Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Round 1 Results: Overeem & Barnett Advance

Isaac Vallie-Flagg defeats Brian Melancon by Split-Decision.

Nah-Shon Burrell defeats Joe Ray by Unanimous Decision.

Conor Heun robbed Magno Almeida by mysterious Unanimous Decision.

Good to see Gus Johnson decided not to paint himself up like a whore tonight and Frank Shamrock's braces will be the 4th man in the booth.

Justin Wilcox and Gesias Cavalcante battle to a No Decision as the "Silverback" was inadvertently poked in the eye and the doctors would not let him continue.

Can we stop sucking off Hershel Walker for the sake of MMA’s mainstream popularity already? He claims he is not retiring and wants a “name” fighter in his next outing.

Chad Griggs defeats Valentijn Overeem by Tapout due to strikes. The “Gravedigger” gains a throw on Valentijn followed by some G&P and the kid straight taps out like a bitch. At 1st everyone thought it was an early stoppage and then the arena saw the replay and began to boo Overeem (ha!). Talk about zero heart and just collecting a check.

Miesha Tate is beautiful.

Much love to the NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks!

Daniel Cormier defeats Jeff Monson by Unanimous Decision.
Rd.1 The bulbous "Snowman" claims win or lose he is moving down to Light Heavyweight after this bout. I do not see how that is possible with his muscle mass. Jeff has trouble getting any work done early as Daniel uses speedy combinations to tenderize Monson. 10-9 Cormier

Rd.2 The two time Olympian goes to work quickly but the bulls battle a bit for position. Things slow way down and we begin to waltz. Some solid body shots land for Cormier but a monotonous round. 10-9 Cormier

Rd.3 For the final round Daniel goes to work and begins to stagger the "Snowman" who fails at a takedown and is bleeding from the mouth. Daniel takes advantage by leaning aggressively on his opponent before ending in cruise control. 10-9 Cormier

MMAFO and the official judges all score this bout 30-27 to Daniel Cormier.

Jorge Masvidal defeats KJ Noons by Unanimous Decision.

Rd.1 Get out your mousse, the guy who actually believes he beat Nick Diaz in their rematch, is here. They trade a bit early then a nice knee lands for Jorge and then gets a takedown though he does nothing with it. More knees land for Masvidal and KJ begins to bleed quite a bit from his forehead. Jorge lands another huge knee that drops KJ and then Masvidal unloads G&P punishment as Noons is pouring blood. Time saves Noons who looks dazed in the corner. 10-9 Masvidal

Rd.2 We trade and grade as Noons begins to bleed again. Masvidal gains top position again and out works KJ for the round. Noons is a bloody mess. 10-9 Masvidal

Rd.3 I switched to the England stream and I shit you not the announcer saw Michael Irvin on the monitor and said, "look at the reaction on Hershel Walker's face." Masvidal keeps looking for the takedown and finally gets it as KJ misses with his punches. Jorge can't keep Noons down but then gains some control and just bullies the Hawaiian. 10-9 Masvidal

Everyone sees it 30-27 for Jorge Masvidal. "Fight Of The Night"

* Its was a clear cut clean sweep and now Jorge Masvidal is the new #1 Contender to get his ass handed to him by Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez.

Josh Barnett defeats Brett Rogers by Rd.2 Arm-Triangle Submission.

Rd.1 The "Chubby Assassin" slams Rogers down and wallows on top of him for the full 5 minutes. 10-9 Barnett

Rd.2 Josh opens up the striking and Rogers goes for the takedown though Barnett ends up in top control. Barnett works for the arm-triangle submission and the crowd is booing for some reason. Josh locks it in and the "Grim" taps out leading to the victorious Barnett throat slash!

* Its the win Josh needed and Brett cannot handle any ground game. Barnett just takes the mic from Johnson and cuts a perfect pro wrestling promo. "Submission Of The Night"

** Funny to hear Mauro Ranallo accidentally refer to Frank Shamrock as "Ken." Frank's braces were not amused.

Alistair Overeem defeats Fabricio Werdum by Unanimous Decision.

I love the "Reem's" casual trash talk. "We can fight on the feet or it can take a bit longer. If he comes to fight I will destroy him in one round." The "Demolition Man" comes in wearing a Dallas Mavericks NBA Champions flag around his shoulders and the Texas crowd erupts. Overeem weighed in at 417 lbs. tonight.

Rd.1 Overeem is working low and avoids five quick takedown attempts which he shrugged off with ease. Fabricio tries pulling guard twice and Alistair holds his hands out calling on his opponent to the delight of the crowd. Overeem is being too cautious and Fabricio is landing more often. A left hook hurts Werdum who pulls guard. Overeem avoids him and then slams Werdum down though Fabricio stays there and taunts the multi-champion. Pulling guard Alistair ends the round on top but didn't amount an offense and Werdum did. 10-9 Werdum

Rd.2 The uber-knee lands early but Werdum trips Alistair who escapes. Fabricio really landing some strikes now but then is gassed out! Overeem begins to land heavy blows and Fabricio takes a ton of time getting back to his feet now. A right hand hurts Werdum who pulls guard. He continues to pull guard after eating a shot and getting up as lazily as possible while Overeem stalks around the outside. Alistair contently stays in Werdum's guard until the round ends. 10-9 Overeem

Rd.3 Werdum opens the final round with some good clinch work a right hand hurts him and yet again he pulls guard as the chorus of boos rains down. Fabricio is clutching to the "Demolition Man" for dear life and taunts him from his back. Stuck in Werdum's guard the clock ticks away as the crowd begins to chant "Stand them up. Stand them up." Overeem lands here and there but its not impressive. Werdum looks for a kneebar that isn't close as time ends and the crowd voices their displeasure. 10-9 Overeem

MMAFO scored the bout 29-28 for Alistair Overeem as did one of the official judges.

* Both men looked very slow and Werdum is embracing the "bad guy" role these days. Overeem tries to pretend he isn't exhausted in his interview and Antonio Silva has just become a live pick for the next round with Alistair looking very mortal.

7-2 on the picks with the ND and if you listened to me you made $$$$ on Mr. Chad Griggs. A lackluster night of fights with Daniel Cormier doing well but really only Jorge Masvidal impressing. For the tournament we had a vastly outmatched man on the ground and one who would not stop retreating there.