 is basing it solely off his K-1 win off Badr Hari (which was already avenged) from a year ago. Hasn’t done squat in MMA to warrant a top 10 mention.
by William Wilson on Mar 1, 2010 12:31 PM EST up reply actions
No, he doesn’t really deserve any ranking to stand on. But he’s still a really interesting heavyweight. I’d still like to see him fight Silva, Barnett, Rogers, and obviously Fedor. Doesn’t look like that will ever happen though so whatever. That win over Hari looks flukey now in retrospect.
The man known simply as "Christmas Cheesesteak"
The thing with Overeem is that there is so much to suggest that he COULD be or MIGHT be a top 10 heavyweight and potential challenger for everyone. What everyone wants is damnwell proof one way or another.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
See, potential is great. But the SB Nation/USA Today rankings have him in the top 10. To me that’s an insult to all fighters outside the top 10. Seriously who has he fought in MMA? James Thomson? Fujita? How does beating two non top 30 guys get you ranked #9?
twitter.com/thisredengine
by Matthew Roth on Mar 1, 2010 12:42 PM EST up reply actions
I am going to agree with hlebtasic, I think Assuerio Silva would be a good fight for him
"For some reason Dana White doesn't like me, and I don't care enough to find out why. So he can go pound sand up his ass as far as I'm concerned."
Don Frye
by keyboardwarrior on Mar 1, 2010 12:46 PM EST up reply actions
hlebtastic is referring to bigfoot silva.
Also last person of note that Overeem beat was Mark Hunt via Keylock. That was in July 2008. How is he in the top 10? or are we judging by K-1 wins which aren’t MMA and shouldn’t be counted. If we are then Werdum’s ADCC win needs to be reflected with him in the top 5.
twitter.com/thisredengine
by Matthew Roth on Mar 1, 2010 12:49 PM EST up reply actions
I just pulled that name out of my a$$ as a lame joke at saying there are a million Silvas
"For some reason Dana White doesn't like me, and I don't care enough to find out why. So he can go pound sand up his ass as far as I'm concerned."
Don Frye
by keyboardwarrior on Mar 1, 2010 12:56 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah. You should never just write Silva and expect anybody to know what the hell you are talking about.
The man known simply as "Christmas Cheesesteak"
Wanderlei Silva!
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
by AJB on Mar 1, 2010 1:40 PM EST up reply actions
Giant Silva!
"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 Mar 1, 2010 3:18 PM EST up reply actions
Overreem is ranked in top 10 just like...
Barnett was ranked #2 and
Fedor is ranked #1…
MMA today, especially with the UFC, is constantly evolving and growing/moving at an exponential rate.
If you fight ONCE per year (excluding injury), the game is passing you by, RAPIDLY!!!
When I say FIGHT, I dont mean against HongManChoi, James Thompson, FUjita, or Fabricio Werdum…Oh wait, Never MIND that last one!!!
Kudos to Fedors management to PROTECT their only source of income against a weak chinned BJJ guy…Fedor lovers are blind to this protection…
MMA is not boxing…you think of it from a business stand point when you can no longer FIGHT TO BE THE BEST!!!
If you are the best, you dont need a possee of Russian Mobsters to make all of the decisions for you!
so the game is passing Brock, GSP, Anderson Silva?
"For some reason Dana White doesn't like me, and I don't care enough to find out why. So he can go pound sand up his ass as far as I'm concerned."
Don Frye
by keyboardwarrior on Mar 1, 2010 3:44 PM EST up reply actions
Well, I meant Antonio Silva. Damn you Brazilians, why are you all named Silva. Also thisredengine, with all due respect, why do you care about the rankings so much. Fans and journalists make the rankings but they ultimately don’t mean much. Disagreeing with rankings shouldn’t keep you from being a fan of somebody.
The man known simply as "Christmas Cheesesteak"
I just find it comical that someone who has been avoiding top competition in MMA is still being talked about as a top talent. Is his striking very good? Yes as is his submission skillset. But that doesn’t mean I need to be a fan of his if he’s avoiding fighting the best when he can.
twitter.com/thisredengine
by Matthew Roth on Mar 1, 2010 12:53 PM EST up reply actions
I still like to see him throw that ridiculous knee. If he takes a good fight I’ll be stoked, but I realize he doesn’t owe me anything.
The man known simply as "Christmas Cheesesteak"
oh he doesn’t owe us anything. But we shouldn’t be forgiving if someone is trying to claim to be a top fighter if they don’t want to prove it. he’s a top kickboxer for sure. but in MMA when I see him run through a string like Cain or JDS then I’ll call him what he thinks he is.
twitter.com/thisredengine
Other than kneeing a top 10 ranked K1 opponent
into fucking oblivion. And also winning a solid decision over a legend in Aerts. Yeah, going 1-1 with arguably the best striker in the world, including a win where he threw a beautiful counter to a looping punch… he’s totally a fluke.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
I’m not trying to say that he’s a joke or anything. I’m just saying his win over Hari wasn’t really as good as Hari’s over him. Hari would probably win 8 out of 10, and in my mind that makes his win a little flukey.
The man known simply as "Christmas Cheesesteak"
One thing to keep in mind is that Hari Overeem 1 occured a few weeks after Hari flipped out on Bonjanksy in the GP finals, got stripped of his titles and was basically neck deep in the shit for weeks. He was in pretty terrible mental and physical condition for the fight with Overeem. Given the absolute ass kicking he gave AO in the second fight, I think we have to take the first one with a major grain of salt, like a Serra v. GSP sized grain of salt.
"an excellent example of why most MMA "journalism" is a joke. Pseudonyms like "toxic" and shitty writing like that dopey article"--- Joe Rogan.
Yeah, but...
Hari still has a tendency to get wild and loop his punches and Alistair caught him by throwing a tighter hook during a flurry and beating him to the punch. Looked a lot like the finish of Rampage vs. Wanderlei III.
It’s similar to Paulo Thiago vs. Koscheck. Sure, Paulo was getting outclassed for a awhile, but when Koscheck hopped in with a jab and his head down and left himself open for a brutal uppercut, he got countered with a brutal right uppercut / left bitchslap combo. Maybe it’s a fight Paulo loses most times (with the skills he had back then), but he won by using better technique over slop.
The same goes for Overeem. He had the mental capabilities to see a mistake and the physical ability to take advantage of it. That’s a dangerous, dangerous man.
"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 Mar 1, 2010 2:40 PM EST up reply actions
This whole “who he’s fought” logic is a little weak. How would you rank fedor by these same standards?
Sure glad Lesnar got his shit straightened out.
by judonerd on Mar 1, 2010 1:53 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
For what it’s worth, its not completely illogical. The ranking systems are never perfect, but here we go.
Overeem was a pretty good 205er, with two wins over Vitor Belfort and a win over Sergei Kharitonov, with his losses coming to only top-flight competition. Since then he’s put on an ridiculous amount of Muscle and put on a very good performance in K-1. So you have a guy who knows MMA, knows submissions, is a very good striker who’s got the muscle definition of a horse (he eats them.) He also has victories over Buentello and Mark Hunt in that time.
So he’s probably better than his laughable competition of late might hvae you believe.
That’s all fine and good but then you’re ranking him on things he could do rather than things he has done.
Overreem is definitely NOT...
Top 10 in the UFCs HW division…
He might be top 5 outside of the UFC but I would have to see it…
This is how $hit works in Japan…a guy fights a bunch of ANiME characters, baseball players, GIANTS, Freaks, and a guy who is good at one sport, but not in another…AND, ALL OF A SUDDEN…
He is the champ and one of the best…
Overeem's fights at heavyweight
Win Kazuyuki Fujita – KO (Knee)
Win James Thompson - Submission (Guillotine Choke)
Win Tony Sylvester - Submission (Guillotine Choke)
Win Gary Goodridge - Submission (Kimura)
NC Mirko Filipovic - No Contest (Knee to the Groin)
Win Mark Hunt - Submission (Keylock)
Win Tae Hyun Lee- KO (Punches)
Win Paul Buentello- Submission (Knees to the Body)
Loss Sergei Kharitonov - KO (Punch)
Win Michael Knaap- Submission (Guillotine Choke)
I’m not sure how that record gets you a heavyweight ranking at all more/less a top ten ranking. All the K-1 stuff is great and all but it has nothing to do with MMA rankings, as a heavyweight in MMA Alistair Overeem hasn’t done much at all.
Every time I watch that, I feel like Grove should be about ten feet further back and chucking a baseball at Thompson’s head. That is bar none the ugliest one-punch KO technique I’ve ever seen.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
by AJB on Mar 1, 2010 1:42 PM EST up reply actions
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