Sherdog’s Top 10: Fights That Failed to Live Up to Their Hype

---

4. Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum 2

When Scott Coker announced the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix, anticipation ran high -- and with good reason. Coker had assembled the best roster of big men outside the UFC, and even sparked talk that the upstart promotion had a better lineup than its big brother. What the lineup lacked in depth it more than made up in quality, featuring Brett Rogers, Strikeforce champion Overeem, Josh Barnett, Andrei Arlovski, Sergei Kharitinov, Antonio Silva, all-time great Fedor Emelianenko and the man who had beaten him the year before: Werdum.

Werdum had shocked the world by finishing Emelianenko in June 2010, and the prospect of an immediate rematch within the tournament structure seemed like a possibility. Coker went a different direction, however, booking Werdum against the surging Overeem in a rematch of a fight that took place under the Pride Fighting Championships banner in 2006.

As much love as hardcore fans still held for Emelianenko, Overeem was the shiny new attraction. Despite his status as the Strikeforce heavyweight champion, the Dutchman had defended the title only once in an utter drubbing of Brett Rogers that lasted less than four minutes. Overeem had made a name for himself following his underwhelming run through Pride by bulking up into a monstrous heavyweight, winning the K-1 World Grand Prix and stringing together a 10-fight unbeaten streak in MMA in which all of his wins came inside the distance. Still, there were real questions about his quality of competition and how he stacked up against the world’s best heavyweights, so few complained when Strikeforce matched up Overeem with his former nemesis.

After a scheduling delay, the fight was pushed back to headline Strikeforce “Overeem vs. Werdum” on June 18, 2011. Anticipation ran high, and there was a real question as to whether the fight’s winner should be considered the world’s best heavyweight. Unfortunately, the bout itself fell far short of what most had expected. Despite having some success pushing Overeem backwards with strikes, Werdum shot himself in the foot by flailing for poorly set-up takedowns, pulling guard when he could not get them and then butt-scooting and begging Overeem to come to the ground with him. When the enormous Dutchman did oblige, Werdum could not accomplish anything at all. Despite landing more strikes, the sheer visual effect of Werdum pleading for Overeem to join him on the mat overshadowed anything the Brazilian actually did.

It was a truly horrendous fight and did a thorough job of deflating the hype around both Werdum and Overeem.

Number 3 » The actual fight was devoid of anything resembling real action. The champion was determined to avoid engaging his counterpart on the ground and settled for jabs, low kicks and winging overhand rights that failed to make much of a dent on the incredibly durable American.