It was the heavyweights that took center stage in downtown St. Louis, Missouri at the Strikeforce: 'Heavy Artillery' event.
The not-so-gentle giants did not disappoint.
Alistair Overeem confirmed what many have believed for some time - this freak of nature is the real deal. A dominant first round knockout victory over a legitimate top ten heavyweight in the form of Brett Rogers should quiet a whole slew of critics who questioned how his skills would matchup against a legit opponent.
Frankly, the "Demolition Man" made it look easy. Midway through round one he essentially rag dolled the 265-pound Rogers to the ground from the clinch in an incredible display of brute strength. From there is was only a matter of time.
Rogers was never able to work his way back to his feet after being thrown on his back. Instead, he was on the receiving end of one powerful ground and pound strike after the next until Big John McCarthy was forced to intervene.
It was the first title defense for the champion Overeem. Predictably, he called out Fedor Emelianenko is his post fight interview, who has a fight of his own against Fabricio Werdum on June 26.
I would venture a guess that many are hoping and praying for Fedor to walk away victorious in order to set up the fight with Overeem.
Will this fight ever happen?
In the other marquee heavyweight bout Antonio Silva bounced back with a decisive unanimous decision over former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski.
Silva got the better of most exchanges on the feet and tagged Arlovski with numerous shots on the chin throughout. Surprisingly, Arlovski's beard held up nicely. Who knew, right? A late takedown in round three was the proverbial nail in the coffin for Silva. Arlovski, on the other hand, has now dropped his third fight in a row for the first time in his career.
Where does "The Pitbull" go from here?
Grappling stud Ronaldo Souza came out and hit takedowns at will on his way to a unanimous decision victory over a very game, but very overmatched Joey Villasenor.
"Jacare" had Villasenor on his back in all three rounds but was unable to control him long enough to register any sort of trademark submission. It was almost as if Jacare was toying with Villasenor at times and letting him up just so he could take him right back down again.
Neither man registered any significant damage on their feet. Jacare simply used his kickboxing to set up his takedowns. Couple that with some legit ground and pound and it was more than enough to secure the victory. He could have very well secured himself a shot at the middleweight crown.
It may have taken longer than some expected, but Roger Gracie lived up to expectations defeating veteran Kevin Randleman via rear naked choke early in round two. Gracie was content standing with Randleman for the majority of the first frame, likely trying to wear down the veteran Randleman, who has shown suspect cardio in the past.
In round two, however, it was a different story. Randleman found himself on his back with a multiple time ADCC and jiu-jitsu world champion in top position. It was elementary from there for Gracie, who sunk in the choke and forced Randleman to tap.
It had been over two years since we last saw Gracie fight under the Sengoku banner. He now has three submission victories in his three professional career bouts, and rightfully so, for arguably the best heavyweight submission grappler in the world.
Will Gracie be more active in MMA in the future?
Only time will tell.
The first fight on the main card was a matchup of two up-and-comers. Rafael Cavalcante wasted little time reminding us why he has been a highly touted prospect for some time now. He registered a first round TKO over a tough customer in Antwain Britt.
"Feijao" fought fire with fire and did not shy away from the power of Britt. He stood toe-to-toe and landed a clean combination to put down Britt before pounding him out on the mat. His efforts have likely earned him a title shot against newly crowned 205-pound kingpin Muhammad "King Mo" Lawal.
Overall, a solid night of scraps produced from yet another quality Strikeforce card. You can click here for full results.
It's now your turn maniacs. Sound off with your thoughts and comments on what went down tonight in the "Gateway City."
Get the latest gear
