Starting tomorrow night in East Rutherford, New Jersey, eight of the best Heavyweight mixed martial artists in the world will start their journeys towards greatness. While only four of them will be competing, you can expect the other four to be on the edge of their seats, anxiously awaiting two men to be proclaimed semi-finalists.
Andrei Arlovski VS Sergei Kharitonov
This fight pits a former UFC Heavyweight champion known for his knockout power against a former Russian Sambo Champion who holds notable victories over two of the men in the tournament. Don't get confused by the description. The latter is not Fedor Emelianenko, although the description may have surprised you.
Sergei Kharitnov is coming into this tournament with notable victories over both Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum. In fact, the 17-4 Kharitonov is the last man to defeat the current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, doing so by knockout.
So why isn't Sergei getting any respect coming into this tournament? There are many reasons for this.
One, he is going up against a name that will overshadow any accomplishment Sergei has ever earned in Andrei Arlovski. Two, The United States has only seen him up close one time, and that was only for about three minutes over almost four years ago. Three, he isn't very active. He has fought only once per year for the last three years, garnering two wins over less than notable fighters and a loss via submission to Jeff Monson. Color me unimpressed.
The meat of this fight is going to circle around Andrei Arlovski for all of us fight freaks. Andrei isn't fighting for respect; he has that. He may tell you he is fighting to become the Strikeforce Heavyweight champion, but if you look at his body of work over his last three fights, you're not going to be picking this pitbull anytime soon.
So what else is there to fight for if he already has respect and winning the title doesn't seem in the cards? This 12-year veteran is fighting for his career. The man that used to be the most feared and revered Heavyweight this side of the Pacific is now just a legend looking for one last chance at glory. If Andrei can't get his glory against Kharitonov Saturday night, it might be time to hang up the fangs.
Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko VS Antonio "Big Foot" Silva
Although Fedor needs no introduction, it is common etiquette to do so anyway.
Here are the numbers: 34 years old, 230 lbs, Grand Master in Sambo, Black Belt in Judo, 32 career victories and numerous championships, medals, and honors. That should be enough.
Across the cage from him, Antonio Silva. With a healthy record of 15 wins and just two losses, "Big Foot" sports one of the better records in the tournament. A black belt in three separate disciplines (Karate, Judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), Silva also has one of the best overall mixed martial arts backgrounds.
His problem, however, is the same as Kharionov's. His opponent has one of the biggest names, if not the biggest, in all of mixed martial arts.
You read the numbers; now here is some perspective. Fedor Emelianenko was once regarded as one of the top three pound for pound mixed martial artists in the world. Talks of Fedor circled around terms like "unbeatable" or "greatest of all-time". Both of those terms held boatloads of water...until Fabricio Werdum came along.
On June 26th, 2010 in beautiful San Jose California, the world stopped turning. Well, not really, but for millions of fight fans all over the world, it might as well have. On that night, the great Fedor was defeated for the first time in almost a decade. Since then, the anticipation of his return has worked up even the calmest of Fedor fans.
Tomorrow night, Fedor hopes to start a new streak of wins, and for his sake, that streak needs to reach at list three. Anything less, and the talk of retirement will start circulating worldwide.
Antonio Silva is looking for more than just a win tomorrow night. If Silva can defeat the mighty Fedor, he may finally start getting the respect that his record would insinuate. With a victory, Silva could get the distinction of being the man that ended "The Last Emperor's" career.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves, however. A lot of stars will have to align for Silva to rack up another victory, but that's not to say he can not do it. Silva is a very good fighter with a very good, and very large, chin. Silva's best chance to win is not on the ground, although with Fedor's only "real" loss coming via submission, everybody seems to think he is somehow prone to it now.
Let's be honest, does anybody really think the greatest Heavyweight of all time is going to be submitted two times in a row after going undefeated for almost 10 years? Silva is going to need to stay on his feet and stay away from Fedor's power punches. Brett Rogers showed us Fedor can be rocked; now it is up to Silva to show us again.
Tomorrow night, two legends of mixed martial arts will put their careers on the line in hopes that they can achieve greatness one last time. Standing in their way are two lesser known veterans hoping to get the respect that they've been seeking for years.
Will we see the last stand of a legend and an emergence of a hero, or will the best of yesteryear prove they still have the heart enough to emerge victorious?
Jenny McCarthy Zooey Deschanel Tara Reid Coco Lee Katy Perry
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