Big Two Weeks For The MMA Heavyweight World

By Patrick Keane
With both the UFC and Strike Force showcasing their high brand heavyweight names, I want to highlight how important these next two weeks will be in the shifting and shaping of the MMA heavyweight division.
Bring on the heavyweights.
Firstly I must discuss the most eagerly anticipated UFC bout in the history of the company. Brock Lesnar versus Shane Carwin is a heavyweight bout to end all heavyweight bouts. Both men tip the scales at the 260 weight, and both defy logic on the subject of huge athletes in sport.
Where Brock is a monster of a man who can physically handle anyone in the UFC, Carwin has managed to stop all his opponents in the first round of every one of his bouts. Both are top class wrestlers, both have crushed top heavyweight contender Frank Mir, and both are eager to square off in this real life clash of the titans.
On the opposite side we have the smaller company Strike Force, with arguably the most influential and greatest fighter in MMA on their roster. The name Fedor rings alarm bells for every fighter who puts on the gloves. Who else has earned nicknames like ‘The Last Emperor’ and the ‘devourer of worlds’? He dominated pride for years and recently defeated Strike Force’s Brett ‘The Grim’ Rogers, with a ruthless TKO in the second round. In his way however is the vastly experienced former UFC fighter Fabricio Werdum, who himself is coming off a great victory over heavyweight contender Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva, who you probably saw recently outclass former UFC champ Andrei Arlovski.
The ongoing debate will always ask about Fedor and his connection or lack there of connection with the UFC. Some will question his legacy; others will stand by the ‘Russian Experiment’ and his refusal to join the undoubtedly dominant company fronted by the ever outspoken Dana White.
That debate is for another day. I want to end this blog by mentioning two other fighters who have a say in the heavyweight mix. Most people will brandish the names of Fedor and Lesnar, but have people forgotten about two heavyweights waiting in the background. Undefeated Cain Velasquez may not be the size of Brock or have the brand name of Fedor, but he is young, Hungary and is coming off the back of a knockout victory over MMA legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. The other fighter is the once lanky Alistar Overeem, who is now and has been of late a legitimate bulky heavyweight who made easier work of Brett Rogers than Fedor did. He will certainly offer the biggest threat to Fedor Emelianenko’s crown and lasting legacy.