FACEBOOK TWITTER RSS APP PODCAST Opinion & Analysis : Hyden's Take HYDEN BLOG: Thoughts on Overeem after "Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery" and on a potential Rua vs. Couture match up

May 19, 2010 - 8:55:14 AM

By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Contributor

Alistair Overeem beat Brett Rogers by TKO this past Saturday. That sounds more impressive than what actually happened. It was a good win for Overeem, no question, but Rogers was not the same fighter that won 8 of his first 10 fights in the first round.

When Fedor Emelianenko knocked him out last November, something changed in Rogers. It's like he's become afraid to get hit. Overeem threw Rogers to the ground, and Rogers just turtled up, offering very little resistance. The Brett Rogers in that hexagon Saturday was hesitant and unsure of himself.

Make no mistake, I give Overeem all due credit for winning, though. Too many times in a situation like this, the better fighter holds back and seems content to ground out a decision or waste everyones time with a third round TKO instead of a first round TKO.

It's very possible that Overeem has used PEDs in the past, or is currently using them. That doesn't matter to me, I don't care if guys use them. Strength is a small part of fighting, and can be easily overcome with technique.

I consider PED use to be equivalent to training at altitude, or underwater to preserve your joints, or using a hyperbaric chamber, or any other number of unique methods that not everyone uses. I'm much more concerned with the long-term health of those that do use PEDs. There's no doubt that being stronger or being able to recover quicker is an advantage.

However, this isn't a bodybuilding competition, increased strength and muscle mass can be as big a detriment as it is a bonus. You may experience difficulty making a weight class, thus having to expend more energy to do so. You're also probably not going to be as flexible, thus making ground-fighting harder. An increase in power usually also means a decrease in speed. Very rare is the fighter who can combine power and speed.

I've digressed enough, so back to the point. All the talk about Overeem and PED use is overshadowing the fact that Overeem has established himself as a quality opponent for Fedor. However, that overlooks Fabricio Werdum, who's scheduled to fight Fedor in June.

Overeem and Werdum are the two men who can ruin things for Strikeforce. One of the things that Strikeforce has over the UFC is Fedor, and his (essentially) unbeaten record. No matter what Dana White, or other people associated with the UFC may say, Fedor is considered one of the top fighters in the world. There exists a question as to who in UFC would be able to beat Fedor.

However, if Alistair Overeem or Fabricio Werdum were to beat Fedor, that legend would be over. Werdum lost to Junior Dos Santos in 2008 and Overeem doesn't have the air of invincibility that Fedor has. Strikeforce could still lay claim to having top-quality heavyweights, but if Fedor loses there goes their claim to having the absolute best heavyweight.

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I understand that Mauricio "Shogun" Rua has a lot of respect for Randy Couture, but there's no way to make the case that Couture deserves a title shot. Couture has beaten Brandon Vera and Mark Coleman, and has a fight with James Toney in August.

I know it was recently announced that the winner of the Rashad Evans vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson fight will get the next title shot at Rua, but I don't think having the winner of that title fight taking on Couture makes sense either. Assuming that Couture defeats Toney, who has he beaten?

He'll have wins over a boxer making his MMA debut, a guy in his 40's who's lost three of his last four fights, and a guy who's lost five of his last eight fights. That's not a murderer's row of fighters there, and I don't think it'd qualify Couture for a title shot. I'm sure Rua would love the chance to fight a legend like Couture, but he's the champion and has to fight deserving title challengers.

Comments and suggestions can be e-mailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com.

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