Strikeforce promises to shake up 2011 with a heavyweight GP. The beasts called up for the mission are Fedor Emelianenko, Fabrício Werdum, Alistair Overeem, Antonio Pezão, Andrei Arlovski, Sergei Kharitonov, Brett Rogers, and Josh Barnett.
The frist two quarterfinal fights will take place at the February 12 New Jersey event, and the organization officially announced the four matchups that will kick off the Strikeforce Heavyweight World Grand Prix tournament.
At the event on the 12th, as previously rumored, Fedor Emelianenko will face Antonio Pezão, while former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski will face Sergei Kharitonov, the last man to beat the event’s champion Alistair Overeem.
The other two quarterfinal fights haven’t had a date set yet, but Fabrício Werdum will have Alistair Overeem as an opponent for the second time in his career, while Josh Barnett will fight Brett Rogers.
The grand prix is being put together in a partnership between Strikeforce, M-1 Global, and Showtime. Check back with GRACIEMAG.com for more news.