"Fedor vs Silva" results are in after a wild night of fights emanating from the IZOD Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, closing the book on the opening leg of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix.
And what a start to the tournament it was.
Fedor Emelianenko opened as a huge favorite to, at the very least, advance to the semi-finals to await the winner of Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum.
Antonio Silva had other plans.
That goes without saying, of course, but no one could have predicted the absolute beating he laid on "The Last Emperor" in the second round of their main event fight.
"Bigfoot" came out early and ducked under a punch to earn a takedown that proved to be the end for the legendary Russian. Silva was simply too big and strong for Emelianenko to get out from underneath and the Brazilian rained down blows on his opponents helpless head.
By the time the horn sounded, Fedor's right eye was completely swollen shut. The fight was called shortly thereafter and for the second time in as many fights, the mighty had fallen.
And if his post-fight interview was any indication, it may prove to be the final time we ever get to see the man who was perhaps the greatest heavyweight fighter in the young history of mixed martial arts.
If it is, allow me to just say -- long live Fedor.
The action came fast and heavy for every single fight on the main card. Not one bout even made it to the third round, with four of the five contests seeing the end before the horn sounded on the opening frame.
The co-main event of the evening, a quarterfinal bout in the heavyweight grand prix, saw Sergei Kharitonov send Andrei Arlovski crashing to the canvas thanks to a big left hook.
"The Pitbull's" beard certainly didn't help pad his jaw.
Of course, that's a cheap way to say Arlovski simply hasn't learned from past mistakes. When Brett Rogers blitzed him out of the gate in their fight, the Belarussian simply backed up to the fence with his hands down and "The Grim" made him pay for it.
It seems that's a pattern with elite level strikers.
Kharitonov didn't opt for the blitzkrieg strategy, instead using patience and accuracy to fell his opponent.
That marks the fourth consecutive loss for Arlovski, a former UFC heavyweight champion and once thought to be the best big man in the world.
Perhaps Fedor won't be the only one contemplating retirement tonight.
Moving away from the old guard, let's talk about one of Strikeforce's young up-and-coming heavyweight fighters. Let's talk about one, Shane Del Rosario.
Coming into tonight, talk was of the fact that there are simply "No Limits" to what the young Muay Thai specialist can do in his budding mixed martial arts career.
He certainly played the part once again.
That's not to say he didn't struggle. Although he's a former kickboxer with a record of 8-1 including seven knockouts, Rosario struggled in the stand-up, narrowly avoiding a few big shots from his heavy-handed counterpart.
It was when he took it to the floor that it was a wrap.
That's because Lavar Johnson simply had no answer for a mammoth of a man on top of him, landing countless unanswered shots.
To his credit, "Big" Johnson survived over a minute with Rosario in full mount but repeatedly made the mistake of leaving his arms out in the open, begging to be submitted.
Finally, Rosario took the bait and threw his legs over for the fight ending armbar.
That's 11 in a row.
So, hey, who's this Chad Griggs guy?
Oh, I know he went out and brought an emphatic end to the Bobby Lashley hype train, if there ever was one. But that's about all I knew, at least before tonight.
Maybe I should have been paying closer attention.
"The Grave Digger" certainly lived up to his nickname, absolutely destroying Gian Villante with a barrage of punches that the young heavyweight had zero answer for.
He may have gotten a lucky break however, when referee Yves Lavigne called a stop to the action, in an unfavorable spot for Griggs, in order to reinsert the mouthpiece of Villante.
Once the fight restarted, a few more shots brought an end to the least anticipated fight of the evening.
Isn't that how it usually works? No one was waiting for it, but it sure delivered the desired excitement.
Hell, Griggs is 11-1 now. Sure, he's 32 but maybe he's ready for a step up in competition, no?
Stay tuned.
The opening fight of the night saw Valentijn Overeem quickly dispose of K-1 veteran Ray Sefo. That was about as much as can be said about the short and not so sweet contest.
After some early exchanging that neither fighter was particularly getting the better of, Overeem, who's biggest claim to fame is being the older brother of Alistair, the current Strikeforce heavyweight champion, took Sefo to the floor and went to work.
It was almost comical what ensued.
"The Python" wrapped up the kickboxer in what color commentator Frank Shamrock made sure to point out numerous times was a simple neck crank and Sefo tapped quickly after.
James Toney actually put up more of a fight when Randy Couture took him down back at UFC 118.
A win is a win however, and now Overeem is all set to replace any fighter that gets injured in the heavyweight tournament.
Quite the reward for such a quick night of work.
That's all from the "Garden State."
Now it's your turn, Maniacs. Sound off in the comments section with all your thoughts on this historic night.
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