Tatame is reporting some very interesting news about Strikeforce's heavyweight division, and their intentions for 2011. Strikeforce is at a disadvantage in regards to having big names when compared to the UFC, but they're looking to put some faith in the heavyweights next year, by kicking off a heavyweight grand prix, featuring the following fighters:
Fedor Emelianenko - #3 Heavyweight
Fabricio Werdum - #4 Heavyweight
Alistair Overeem - #8 Heavyweight
Antonio Silva - #10 Heavyweight
Josh Barnett - #11 Heavyweight
Brett Rogers - #12 Heavyweight
Andrei Arlovski - #16 Heavyweight
Sergei Kharitonov - Unranked
The tournament would begin with Emelianenko meeting Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva in February, followed by Werdum versus Kharitonov in March. Kharitonov was most recently finished in the first round at K-1 World Grand Prix 2010, by Singh Jaideep, a fighter known for lacking power. Strikeforce is coming off a card that featured lopsided matchmaking such as this, although it was fun to watch, it's a shame that this sort of matchup may occur more often than before.
There's no whisper of a date for the other two bouts, but it looks like Brett Rogers will face off against Josh Barnett, and reigning champion Alistair Overeem will fight Andrei Arlovski. It's worth noting that Rogers and Arlovski match up rather poorly against their opponents, with Rogers' wrestling and ground game no where near as good as Barnett's, and Arlovski still trying to sort out his problems with his chin.
Aside from mismatches, it's interesting to note that in this proposed grand prix, the champion will be participating, rather than facing the winner of the tournament. Of course, if they had to bring in Sergei Kharitonov to finish off the tournament, I guess it's not that much of a shock. I'm curious to see if this rumor pans out, we'll be keeping our ears open for any further news on the subject.