(Silva dominates Fedor en route to a doctor’s stoppage. Photo by Esther Lin.)
At FIGHT! Magazine, we believe there is a need for a completely objective and unbiased ranking system for fighters to replace the myriad subjective rankings that have become skewed, in many instances, by fighter popularity. In an effort to address this issue FIGHT! Magazine brings you its computerized rankings system which takes into account a fighters strength of opponent, strength of performance, and frequency of activity. Go here for a detailed explanation of how FIGHT!’s rankings work.
Predictably, the Strikeforce World Grand Prix – Heavyweight Tournament is already shaking up FIGHT!’s Heavyweight Rankings. Go here to get the full results from M-1 Global & Strikeforce Present: Fedor vs. Silva and read on for a full analysis of how the fights affected our rankings.
In the evening’s main event, former PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko was stopped for the second straight fight, this time by Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. Without being inside Fedor’s close circle of confidants, it’s impossible to know if his skills are slipping, injuries are catching up with him, or if he’s just losing interest in the fight game, but his era is now definitively over, and younger fighters like Silva will benefit from the exposure of the Grand Prix. Emelianenko falls from #2 to #9 in the Heavyweight Rankings after doctor’s stopped the bout after the second frame, while Silva vaults from #10 to #3.
(Kharitonov connects with Arlovski’s ever-weakening chin. Photo by Esther Lin.)
In the other feature bout, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski suffered his third knockout loss in his last four fights, this time at the hands of Sergei Kharitonov. Arlovski brought a bigger name into the bout but Kharitonov brought a stronger ranking – Kharitonov climbs from #16 to #11 while Arlovski falls from #26 to #35.
In other heavyweight action, Strikeforce prospects Shane Del Rosario and Lavar Johnson duked it out, with Del Rosario coming away with the victory. Del Rosario jumps from #31 to #17 with the win, while Johnson falls from #34 to #51. Grizzled MMA vet, and brother of Strikeforce/Dream/K-1 Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem (#4 Heavyweight), Valentijn Overeem overcame K-1 great Ray Sefo with ease on Sat. night. Overeem enters the rankings at #59, while Sefo enters at #79. And in the third Grand Prix alternate bout of the night, Chad Griggs moved from #58 to #47 with his win over unranked prospect Gian Villante.
In a pleasant twist, Strikeforce stocked the undercard with solid prospects and big-show veterans rather than it’s usual lineup of amateurs and regional jobbers. Amusingly, John Salgado entered the Light Heavyweight Rankings at #205 after his loss to unranked Igor Gracie. In the sub-155 weight classes, which Strikeforce has failed to embrace in any meaningful way, Josh LaBerge entered the Featherweight Rankings at #21 after his win over Anthony Leone, who has competed most recently at 135 pounds, and so enters our rankings at #55 in the Bantamweight Rankings. Also at featherweight, Kevin Roddy enters the rankings at #91 following his loss to unranked Jason McLean.
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